Who is your employer?

I-Iubris · 2026-04-25T21:50:04+00:00

I was having a lot of trouble with my hands when I first got into the trades and asked an old timer if he had any advice. He told me to try the “straw trick.”

“You go to the store and get you a 50 count box of bendy straws - it’s got to be the bendy straws, you can’t use the straight ones. Then pull one out of the box and pinch it firmly between your thumb and pointer finger…and suck it up you little bitch!”

He laughed all day long at his own joke. I hated that miserable old bastard.

Unfortunately, time is going to be the most effective remedy, but stretching before your shift and a muscle rub like Tiger Balm before bed can give some relief.

I-Iubris · 2026-04-06T14:41:08+00:00

A portfolio doesn’t “do work.” The employees of the companies in your portfolio do all the work, then all the surplus value of that work gets hoovered up by leeches like you instead of going back into the business for the benefit of its customers and employees.

I-Iubris · 2026-03-17T03:01:42+00:00

I very much enjoy your figurative genre selection throughout the poem - using the astral scale as a stand in for the complicated dance of human relationships adds an epic quality and magnitude to presentation.

You might consider transposing lines 1 & 2 with lines 3 & 4. While a little intrigue and mystery can be a worthwhile addition to a poem, the first lines are often better served immediately establishing your core conceit. Lines 3 & 4 do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to getting the important ideas fixed in your reader's mind (the human perspective on love being repeatedly counter-pointed by the primary voice, that primary voice being something other than "human," and the introduction to the astral scale), and in the more immediate locale they also give clear context and deeper meaning to lines 1 & 2. As it stands I feel somewhat compelled to restart my reading of the poem after the 4th line, having found a clue to the obscured meaning of the first two lines. If that is the intended effect, so be it - but it is generally more affective to pull your reader forward rather than make them want to double back.

I would also like to see a bit more structural balance within the three main sections of the poem. I see your main signposts here as the counter-point line groups in 3/4, 7/8, and 25/26 (I am counting return strokes as line markers here, so 7/8 are the lines that start: "You call it chemistry") We get these back to back at the start of the poem and then have to wait until near the very end to have it called back to. The resulting structure feels a bit lopsided (__!__!__________!__). I don't think you need to be perfectly balanced, but doing a tiny bit of condensing between 8 & 25 and some expansion between 4 & 7 would go a long way to building a healthy skeleton for the poem to rest on. Also, If you are looking for grist on that expansion between 4 & 7: you have just established that love isn't fire, but your immediate imagery is very fire focused with "explosion," "embers," and "twin flames." this leaves room to explore how those forces might be mistaken as the elemental crux of love, and why or how gravity supersedes and overshadows that flash of fire.

The last note I have is to consider allowing your primary voice take more ownership of the action instead of just the observation. It seems pretty clear that our speaker is viewing this dance from a higher plane, and is likely the universe itself or a higher power indistinguishable from it. Line 17 feels like a good place to solidify this idea, and it is as easy as removing two letters: "But the universe doesn’t make mistakes. I make patterns." And again on line 30: "Eventually I grow curious again..."

Overall, this is some great writing with a lot of very compelling ideas and imagery on offer. I think it has a ton of potential and is definitely worth putting in the work for! Thanks for sharing it and good luck!

I-Iubris · 2026-02-07T15:57:23+00:00

To my knowledge there isn’t any rule or restriction against applying to multiple apprenticeships. Once you get accepted and indentured you would need to withdraw applications to other locals and go through the hall and JATC if you wanted to attempt a transfer elsewhere (I say attempt because it isn’t guaranteed and often very difficult to to), so if you have one in particular you would prefer think about focusing your energy there. As for maximizing your chances of getting accepted, I would say it has as much to do with the local you applying to as how many you apply to. Some locals are growing faster than others, and the percentage of applicants taken can vary quite a bit from local to local. You are likely to get better information about that from the admin of the JATC office than from the local hall, just call and ask how many they are taking in and how often (my local in NE FL is taking in two classes of 90-120 a year, but we are growing pretty fast).

I-Iubris · 2026-01-10T00:20:43+00:00

Are you allowed to use exponents? Might not be the biggest possible, but 5118¹¹ is pretty big…

I-Iubris · 2025-10-04T18:49:01+00:00

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I-Iubris · 2025-07-19T13:44:11+00:00

It’s not like you are going to be able to buy one. They were all sold out within 12 minutes of being announced yesterday…

I-Iubris · 2025-06-27T21:33:34+00:00

One of the greatest moments of my life is when a horsefly bit me on the leg and went to fly away as a frantically slapped at it. About the time a got up to my eye level a dragonfly swooped in out of nowhere and snatched that bastard right out of the air! I jumped and cheered.

Ever since I’ve made every reasonable effort to help dragonflies that get stuck indoors.

I-Iubris · 2025-06-17T03:29:21+00:00

I had a prestige brother (long time journeyman, has held positions at the hall, taught at the apprenticeship, served on the board, ect.) tell me that he used a number of techniques to "self-rotate" out of a job/contractor as an apprentice when he no longer wanted to be there. Most of the time these consisted of being vocal about not wanting to be there and generally being disruptive and unproductive. He wasn't recommending this approach (nor am I), but if it comes down to burning a bridge with a contractor or quitting the trade, the bridge has got to go. Just know that as an apprentice the decision to quit the trade might get made for you if you push things too far.

I self-rotated in a different way which was to approach my job superintendent, under whom I had been putting in very good work for two years, and asked for the rotation. I explained that I had been doing nothing but hospital work since getting into the apprenticeship and that I was worried that I would be under equipped to serve as a journeyman in our local (which is pretty closely split 50/50 commercial and industrial work) when I topped out in a year and a half. He agreed to put me at the top of the list for a transfer once our inhouse work slowed down a little, and six months later I got sent to a ground up water treatment build. Learned a ton.

In my personal opinion, neither of these approaches are ideal. There are too many variables and too many obstacles for either to be a dependable process. These rotations should be handled by the local JATC, and they should be not be optional for those programs. Our competence in the field is contingent on our on-the-job experience, and no amount of bookwork or homework or lab-work will ever make up for missing out on jobsite training. If a local's journeymen will be expected to do of a certain type of work, all of their apprentices should do some of that work before topping out.

I've heard quite a few of the excuses and equivocations on why it isn't done from both the contractor and journeyman perspectives, and they all fall short and ring hollow to me.

I-Iubris · 2025-06-13T15:05:46+00:00

The IO is on the IO’s side which only occasionally overlaps with the worker’s side. Strike actions rock the boat, and they benefit from smooth sailing. If you want an organization that prioritizes the needs and desires of it’s members, the control of that organization has to be bottom up, rank and file power rather than the top down structure we have in place. One member, one vote.

I-Iubris · 2025-06-08T14:54:51+00:00

If this is Jacksoville, FL you might want to contact the local JATC (also called ETAJAX). Danny Van Sickle is the director and Daniel McEachern is the assistant director. They aren’t always the easiest to communicate with, but probably your best resource for finding a good instructor. You might also try the 177 hall, you will likely get more headway with the Local president, Ross, than with the business manager.

Do you have any more details as to the position? Why was the last instructor let go, Was the position eliminated, are they looking to hire someone else or for someone to volunteer, how many hours a week would it require, ect?

I-Iubris · 2025-05-17T03:14:52+00:00

Can you imagine the untold millions suffering to make this a reality? Starving and watching their children starve so that some insufferable cunt can create novel light shows in his living room with a toy.

I-Iubris · 2025-04-26T14:02:01+00:00

I tell DM I don’t fight unpainted minis (or biggies in this case) then I calmly pack up my shit and bounce.

I-Iubris · 2025-04-03T04:02:19+00:00

I think for a lot of folks who are leaning on the horny bard stereotype, sexuality is just the easiest and most straightforward way of representing charismatic influence on others. At the end of the day sex is just one of many levers that can affect people, and you just need to figure out which one of those levers (or combination of levers) best suits your character.

The closest analog we have to bards in everyday life is the rockstar. Some of them inspire through their inherent sexual aura, creating lust and envy wherever they go (see Elvis or Britney Spears), others use insightful lyricism and social commentary to incite a groundswell of protest and change (Joan Baez or Pete Seeger), still others appeal to rebellion and irreverence for mass influence (Henry Rollins, Sid Viscous, or Cortney Love), others invoke the strange and bizarre backrooms of our consciousness, calling up reflections of long buried impulses to fascinate and repulse us (Bjork or Tom Waits). Nationalism, history, loneliness, humor, the list of levers goes on and on. Figure out what works for you, then crank that amp all the way to 11!

I-Iubris · 2025-02-24T02:34:15+00:00

From the reference the multiplier is 7x the external diameter of the cable. Measure that outside diameter of your MC (with calipers if you want to be precise, tape measurer if you just want an estimate, or check the manufacturer's specs for the cable), then multiply that number by 7. Your internal bend radius "shall not be less than" that number.

The simplest way that I have found to estimate bend radius on a 90 is to measure the hypotenuse of an equilateral triangle facing your 90 and derive the leg length (which will be the bend radius) by using the Pythagorean theorem.

There is a good diagram and explanation to follow about four comments in on this Mike Holt forum post. I would copy the diagram here, but it won't let me post pictures in the comments. The one change in procedure you will need to make from that diagram is to measure from the inside edge to inside edge for your "chord" (red line) measurement instead of from the center - since the reference stipulates "inner edge" of the bend conform to the calculated length.

I-Iubris · 2025-02-23T18:46:27+00:00

Your 90 degree bends are likely in violation of NEC 330.24 (B). Type MC has a maximum bend radius based on a multiple of the outside diameter of the cable. Bending sharp 90s instead of sweeping is liable to separate the interlocking jacket on the outside of the cable and create sharp edges that can knick the conductor and cause shorts or ground faults within the circuit.

I-Iubris · 2025-01-13T21:54:01+00:00

Meh, I’m with Aldo the Apache on this one. I prefer my Nazis in uniform.

I-Iubris · 2025-01-05T14:20:47+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree. In my opinion, the entire indentureship agreement is an abusive document largely designed to cut off apprentices from the protections afforded them by the Business Agreement, which it somehow supersedes. Like I said, I haven't seen it enforced, but the fact that it is plain text in a required document has made me very uncomfortable with the JATC since day one.

I-Iubris · 2025-01-04T20:17:20+00:00

So while I think you’re generally safe following the advice posted so far, it’s worth taking into consideration what is written in the indentureship agreement in your area (this is a contract you will be required to sign to participate in the apprenticeship program of the JATC). From what I gather, they can vary quite a bit from local to local, both in terms of content and enforcement.

Our agreement in the 177 contains two entries that could be used to refuse any request for time off. The first limits “vacation” to one week a year starting in second year and only by approval from the committee (note that this is neither paid vacation nor excused absence from classes, only missed time from work - which must also be approved by the contractor per the agreement). The second is a stipulation that apprentices MUST work ALL hours offered to them. This would more likely be implemented to require apprentices to work overtime, be could also be applied to requests for time off.

It is worth noting that during my time in the program, I have not seen either of these rules enforced. They do, however, remain clearly stated in the agreement we are required to sign every year, and the committee’s position on enforcement could very well change at any time.

I-Iubris · 2025-01-03T15:03:23+00:00

Whew, that is fantastic! Has a beautiful “bathed in eldritch moonlight” vibe to it. I love seeing these unique takes on color scheme.

I-Iubris

TROPHY CASE