Sept 27, 2015...sunday I think

Sept 27, 2015.....

So I got up at 4 am, and couldn't go back to sleep. Breakfast didn't open until 7am, as opposed to 5:30am every other day of the week.  Its kind of depressing how much time one can waste on the internet.....Facebook mostly.

I had breakfast at 7, then went to work.  I had some cylinders to pick up and a few others to strip at the lab.  It only took me a few hours.  Then at 9:45am, "Fitz" one of the mechanics met me at the boat.  It still wasn't running quite right and we were going to take it out and get Fitz's orientation out of the way and hopefully get both engines running right.  Paul, a superintendent from San Juan Construction, had plans to take a few other new guys out fishing at 11 am, even though I had already told him the thing wasn't running right.  I think I did a good job of getting Fitz "orientated", but we didn't quite get the boat running right.  Paul took it anyhow.

Fitz says the left (port side)(he has a lot to learn before he does his "practical" for his boat license) engine has a blockage near the fuel filter.  I'll get to it and fix it.

I might have mentioned about going to work the other day.  I stepped out of my lagoon side place and looked to the west and saw the AMEC people down talking to whomever at the end of our "Mancamp" cubicles.  The "cubicle" second from the end had a 40lb construction barrier stuck in it.   About 5 ft up there was a metal framed easel with an orange and white top board driven into the side of one the shoeboxes we all live in.  I guessed it was one of the mechanics got drunk and showed his boss what was up. 

Ray told me later that no one really seemed to believe him when he said it was a weather deal.  They seemed to all want to believe some sort of drama/vandalism. He said it sounded like a Semi was rolling thru, and  his whole place shook.  His roommate verifies this.  Ray said he tried to open his door during the windy downpour (I did hear this at 3 am...it was a hard rain), but he said it felt like someone was holding the door shut while throwing buckets of water at the door. 

All the people in the units nearby are saying it was a freak weather deal, and everyone affected says it was the weather.  I talked to Gary this morning along with Fitz about the incident.  Gary is the super cool Marshallese guy who runs the small boat marina.  He told me about an incident a few weeks ago on Ebeye where 3 houses lost their roofs.  9pm, no rain, and all of the sudden someone's roof gets ripped off and goes straight up.  They watched them go.  They also watched and ducked as they fell.

I've heard, and read about some weird ugly weather potentially headed here.  The wind has been blowing from the west for 2 months now.  Not strong, but still, it never blows from the west for that long.  I read a few articles that say the west winds are an ominous sign of  some trouble coming.  I like trouble.  Unfortunately, on Ebeye, next island over, they aren't quite ready for big trouble so I hope it doesn't come.

Sunday night volleyball is back now.  Up to this sunday, we were starting at 5pm, Joanna moved it up to 4 because we have so many playing.  Joanna is a mid twenty something, attractive, fun, and athletic girl that showed up a few months ago and plays Frisbee with us on a regular basis.  We had a great turn out, and great games played until it was too dark to see.  Darkness, comes around 7:20 these days not that it changes much all year.

Sept 28, 2015 Monday...

As a reminder, Sundays and Mondays are the weekends out here.  I have another example to add to my collection of proofs that I am the "Luckiest guy I know".  This job and this place is one thing.  The great pay, the per diem and the taxlessness of it all even better.  Then comes use of Larry's boat.  A little more icing on the cake came a month ago when our project manager told Ray and James (both hourly employees involved in producing concrete out here along with Greg and I who are salaried), that unless they are scheduled, they will not be getting more than 50 hours a week.  This means I will mostly be kept under 50 hours a week.  Pretty much all other San Juan employees working on the Space Fence project are working 6 days a week, except us with the concrete.  Something to do with our contract and money.  Something perfect for me because I enjoy having a two day weekend,  even though I have to go in for a safety deal today from noon to 4pm, and we had a big overnight pour last Monday.

Sept 25 maybe?

9-25-15

I got up at 4:33am.  The alarm was set for twenty minutes later.  I went to work to do some preparatory work for a 7 am concrete pour. I grabbed some samples from the aggregate pile to get moisture samples for the 7 am pour.  As soon as I put the samples in the oven from the sand pile and the rock pile, it started raining.  Moisture hides in the aggregate.  In the sand there could be 8 gallons of water hiding.  In the larger aggregate there could be the same.  The mix design has a designated water to cement ration that is not supposed to be exceeded.  Usually it's around .4.  That ratio often means around 32 gallons of water is allowed in a common mix design for one yard of concrete.  Everyday here the rain and or sun changes the amount of moisture hidden in the aggregates.  Its numbers, its very boring, but I'm forced into it, and I kind of like the math part of all of it. 

The higher the water cement ratio the weaker the concrete.  There is an engineering firm in Seattle that my company and our clients company has hired to actually do the mix designs.  They over did them. 

18th or so SEPT.....2015

So, apparently there is a navy ship in the harbor.  Ok so it not really a harbor, more of a dock inside the atoll, which mostly makes it a harbor in the right winds.

Friday night (last  night), they let the crew lose on the island.  We didn't really recognize it too much because we played Frisbee at 6 pm.  I got off work at 5pm, and went to the store (the PX), or whatever Army name they have for it.  There were a lot of strange people in there. Strange meaning...confused looking.....new faces...asking questions about where the chow hall is.  We kind of saw them during Frisbee too.  People walking along the ocean side road, young people.  Then a few golf carts of uniformed people watching the young kids walking.  I was told they were "shore patrol".....there to keep the "sailors" out of trouble.  Last night was Frisbee as usual.  Great games and people are learning to be more sportsmanlike, which I love.

9-19-15 Saturday....

Everyone (on the island) knew by now the Navy ship was dumping a hundred or so young (very young) but apparently legal to drink, kids off for "shore leave".  I, and others wanted to go to the Snake Pit (Ocean View) to see new faces.  Its kind of strange the need to just see new faces. 
I got off work an hour early, did laundry, then headed to the gym with all intentions of playing Frisbee with the fireman until dark.  They are all pretty much great guys who play a pretty casual game of Frisbee.  They field they use is boxed in by the runway, the firehouse and the Vets Hall.  Its kind of strange to be out running around like a maniac, when your co workers and others are out back of the Vets Hall drinking in basically an open-sided shelter house.  I guess my coworkers didn't really show up until after dark, which means they didn't really see me out there.

September 11, 2015

Friday.  I made some headway into feeling better.  I called this morning to the hospital to make an appointment to see a doctor, because the every 3 minute cough I had was hanging around too long.  I let my roommate convince me that I would have walking pneumonia if I didn't get things looked at.  I figured they would just give me some antibiotics and send me on my way.  Our safety guy, Dave, was there about the time I had made the appointment so I asked him for a ride.  We only made it about a quarter a mile before we had the whole deal all discussed out.  He said he had the same symptoms and went to the hospital and they gave him antibiotics just like I figured they might do.  He said it didn't help, and the cough went away kind of on its own about two weeks after the antibiotics.  I told him to turn around.

I went to Frisbee tonight, and Cory, the SeaBees sergeant was there a bit early and asked how I was feeling.  I told him that I wasn't quite right, and had this cough that was hanging around.  He said "its because you don't stop".  He was wrong, for me, I did stop.  I even took half a day off work, and even skipped Frisbee one night kinda.

Any how, tonight beer tasted good, as opposed to tasting like soda water. 

Sept 6, 2015

Its Sat night, around 2am.  My  sleep schedule has been fairly messed up due to being sick.  I lost 11 lbs in four days from just not eating.  I had no appetite.  The fever was up to 103 on Tuesday, but slowly got better as the week went on.  My appetite really has not recovered yet, although I'm forcing myself to eat.  Nothing really tastes good, and things that should, don't.  I've never thought I'd be cold on this island, but wearing a long sleeve tshirt all week in 90 degree sun with nearly as high humidity still didn't quite have me warm enough.  I guess that part is nice.  I've never actually left work because I was feeling bad, but did twice this week, of course I went in to take care of important things before I left, but still.  I used to say that I liked getting sick.  It makes you slow down, it makes you rest.....the perfect excuse to let all the fun go by and just chill.  I'm reconsidering that thought, at least for that little bit of sickness.

Its Labor Day weekend.  The small boat marina closed due to the impending NW winds coming.  The marina is located at the SE side of the lagoon and the northwest winds kind of reek havoc on the docks and the boats so they yanked them all out of the water yesterday....boats and docks. 

Just before I got sick, I bought a "bag of roaches" at the PX (the store).  I don't really know what PX means, but that's what everyone calls the store.  So, I've been too sick to even bother with messing with anyone with the rubber, very lifelike roaches.  There are some I will have to completely avoid with them, one guy, quite the primadonna, would freak out too much, and some of the women I'm afraid my hurt themselves trying to get away from a roach.  I guess I did put one on Sandra's porch when I was talking to her Monday, along with Sheila (who I let in on the roach deal before I put it in front of Sandra). Sandra is a big, always happy lady from Alaska that is a lot of fun to have as a neighbor. I kind of had to point it out to Sandra, after loosing patience with her not seeing the two inch lifelike roach.  I said "Is that a praying mantis?" as I pointed at it.  She lept up and ran to her door and opened it, saying "That's a roach Ben, get it".  What I wished I had done was grabbed it and thrown it in my mouth and started chewing.  That would have been so much better than just explaining it was a fake roach.  I blew it though.....maybe next victim.