So what do (or did) Y'all do for a Living and Play?

Bass player here in Ohio…Graphic artist/screenprinter, specializing in T-shirts …Have a small studio on my home property…used to be full time business, but now do it part time, especially when a beautiful piece of art comes my way…or I get the chance to sink my teeth into the creation of a graphic that will end up printed on a T-shirt…Particularly enjoy special effects graphics…Did a couple of years doing Home Health Care after earning STNA license…A big part of my appreciation for life was cultivated in that period of time (2 years)…Doesn’t pay a living wage, but the life rewards were unbelievable…May even be a part of my life that contributed to me quitting the cigs…Spending a lot of time here as a newbie, and have been warmly welcomed by numerous people who have reached back out to me when I make inquiries…Retirement…Haven’t seen a gold watch yet…:slight_smile:

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Done a lot of things. Last 25 have been in some form of IT and tech support. Make less in my current job than I have in a while, but it’s doing tech support in retail for one of the computer manufacturers you may know. Best part is all the cool people I get to help out everyday. Stevie Wonder’s just a ball of laughs every time and just a genuinely compassionate guy. Barry Sanders and many of the other Detroit Lions have been real cool. Kirk Gibson, Joe Dumars, and several others. Yeah, it’s name dropping, but it is what keeps me going back.

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I do calibrations for a manufacturer.
I’ve got a lot of hobbies…was a bicycle mechanic in my twenties, play Frisbee golf as well as guitar. I do guitar tech work on the side for spare cash, and am also a gear hound.

My buddy does that. He used to have some very expensive gear that he had since he was young. He got messed up on drugs and his girl sold it all on him while he was locked up for a few months. It broke his heart. So now I think he trolls Craigslist in hopes he will stumble across it some day. Really sad story. But he has bought and sold thousands of dollars worth of gear over the last few years. Man he finds some sweet deals.

As I’ve mentioned in other threads, I’m in transportation. I am a broker in expedite freight. I specialize in moving anything from a small box to a large box truck (think Ryder or Budget rental type trucks) that can hold 10-12 pallets. Primary industries I serve are automotive and medical. Move a ton of auto parts for manufacturing as that industry operates on the Just In Time model. Also move medical equipment and pharmaceuticals both critical and supply.

I was a truck driver for 16 years before a back injury ended that in 2005’

Prior to that I did some home construction, insurance sales, and one stint building explosive charges - Titan and Sidewinder warheads, self destruct panels for various missiles, and separation charges for the Space Shuttle. After witnessing an accidental detonation I left. The girl who had the accident was unhurt except for temporary deafness, but it was all I needed to see.

As for hobbies, DIY and vaping has replaced my other interests completely. Before starting DIY I was already having trouble finding time to play my guitar. My love for guitar had already waned a bit, but since getting into mixing I probably haven’t strummed more than a few chords. I never took lessons, don’t read music, but have a finger-picking style that’s all my own. I do love playing just don’t do it much.

Now, with all the machining talent why hasn’t anyone made the Official ELR RTA and RDA? :slight_smile:

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11 posts were merged into an existing topic: Design Features you would Like to see in an RTA

I started a thread to continue the discussion…
Design Features you would Like to see in an RTA

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I guess it would be good to get this thread back on topic.

I have been both a heavy equipment mechanic and or operator my entire life. I have worked and operated almost every type of machine there is. I also drove all types of big trucks associated with the excavating business.

I spent the last 4 years of my working career at a company doing environmental work. I was both a truck driver and heavy equipment operator doing such things as digging up leaking underground fuel tanks, digging up all sorts of contaminated soil and removing them for proper disposal.

These are just a few

The dump truck and loader behind it are my 2 rides for this day

This is a vacuum tanker for sucking up contaminated fluids and it has a front section and a rear section so you can have 2 different liquids in one trip

Digging up a leaking tank

This machine was the first brand new machine I was ever the first person to operate and also one of my favorite machines of all time to operate.

Hope you all enjoyed.

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I always wanted to drive a digger. I had the Tonka ones as a kid. It was a childhood dream to drive one some day.My uncles were both Diesel Mechanics for Peabody Coal Mine here in Indiana. They worked on the drag lines that were the size of cities. And my dad drove a smaller one similar to yours there for the county for awhile before he started his business. I used to go with him on Saturdays to work for awhile. I would fish while he drug gravel out of the pit. It was fun to watch.

Back probably 20 years ago or more I hauled off some contaminated dirt from a gas station in TN - if you know the area it was Raccoon Valley Rd off I 75. It was my first load with a new rig and the first truck in our fleet with a Detroit engine. I was pulling a East 38’ dump trailer. There was no scale but I knew the route between there and Goldsboro, NC where I was taking it and knew how to get around all the scales. the bucket man dropped a huge piece of concrete about the size of a Buick and I new it was going to be a heavy load. So I took it easy, and for good reason. The tires were squatted a bit and when I arrived I couldn’t raise the bed. It was too heavy. No wonder, I scaled in at over 140k lbs! But coming out of a truck with a 400 Cummins to that Detroit it didn’t “feel” that heavy.

My wife tells everybody he never grew up he still plays with Tonka toys all day LOL

The truck pictured above was the same way, in the pic, there is 15 tons of gravel in the bed along with the trailer and 955 cat loader it was surely a little heavy but the cruse control would still get it up a small hill without dropping a gear. This truck was by far the most luxurious truck I ever drove. The owner of the company specked it out with Mack and had it built for him but I drove it more than anyone there including him. I forget what motor it had but it was the largest motor Mack had with a 13 speed tranny as I recall. Driving on interstate 81 in North Western Virginia I could set the cruise at 65 in the top gear and sit back and jam my favorite CD Loved it.

Is this the Specialty Truck & Weird Equipment Channel?

I used one of these for almost 25 years. The northern winters took their toll and I finally moved indoors, managing hot air charters for one of the auto manufacturers. Now managing expedited truck, air charters, & airfreight, for a third party logistics provider.

Hoping to retire in a couple of years…(please please please, hope hope)

Hobbies include ham radio, R/C gliders. and love to fish, when I can find the time.

I wish I could say I was musically inclined, but I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, as they say. I’m envious of those who can make music.

Not sure how I missed this interesting tidbit. I too play finger style guitar. Travist D picking is the style I play. Think “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas. That is Travit D style picking. I learned to fingerpick 25 years ago. I never learned any songs. I just started making them up. I have one I have developed into a pretty good tune. When I play my acoustic it is to relax. I have since learned Dust in the Wind and a few others and love fingerpicking. When I grab my Gibson SG it’s a different story because it’s used to piss off the neighbors :smile:

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Yoh, did we play in a band together. I’m still good at pissing off the neighbors, but not just with the house rockin. Anything pisses them off. Just so happens I too play a cherry red Gibson SG. Also own a Bass guitar and a couple of acoustics. I don’t play very much these days but when I can…

Sweet. I want a couple more SG’s. Mine is a black 60’s Tribute. Single P90’s.

Cool. I learned that song in 1984 when I was in AIT in the Army. Fun song to play.

Last thing I tried to learn was Rylynn by Andy McKee. I got about half of it down pat, but then DIY took over. Learned up to about 2:10

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Talk about sweet, I only wish I had a 60’s model. Now those were build so much better than the 90’s model I have. I unfortunately got poor and had to sell a SG I had back in the 70’s. Even that one was so much better than the later models. You are constantly either paying someone to set up the later models or doing it yourself if you are in the know. I am a little hard on guitars. I’m what you call a string stretcher, big time…

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I got mine for a steal. $475 to be exact. I was shocked to see it at that price.

I’m an IT NETWORK MANAGER for a High School.

Solely looking after around 400 PC’s, 150 iPads, 3x65" touch screens, 55 projectors, 30 printers, 4 photocopiers, CCTV systems and Telephone systems with Students and staff of around 850 end users.

For fun I play guitar, we also have a school staff band that play at any charity events that are organised where I put down my guitar and pick up the microphone.

I’ve played Basketball in my youth and coached school teams in my later years.

My hobbies these days are competitive darts playing and coil building.

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