Joys of the River

Sights and sounds of construction.

Working on the river is great. Cool, breezy, beautiful.

Taken June 5, 2013. Quartz aggregate being removed by a CAT941 after first coat of a thin epoxy application.

4th of July!

Happy Independence Day 'Merica.

While there are tons of traditions that go along with this day, the one that impacts the economy the most is people taking the day off from work and traveling.

Did you know Michigan stops as much construction as possible for the 4th of July weekend? Not a single contractor is working this Friday on state jobs. (In Berrien anyway.)
Check it out: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-51034-195267--,00.html

BUT HEY! They didn't open ALL of the closures. What gives?! Traffic closures that are remaining to be closed, well, let's just look at them:

- I-94, Berrien County, will have two lanes open in each direction from Sawyer to Bridgman. Okay, yeah this is 6 miles of new pavement, new drainage, and $15 million of other stuff. You can't just finish this up and open it to traffic. Those FIP don't need anymore lanes anyway.
- US-12, Berrien County, will have one lane open in each direction from Mayflower Road to M-139, between Buchanan and Niles. They haven't finished putting in a lane yet. And all of the cross-overs need to be paved. Yeah no.
- US-12 in New Buffalo, Berrien County, will have one lane open in each direction at the I-94 interchange. One lane will be open over the Galien River bridge east of Hoder Road. This is a reconstruct. Like all the concrete has been pulled out and they are doin' it over. That's a hellaton of work. There's nothing to open the traffic to. They can't have you drive on nothingness.

So they really did stop all construction that could be stopped. 



If you are traveling across the state, I recommend looking at the MiDrive map. Not only does it show construction projects currently up, but also accidents and the speed of the cars on the highway. This technology is starting to be used throughout the state more and more, with dynamic message boards going up on I-94. These board will tell you how long it will take to get to Detroit or other cities, as well as any other important information to our drivers. Pretty cool!
Check it out: http://mdotnetpublic.state.mi.us/drive/

MiDrive interface

Rolling Epoxy

Sights and sounds of construction.

Watching them roll epoxy on the overpass deck on a windy day.

(From 6/28/2013)

Ticks

Source: http://www.mainelyme.org/

Ticks. Ticks are the ban of my existence. Three were on my today. I lost count of my ticks in order to maintain sanity. They are the most vile of insects. Blood-sucking, six-legged, disease-carrying drudgeries of the planet. As the truck driver put it, "Mosquitoes and ticks, I tell ya. Nature's vampires."

One day, I was working with a laborer who was.... unaccustomed to working with a young woman as an inspector and he was trying to frighten/gross me out with typical things that would scare young women. I had a bug on me, and one of the laborers got it off. Nonplussed, I thanked them.

"You ain't scared?"
"As long as it's not a tick."
"Oh ticks are nothing, I seen real big spiders round here. This big! Creeping and crawlin-"
"But ticks are densely populated in this area. They latch on."
"Pshh ticks! I've seen rats coming out of the sewer that can nibble on your--"
"Ticks latch on after crawling anywhere on your body, then start sucking your blood until they fill up like a balloon and waddle away. You find one, and try to take it out, it's head becomes dislodged in your skin. Sometimes only removal by surgery."
"Snakes!!! There are poisonous snakes in this area that you have to watch out for. They slither around in the grass. Just a few years ago, me and Jim were poking one in the grass and it coulda jumped and snapped---"
"Ticks carry LYME'S disease. That means with one bite you are looking at flu-like symptoms, joint pain, future heart problems, ect. The tick population is the record high in this area this year, and tons of the ticks carry lyme's disease. Snake? They don't have lyme's disease. And there aren't like 4 that crawl up and down you a day. The only way to prevent tick bites is checking over yourself throughout the day, wearing tight clothing, and spraying tons of deet."
"Oh wow, yeah, I better get some deet..."

After my first day of ticks, I thoroughly researched it and did this PSA whenever new laborers came on site and didn't freak out when someone had a tick on them, which was every often. The more you know~

Ticks and distracted drivers. Nothing in this world is more terrifying on a construction site.



For more information on ticks, check out these sources! 
 http://www.michiganradio.org/post/theres-tick-boom-michigan-here-are-5-things-you-should-know
 http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/

Saying Goodbye

Written 7/3/13

The skill most improved from working in Construction is teamwork. Think about it, you work with people from all around for maybe a day or two, or maybe a month, with little to no introduction. Then for that period of time you work under the hot sun doing manual labor under a strict timeline in life-threatening situations, relying hand-in-hand with the workmanship and timeline of others. Oh yeah, and the thing you're working on is worth millions of dollars. No pressure.

And though it's so stressful, everyone is really great. They are cooperative, friendly, and don't hold grudges. Stuff happens. Be mad about it for like a day, then come back tomorrow ready to go.

Some of you are waiting for the punch line. But no punch line, no psych, I'm serious. People are really cool. If you've had bad team experiences, reflect on how you interacted in the dynamic. People, for the most part, are great and want the goal as badly as you do. People are cool.


So cool in fact, that it's sad to say goodbye. Parting is as quick as introductions. It's really special when someone takes the time to say goodbye in the field. But then, that's that awkward moment when you want to make sure you say goodbye, but you might see the person again, so you wait. And wait. Then you waited too long and they are gone forever.

There were three goodbyes that were memorable from this project. (oh yeah, the project ended today... I told you this blog was late in the game.)





So I'm standing there at the end of the day with my density gauge, tired after three days of nuclear density testing and being almost hospitalized three days before, and the foreman comes up to me and says, "Well, it's been a nice rodeo... Thanks kiddo, you're pretty cool."

I had no idea what he was saying. Just earlier in the day he was taking about visiting places in da UP and checking out the Notre Dame Basilica, and now he was taking about rodeos, and I was like, "Yeah, today was fun... See ya Monday. Have a nice weekend."

And the foreman kinda looked sad, and said, "No, I have another project. This guys taking over."

And then I was so tired and confused and sad that I just stood there. Sounds dumb I know, but I just didn't know what to say. We stood in silence for a while, the he talked to the operator-turned-foreman, and then got in his truck and left for forever.

I wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed working with him, that I'd love to check out the places he recommended, to tell him to say hi to his daughter, to ask him for advice about construction or words of wisdom. But nope. I just stood there. And now he's gone.



The second goodbye was a little more resolved. Ever since the first one, I planned it out: what I'd say, what I'd ask. I wasn't just going to stand dumbfounded. But then it happened. The project had a week left and the foreman, the first person I ever met on my first job site, came up to my truck while I was calculating a pay item. "Well, I'm heading out. Nice working with you." And he extended his hand. Again, I was like, "Okay, see you tomorrow," and didn't see the hand extended. He explained he had a job in Flint and that one guy is taking over (same guy taking over as before). And this was my moment! My moment to do my planned goodbye. But nope. We talked about pay items and then silence. I didn’t say anything sentimental or anything to show how much I enjoyed working with such a kind, agreeable person. He had told me tons about his family. I knew how his wife and him met (I'll tell you that story later, it's cute) and about his Catholic faith and about brother's farm and everything. He knew about my brother and about my friend in New York and my family and my fishing experience and tons about my Catholic faith (if some of you could believe that...). And then when we parted, nothing. Nothing but a handshake and a nod goodbye with a few minutes of silence.


Today I had to call him. Call the foreman back. I had a second chance. But knowing me, again I only talked about the pay item, and then bam. I just said goodbye and ended the phone call. He was actually trying to prolong the conversation, but I was like a robot. No fluff or what I wanted to say. Just business. Gaaaaah. I hope he can just read my mind.




Today was the third goodbye. Sure, I saw over 30 laborers in and out the last two months between all the subcontractors and what not, but I almost never said goodbye. They themselves didn't even know when they would be leaving for a day, or for good. But today, I said goodbye to a laborer because we knew it was the end. It was great. No pressure. Joyful, walking away with laughter talking about the project. I didn't know him very personally, but he was the second person I met on the site, so I'd seen his face everyday. I wish every goodbye could be like that, but you know, some people just hit you harder than others.

Bathroom Review: Child Rollercoaster

Berrien Springs Public Library

I need to use the bathroom. It's inevitable. But I hate to just use a bathroom at a gas station/restaurant/store over and over. Especially without buying something from them. 

But somedays you need to go to the bathroom three or four times, and your wallet doesn't want to buy candy four times from a gas station, so I go to a cheaper bathroom. That's where the public buildings come into play. 

Recently, I went to the Berrien Springs public library bathroom. It's very nice and very clean. Interestingly enough, it is under lock and key. The entire thing. All 3 stalls, table, two sinks. It's been this way for almost 10 years. Must get a key from the front desk. 

I don't think this is a proper key chain....

The best part of this bathroom though is the child rollercoaster seat (pictured above). Why is there a harness on the wall? Does anyone really take the time to strap in their child before taking a dump? The worst part, is that the child is directly facing you on the toilet. Talk about pressure. Well, I WOULD feel pressured. You have an involuntary audience on the wall directly in-front of you. But I suppose that's better than your child running up and down the bathroom, crawling under strangers and streaming toilet paper all around.

By far, this is my favorite bathroom in Berrien Springs.
Pros: Nice and quiet. Clean. Has paper towels. Has mirror. Doesn't cost me a thing.
Cons: Must talk to front desk to get key.

Don't forget to strap those infants in!

Rainy Day

The sights and sounds of construction.

When it rains, it pours. The mud sucks your steel toes down into the muck. Tires bigger than you slip and slide with grinding motors into the slippery abyss. But most of all, it's cold, wet, and no one wants to work.

Sitting and waiting for it to finish and work to resume.

Nature's Call

Panera, St. Joseph

Bathrooms of Berrien.
The sights, sounds, and smells of a woman in construction.

I didn't want to write a blog at first. Blogs are so impersonal and open to any audience. But after the bewailing of my family to write my crazy stories down, with pictures, I decided to cave in.

You see, I work in construction. I am also a woman. I'm also blonde. Now, I'm no feminist, but being a male-dominated field for a while, some things are hard to change for the 21st century. Though, they aren't the things you'd think of right away. Let me tell you a story.

My first week of work, I was ready. I was ready to not take any of the shit they'll give me, I'll have a air that demands respect, and I'll be confident. Confidence is key. And.... it worked! They called me boss and listened to everything I said. It was waaay too easy. My friend always warned me, "Hey, they're going to try to lure you away, you know, like get you to look at something else or tell you to take lunch or something. Don't let them. Make sure you watch them like an eagle. The more they tell you to look away, the more you should watch them."

So one day Marc turned to me and said, "Uhhhhh look that way for a little bit. Like over the river or something, just not back there."  I grinned and said "Why? Doing something you shouldn't be?" and I turn to see a guy ready to unzip his fly to pee on the side of the road. "Oh."

And that's when the division of sexes became apparent. Sure there are port-a-potties on site, but no one uses them. Literally no one. They have been sitting there since the beginning of the project and maybe their good in the first week, but I'm not going in there. My rump has to touch that thing. Call me a princess, but I'd rather drive miles to a bathroom than use that thing.

That's what I do. Drive to the closest bathroom. And throughout the Berrien County area, I've stumbled upon some.... interesting bathrooms. I hope to share these interesting bathrooms with you as I continue my construction employment for the next 2 months.

Enjoy!