I'D LOVE TO WATCH A FIRE

It's funny to think back to the times when I enjoyed driving. I used to go for drives, no destination, just driving and listening to good music. These days you would almost have to pay me to be on the road for no apparent reason. One downside to this trade is the constant risk of becoming a member of the super-commuter club. With the exception of gas, long distance drives aren't hateful, but accidents, rush hour traffic, and a-hole drivers are. My round trip commute right now is 144 miles. In the mornings my ride is about one hour and fifteen minutes. Getting home can take me up to two and a half hours. I think my average is about an hour and forty-five minutes. As electricians, we must go where the work is. No telecommuting for us! On the bright side(or maybe the down side), no job lasts forever.
As I mentioned in my last post, my current project at work is FIRE-WATCH, and it's pretty awful. Being the low man on the pole sucks, but then again, everyone has to put their time in. Doing crap jobs makes you appreciate the good work even more. All I can do is be the best fire watch that I can be, and hope for a different assignment.
School is pretty easy right now. We are doing some review work on electrical code, and touching on topics like telecommunication wiring, fire alarm, and security systems. I think the idea is to give us a feel for different areas of our work. In about five months our paid day school will be over and done. In September we will choose electives to study in night school, so we should have an idea of what we like and dislike. Anyway, we don't have assigned homework anymore, all we have to do is study and pass our tests. Sweet. I don't know if I could even do homework with my current schedule. BUT, like I said, you still have to study for tests, which is what I should be doing now, so, see ya'.

Chalk Point "Work"

Hello again! Since my last post, I've been working at the Chalk Point power plant, and I use the term working loosely. I am ashamed at the amount of work I've done in three weeks. Everything takes three or four times longer at the power house,and it's very frustrating, at least for me. Security and safety are my two biggest obstacles. I have to wait ten or so minutes in the morning just to get through the front gate. At seven o'clock, we have a short safety talk before the long walk to the work areas. By the time I actually start working it's usually eight o'clock, which gives me just enough time to do nothing before stopping work at 8:50 so I can take break at 9:00. We take a fifteen minute break, so I usually get back to my work area at about 9:30, which gives me just about two hours and twenty minutes until we stop for lunch. So, after a thirty minute lunch, we're back in the work area around12:45, leaving two hours before clean up and the walk back. The power house issues contractors badges to get on the property, and I've probably spent three hours dealing with badges(long story). On the bright side, I hate my current assignment, so less work is good. I am on fire watch. Fire watch is when you sit with a fire extinguisher and watch a welder work, that's it! I make sure the sparks coming off the welded materials don't hit anyone or start fires-BORING!!!! It's not awful(okay, it is), but what bugs me is that I'm missing out on the on the job training, which will have a lot to do with the type of electrician I will be. I'm happy to be working in any event, but I'll be happier to get tools back in my hands. At least I work with some good people, so I'll try to make the best of it.