The new shop, machines, and a few construction pictures included

Well as it turns out, time flies even when we're not having fun...

I hope you guys all survived 2021 ok will have a decent 2022. From what I see things are little a little better freedom wise down there than up here, parts of Canada are back into lockdowns/curfew. I haven't been allowed to go to the gun range or pretty much anywhere in months as I don't have an Obedience Pass. Thankfully I'm happy to stay in the shop and at home and can ride this out a few more years. Other people took over running matches for me this past year, and likely this coming year the way its looking.

2021 was nuts, I just finished the numbers this morning, sales were 52% higher than my previous best year, and I even managed to make a few days to help a friend finish his basement. I raised some chickens/hens(not doing chickens again F that), took 3 days to hunt and got a nice little buck, and rest is pretty much a blur. Had some new weird/tough projects and a lot of stress and 100+hr weeks, some new material I hadn't played with before like 718 inco.
I'm hoping 2022 will see less of that and slow back down, I can't keep this up forever and every day that goes by I wonder more and more what the point is, but anyway, gotta get back at it big order to deliver next week.

Take care everyone.

I have a couple friends from "up Nort" who also do not have their "Obedience Passes". They manage just fine, as well.

I can't even begin to say how much I wish I had put more effort into getting the hell out of this country 3-4 years ago.





Oh and I messed up my back about 3 weeks ago, spent a week out of service, but finally almost back to full speed.

After working 7 days a week since I was 13 years old, starting from a time of sleeping on the floor for a few months as my mother and I were trying to start a new better life in a new place without knowing the language at all. Doing office cleaning every night and every weekend until about a year after I got my first machinist job (closed the cleaning business mid 2021 btw, only had 1 small contract left and covid bs made it a nightmare so it was time) In that time we have met some great people, including the one who got me into this trade, he was Scottish and his wife German, they escaped soon after the 2nd war to start a better life. Had a few other friends that became like family but nearly all have since passed away, cancer/old age or moved away.

I bought my first lathe at 20 or 21 as far as I can remember and left the day job before turning 23. The last 15 years have taken quite a lot of work and energy for the years in the basement to building a new house/shop since 2009 and getting it all paid off. For a short moment it felt like I was finally on top of things and could just cruise, maybe I could finally try to enjoy other things in life before I'm too old to do it, except for not being allowed to go anywhere or do anything now that I'm a 2nd class citizen paying close to 6 figures in taxes per year under a government that has no intention of EVER ending any of these tyrannical mandates/obedience passes, and now I feel like I must try to start everything over again. There is not one single thing that is going right for Canada and everyone with one eye open is seeing it. My circle of friends/acquaintances has considerably diminished over the last few years, and even more so in the last 3 weeks.

Back in the mid 2000's I used to do a lot of on-site welding at night alone at a place overlooking the harbor(city on other side, lots of lights) I'd go outside for a bit of fresh air around 10-11pm or 2am sometimes, it was dead quiet and look at the other side and wonder " WTF am I doing here? " That feeling/question had since for the most part gone away, and last night when I sat down, I had that same feeling once again like there's nothing here anymore other than the working and paying taxes until I die in a country that hates me, a government intent on destroying me and all those like me, and surrounded almost entirely by people who believe everything the Pravda State Media tells them and don't generally understand the basic meaning freedom or in anything I believe in.(there's a few exceptions but we're a minority)

I don't yet know what comes next other than trying to work even harder to hopefully broaden my opportunities a bit if I'm allowed and hopefully survive better than the rest.

Best of luck to everyone, and try to stay on the right side of history.

I liked your "post".

Not much other than [likely staged] drama in the links tho.

Good luck in your future.
You would likely be allowed to move anywhere with your skilled trade at this day and age.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

'SND'......Most probably what we have seen in Canada the last few weeks will be replicated to some extent in many other countries. Seems like all head guys in most countries have signed on the some kind of universal game plan to level the playing field between all nations.

Best!

What happened in Ottawa is not by any reasonable definition a peaceful protest. Continuous honking of truck horns 24 Hours a day for weeks in a residential area is a recognized form of torture. Urging the overthrow of a fairly elected government as the organizers of the occupation in Ottawa did is sedition. Shutting down international borders that much of Canada’s economy relies on is not a legal form of protest or fair to the vast majority of Canadians who are fair minded law abiding citizens.

Would be interested to know what SND would think if his business dried up due to this occupation (note, not protest).

I have deep concerns about policies Canada’s current federal (and my provincial) government espouse. The way, the only way, to change this is at the ballot box in the next election. I consider myself very lucky to live in a country that has free and fair elections. I hope SND will share that opinion.

L7, who is disgusted at the actions of a small minority of people in my country.

lucky7 said:

What happened in Ottawa is not by any reasonable definition a peaceful protest. Continuous honking of truck horns 24 Hours a day for weeks in a residential area is a recognized form of torture. Urging the overthrow of a fairly elected government as the organizers of the occupation in Ottawa did is sedition. Shutting down international borders that much of Canada’s economy relies on is not a legal form of protest or fair to the vast majority of Canadians who are fair minded law abiding citizens.

Would be interested to know what SND would think if his business dried up due to this occupation (note, not protest).

I have deep concerns about policies Canada’s current federal (and my provincial) government espouse. The way, the only way, to change this is at the ballot box in the next election. I consider myself very lucky to live in a country that has free and fair elections. I hope SND will share that opinion.

L7, who is disgusted at the actions of a small minority of people in my country.

Click to expand...

I don't know if Canada or the US will have free or fair elections or if we recently did or didn't. I do know that looting and destroying people lives was seen as legal protest by our left minded friends here in the US.

On the whole though, they're protesting leftist policies and government over-reach and control and the decline of national sovereignty, so good on 'em. I hate socialists and marxists. Go look at Chile and where they're at if you want to see a case study of how out of control it can get.

SND - I apologize for contributing to and de-rail of you shop thread. No more from me on this I promise.