upon inspection

Upon inspection, I see some pitting on one of the lengths of iron for this Freedom Utility Trailer.

See the difference in finishes?  Is this poor machining?  A result of welding of the end bracket?  “What a heck?”  I’m hoping this won’t be a concern later on, as in rust.  This is not Galvanized or aluminium – it’s powder coated steel.

Actually, it used to be red.

What is that?  Undercoating?  Rustproofing?  Proof of being a used trailer?  My imagination?

Freedom Utility Trailer arrival

My trailer arrived!  Its label says, FREEDOM UTILITY TRAILER.  It came in three boxes on top of the tiniest pallet I have ever seen.  So now I’m getting busy with Revit with its Structural Template (as opposed to Construction, Architectural, or Mechanical) to piece together a more accurate trailer in my model.  I am guessing it is very similar to the Harbor Freight ones sold in the States, but there may be some variance for the Canadian market.  I stuffed it all into a corner of the garage.  I’ll pull one piece out at a time to take measurements.

 

not funny … not at all

I watch a show or movie to relax, have fun, be happy.  I don’t want more violence.  While watching New Girl S1E12 (comedy on Netflix), a guy in a parking lot pulls a gun and threatens people with violence.  Funny?  Sorry, crossed the line.  Too much s*** like that.  If that’s comedy, then I don’t want it.  Not in my house.  American culture, perhaps.  Not mine.  Last weekend a guy in the States killed 11 people at a synagogue.  Think family members would think this episode is funny?  I cancelled my Netflix account.

 

dead bird hanging around

There’s been a dead magpie hanging in the tree outside our window for a week now.  I thought Parkbridge management would take it out, but no such luck.  I went with gloves and mask to retrieve it.

He must have died of old age.  He wasn’t eaten or pecked apart or chewed up.  Imagine, dying of old age doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing – just hanging out in a tree.

flat tire, new rims

Well this is embarrassing!

But these tiny spare tires are supposed to do up to 80km/h.  Wow.

Even last winter when A&C were visiting, two tires went flat.  Cheap iron rims.  They rusted and continually lost their bead.  Matt B., a tire guy I know at Elrich, told me these would probably last 3 or 4 years, especially if only used in winter.  He knows his stuff,  Not using them during hot weather loosens the bead, moisture gets in, and the metal begins to rust.

So I went to Kia to order rims.

What do you think?  I know, I know, they’re a lot of money for just a set of rims.  The point is a) I hated those winter beater car iron rims, b) I wanted something nicer to match the summer rims, and c) I hated pumping up my tires every few days.

intro to mentor

D.F. is my Mentor, set up by ASET.  We emailed a few times and spoke today by phone.  What an interesting conversation!  He’s in the architectural world, and I’m his 4th mentee.  The first 3 were all young people.  I’m his first old guy.

We talked about marketing one’s self, the industry(s), expectations of employers, personal backgrounds … lots of things.  I’ll sit and think about what he said for a while before embarking on any more comments.

He did give me homework though.  Yes, homework again!  Not easy homework, either.  I am to create an “elevator speech” for our next conversation in a few weeks from now.  …  I had this ages ago in the ESL world, although I didn’t know it was a thing, per se.