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CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

June 21, 2013

One Day in Paradise: Some Fun for Friday
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — nedpelger

Here’s a beautiful two minute video showing an artist following his dream.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLK5-InuZnI

As we decide how we will invest our time each day, let’s remember to think big. Yes, we all have project deadlines and daily stresses. But take a few moments to contemplate that this is your life being spent…today. Think about your work on your projects…can you make it much better? Could you take things to another level by taking a different approach?

Please don’t settle for ordinary execution and ordinary results. Let that guy with the camera inspire you. What long term project could change your life?

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

May 23, 2013

A Study in Stupidity
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — nedpelger

Yesterday afternoon I was rolling around on the floor, biting into a towel and occasionally screaming in pain. My leg cramp pain exceeded the kidney stone pain, which was my previous pain pinnacle.

Perhaps the worst part was having no idea when or if it was going to end. Turns out, it was about 45 minutes of agony. So how did this happen? Completely brought on by my own actions, it was a study in stupidity.

I’ve been running some longer runs this year, realizing that the way to not annually injure my calves is to become more of a runner. So I slowly increased mileage and ran a half marathon in April and 15 miles a few weeks ago. That process has worked well, I competed in sprint triathlon this past weekend and felt great.

So I looked at my schedule this week and realized that Wednesday was a reasonably open day. I scheduled myself a 15 mile run at noon, not really considering that I should be letting my body rest after the tri. I also ignored the bright sun and 88 degree temperature. Since I carry water in a backpack, I figured I’d be fine.

I felt good on the run, though exhausted the last few miles and out of water. I considered walking the last bit, but that just isn’t me. Within 30 minutes of finishing, my legs were lighting up with cramps that just kept coming. It was torture.

So what do I learn? Dial down the pride and up the planning and thinking. That’s good advice for all of us in every area of our lives.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

May 17, 2013

Friday Fun: How a Man Hunts
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

My friend Kneal sent me this video that will make you chuckle.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFjFptZ1wGI

It’s how a real man hunts.

I love the matter of fact look on his face. Hope you have an equally astounding weekend…I’m planning to.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

April 26, 2013

Rule of Thumb for Friday Fun
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — nedpelger

If you are in a crisis situation, say you see a building exploding or a nuclear plant in flames, what should you do?

First, hold out your right arm fully extended and stick up your thumb. Now sight along your thumb to the crisis. If your thumb can’t totally cover the HazMat incident from your vision, YOU ARE TOO FRIGGING CLOSE!

Thanks to Kneal for this valuable insight. Kneal is a good friend who loves nature, despite what it did to him. He’s had some rough times lately, though, as he was recently fired from the M&M factory for throwing out all the Ws.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

April 5, 2013

Breaking News
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — nedpelger

I just saw this photo today and thought I needed to share.

The caption was BREAKING NEWS – With talk of war in Korea, France surrenders just in case.

This made me laugh out loud several times and hope it amuses you as well. Even though I love France, this just tickles me.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

March 22, 2013

Friday Fun: A Story of Bidding for Fun and Profit
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

I came across this story and thought you’d appreciate it:

Three contractors were visiting a tourist attraction on the same day. One was from New York, another from Texas, and the third from Florida.

At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what they did for a living. When they all replied that they were contractors, the guard said, “Hey, we need one of the rear fences redone. Why don’t you guys take a look at it and give me a bid?”

So, to the back fence they all went to check it out.

First to step up was the Florida contractor. He took out his tape measure and pencil, did some measuring and said, “Well I figure the job will run about $900. $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me.”

Next was the Texas contractor. He also took out his tape measure and pencil, did some quick figuring and said, “Looks like I can do this job for $700. $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me.

Without so much as moving, the New York contractor said, “$2,700.”

The guard, incredulous, looked at him and said, “You didn’t even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?”

“Easy,” he said $1,000 for me, $1,000 for you and we hire the guy from Texas.”

Hope you have a great weekend. Remember to spend some time planning and some time laughing.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

March 21, 2013

Tablet vs Paper?
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Take 38 seconds to gain a useful insight into the changing world of technology. And watch a pretty woman named Emma make an important decision.

Check out this short video at Vimeo.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

March 8, 2013

Funniest Words: A Friday Fun List
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

AlphaDictionary produces lots of great word lists. I’ve included my favorites from the “100 Funniest Words in English” list that my daughter Tessa sent me. She’s committed to learning one of these words each day and using it in her speech…generally to for purposes of insult.

Allegator – Some who alleges.
Anencephalous – Lacking a brain.
Argle-bargle – A loud row or quarrel.
Batrachomyomachy – Making a mountain out of a molehill.
Billingsgate – Loud, raucous profanity.
Bloviate – To speak pompously or brag.
Blunderbuss – A gun with a flared muzzle or disorganized activity.
Borborygm – A rumbling of the stomach.
Bowyang – A strap that holds the pants legs in place.
Brouhaha – An uproar.
Bumbershoot – An umbrella.
Callipygian – Having an attractive rear end or nice buns.
Canoodle – To hug and kiss.
Cockalorum – A small, haughty man.
Cockamamie – Absurd, outlandish.
Codswallop – Nonsense, balderdash.
Collywobbles – Butterflies in the stomach.
Crapulence – Discomfort from eating or drinking too much.
Crudivore – An eater of raw food.
Discombobulate – To confuse.
Donnybrook – An melee, a riot.
Ecdysiast – An exotic dancer, a stripper.
Eructation – A burp, belch.
Fard – Face-paint, makeup.
Flibbertigibbet – Nonsense, balderdash.
Flummox – To exasperate.
Folderol – Nonsense.
Formication – The sense of ants crawling on your skin.
Fuddy-duddy – An old-fashioned, mild-mannered person.
Furbelow – A fringe or ruffle.
Gaberlunzie – A wandering beggar.
Gardyloo! – A warning shouted before throwing water from above.
Gastromancy – Telling fortune from the rumblings of the stomach.
Gazump – To buy something already promised to someone else.
Gobbledygook – Nonsense, balderdash.
Gobemouche – A highly gullible person.
Godwottery – Nonsense, balderdash.
Gongoozle – To stare at, kibitz.
Goombah – An older friend who protects you.
Hobbledehoy – An awkward or ill-mannered young boy.
Hocus-pocus – Deceitful sleight of hand.
Hoosegow – A jail or prison.
Hootenanny – A country or folk music get-together.
Jackanapes – A rapscallion, hooligan.
Kerfuffle – Nonsense, balderdash.
Klutz – An awkward, stupid person.
La-di-da – An interjection indicating that something is pretentious.
Lickety-split – As fast as possible.
Lickspittle – A servile person, a toady.
Logorrhea – Loquaciousness, talkativeness.
Lollygag – To move slowly, fall behind.
Malarkey – Nonsense, balderdash.
Mollycoddle – To treat too leniently.
Mugwump – An independent politician who does not follow any party.
Mumpsimus – An outdated and unreasonable position on an issue.
Namby-pamby – Weak, with no backbone.
Nincompoop – A foolish person.
Oocephalus – An egghead.
Ornery – Mean, nasty, grumpy.
Pandiculation – A full body stretch.
Panjandrum – Someone who thinks himself high and mighty.
Pettifogger – A person who tries to befuddle others with his speech.
Pratfall – A fall on one’s rear.
Ranivorous – Frog-eating
Rigmarole – Nonsense, unnecessary complexity.
Shenanigan – A prank, mischief.
Sialoquent – Spitting while speaking.
Skedaddle – To hurry somewhere.
Skullduggery – No good, underhanded dealing.
Slangwhanger – A loud abusive speaker or obnoxious writer.
Smellfungus – A perpetual pessimist.
Snickersnee – A long knife.
Snollygoster – A person who can’t be trusted.
Snool – A servile person.
Tatterdemalion – A child in rags.
Troglodyte – Someone or something that lives in a cave.
Vomitory – An exit or outlet.
Wabbit – Exhausted, tired, worn out.
Widdershins – In a contrary or counterclockwise direction.
Yahoo – A rube, a country bumpkin.

I challenge you to use at least one of these words today. Have some fun…life passes quickly.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

February 27, 2013

If you jumped off the bridge in Paris…
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Here are some thoughts that may bring a mid-week chuckle. Many have an engineering or construction twist.

Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says ‘Dam!’

A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

A grenade thrown in to a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: ‘You stay here; I’ll go on a head.’

I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .

A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, ‘I’m sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.’

When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.

Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, ‘I’ve lost my electron.’ The other says ‘Are you sure?’ The first replies, ‘Yes, I’m positive.’

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you’d be in Seine.

There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Thanks to whoever developed this list of puns. It has been flitting about on the internet and I saw it on an ENR blog.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

February 19, 2013

You Only Had One Job…
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Lex sent me a fun site with lots of photos from folks that only had one job to do and managed to screw it up. If you want a few chuckles, go to You Had One Job.

Imagine walking up the stairs after hanging this door and looking back.

I’ve had plenty “Oh Crap” moments in my life and expect I will continue to have more. If you put yourself out there and try things, you will make mistakes. Learn to laugh at yourself and others (especially others) and you’ll be fine.

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