BURNING TOAST: concrete

Showing posts with label concrete. Show all posts

Since 4:30. . .

>> Thursday, October 14, 2010 – concrete, concrete pump, work

Cha-clunk! Cha-clunk! Cha-clunk!

Well, I guess this is better than prison.

- Sent from my iPhone

God Bless Precipitation. . .

>> Friday, August 1, 2008 – concrete, concrete pump, no roux for you, no work for me

This morning I went to a concrete placement where we have been having trouble with the concrete mix. It's taken us two days, but we think we've ironed out the bugs in the mix. This morning at 6:00, the bottom fell out of the sky and in a matter of 27 seconds I was sopping wet from head to toe. There was no reason to even pull out my rain gear. I was soaked to the bone. And I stayed that way for three and a half hours.

This evening, we were supposed to have another large concrete placement at Northrop-Grumman's shipyard just around the corner here. Something on the order of 1000 cubic yards or so beginning at 9:00 p.m. Another miserable all-nighter.

That is until about an hour ago. The placement has been canceled mercifully by the contractor. Thank the good heavens for rain!

Rain, it's not just for the garden!

So, what to do now. Casino? Bar? Dinner?

Hhhmmmmm. . .

I'll start with a beer and work it from there.

Faces In Strange Places. . .Geological Version

>> – concrete, gravel, odd face, photo, rock

(click image to enlarge)

rocks
gulfport, mississippi - August 2008

A Good Day. . .

>> Tuesday, July 29, 2008 – concrete, construction, good times, no work for me

All things being equal, today was a fine example of the positive nature of humanity as we struggle to survive in this crazy business called construction.

Today, this morning, I went to a concrete placement that was the kind of operation that textbooks about engineering and construction are founded upon. Quite possible the "perfect" placement. The concrete was on-time, the admixtures to make the concrete easier to place functioned as they should, the consistencies of the different individual loads were, well, consistent and everyone was smiling and beaming and having a good time telling jokes and shooting the shit. Just a fine morning of pretty hard work made easy by preparedness.

On another job, the hydraulics of a concrete truck failed, stranding the ever hardening concrete inside the drum for a couple of hours. Normally bad news, but everyone shook it off and moved ahead positively. Although sadly, someone will have a hefty and dangerous jackhammer job at the concrete plant tomorrow.

And what made the day even better is that we are caught up here in the laboratory with the different and various soil samples and on top of this big, delicious cream pie, a cherry, in the form of heavy afternoon thunderstorms. Awesome.

I can hear the rain now and the bed looks so inviting at the moment, but I know. . .I know, if I go there, there will be no coming back until tomorrow. But maybe my body is telling me something. . .

. . .just a nap, a short one. 1 hour. . .

Hell.

>> Saturday, July 19, 2008 – concrete, concrete pump, construction, photo, work

3:30 a.m.
gulfport, mississippi - july 2008

Casual Words Of Importance. . .

>> Saturday, June 7, 2008 – concrete, concrete pump, fucking A, work

This early morning I was monitoring a concrete placement at what will be another unit of a local Mexican restaurant when I asked the driver of a concrete truck if he wanted some of my sunflower seeds.

His response:

"Naw, if I ate some of them now, it'd just make me want a beer and then there's no tellin' where I'd end up."

Amen to that brother.

It's 2:00 a.m. . . .

>> Monday, June 2, 2008 – concrete, fucking A, no work for me, work

Do you know where your concrete is?

It's 4:30 a.m. and this Monday has already started off poorly. I got up at 2:00 to drive over to Vicksburg for a 4:00 concrete placement and guess what? I was the only S.O.B. on the jobsite! I guess sometime between the Saturday morning placement and today, the work was cancelled.

Appreciate the heads up you a-holes.

This is what I feel like after less than 4 hours of sleep:

Holy Concrete Pumps Batman!!!

>> Monday, July 2, 2007 – Bayside Condos, concrete, concrete pump, construction, San Diego

According to the email that accompanied this photo, this is a concrete placement at Bayside Condos in San Diego. The contractor placed 11,500 cubic yards of concrete in 10 hours. A considerable feat to say the least.

Photo Credit: Unknown, but thanks.