Topic: My occupations

[flatblack]

Freelance writer/editor for print and electronic outlets, concentrating in aviation...

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[Saddlewarmer]

I and my wife  own and run a horsedrawn carriage company. Break and train horses, work cattle, work rodeos, and basically cowboy. On the side I work as a RF Technician for a company. Design, install, maintain and repair two way radio systems, 911 systems, phone systems, video systems, wireless internet, interface computers to the above systems, spend alot of time outdoors working. Have and still do occasionally drive a semi, been military. Lots of other odd jobs in between.

[nickjtc]

Almost forgot. I did a stint of slash burning too, one year.

[putnaja1]

Almost forgot. I did a stint of slash burning too, one year.

What is slash burning? 

Right now I'm picturing something with the band Guns N Roses..


I

[nickjtc]

Almost forgot. I did a stint of slash burning too, one year.

What is slash burning? 
Right now I'm picturing something with the band Guns N Roses..

'Slash' is the stuff left over after a logging company has done their thing to harvest trees from a designated logging area.

In the case of a clear cut the ground has to be cleared of stumps, limbs and other detritus, which are then piled to allow them to dry. Once dry they are burned, so the job of the slash burning crew is to go out and selectively set fire to the piles using drip torches. Smaller piles made at the same time are designated as future wildlife habitat and are left untouched.

The area is then re-planted and/or seeded, so that in the future the whole process can be repeated.

[ElCheapo]

Almost forgot. I did a stint of slash burning too, one year.

What is slash burning? 
Right now I'm picturing something with the band Guns N Roses..

'Slash' is the stuff left over after a logging company has done their thing to harvest trees from a designated logging area.

In the case of a clear cut the ground has to be cleared of stumps, limbs and other detritus, which are then piled to allow them to dry. Once dry they are burned, so the job of the slash burning crew is to go out and selectively set fire to the piles using drip torches. Smaller piles made at the same time are designated as future wildlife habitat and are left untouched.

The area is then re-planted and/or seeded, so that in the future the whole process can be repeated.

Being paid to play with fire.....Cool

[nickjtc]

Being paid to play with fire.....Cool

It ranks up there with being able to fly a plane or drive a train. Every boys dream. Damn hard work though, especially when there is a couple of feet of snow on the ground and the slash piles are on the side of a hill. Needless to say we didn't go burning in the middle of the summer!

[Rocking-M]

I and my wife  own and run a horsedrawn carriage company. Break and train horses, work cattle, work rodeos, and basically cowboy. On the side I work as a RF Technician for a company. Design, install, maintain and repair two way radio systems, 911 systems, phone systems, video systems, wireless internet, interface computers to the above systems, spend alot of time outdoors working. Have and still do occasionally drive a semi, been military. Lots of other odd jobs in between.

Hey saddlewarmer, i logged for about 1o years with a team of percherons, I also still break and train, course now I call it start and let learn Foundation q hosses and have a few of Gilbert Jone's mustangs too! The mustangs are neat as heck personality wise, of course they all are. (My old team is retired now, their names are Nip and Tuck  really.)
I've also built a few riggs, but that's a hobby. I prefer the 1860's slick forks but the next will be a 58 wade.

[Saddlewarmer]

have a 11 yr old belgian that pulls the carriage now. thats him in my avatar. yep, cant call it breaking anymore, people get the wrong idea. have the setup for a team for the carriage (1200 lbs of carriage), just dont use it as i run all over city streets with it. actually carriage is licensed as a vehicle, has turn signals, lights, etc. a single is better for dealing with city streets here. up until i 2 weeks ago (bad storm, feeding time, belgian kicked me in right thigh, didnt break it, just other major damage) was starting 3 colts. i do enjoy working with them.

[dusterdude]

Back on topic....

When I take a break from ranting,

I am a Portrait photographer, Motorcycle builder , and Own a motorcycle Salvage biz. Not that anyone would not know  .

damn,i woulda took you for a professional ranter.

[putnaja1]

have a 11 yr old belgian that pulls the carriage now. thats him in my avatar. yep, cant call it breaking anymore, people get the wrong idea. have the setup for a team for the carriage (1200 lbs of carriage), just dont use it as i run all over city streets with it. actually carriage is licensed as a vehicle, has turn signals, lights, etc. a single is better for dealing with city streets here. up until i 2 weeks ago (bad storm, feeding time, belgian kicked me in right thigh, didnt break it, just other major damage) was starting 3 colts. i do enjoy working with them.

This will probably sound goofy- but the wife and I just went to Medieval Times, and me being the non-horse initiated sort that I am, I was really struck with how amazing the horses were!  I read in their program notes, they use a special breed of horse (the name escapes me currently) that is derived from Spanish thoroughbred war horses that were used back in the actual times..  Whatever the case, beautiful animals..  Great show- I just hope that the horses have a lot of room to run around and relax when it's not showtime (i.e., I hope they don't live at the mall!)

Jason

[Rushoid]

After fixing aircraft in the Navy I worked as an apprentice electrician, elevator repair tech, maintenance tech at a slaughterhouse, and service tech for a car wash equipment distributor. I fell off a ladder and broke my leg while working on a car wash 6-7 years ago and they stuck me in the office. So now I'm the Service Manager of 10 technicians but the majority of my time is spent on the phone doing technical support/customer relations. What fun. 

I've had a little college, but just can't find any subjects that really interest me, or that hold my attention very long. Someday I'll go back (I promise, Mom!).

[ElCheapo]

Back on topic....

When I take a break from ranting,

I am a Portrait photographer, Motorcycle builder , and Own a motorcycle Salvage biz. Not that anyone would not know  .

damn,i woulda took you for a professional ranter.

Nooo...
I am a professional Pain In The Ass 

[dusterdude]

Back on topic....

When I take a break from ranting,

I am a Portrait photographer, Motorcycle builder , and Own a motorcycle Salvage biz. Not that anyone would not know  .

damn,i woulda took you for a professional ranter.

Nooo...
I am a professional Pain In The Ass 

well,ok.

[dusterdude]

have a 11 yr old belgian that pulls the carriage now. thats him in my avatar. yep, cant call it breaking anymore, people get the wrong idea. have the setup for a team for the carriage (1200 lbs of carriage), just dont use it as i run all over city streets with it. actually carriage is licensed as a vehicle, has turn signals, lights, etc. a single is better for dealing with city streets here. up until i 2 weeks ago (bad storm, feeding time, belgian kicked me in right thigh, didnt break it, just other major damage) was starting 3 colts. i do enjoy working with them.

This will probably sound goofy- but the wife and I just went to Medieval Times, and me being the non-horse initiated sort that I am, I was really struck with how amazing the horses were!  I read in their program notes, they use a special breed of horse (the name escapes me currently) that is derived from Spanish thoroughbred war horses that were used back in the actual times..  Whatever the case, beautiful animals..  Great show- I just hope that the horses have a lot of room to run around and relax when it's not showtime (i.e., I hope they don't live at the mall!)

Jason

went to the show in myrtle beach this past may,excellent.

[firecracker]

You know all that crap that accumulates in your kitchen/car/office that has company advertising on it?  Yep, that's me!  

My wife does all the paperwork, I'm both the sales and art guy.  These days I play with Illustrator a whole lot more than I knock on doors (thank you repeat and referrals! ).

Officially, they're called Promotional Products, but I just call them "toys".  You wouldn't believe the ideas people come up with.  Here's a battery-operated fan you wear around your neck.  You've seen these before, but have you seen them with LED's that spell different messages?  Too much fun!

 

[Rushoid]

You know all that crap that accumulates in your kitchen/car/office that has company advertising on it?  Yep, that's me!  

My wife does all the paperwork, I'm both the sales and art guy.  These days I play with Illustrator a whole lot more than I knock on doors (thank you repeat and referrals! ).

Officially, they're called Promotional Products, but I just call them "toys".  You wouldn't believe the ideas people come up with.  Here's a battery-operated fan you wear around your neck.  You've seen these before, but have you seen them with LED's that spell different messages?  Too much fun!

 

My daughter brought one of those back from the beach. Says "Salty Dog." I must say i was captivated. Kept me entertained for days! 

[Rhonda750F]

Oh man, I hope there Aren't too many union workers here.

I'm an importer.  We deal largely in plastics, resins, finished products, injection molded parts, woven poly fabric, etc.  We also deal in high end building materials and some auto parts.

I'm involved with the technical aspect of this business, dealing with product specs and coordinating with our manufactures.  It involves a lot of conversions, CAD drawings, pictures and trying to communicate it to  3-4 different languages.  Each day I come to work is different.  Which is one of the reasons I love this field.  I get to deal with people from different countries, cultures and It's just cool. Kind of like the variety we have here on this board.

[Chris Schneiter]

When I was 15, I thought my Profession was about the coolest thing anybody could ever do...I just didn't know how hard it was to make a living doing it...I'm a Commercial photographer, and I still think it's about the coolest thing in the world...In fact, I haven't really done much else since I was 15!
Unfortunately, Commercial work is expensive, and really closely dependent on the economy, so if the economy goes south, so does business, and I happen to live in one of those industrial areas (Western Mi.) where many, many companies have either gone overseas, or out of business...when this happens, any potential client wants you to work cheaper and cheaper to the point where it's hard to make a living!
Don't get me wrong, for some reason, I continue to do photography...I've tried to quit a bunch of times. The last time, I worked for Meijer Inc. (for those of you in the Midwest) shooting ads..but they didn't pay well, and I felt like a drone...we had started shooting digitally in the early '90s, so I thought I'd sell the equipment! I SUCKED! All I really know how to do is take pictures...so I came back, only at the age of 45 (mid-life crisis) I started my own studio after 20 years of working for other people...it's much more gratifying, but much more stressful...my hope is that the economy here will begin to come back soon!
One thing that does help to keep me sane is that I also get to work on Photo-technical book projects and teach a class or two every now and then...Lately, my mission has been to fight with colleges to make sure that their students are getting the correct info and a realistic view of what they'll need to be a professional...many schools (and students) don't have a clue!
Here's a chuckle for you plane jockies...here's a shot from one of my old clients (Duncan Aviation), a company that redoes corporate jets...see, cool!
Or maybe something from Baker Drivetrain! I guess these shoots are why I continue...

[Bob Wessner]

Nice lighting! I guess that's what makes you a pro.. as apposed to shutter poking wannabees like me. 

[dusterdude]

you shoot for baker drivetrain?

[Chris Schneiter]

Yeah, we shot for them for a while a few years ago..did a bunch of National ads and a catalogue..they said they wanted them lit like jewelry..so we developed the lighting and a look for their catalogue, and well! They found somebody who would copy our style for less money! Go Figure! That's what I meant about the cheapness in this business.
It was wierd how it came about...both my partner and I ride, but I always thought that Baker was in california or somewhere glamourous like that...no..they're about an hour away, near Lansing, MI.!
Here's a few more shots that my partner Jeff did..the orange one was on the cover of the catalogue.
Ok, The one with all the black and just the trans was in ads in all the HARDLY mags!

[Saddlewarmer]

have a 11 yr old belgian that pulls the carriage now. thats him in my avatar. yep, cant call it breaking anymore, people get the wrong idea. have the setup for a team for the carriage (1200 lbs of carriage), just dont use it as i run all over city streets with it. actually carriage is licensed as a vehicle, has turn signals, lights, etc. a single is better for dealing with city streets here. up until i 2 weeks ago (bad storm, feeding time, belgian kicked me in right thigh, didnt break it, just other major damage) was starting 3 colts. i do enjoy working with them.

This will probably sound goofy- but the wife and I just went to Medieval Times, and me being the non-horse initiated sort that I am, I was really struck with how amazing the horses were!  I read in their program notes, they use a special breed of horse (the name escapes me currently) that is derived from Spanish thoroughbred war horses that were used back in the actual times..  Whatever the case, beautiful animals..  Great show- I just hope that the horses have a lot of room to run around and relax when it's not showtime (i.e., I hope they don't live at the mall!)

Jason

never done the medieval thing. not sure what horse breed they would use. i work with all breeds when breaking and training for people. done apps, quarter, paints, morgan, thorobred, etc. love th work, hate the getting hurt working colts tho. had a lot of broken bones, bruises, teeth knocked out, etc. i have a rep for being able to ride some rank ones. im paying for it now at my age (48), dont plan on quitting anytime soon tho. like to gentle break if at all possible. horses are fun, but they are big, dangerous animals if you are not careful.

[Steve F]

<<<<<<<<<<<I drive one of them thingies

I fix one of them things!! 

I ride in one of them thingies!  Flying back and forth across the country.  Run billing operations for a national telephone company.

Me too...Lately, I've been to Japan once, and China twice just to set up machinery that I've built and then shipped overseas, and then train the operators.  My profession is "Toolmaker", and is not tied to "Die" as in tool-and die.  Wouldn't know how to build a die if my life depended on it, but I could probably fake it enough to get by.  I'm basically a tooling machinist and machinery builder and work for the company that uses these machines, a sort of "in house" machinery department commonly known as the "toolroom".  I've been with the company for 34 years (as of Sept 13), and have a pretty solid career there (thank God!).  My favorite things about the job is the CNC milling, Wire EDM and AutoCad work.  Have lathes and grinders and jig bores at my disposal, as well as MIG and TIG welders and the Wire EDM machines, so it makes it easy to knock out som custom billet things for the bike if the urge should strike.  Just some technical training, and no structured college behind me, some just consider me one of the "upper grunts" if you know what I mean.
I manage two company inTRAnet sites, one for the Tool Room, and the other for the companies' Emergency Services Organization, kinda sorta the company "fire deaprtment" of which I'm the Chief.  Not a big deal, as we're not really that active.  In my off hours, I volunteer for the local town's Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) of which I'm Deputy Director.  So.......in my spare time I like to wrench on and ride my two '76 750F's, and of course, I'm hopelessly addicted to this website! (hopelessly). ;)That's a good thing, right Doc? Hey Doc, what's with that white jacket thing.......

[aptech77]

Man, to busy. I think you need to sell me the 750 for $1. It has been neglected it sounds like.