Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
white belt
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by white belt »

Cam wrote:
Wed Jan 26, 2022 7:37 am
For now I'm happy that I've dropped the number of showers down per week quite a bit. I used to shower daily, but now it's probably once every three days or so. My skin actually feels a lot better when I don't shower. I do sponge baths though to make sure I don't actually smell bad. I haven't done any math on it but I'm sure I'm saving a good amount of water doing this. I know if I switch to cold I'll save even more because I won't want to be in there as long!
You might want to just try navy showers. It’s quite possible it would use less water than a sponge bath with less hassle. For example, even a leisurely 30 second navy shower (15 seconds to get wet, turn off water to soap up, then 15 seconds to wash soap off) would use less than a gallon of water with a typical 1.5 GPM low flow shower head.

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

white belt wrote:
Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:30 pm
You might want to just try navy showers. It’s quite possible it would use less water than a sponge bath with less hassle. For example, even a leisurely 30 second navy shower (15 seconds to get wet, turn off water to soap up, then 15 seconds to wash soap off) would use less than a gallon of water with a typical 1.5 GPM low flow shower head.
Thank you for reminding me about these. I tried them a couple years back and just didn't stick with it. That is an excellent solution. I think it would still be less frequent than my cleaning used to be, mostly because I just don't need as much cleaning. A big part of it was living on the homestead this summer - I realized how much 'clean' was psychological and not physical. During a heat wave and drought I showered once a week. When I did shower, there was actually dirt coming off of me. Barn dust and garden soil and all that. It made me realize that my daily city showers were not useful whatsoever except for the psychological boost (they do feel great).

I am also not living alone. I live with my parents, and my mom has a great nose for detecting BO and all that. I know because she'd call me out when I was a teenager and it would always frustrate me because I thought I smelled fine and dandy. She'll still tell me if I don't smell good, but I haven't heard it in a long time because I think I'm way better at detecting it now. Look at me go. Saving water and energy and still smelling nice.

Also an update on the no coffee/booze. I have stuck to the coffee 100%. For the booze I split one cooler with my mom one night. Other than that I have stuck to it. I haven't missed the booze, and I'm not surprised by that. The only thing is a small glass of wine after work that I liked to have. The coffee I miss a little more, but only when I don't get a good sleep. I've been having tea instead for my morning hot drink and it has been just fine.

Oh and as for pull ups I did a ladder today, 1 then break, 2 then break, 3 then break, and back down to 1. That was all I could do of full pull ups, so to continue working I did a bent over row lift with a propane tank in the garage and went until fatigue. Definitely lots of room for improvement!

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Slevin
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Slevin »

Cam wrote:
Wed Jan 26, 2022 9:22 pm
Oh and as for pull ups I did a ladder today, 1 then break, 2 then break, 3 then break, and back down to 1. That was all I could do of full pull ups, so to continue working I did a bent over row lift with a propane tank in the garage and went until fatigue. Definitely lots of room for improvement!
Might be preaching to the choir here, but if you want to extend yourself to more reps that are more "pullup-y" after you start failing full reps you can jump to the top of the pullup (no concentric), and then just lower yourself down slowly (slow eccentrics), since the eccentric is the part of the exercise building more muscle.

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

Slevin wrote:
Wed Jan 26, 2022 9:50 pm
Might be preaching to the choir here, but if you want to extend yourself to more reps that are more "pullup-y" after you start failing full reps you can jump to the top of the pullup (no concentric), and then just lower yourself down slowly (slow eccentrics), since the eccentric is the part of the exercise building more muscle.
No I hadn't thought of that, thanks Slevin. I'll give it a go!

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

Feeling good. My brothers are back home for a few weeks to visit so the whole family is together again. We are about to have some edibles and watch some funny stuff on Netflix.

We just went to see the new Spiderman at the theatres and wow! I just loved it.

And I woke up 5:40 this morning and didn't fall back asleep because I'm excited. I went to the local coffee shop where the cute girl that added me on Facebook works. I went with my brother to work on an assignment but we ended up just chatting. Thing is she was working and caught my eye a couple times. Then my sister showed up because she heard we were there, and the girl may or may not mistaken her for my girlfriend because EVERYONE does. We have to make shirts that say 'not my girlfriend -->' and 'not my boyfriend <--'. We're very close so we're out doing stuff together often. It's happened to both of us that someone catches our eye, but then sees the 'partner' and then averts their eyes. Anyways I'm going off track. She caught my eye but I could tell she was nervous. She was close by when we were heading out, so I handed her my mug and said 'have a good one' or whatever I usually say. I know I will be back down there to do another assignment (or pretend to if I have to) to chat with her and see if she wants to hangout. Lots of options. Go for a walk, go skating, take my crazy dog for a walk.

____________________

I wrote that last week and I'm still feeling good. One of my brothers is heading back home but the other one will be here another day.

I was going to go to the coffee shop last night to chat with the girl, but my mom tested positive for covid so I am at home for a while now. The next 5 days I think as long as I don't develop symptoms. So some time for reflection and getting those little things done that I tell myself I don't have time for normally (lol).

Here is my income and expenses for January.
Income: $1700
Expenses:$470
Net: $1230, or 72% savings rate.


My net worth is now ~36k including cash and investments.


Of my spending, ~$130 is fixed for the car - gas and insurance. $25 for my monthly donation. The other costs were for school, buying an online course and behind the head hearing protection so I can wear my faceshield and have the nice muffs on at the same time while grinding at school - that stuff gets seriously noisy.

I keep seeing jobs posted in mines around here so I know I can get in somewhere post welding school. Speaking of school, I'm going to start some flux core welding soon. Most people aren't starting wire welding until they're done with stick, and that's because they're in the program until August. I'm only here until April though so I'm going to focus my energy on where I think it will be best spent. Stick and flux core will be my two processes for at home because they are a) great for dirty/rusty material, b) better where there is a breeze for outoor welding, and c) cheap set up because no gas bottles or big carts need to be purchased.

I keep getting stronger too. Last I checked I can do 7 pull ups straight now. I gotta get on the burpee challenge to see if I'm in as good shape as I think I am.

*Edit I am also joining a video call soon to hear a presentation from a local gold mining company that is looking for folks. They contacted the college to speak to the students. So that is very exciting because that means they don't mind waiting until April to take someone on. We'll see what they have to say!

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

The five day isolation is over. No symptoms except for being tired one day, and that was after staying up late watching Harry Potter with my brothers so may or may not have been covid. It feels good to be back to work and school again. When I was bored one night during my stay at home period I went through out little library of books to read and found The Book by Alan Watts. I read it a few years ago now, and I've reread it a couple times since. It was my introduction to an idea of God or the Ultimate Ground of Being (whatever label you prefer) being reality itself rather than a being separate from this world. I think pantheism is the term for the idea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism

In this view I am God, but so are you, and everything else that exists or has the possibility of existing. It goes against the idea that we are lonely creatures in a vast uncaring universe - rather, we are part and parcel of this entire universe and cannot be separated from it. We do not come 'into' the universe and leave when we die, we come out of it. Similar to how a wave cannot be separated from the ocean it is waving in, we cannot be separated from the world we're living in.

This is an area I really haven't explored much until now because I was raised in an atheist/agnostic family. My dad is not a fan of organized religion, and my mom used to be catholic or something like that but she isn't any longer. I bought The Book a few years ago on a whim in a bookstore - which was crazy for me at the time because that was around the time I told myself I needed to stop spending so much on books!! I'm glad I did though.

One of my favourite quotes: "You have seen that the universe is at root a magical illusion and a fabulous game, and there is no separate "you" to get something out of it, as if life were a bank to be robbed. The only real "you" is the one that comes and goes, manifests and withdraws itself eternally in and as every conscious being. For "you" is the universe looking at itself from billions of points of view, points that come and go so the vision is forever new. What we see as death, empty space, or nothingness is only the trough between the crests of this endlessly waving ocean."

I especially like the bolded part. This idea, along with my exploration of near death experiences, has radically changed how I see life and its meaning.

Jupiter
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Jupiter »

Cam wrote:
Thu Feb 10, 2022 9:52 am
... We'll see what they have to say!
Hi Cam! So, are you as strong as you thought you would be? How did the burpee challenge go (if you attempted it)?

I really enjoy your journal, I think it is because we are at similar life stages, it is very relatable (although I have not tried marine showers yet, nor made a single pull up without assistance, two very important distinctions, I must admit). I am also familiarizing myself with different companies, trying to determine if they would be a good fit for me. Last presentation I saw was for AI R&D engineer positions at a rather big corp. It is so exciting to finish school soon.

I am rooting for you in that coffee shop girl adventure you are living. I hope you will succeed in creating the opportunity to know her better soon.

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

Jupiter wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 3:19 pm
Hi Cam! So, are you as strong as you thought you would be? How did the burpee challenge go (if you attempted it)?

I really enjoy your journal, I think it is because we are at similar life stages, it is very relatable (although I have not tried marine showers yet, nor made a single pull up without assistance, two very important distinctions, I must admit). I am also familiarizing myself with different companies, trying to determine if they would be a good fit for me. Last presentation I saw was for AI R&D engineer positions at a rather big corp. It is so exciting to finish school soon.

I am rooting for you in that coffee shop girl adventure you are living. I hope you will succeed in creating the opportunity to know her better soon.
Well...I haven't exactly tried the burpee challenge yet. I may or may not be procrastinating on that :lol: I remember in third year university I tried out for the cross country running team. I trained the whole summer before, harder than I ever had. Cardio wise I was probably in my best shape ever. When september came around and tryouts began, I was pumped. I showed up at the first run ready to go. I think it was about 12-13km with a huge hill at the end. The first few kilometers were warmup, and I thought to myself, "Wow this isn't so bad" then the coach said "Okay guys tempo pace now" and then basically everyone disappeared off into the distance. I did finish the run just fine, but about 18 minutes after the rest of the runners. Whoops! That certainly taught me some humility, and I also have a newfound respect for varsity (or any high level really) athletes. My guess is my mental image of myself is very fit, but sometimes that image doesn't fit reality as much as I'd like. Doing the burpee challenge may confirm or completely discredit my idea of me being in shape hence why I may be avoiding it. Thanks for asking though - I WILL do it.

I still cheat on the showers. I know if I really commit I'd grow to like cold or short showers, but I am so used to my warm, toasty, energy intensive ones. One day. In terms of pullups, I could only do half of one maybe 2 and a half months ago. If you work on it regularly, the strength will come! My drive also partially stems from university when I tried out for the rowing team. I was in good shape for the cardio, but I remember the coach straight up saying to me "Dude your back is really weak you're gonna have to work on that". It was a hit to the ego but it was nice to have him be so honest.

Yes I am excited too about the coffeshop girl adventure! The day I planned on going down my mom tested positive for covid so I have been home since. Time to continue that story. All the best!

chenda
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by chenda »

Cam wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:15 pm
For "you" is the universe looking at itself from billions of points of view, points that come and go so the vision is forever new.
It is extraordinary. If your interested in learning more about this I recommend swami sarvapriyananda on you tube. He is an intellectually brilliant spiritual teacher with a great sense of humour.

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

chenda wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:08 pm
It is extraordinary. If your interested in learning more about this I recommend swami sarvapriyananda on you tube. He is an intellectually brilliant spiritual teacher with a great sense of humour.
Thank you! This summer I read part of his book called I Am That. I watched some of his videos last night at work and I really enjoyed that, thanks for letting me know there are videos of him :D

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

My mistake he did not write I Am That. He is a great teacher though, I like the videos of him.


Axelheyst if you are reading this I read some of your journal and the part about just jumping in resonated with me. I have never thought of myself as an overanalyzer, but I just might be when it comes to romantic relationships. My last girlfriend was back in highschool, and it was a pretty normal highschool relationship lol. Ended after a year and a bit. I think from then on I really did a lot of exploration into the topics that now dominate my life. First I learned all about early retirement I think in first year university through MMM or someone else. Then I got into everything doom related in the start of 4th year of uni. That was when my world got really shaken up. Until then I was excited to retire early and raise my family with all the time in the world. Then I said 'hell no' to having children because of climate change and resource depletion and all that. My thoughts have since changed, but that's beside the point. The big thing is that I have met MANY really awesome girls in the past while that I have rejected out of hand far too quickly. I have no problem attracting ladies because I am basically brad pitt. Ok no I am actually just average looking, but I take care of myself and keep myself fit which helps. I also have an amazing mustache IMHO. It is the only facial hair I am capable of growing so I really pump up my own tires about it.

I was actually hanging out with this one girl for quite a while. Going for really long hikes mostly and getting coffee too. We had fun together, lots of laughing and getting lost. But here is the thing: I didn't kiss her once. Not once! It's a far too long and convoluted story for here but she basically just got tired of nothing happening and ended things. I don't blame her at all. The entire time, and this sounds hilarious when I type it out, I was wondering if she was radical enough for me. She called my permaculture exploits 'gardening' which technically yes it is but to me it is far more. She was spendy too at starbucks...she had a serious habit there. That is about it for bad stuff though. She was sweet and funny and and we made great conversation. I thought it wouldn't work long term because she wouldn't be as into this alternate lifestyle as I am. The thing is, I guaranteed that I was right by stopping anything from happening or even exploring those topics with her. I did this too in second year. Met a beautful incredibly smart girl who I had a ton of fun with. She was very much into me, as I was the closest thing to being her first boyfriend. Then I ended things quickly when I felt the feelings getting too deep. That is the best way I can think of explaining it now...it was sudden and shocked everyone I knew who knew that I was talking to her.

"What's the worst that could happen?" That is a question I need to get much better at asking myself. Back in university when I went to therapy for the first and last time it was something I learned to ask in cognitive behavioral therapy. It's a way of defeating 'what if' anxious by simply asking questions. What IS realistically the worst possible thing that could happen? How would I deal with that worst case scenario? What would things look like 5 years after that worst case scenario? Simply asking those questions and answering them can deal effectively with most 'what if' thoughts.

Now that I actually understand the patterns of my own behavior I can do a better job at breaking them in the future. Instead of being as picky as I always have been, I can open up a bit. Sure it's more risk of getting hurt, but also a higher chance of having a whole lot of fun. My analogy is riding a bike. Say you try riding a bike and you fall and scrape your knee. Or better yet, you've never rode a bike but someone told you it REALLY hurts when you fall off. So you decide to just avoid riding a bike so you don't get hurt. Great! You don't get hurt, but you also don't get to experience the fun of biking - the wind in your hair, how quiet your mind gets when you're dodging trees in the trails, the sun on your face. I like the analogy.

This doesn't mean I'm going to go and sleep with everyone I meet. In evolutionary psychology terms I am highly restricted in my sociosexuality, meaning I am very unlikely to sleep with women who I do not have deep feelings for or deep commitment to. And this isn't because of some religious upbringing; sleeping around just doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. What it does mean is that I have to let myself be vulnerable enough to actually get close with someone.

Phew! Therapy session over. That felt great to write out though. In money talk, I think I'm going to switch away from TD as my bank. They have frustrated me too many times. Back in the poorer university days they dinged me with a $45 overage charge (I forget the proper term) when two big bills came in and my accounts didn't cover it. They have switched me from a free student account to a $17/month account twice now without asking me. In the letter the second time they phrased it "we are pleased to inform you that..." and that made me give the letter the middle finger. Finally, though I love the eseries funds and the automatic monthly purchases, I can't see my balances of my accounts on the TD Direct Investing site! It is just blank. I have tried 3 computers with the same result, and I have emailed them about it. They said they are working on it but that was a while ago. This isn't a huge deal when my balances are so small, but one days when I've got a solid chunk of change in there I'd like to know what is where. I am currently exploring other options. For trading I think I will go back to questrade. It will require a monthly check-in to purchase funds, but it is worth it if I can actually see how my funds are allocated. As for other banks I am exploring and am open to suggestions.

Oh and one more thing. A few years ago I began my exit from most social media. First snapchat, then twitter, then instagram. I haven't missed any of them one bit. Youtube I keep around because I can learn a ton of stuff on it. Facebook is the last company that has a hold on me. I do open it multiple times per day, and I regret doing so 100% of the time. You know when you spend some time looking up at the stars, and you say afterwards, "gee well those few minutes of my life were well spent". I have never once said that after exiting facebook. In the past couple years especially it has become a complete mess. In my local buy/sell group someone will be selling a set of mugs and the comment section will somehow devolve into people calling eachother neonazis and communists. It was funny at first but it is now just draining. Not to mention all the ethical scandals they've been involved in. I thought about leaving it in university, but it was too useful to buy used textbooks. Now that I am leaving school that is not important. I do keep up with friends on it, but the ones I am actually close with I can also text. I think I will finally bite the bullet and get rid of my account. In place of all the social media I am now an avid forum devotee. Permies, here, and a couple other forums along with youtube take most of my online time now. I am in a much better place now because of it. I don't think I will regret breaking up with Facebook.

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

February was an expensive month, mostly because of some key replacements. Here are the quick numbers.

Income $1050
Expenses $615

Savings rate ~ 58%.
Network increase of ~$400.

So let's go over this stuff. ~$500 was car related. I got an early oil change for my sewing machine car, turns out it wasn't necessary at all (ouch). The oil light came on one day and stayed on the whole day, but I think it's because it was super cold out and I only drove the car a total of about 10 minutes. Then I bought a replacement key for my car which wasn't too expensive because all it will do is start the car and no unlock buttons or any of that jazz. I also bought a replacement for my mom's car...ouch! Her cars is one of the dumb new ones where if you unlock it by putting the key in the door the alarm goes off. So I had to get the key with all the fancy buttons. The reason I bought it is because either my sister or I lost a set of her keys a while back. It just sort of disappeared, and my mom is not the type to lose stuff so we know it wasn't her. She's been driving with just the one set for a while now but that's no fun for her so I decided to get her a new set when I got mine. Just need to get the two keys programmed this week as I'm off school. That will be another chunk of change. Don't lose your car keys! Or better yet don't own a car.

The remaning spending was my fixed stuff including my insurance. Other than that I bought some chips at a convenience store when I went ice fishing with one of my buddies. $7.50 for two bags!

I am going to 'earn' a bit more cash this month too. I was off work for covid isolation and here in Canada they'll give me $450 after taxes for each week that I lost more than half my hours to isolation. I lost one week, so I will be $450 richer soon. That will go either to my land fund or towards a new welder. A multiprocess machine will definitely be my next big purchase.

I am taking a free course on edX called the science of happiness, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I think it's gonna go over things I already know: spending quality time with friends and loved ones, cultivating gratitude, giving to others and mindfulness can all lead to a happier life. It's good to be reminded though of the important stuff.

I am also seeing apprenticeship opportunites not in my hometown but in another city where I have family that I could live with. If neither of those opportunities works out I see loads of opportunities in mines. I am excited to really increase my earnings and by extension my savings!!

basuragomi
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by basuragomi »

Scotiabank is the worst for trading, the commissions are 3x everyone else's. CIBC has the cheapest commissions and I believe each of the banks will waive commissions for buying their house brand ETFs - though CIBC's (e.g. CUEI, a relatively new ETF) has the lowest MERs.

I'm guessing your funds don't show up on the Direct Investing site because you don't actually have a brokerage account (e.g. something labeled along the convention of 111A11, chequing accounts are 7-8 digits only) so there's nothing to show. eSeries funds are all treated as a separate financial product, like a GIC, in the TD system unless you buy them through an investing account, because they're designed to be marketed to people without brokerage accounts.

For a chequing account, you might be better off going with a credit union like Meridian (I think they have branches in your area), the Big 4 banks all kind of suck with regards to offerings.

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

basuragomi wrote:
Sat Feb 26, 2022 1:48 pm
Scotiabank is the worst for trading, the commissions are 3x everyone else's. CIBC has the cheapest commissions and I believe each of the banks will waive commissions for buying their house brand ETFs - though CIBC's (e.g. CUEI, a relatively new ETF) has the lowest MERs.

I'm guessing your funds don't show up on the Direct Investing site because you don't actually have a brokerage account (e.g. something labeled along the convention of 111A11, chequing accounts are 7-8 digits only) so there's nothing to show. eSeries funds are all treated as a separate financial product, like a GIC, in the TD system unless you buy them through an investing account, because they're designed to be marketed to people without brokerage accounts.

For a chequing account, you might be better off going with a credit union like Meridian (I think they have branches in your area), the Big 4 banks all kind of suck with regards to offerings.
Thank you for your suggestions and knowledge Basuragomi. I will give TD a call today. I bet your reasoning is why my funds aren't showing up. I have wanted to join a credit union for a little while now too, though I didn't know Meridian existed. I'll check them out!
*Edit within a couple minutes I have found a chequing account that fits me. For folks age 18-29 there's the limitless account with limitles transactions, up to 4 e transfers a month and no monthly fee. I like the sounds of that. Thanks again!

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

I have been doing some more reading of Pema Chodron's work. She is one of my favourite writers, and reading her often brings tears to my eyes because she cuts through all the crap in the most gentle way possible. The book I have is called Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living. If you read the title or look at the cover, it's easy to write the book off as just another self help, "be nice to everyone" sort of thing. You know with the generalized advice you read and nod along to but don't put into practice. She studies Buddhism so a lot of her writing is based on its teachings.

The main idea of the book is that embracing life in its entirety is what brings true freedom. It sounds nice when you read it - be open to everything! Learn from all your experiences! However actually DOING it is far different. When I'm feeling tired and shitty, the last thing I want to do is to sit with those feelings. I would much rather run away...eat some sweet stuff, watch some Youtube, read something, you know anything except just sitting with the uncomfortable feelings. It is enormously challenging, and frankly scary to just stop. Stop running from one task to the next, or from one thought to the next. Just to be exactly where you are, and exactly how you are in that moment. Because in essence that is all we really have.

In accepting life in its entirety, we need to learn to embrace suffering. This is the reverse of what we want to do. The powerful unconscious urge that everyone has is to experience pleasure and avoid suffering. Her advice is to exactly what you don't want to do - when you feel rough, do not try to push away the feeling. Instead, lean into it. Breathe it in and give it space. Drop the story line. One big habit is to talk to ourselves about why we feel a certain way. "I am angry because so and so forgot to do this..." "I am sad because my girlfriend broke up with me..." Doing this can lead you into a spiral of negative thoughts and feelings. Instead, drop the story line and just let give whatever feeling is space to just be. This does not mean to wallow in whatever negative feelings you have - that often involves talking to oneself about why you're feeling that way. It is the middle ground between pushing a feeling away and wallowing in it. Simply letting the feeling be.

When I have done this, what I've learned is that the bad feelings are not as bad as I think they are. Anxiety is a pit in my stomach. Sadness is tightness in my chest and in my head. The other thing I've learned is that if I stop resisting these feelings, they come and then they go. They are like clouds that pass on a sunny day. They don't hurt me. They in fact help to make life rich and meaningful.

So why did I open up her book once again? I've been frustrated and sad recently. I had a plan for how my life was going to go. I thought I'd go into electrical and get into a business as an apprentice. Add to my chunk of cash, and make it into a downpayment on a multifamily property and do some househacking. Then from there I didn't know. However both of those rugs have been pulled out from underneath me. I am unable to get into any electrical businesses right now, at least in my hometown. Parts shortages have left many jobs unfinished and with that many businesses only keeping current employees and not taking anyone on. In addition the real estate market has gone insane. Where I live probably about 4-5 years ago a home could be bought for ~$150,000. Not a fancy one mind you but not falling apart either. Prices have since gone up like crazy. Even in the past month the average house price has increased by 100K. Everyone knows the market has got to crash, but who knows when? Could be tomorrow, could be 10 years from now.

I know there are other options and that I will make it through this trial just fine. It did get to me today though. Reading Pema always helps.

Cam
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Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

Well the tides have potentially turned. While doing another blitz of job applications last week, I checked my email. There was one from a lady from the electrical union. I applied to the IBEW last year, and when I didn't hear back I just assumed I didn't make it in and moved on. However it turns out I did make it past the first step! They were just slowed down a lot by covid and took a while to make it through applications. On April 8th I am heading out of town to write the general knowledge test which is the second step to joining the union. If I do well on that then I interview the next day and go from there. This is excellent news because once inside the union the training and opportunities are pretty solid. Joining has been strongly recommended to me by 3 older guys in the trade now.

The test involves questions on reading comprehension and algebra. They're basically making sure you'll be able to handle all that electrical has to throw at you. The reading comprehension I know I can handle just fine based on the sample questions out there. The math however I am brushing up on. I went back to basics two days ago and made sure I can still do long multiplication and division, multiplying and dividing fractions, factoring polynomials, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The long multiplication and division are necessary because no calculators are allowed for the test. I still have more work to do but I know where my weak areas are now so I can work on what I need to. I will also see what interview questions they're likely to be asking and prepare for those. That will be once I'm brushed up for the test, because if I don't do well on the test I won't even get an interview.

Woo! :D

I have continued reading Pema Chodron's work. Man she has some serious wisdom. I am now reading Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change. In it she talks about the three Warrior commitments and what they mean. I had just finished reading a chapter on break last night at work when I went back downstairs and two guys were about to get into a fight inside the store. I came and helped de-escalate things along with two other employees and things cooled down. After that my heart was pounding and my breathing was quicker than usual. As I kept working stuff on my cart (I work at a grocery store) I laughed to myself and thought, "here is a great test". As best I could I sat with the feelings of anxiety and tension. I tried to drop the storyline, and it was very weird but neat at the same time to just be there with my quickly beating heart and tension in my chest. It eventually dissipated, and both guys are fine. It was definitely a great exercise in being with the present though!

Cam
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 8:21 am

Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

Alrighty folks it is money time...

I earned $1700 this month. Damn! I am rolling in the dough. Basically a combination of tax rebates, covid pay and my usual grocery pay.

I spent however $700 and had a 58% savings rate as a result..Now let me explain here.

$380 of that was donated. I made so far my biggest donation ever to a non-profit helping out with the situation in Ukraine. Then I gave a $25 giftcard for a coffeshop to a homeless man outside my grocery store so he could get some coffee or food. Then my usual monthly food bank donation. I've been giving a lot and it feels good.

My grandma passed away last year, and she was always interested in what was happening in the world. She cared so much that it actually stressed her out, and we always said she had to stop reading and thinking so much about what was happening. While we were partially right about her stressing too much, her thinking and reading lead to her acting, along with my grandpa. Together they started a non profit and donated countless sums of money to local community organizations. They gave and gave without any expectation of return, and my grandpa still does. It isn't something they've ever said to me that I've learned from, it was just watching. I made the donation to the charity in Ukraine in her honour, because I know it's something she would talked about and done something about if she was still here.

Then the usual ~$135 for the car, plus a programming fee for my replacement key.

I also bought a course to prepare for the IBEW test...I know probably not necessary but I only had 3 weeks from finding out about the test to writing it so I want my preparation to be organized.

So even with all the giving I had a NW Increase of $1000 this month. Whoop whoop! I also will be contuining my welding program through the summer. It is another $1800 for the last semester, and I'll get introduced to TIG welding and get much better at MIG too. Not only that I can get the Canadian Welding Bureau certification for SMAW flat position and MIG flat position too if I get through enough of the exercises. It's basically a badge that says "I am guaranteed to know something about welding" and is accepted across Canada. Here's to melting some more metal!!

As for the electrical union, the test draws nearer by the day. April 8th I am off to write it. I am much better at factoring now after brushing up. This week I will take a warm up test on the course I bought to prepare. It is laid out exactly like the real test, with the time constraints and everything. It will really show me how ready (or not) I am. One of my buddies at the grocery store is writing the test too, and I hope we both make it in.

Oh and I am still on Facebook. Spending much less time on it though. This past month has had a real Buddhism theme now that I think of it. It started with re-reading Start Where You Are my Pema Chodron, then more of her books, and now I'm reading Falling in Love with the World by Yongey Mingur. The present is all there is...really! So stop trying so hard to escape it. Says me as I finish eating 4 cookies. Live and learn.

Until next time!

Cam
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 8:21 am

Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

We're off to write the general knowledge test tomorrow at 7pm! And I am as ready as I'm going to be. DId some final touching up on analyzing functions (part of calculus in highschool I think) and I am now good to go.

Weldng school has been fun too. I'm fabricating a couple brackets for one of my neighbours ATVs which is giving me very practical knowledge surrounding bend allowance.

I also did a comparison yesterday between my little $200 chinese inverter welder and the Lincoln Idealarc 250s (~$5650) we have at school. The Idealarc performed better, unsurprisingly. But the difference was much smaller than I thought it would be. Those inverter welders definitely punch above their weight.

Anyways just wanted to make a quick update as I am pumped/nervous for tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Cam
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 8:21 am

Re: Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

I passed the test just fine. The interview was a little messy though. The questions I did prepare for weren't asked, and the ones that were I was completely unprepared for. It wasn't terrible, but not great either.

A couple weeks afterwards I got a letter in the mail from the union. It was a no. I was disappointed, because that means I won't be able to apply again until next year. The good side is that I can go straight to the interview next year if I reapply. I know the interview questions now so I can prepare well.

Another avenue I've been exploring is weld repairs and light fabrication. Mr Money Mustache's article on welding is accurate: as soon as folks find out you have a welder people come to you asking if you can fix their metal stuff. I've already fabricated two brackets for my neighbour's ATV, and one of my friends with a property maintenance business needs a part welded back onto a lawnmower. My uncle who builds houses asked if I could do some projects for him too. In addition I've heard about aluminum boats from acquaintances I see in the grocery store. And this is with no advertising on my part aside from telling people about my new wire welder that I'm very excited about. I got an ESAB EM210 MIG welder and I am going to have lots of fun with it. It'll run flux core which doesn't require gas bottles, and also MIG if I get gas. If I buy a spool gun as well that will allow me to do aluminum welding too.

I initially avoided welding because of the wacky fumes involved, but with a half mask respirator with P100 filters or a PAPR helmet you can weld and grind entirely fume free. You'll still get burned occasionally, but that won't kill you unless you actually set yourself ablaze.

I'm also going to install a 240V outlet in the garage so I can use both my welding machines at full power. The ESAB at max power can weld 3/8" steel in one pass which is seriously impressive. Right now the only circuit I have access to is a 10A 120V circuit (the garage was built a good while ago before 15A circuits were the norm). Surprisingly even that lets me run a 1/8" 6011 rod at 125A for 6 seconds or so before the breaker trips. Those inverter machines are something else.

Mobile weld repair is an option that is very appealing to me. It offers me plenty of autonomy, with just enough social interaction to keep me happy. It also offers a huge variety of work so things would rarely get monotonous. It lets me meet new people too and help them out at the same time which feels good to me. The downside is that to start up is expensive, at least if I do it like most folks. A truck, a generator welder, and basic metal working tools are essentials. I have basic tools but no truck and no generator welder. It's an interesting option though, and judging by demand for just me and my welder I'd say there is plenty of work out there. I can call around to different welding shops in the area and ask if anyone is mobile around here. In my Google searches I haven't found a single one, but I did see one truck in town with a Miller Bobcat on the back which says there is at least one person doing something. It's another avenue for sure.

Cam
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue May 25, 2021 8:21 am

Building a better world - Cam's Journal

Post by Cam »

I was wrong about the breakers in the garage - they are 15A. I got 10 from the 10,000A max label on the breakers. Still, what I am able to do with just 15 amps is wild.Image

Let's get into the $ talk. In April I had $1400 income and $2250 in expenses. The majority of my spending (~$1800) was tuition for the summer semester of welding school. I'm very close to passing the CWB flat test for SMAW. It's tough but I finally got 7018 all figured out. Super tight arc and be careful with the rod angle and the beads come out just gorgeous!

Net income: -$850. :( In exchange I am going to get much better at welding and fabricating though. I am having a lot of fun with little projects I've been doing at school. Another welding avenue is fabrication. It can be just as varied as repair, but it can also become tedious if say I need to make 50 brackets of the same shape and dimension. I think either way some experience in a shop will do me good. I know metal working places in town are always looking for labourers. Even if I'm doing mostly grunt work I'll learn a whole lot about the trade on someone else's dime. Hmmmm.

Something that weirds me out is how expensive PAPR welding helmets are. https://canadaweldingsupply.ca/collecti ... ng-helmets

Check out this page. PAPR stands for purified air powered respirator. These helmets supply you with clean air to breathe for as long as the batteries last. The batteries are there to power a fan that sucks air through some filters to purfiy it and then sends it up into the helmet. The positive pressure inside the helmet keeps all the dirty air from entering . The helmets provide respiratory, eye, and some hearing protection all in one. The thing is, they're basically a welding helmet with a hose connected to a fan and some air filters. Maybe it's because they need to be NIOSH approved? But so do half face respirators and mine was only around $40...it's interesting. They are an excellent option if I decide to jump into welding full time though. I'll no doubt get made fun of a bit, but my lungs are worth it. Welding is still a very male dominated trade and even with everyone knowing how bad the fumes are, I don't see many folks protecting themselves. Part of it is having our profs not protecting themselves. They're old timers who never wore any respiratory or hearing protection so they are partially hearing impaired and I'm sure their lungs aren't doing amazing either. I think at this point they say f*** it and just weld without any protection because their bodies are already messed up. To each their own I guess.

I haven't abandoned electrical. I still need to follow up with the union about why I didn't get in. Then touch up my cover letter to continue applications to local electrical businesses.

Welding is just so refreshing to me because I am seeing the demand for it, even as a hobbyist garage welder. If I continue to improve and expand my skill set (e.g. aluminum welding, custom fabrication) I see a very bright future for myself in metalworking. And with proper PPE wearing, I can make it past 50 with all my senses intact! Who would've thought that was possible as a tradesperson? :)

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