(no subject)
Work has been an enjoyable and great learning experience in fixing stuff in general. I can definitely say that despite how blue collar being a maintenance tech can sound, it can involve a bit of mental exercise as one tries to figure out what exactly is wrong with something and how to make it right. This is most notorious when it comes to dealing with finicky appliances like stoves or dishwashers, but washers and driers can be equally irksome.
From electrical, to plumbing, to appliances, to flooring, to heating, and hardware in general, it's pretty comprehensive. When I started, it was doing change-of-occupancy maintenance, or COM's. These were vacant units where we'd go in and fix whatever things have been broken by the previous tenant as well as touch-up the normal wear-and-tear such as painting walls or replacing carpet. As I learned and gained experience, I took up the job of being the work order guy. That was where you'd go into occupied units and address whatever issues the tenant has. This is where one can build up a repertoire of interesting stories to tell, heh. Examples can include a tenant's quirky personality, to their living space, or interesting conversations. Oh, and also a re-confirmed decision that yes, I'd rather be child-free. :P
Along the way, I also opted to be part of the on-call roster, basically 24/7 emergency service for things such as flooding, no heat, or fires to name a few. Yeah, that's the position where one might get a call at 3am for a fire alarm (that's happened), or where you don't really plan on doing anything such as seeing a movie at the theater or going out to eat in case a call does come in that may require a quick response. That's usually for a week out of a calendar month, but the benefit comes not just from the extra potential overtime, but also a respectable rent credit if you happen to live on property. To me, that comes as a no-brainer, especially when it comes to the fact that any place with running water and indoor plumbing can come at a premium.
Which leads me to living in Fairbanks in general. After two years of living here, it's still just as fantastical and adventuresome as when I first arrived. I've always likened it to being the Last Homely House before entering the wilds. That really is the case as there is no other major city around save for Anchorage which is about 360 miles south. Just hundreds of miles of wilderness. As one can imagine, there isn't much in the way of infrastructure save for the major roadways and the city itself. Once you leave the city proper simple things such as the aforementioned running water and indoor plumbing become more of a luxury. Dry cabins and outhouses are quite en vogue up here! And if one does have running water, it's usually from a holding tank where you either haul the water yourself from the water stations in the city or have it delivered. If one is lucky, there have been wells drilled where potable water is produced (most groundwater around here isn't). Permafrost can make for difficult drilling, though.
Ah, the cold. But I shall continue in another post. Bedtime once again!
From electrical, to plumbing, to appliances, to flooring, to heating, and hardware in general, it's pretty comprehensive. When I started, it was doing change-of-occupancy maintenance, or COM's. These were vacant units where we'd go in and fix whatever things have been broken by the previous tenant as well as touch-up the normal wear-and-tear such as painting walls or replacing carpet. As I learned and gained experience, I took up the job of being the work order guy. That was where you'd go into occupied units and address whatever issues the tenant has. This is where one can build up a repertoire of interesting stories to tell, heh. Examples can include a tenant's quirky personality, to their living space, or interesting conversations. Oh, and also a re-confirmed decision that yes, I'd rather be child-free. :P
Along the way, I also opted to be part of the on-call roster, basically 24/7 emergency service for things such as flooding, no heat, or fires to name a few. Yeah, that's the position where one might get a call at 3am for a fire alarm (that's happened), or where you don't really plan on doing anything such as seeing a movie at the theater or going out to eat in case a call does come in that may require a quick response. That's usually for a week out of a calendar month, but the benefit comes not just from the extra potential overtime, but also a respectable rent credit if you happen to live on property. To me, that comes as a no-brainer, especially when it comes to the fact that any place with running water and indoor plumbing can come at a premium.
Which leads me to living in Fairbanks in general. After two years of living here, it's still just as fantastical and adventuresome as when I first arrived. I've always likened it to being the Last Homely House before entering the wilds. That really is the case as there is no other major city around save for Anchorage which is about 360 miles south. Just hundreds of miles of wilderness. As one can imagine, there isn't much in the way of infrastructure save for the major roadways and the city itself. Once you leave the city proper simple things such as the aforementioned running water and indoor plumbing become more of a luxury. Dry cabins and outhouses are quite en vogue up here! And if one does have running water, it's usually from a holding tank where you either haul the water yourself from the water stations in the city or have it delivered. If one is lucky, there have been wells drilled where potable water is produced (most groundwater around here isn't). Permafrost can make for difficult drilling, though.
Ah, the cold. But I shall continue in another post. Bedtime once again!