Collection of Small Posts

High Strength Concrete Project

October, 2020

In the fall of 2020, I was working in Fort McMurrary, Alberta on a project for Cummins Canada. It was a big yard that was being rehabbed. The yard before wasn’t very good; it had ruts and people would get stuck a lot. They have an oversized forklift that is 25 000 kg and the need for a well-built yard was important. The year prior the old asphalt and gravel base was removed. They redid the subgrade and gravel base and paved asphalt on it. In 2020 they milled a layer off the asphalt to aggravate the surface to overlay the concrete on top of it. The concrete was an interesting process as they paved it with a huge concrete paving machine like you would with asphalt. It is a typical way to do airports and concrete highways. The minimum specification was 100mm thickness, but the majority was at least 125 mm thick.

The concrete mix used a fiber to increase the flexural strength without using rebar. This was an interesting way to do the reinforcement as its main purpose was to pave the concrete with the machine. If using rebar, the entire area would need to be done by hand. Rebar was used in some of the more vulnerable spots. The approaches to the shop were done with rebar for example. This is a high traffic and high load area so it’s important to have extra protection. With the fiber and the rebar, it created a very strong combination.

In one load of concrete the fibers were really clumped together in the mix. They were these big fur balls of the fiber it was a weird situation. It wasn’t too big of a deal, can just pick them out when they were spotted; but made for an interesting outcome. There was still enough of the fibers in the rest of the mix so it didn’t compromise the rest of the batch.

Since the machine needs a clearance on each side, every other row could be done by the machine. The inner rows were done by hand though. It was still a fairly quick process since the outer strips were already done. The contractors could use a smaller sit-in machine to smooth out the concrete since it could be supported on the concrete already poured by the machine.

There were complications with the project coordinating with the client and the contractor because the concrete needed to sit for 7-10 days before too much weight could go on it. The client wanted to be able to use their shop and have access since they were still in full production. We had to orchestrate the timing of the concrete pours with the days they needed them. And it was my job to make sure everything was done properly, and the client could keep access to the shop and ensure the contractor was able to keep the schedule going.

Liaison between the contractor and client was the majority of my role on site in order to make sure the contractor was doing a quality job and help them if they need anything from the client.

There were relief cuts in the concrete every 1.2-meter square to allow for flexing of the product. This was used to allow for flexing in the yard. And also, if the concrete is going to crack it will crack in the relief cuts. The end product was amazing and looked great. In the end The client was quite impressed with it.

Exercise for a Healthy Lifestyle

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to exercise. This seems to be pretty common knowledge, but not always. Resistance training is a great way to gain the exercise we desperately need. 3-4 times a week and about 30-40 minutes is a enough. Of course people who are really into it will go for atleast and hour 5-6 times a week, which is great. But I would say the minimum is half an hour 3 times a week. Another favorite form of exercise is walking. A great book that talks about it is called Born to Walk by Dan Rubinstein. And it's a great way to stay in shape. And he also talks about spiritual pilgrimages. I would definitely recommend it. But again it is super important to prevent deseases and sickness and to stay strong as you age.

The type of exercise I used to do was powerlifting, where you focus on three main lifts. Squat, bench and deadlift. The main goal is to do a one rep max of these three lifts. Of course during training there is a lot of volume to build strength. In the picture below I just finished a powerlifting competition, which was a lot of fun. I had to give up that level of commitment when I moved to Europe. Lately I just do walking and enough resistance training for maintenance.

New Chapter

October, 2019

I have recently accepted a job offer with Emco Waterworks in Kelowna as Project Manager. It is a bit of a change of plans. My original plans after this work term was to go back to Europe and travel again for atleast a few months anyways. But I found this opportunity through a friend and just happened naturally. I am excited about it for sure. I love being in Kelowna. Can definitely live the dream and the lifestyle there. The job will be good because it is a chance to use my degree and further my career. It is more of a sales industry since they're a distributor so that goes towards my goals of technical sales as well. And the group of guys there is awesome. So it should be a great experience all in all.

Since I already purchased a one way ticket to Madrid I am able to start a bit after this and I will do two weeks in Eruope then can just book a one way ticket return. I am still pursing my passion for programming and living a location independent lifestlye. I will continue to learn and create projects as well as update my website on the side. To eventually gain clients to help them with their projects and passions. This will be a great stepping stone towards my goal.

Fasting To Live Longer

There are many benefits to fasting. Typically the term fasting might scare you away you might think starvation or some other negative term. But fasting is a healthy and natural process. There are two states our bodies are in, fasting and fed. With our modern diets we are constantly in the fed state. The problem with this is that in the fasting state it gives our digestive system a break and lets it catch up. If you try a fasting cycle you might feel yourself be lighter and not bloated or full, it is definitely a good feeling. Another great benefit of fasting is of course weight loss, it is considered to be the only effective method to lose weight. While everyone knows diets don't tend to typically work this can be a great alternative that actually works. The reason it works so well leads into the next point in that fasting will decrease your blood sugar which it suppresses appetite and of course help to burn fat. The main reason it is good for weight loss is you will naturally eat less. If you are eating only for half the day and a having fasting sessions in the morning there will be a less calorie intake. One of the main benefits I personally find is that fasting gives you a lot of energy. Since your body isn't using energy to digest it will give you an energy boost.

There are many different fasting routines people chose to take part in. My favorite one is to skip breakfast and eat lunch at noon or later then can eat whenever all day and then not eat past 8:00 pm. This gives your body a 16 hour fast which will provide the basic benefits. There is another one that is called 5:2 which is 2 days of the week you fast for 24 hours and on the other 5 days of the week you can eat how you would like. If skipping breakfast is natural you can do that on those days too. But the point of the 24 hour fast is that some of the benefits will come after about 20 hours of fasting. After around 20 hours of fasting the body does something call autophagy which is a process of cleaning out the old bad cells and repairing them. And this autophagy can reduce the risk of disease and lead to a longer healthier life.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

If you have been to party or gathering you might find yourself in a situation where you are meeting new people. Sometimes it is easy to interact with these new friends, but sometimes it isn't so easy. This book shows you how to become a great conversationalist. It goes through examples from history to show you how affective this method really is. It was published in 1936 and written by Dale Carnegie but don't worry it is still in print so you can still purchase a copy.

If you are in sales this book is a great resource. Although if your not in a sales role this book will help in every day to day situation. Haven't you always wanted people to like you and enjoy your company, this will definitely aid in that (not that you're not already awesome).

Some of the best friends you will ever meet you will never see again

Travelling Europe

When I arrived in the fall of 2018 I really did not have a plan just a couple bags and my German passport. I had two nights booked in Frankfurt to get on my feet. I quickly met new friends at the hostel and swapped stories and plans. I decided to try and check out most of the German cities. So my next stop was Cologne. Then I would go to Hamburg, Berlin. I would do a bit of a loop around the country and see where I end up in a few weeks.

I arrived in Cologne and it did not take time for me to feel at home. I loved Cologne and the atmosphere there. I ended up living there after my initial travels. After Cologne I did Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Nuremberg then back to Cologne. After I settled in with a place and a job, it didn't take long to make good friends with the locals.

While I was living in Cologne I was able to do a few trips out of the country. I went back to Berlin for a few days to visit some friends from Canada that were over there. I went to Amsterdam but was only for 2 nights so that wasn't enough time. Amsterdam is an amazing place though, highly recommend it. The next one I went to was Brussels. I really liked Brussels, lots of tasty beer. I even did a beer tour. It was my style of place with lots of culture and history to go with it. My favorite trip I did in Europe was to Barcelona. That was amazing. Amazing weather, amazing architecture and I met amazing people. I say over and over again that the people you meet really make the trip and that was true for this one.

After I decided to go to Canada for a few months I made sure I squeezed in a couple more trips before I left. A few months prior I made plans to visit Warsaw, Poland with some of my friends in Cologne. I was still trying to decide when I would fly back to Canada. It ended up working out to flight out of Frankfurt the morning after I got back to Cologne from Warsaw. Before This trip I had a few days so I had to take advantage. I heard about a Science museum in Munich I really wanted to see. so I made a last minute trip to Munich, I did the hostel thing again of course and met tons of people. It was really nice having one more backpacking experience before I headed out. I did the museum and it was amazing.

Professional Life

July, 2019

I am currently working as a field supervisor in Grande Prairie Alberta. I work in the Municipal Engineering department. One of the major projects that goes on in Grande Prairie in the summer is road rehab. The city sets out budgets for different phases. There is an overlay where they just mill the top layer of asphalt then repave it. This is not a long term fix but it is cheaper and quicker. The more extensive rehab phase is the entire road and sidewalk rehab. They dig out 600mm below the existing road and establish a new gravel base with compaction. Once the base is all ready they can do the concrete work for the sidewalk and then pave. The finished product will last much longer. One of the phases I have been working on this year is the sidewalk program where only the sidewalk is excavated with new base and new concrete sidewalk. This is great but if the road needs to be replaced too it leaves not the best product.

Another big project I have spending a lot of time on is a water line to a new development. There are three phases of this project, two are just getting water out to the county and the third phase is the water in the development with services. We have been doing months of water testing on these sites. First there needs to be a pressure test. The pressure test allows to measure how much loss is in the system and there is only a certain allowable loss. This loss could be from expansion of the pipe or if there is an actual leak. After this super Chlorinated water gets injected to the system. We need to test that the water has enough chlorine in each of the test points to kill all the bacteria. After the superchlorinated water has been establish the system needs to be flushed to get rid of this water. The next test is a low end chlorine test to make sure the water doesn't have too much chlorine so it is save to drink. The final tests are turbidity and Bacterial test. Once all of these tests have passed I can make up a report of the tests and submit it so the water system can get commisioned.

Less is More

Have you heard of minimalism before? There has been some new exciting documentaries on Netflix about it. I personally watched this flick and got excited. The idea of having less clutter and less stress seems great right? Why can't we all do this. If you are like I used to be I bet you have more things than you could count in a day. There is a challenge that is called 333. It is to cut your wardrobe down to 33 items for less than 3 months. You can read the fine print yourself but socks and underware don't count but shoes do. Anyways it is an interesting challenge just allows you to be more creative with your outfit.

There is a lot other aspects to the idea of course. From furniture to books to just general belowings. One of the best benefits to travelling or giving up the hustle and bustle of routine is to take on a minimalist lifestyle. So I challenge you to give up some belowings, donate clothes and generally buy less.

Amsterdam

If you have been to Europe or you're planning on going to Europe I am sure you have been to Amsterdam or planning on going. It is probably one of the most popular cities to visit in Europe. It is a beautiful city with lots of sites to see so you are right in thinking to visit. You are going to want to do a Free walking tour. The guide will show you around the amazing canals while sharing stories and history of the city. There are boat tours you can do that cruise around the canals. There is also a redlight district tour that my guide suggested. I personally did not do this tour but I would still suggest it to you. It shows the actual history of the culture and its importance.