Texas Panhandle

I made it! I made the 14 hr drive in two days and reached the northern Texas metropolis of Amarillo, Texas. It sure is a beauty up here. Not. It's dry, windy, and very dusty. I'm in the middle of week three and working hard. I've made a whopping 29 installs so far and only have 171 left to go! We have been working in the small towns in the whole panhandle of Texas with names that include Borger, Dumas, Fritch, Dalhart, Canadian, and Perryton. Got to love the small town feel. Most everyone is nice, cowboy, hick, or somewhere in between. There are a lot of oil refineries and meat packing plants that dot the area. So thats where most people work.

The sales crew is amazing this year. They are led by a stalwart, veteran Vivint bro who can sell like a machine. They do really good in trying to help us out as Techs and work hard to get us installs. I really have no complaints! They encourage people to tip us which helps with the gas... Which we spend a lot on. The tech crew is even better with seasoned veterans like Nate, Timmy, and D-rock. We've also got some great rookies who are picking it up quick. Living quarters are leaps and bounds better than living in hotels and I love that Buffalo Wild Wings is right next door.

Great start to a great summer. Installs are coming, good times are being had, and orange is still my favorite color. More to come as the summer adventures of a Technician continue!

Oh the life of a technician.

And So It Begins

The summer months are coming rapidly and technicians all over the United States are getting ready for another summer of hard work, I included. Sales teams are recruiting like crazy and trying to entice 1,000's of college students to come sell for them. Offering incentives, free iPads, better pay scales, tons of money, and a summer of fun! Yay! I've been to five different lunch/dinner appointments and had to turn all of them down. Great presentations but I know what I'm going to do this summer. I'm going to rejoin my league of Technicians of America and continue installing security to the people of Amarillo, Texas.

That's right, Northern Texas. I will be rejoining my former crew with Tristan as the boss man. I just can't wait. Another long, hot summer installing home security systems. I've been to about 10 hours of training so far. Have a few more hours and I'll be ready to go! I'll be departing my family the first week of April and won't return until the end of August. I'm tickled pink. And I get to start blogging again. Yeehaw. 

Oh the life of a technician.

Flash Blog

Every heard of a flash blog? I hear they are popular in Singapore. This is basically the last 3 weeks of my Technician life here in Souther Oregon. Enjoy.



Travel. Installs. Crescent City. Beach. Redwoods. Jeep. Off-roading. New brakes. Driving. Swimming. Smoke. Fires. King Ha. Oregon Caves. Screw in Eye. Eye Doctor. Dilated Eyes. Texting. Snapchat. Pears. New Friend. Temple. Eagle Point. Medford. White City. Phoenix. Facebook. Church. Portland. Casino. Scratch & Win. Sleep. New Bike. Service. Angry Customers. Red Necks. Mullet. Taxi Service. Olive Garden. Australia. Phone Lines. Drywall. Raceway. Phone Calls. Mall. Cruising. Cell Phone. Settlers of Catan. The Platform. Mountains. 3am. Cake. Marriott.  Sleepover.  Birthdays. Party. Calamari. Balloons. Music. Dance. Email. Orange. Gift Card. Mucho Dinero. Tired. Road Trip. Inventory. Shark Week. Music Video. Busy. More Installs. Smiles. Laughs. Steve. Travis. Pizza. Vivint. Technician. Summer. Almost. Over.

Oh the life of a Technician.

Medford Mashup

The grand tour of Oregon continues and the Technicians of America move on. A lot of events have happened these past few weeks since the move southward. Medford 5th ward is my new singles ward. I teach Gospel Doctrine and it's great. I live with Steve and stay in the Marriott which is a step up. I pass the time with Travis and Steve with board games, frisbee golf, and cruising around. The work is steady and I come home tired every night which is a fulfilling feeling. Now I've made a few mistakes... Funny in hindsight.

The Big Flood!

1. The Big Flood. So I was installing a basic system in a small manufactured home for this older couple. I had to move their washing machine to run a wire in the wall. I moved it back, finished up the job, and left with them smiling. The next day was sunday and I came home from church with multiple missed calls and texts from my boss and corporate. "Call me ASAP." Said Tristan. So I made the call and asked what was up.

Tristan: "Joseph, do you remember Collin's install out in White City?"
Joseph: "Yes Tristan I do..."
Tristan: "Yeah, well you flooded their entire house! You need to call them and go over there."
Joseph: "Oh shoes." Silence... "Are they mad?''
Tristan: "The husband is calm but upset and the wife is frantic and freaking out."
Joseph: "Dang. Ok, Thanks."

Yeah. So I drive up there with my nice sunday shoes still on and sheepishly approach the door. The smile I left them with on Saturday was no longer there. I used some humor/friendly talk to break the awkward barrier and saw the damage. Oh my. It was nothing like Noah's big flood. Ha. So I when I moved back the washing machine, the drainage hose slipped and was disconnected. When they ran the wash on Saturday, all the water drained out on the carpet and seeped into the kitchen. Luckily they caught it and had soaked up the water by the time I arrived. I took some pictures and they said they were going use their steam vacuum to clean up the rest. If any further damage occurred, Uncle Vinny (Vivint) would take care of it. This pleased them and that smile was back by the time I left. Lucked out.

Travis and I. Teamwork.

2. Furnace Ka-Boom! The next day I was helping Travis on one of his jobs. I was putting up the new thermostat and questioned where one of the wires went. I got Travis to confirm what I was doing was right and then flipped on the breaker to test. I turned on cool and waited. A few minutes later I started to  feel a little warm and ran my hand across the vent. Yeah, it was warm air. That's not supposed to happen. I called my second mother, Tristan, and asked why the heat and the cool were switched... He told me to switch one of the wires and I did. Right when I turned it on, I got a job so I took off and left it to Travis. Hours later he walked out of that house with ticked off customers. I guess I put a wire where it wasn't supposed to go and blew the furnace. After I left, it wouldn't even turn on. Flat lined, died, no breath at all. The customers were a little more than upset going to bed with the house being 85 degrees with no cool air. Luckily Uncle Vinny came to the rescue the next day to fix everything. Only a $2 fuse needed to be replaced. Lucked out. Again.

Introducing the famous Stephen.

3. Expensive Parking. To save on gas and miles, we decided to carpool home from the work area to our hotel. We finished up about 11:30pm and were looking for a safe place to park overnight. The hospital wouldn't let us, nor the police station, so we found a cheap hotel that had ample parking spaces. We left our cars and didn't think about it. We showed up the next day to get our cars and there was a huge pickup parked behind us. As we were getting in our cars, the hotel manager caught our attention and ripped us a new one. "Had you the decency to ask to park here overnight I may have let you, but because this is a private institution and you parked in my customers parking... blah blah blah you both owe me $20." What?! There were over 40 empty spaces and we took two.  I guess we really offended her by using her empty parking lot. I see why they are never busy. Anyway, she wouldn't take a card so we had to walk around to find an ATM. We came back some time later and payed her the money so we could get out. We were so nice and polite but I guess that wasn't enough for her. Me and my smart mouth jokingly asked for a receipt but that didn't help the situation. We got ourselves out and I was upset for the next little while but got over it. Hey, after all, we got $40 parking spots, not too bad.

I miss home, Portland, and my real mom. But the Technicians of America have to stick it out and get those installs in! People NEED these security systems and some one has to put them in. Haha.
All is well, even with the floods, fiery furnaces, and special parking! Oh the life of a technician.

The Big Bend

The big news came at 10:30 in the morning. Tristan (boss) called me up and said, "Have you heard the big news?" I replied in the negative and he informed me that we were all moving to Bend, OR. That set the tone for the day. Now you see, the last six weeks I have been working in the greater Portland area and fell in love with it. I had a great ward, amazing friends, and got to be in the picturesque Oregon that I know and love. That all came crashing down. So the big move.

The Majestic Oregon Mountains

I spent my last day in Portland with Cathrine Martell as we hit OHSU, Moonstruck Chocolates, Best Baguettes, and a few spots downtown. It was the perfect way to end my stay in Portland. I hit the road and the drive was incredible beautiful as you can see in the picture. I eventually pulled into the local Days Inn and was tickled pink that they had free breakfast and that I would be on the bottom floor. Luxuries I haven't had all summer. Then come to find out I had the option of sleeping on the floor or with another dude... I chose the floor. After the first initial day my heart softened to the whole idea of being in Bend. It sure isn't as green but it's basically Oregon's finest playground. There is hiking, biking, boating, floating, walking, talking, swimming, running, driving, fishing, and a whole lot of drinking. Bend is the outdoor place to be and happens to be full of local beer. I love it all minus the alcohol. After doing a few jobs and getting to know the people, I'm starting to warm up to it. 

Last day in Portland

The week went well and I got the numbers that I needed. I went to "Bite of Bend" where a bunch of local food vendors come out and sell food. There is live music, hippies, and a lot of drunk people. Funny Story. I came down with three of my co-workers and they decided to go down liquor lane. Basically you pay $10 and get to drink as much booze as you want. All the local breweries offer samples of their finest liquor.  I didn't want to just sit around and wait but I really don't care for the smell or the environment that surrounds alcohol. I asked if I could enter without paying or drinking. The lady just looked at me and picked up a name tag that said, "Designated Driver" and put it around my neck. I got a kick out of it. After walking around and learning all about hard liquor I had enough and headed back to the hotel. I of course got a snapshot before leaving. I realized that I had two bikes to ride home because my co-worker was too drunk to ride his back. So I rode mine and pulled the other one next to me. It was funny. Kinda. You had to of been there. Ha. I was hoping to be stopped and asked why I had two bikes, I would of loved to explain that one.

Proud to be sober

Anyway, that was the big Bend for this week. Supposedly I'm moving down further south to Medford this week but who knows where the wind will blow me. I feel the need to settle down and plant my feet but I do like getting a grand tour of the great state of Oregon.

Oh the Life of a Technician.

Technician's Week Off

Even technicians deserve time off right? Right. Despite still working over 60 hours this week, I took some time off. What a relief. I went on some great adventures to overcome the side effects of inhaling drywall dust, pinching my fingers, and choking from cat hair/cigarette smoke. It was brilliant, let me tell you about it.

I started off the week by taking a walking tour of downtown Salem which happens to be the capital of Oregon. I entered the capitol building and watched all the media/government/politic people wait outside of the House of Representatives room as bill 205a (Probably another bill to keep Oregon weird) was about to be passed. I walked among the suits and skirts with shorts and a casual button down shirt. I was a little out of place but enjoyed the excitement and chatter. I toured a nice university near by and my excitement for learning came back. The best part was the earthly Angel Moroni that sits up top the building. Ha, I got a kick out of it for some strange reason.

The next great adventure took me high above the Columbia River. I went hiking with my friend from the ward, Cathrine. We took a nice drive along the river and hiked to Angels Rest which takes you to a great look out over the gorge. It was incredible. The trail was covered by trees and there was so much green. I'd been dying for a real Oregon hike and this hit the spot. We also went to Multnomah falls which is this giant waterfall. We got some refreshing ice cream and picked up a few postcards from the gift shop. It was the perfect way to start my weekend. If you haven't seen the instagram photo you need to check it out... best one yet. Ha.

To top the great hike, my wonderful parents came into town. I got to spend the rest of the weekend with them and sure enjoyed their company. It's nice to see some familiar faces. Not to mention I had some real food. I forgot what it's like not to use a microwave. Thai food, Mexican food, and even a great Salmon. Ah so good. I took my parents to the Beaverton Farmers Market which was fantastic. Great mix of food, fresh produce and some of the worlds best tasting strawberries. What a treat and a half. The parents ditched me for the beach and I had to take care of some official technician business.

Sunday finally came and I was privileged to attend singles ward with my parents. It was great. I love my parents. And my ward. Just saying. We took a temple walk and it felt good to be with my dad on Fathers Day. Man of Steel. Great time.

So you know those 8ft clearance things that happen to be at the entrance of hotels? Yeah well I forgot my bike, Edward, was on the top of the car. I ran into the overhang and my bike flew off the top of the car. It sounded like a car accident. I dented the overhang and had a little freakout. I got my act together and wiped the tears as I inspected the damage. Long story short, I fixed Edward and still got my 10pm cruise on in Lake Oswego. Bike rack is broken.






Last little thing. So there are three smells that just drive me nuts. Cat, cigarette smoke, and bacon. I was on this job the other night and they had cats. Strike one. Then the wife was going to order pizza for dinner but changed her mind last second. Any guesses? Yep, it was bacon. Who in the world cooks a pound of bacon and eats it for dinner? Strike two. Then a co-worker comes in to talk to the customer and guess what he was just smoking? A cigarette. Strike three. I wanted to put on my gas mask but I left it in the car sadly. Ah man it was bad. But I guess technicians don't get everything they want now do they. Ha. Ha. No.

Back to the hammer and drill. Wire and glue. Problem solving and house protecting.
Oh the life of a Technician.

Weekly Happenings.

I'll give you a little something from this week.

I Installed a system for a Mr. Maskimov who is an underground Russian arms dealer. He told me about everything that he does and how he operated out of Portland. It kinda freaked me out but he played a nice cover with his Ukrainian wife and small kinds. He told me that if I said

anything to anyone he would have a nice surprise for me and my family. I swore to secrecy and got out of there. Just kidding. That didn't happen. I've been watching a spy tv show a little too much. But I really did install for a rich Russian guy and he was super nice. He even invited me back this week for some beers. I will politely decline. 

Because of the lack of install this week, I had a lot of down time. I did make it to the Portland temple for a session and it was beautiful. I love that temple. I also spent many many hours at a public park in Molalla, OR. I read books, practiced juggling, walked around, slept, and people watched. You'd never guess the things you see at public parks. Should of been a private park.... Geez. Anyway, I did eat the worlds greatest burrito this week from a Mexican joint called "Muchas Gracias". That's what I said to them after I consumed their "Oregon Burrito." It was comprised of steak, papas, salsa, and cheese all wrapped up in a warm, fluffy tortilla. Oh it was heavenly. The bonus is that is only cost $4.80. Didn't even break the bank. Who-ah!

Oh, this morning I made $60 in 53 minutes. Do the math and that is $1.13 per minute. Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Only wish that happened all day long.

Ok so the really good stuff. I shall relate the story of me failing at asking a girl out on a date. There is this really kind girl in the ward who I wanted to treat to lunch for being so kind. I didn't catch her at church so I resolved to call her that night on the phone around 8pm. I'm normally pretty cool about this kind of stuff but was getting nervous for some reason. I  made the call and she answered. Now the idea was just to ask her on a casual-get-to-know-you-better-slash-thank-you lunch. Nothing fancy. So she answers and I ask her if I could treat her to lunch sometime this week because of the kindness that she had shown. It's the least I could do. After about 4 seconds came the resounding and confident "No". I almost died. I didn't plan this far ahead and was speechless. She explained that her lunch breaks were short and gets gets caught up with other things during that time. I was set on eating something with this girl so I asked about dinner, even though I knew I probably couldn't do dinner because of my schedule. She looked at her calendar and was booked. Dang. At this point I felt like a loser and my mouth was completely dry. My brain froze up and I didn't say anything for like 20 seconds. (That's a long time on the phone.) She finally spoke up and said she was going to some activities this week and asked if I was going to them. I just said, "yeah I'll probably see you this week." Fail. I hung up and felt like an idiot. Ha, I haven't choked up on stuff like this since high school. I don't know what got into me but I didn't get the lunch. I settled for writing her a thank you card to express my gratitude. We'll see if I even give it to her. Technicians aren't as smooth as we all thought I guess.

Well, that's technician life for you.

The Oregon countryside is beautiful!