Hiking update: My hiking spreadsheet is starting to look like a Parcheesi Game board.
As long as it does not become the game of SORRY! :)
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(My apologies if this picture cannot be seen or is in violation of some sort. I'm just using it as an example of my dreams yet to be fulfilled)
Goals at end of Hike: Be my own Boss.
A Jim Rohn Type: "Happy Taxpayer"
An American Entrepreneur: Keep everything legal, play by rules.
Since I've looked into the eyes of a CFO before they became a business felon. I've seen "the Look". It's interesting for sure.
More on that later and maybe it will make sense.
I'm seeing it in some others though these days.
I'm selective and not exclusive today.
Words for the day:
(Power) Selective
adjective
- relating to or involving the selection of the most suitable or best qualified.
adjective
- 1.excluding or not admitting other things.
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Life and Heightened Awareness lately: I've noticed transitions.From A School to B School to C School
Each was in transition into the computer age.
Everything I seemed to be stationed on was in Overhaul.
Awesome experience for a "fixer of things".
Electro-Mechanical Technician is the title I like to use but nothing was out of reach to learn by experience and cause.
Became a certified Crane Operator during my USN time to view life from my Dad's eyes. He never wanted me to follow his example but to learn from it.
Apples to Trees, falling has to happen. I guess the distance traveled can only happen if outside influence/others help or the hill is steep where the tree resides.
He was a Pro. I dabbled just to get the view "from the Cat Bird Seat" and the life & material safety responsibility feeling he must have had.
My son respects the nature of work that I've performed. He's had his fair share of "days on the floor" and "fun times" of certification.
With some vocations though come dangerously humorous moments.
"Tap tap tap" was one for me and I'll share it here. It's lengthy.
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Place yourself in a control room. Any one.
Chemical Plant, Paper Mill, Co-gen Facility, Boiler Room ...
Now in that room was generally "Favorite" screens built to show what ever process you desire to "monitor" and I use the word loosely cuz the "system" does a very good job of keeping most things out of chaos when "Lightning" strikes.
I'll use that because it was a frequent "issue" for a Co-generation power facility built on the shores of Lake Ontario.
The "system" is designed to bring EVERYTHING to a safe handling point for inspection into "the cause" of the interruption.
Federal Law mandates a call ASAP to "the Grid" - status report.
I've not made those calls at THAT facility but I've been present when our "Smoke stack/Antenna for a Lightning Magnet" was hit twice when I was the Plant Electrician.
Lightning Shakes the building.
Safety valves on the Heat Recovery Steam Generator lift.
Battery Power kicks in and everything gently mellows to a hissssss.
And that is where the tap tap tap story begins.
Safety Valves that needed commissioning.
My first power plant from dirt to full load.
High Pressure/Super Heated Steam Safety Relief Valves.
(I'll just say a Safety Check: @1975# lift)
So: Control room screen says 1975# but no valve lift.
Local is gauge is 1973#
Commissioning Crew leader: then we "Tap Tap Tap"
Commissioning Crew agreed and ONE from the power plant "trainees" had to be on site to verify. I got the short straw gig.
Walk to TOP of boiler at supposed 1975# (local 1973#).
Squatting next to Crew by the Safety Valve, he pulls out his 6" left handed adjustable metric Crescent hammer and hits the valve.
Tap tap tap ... tap tap tap.
Radio down: No lift. Gord Head. Bump it up 1#
Radio up: Don't call me Gord Head. 1976 and holding.
Tap tap tap ... no lift. Local? 1974.
Radio down: No lift. Gord ..... steam valve lifts
Analog dead on. Digital needed "tweaking"
Once the valve reset and our ears noticed a considerable difference in volume activity the Road Crew looks at me and says:
"Cool Huh?"
I nodded yes.
We made it back to the Control Room to gather our next attempt.
Yep, the Control room Screen needs to match the valve and local gauge exactly at lift off.
Time to "bump it up" to limit and allow the "In House Technician" set the digital pressure to match lift off.
The technician had not had his fair share of beer that day and was shaking a bit. That's my guess.
I went up with him to see if what I learned in Foxboro Contols School made sense in a live practical setting and not the classroom.
Tap tap tap did not need to be performed but making the screen in the control room be EXACTLY was performed on the fly to then be tested a third time with everyone in the control room as witness.
So, the rest of the story ... Our in house controls specialist did, with shaking hands, set the pressure switch to indicate exactly 1975# when the safety's lifted.
After the sound quieted the Second time for me, I looked him in the eyes and said: "Cool Huh?"
I can say his response was lets get down now!I cannot describe the feeling of a Super Heated Steam Vessel at 1975 psi deflating to a safer but still higher than normal operation pressure. But I have experienced it twice. It was Cool both times.
P.I.D. Controls 4-20ma
Now for the rest of the story ... different story that I started with.
Since Rentway is no longer, what I share about "MY experience" is just that. Mine.
Rent way was what it was. A rent to own corporation.
My loving wife understood the corporate mail "system" as she was hired to handle weekly and daily corporate mail flow.
Sadly, the one that was trying to become the shark became the minnow, they were swallowed up by R.A.C.
I can say, my lear jet experience(s) were before the crash at the end of the corporate learning curve for their ... and I'll be kind ... Intelligence and Greed. Telecommunication technicians are an awesome family. Harley's. Fun and Laughs.
A Rented Corporate Lear Jet ride between Tampa and Erie altered my life one day. My second flight was the best though.
I will never have that look the CFO had when calculating a 1500 telecommunications (pre year 2000) store expansion into parts of the South, Midwest and EAST Coast during that flight to Erie.
Technology that was placed in service then is still being used today.
I do have one corporate partner in mind though in my future.
He was on the same flight as I. My second, his first.
Thank you GTE (before they became Verizon).
The second time for me was just as nice as the first.
I could look my son in the eyes after the experience and say:
Cool Huh?
~ Kindle
