Sabby Ann

This week I found out that I’m being shipped up to the Upper Peninsula for the next nine weeks. I’ll generally be driving up on Mondays, and returning on Fridays - I’m estimating that I’ll drive nearly 20,000 miles for work in the next 9 weeks!

I’ll be spending time in pretty much all the ‘major’ cities:  Sault Ste. Marie, Escanaba, Iron Mountain/Kingsford, Iron River, Ironwood, Menominee, Marquette/Negaunee/Ishpeming, and of course Houghton/Calumet.

I’ve been researching local restaurants, trying to plan out as much as I can ahead of time:

• In the Soo - Antlers Restaurant, whose walls are apparently covered with stuffed animals.
• In Escanaba - The Swedish Pantry, for authentic Swedish food (though I only have IKEA to compare it to)
• In Menominee - Schloegel’s Bay View Restaurant, for German/American cuisine (and pasties!)

The following week I’ll be visiting Iron Mountain and Marquette. There’s quite a few restaurants in Marquette that have opened in the past few years, including a Cajun/Creole restaurant (with a VooDoo bar!) and an Irish Pub. I’m not sure if I’ll stop at the Cajun place, but I definitely want to try the Wild Rover for some fish & chips!

I’m open to suggestions for other restaurants to check out…

In a little over four months, I’ll be sitting down to take the Principles & Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. It’s an eight-hour exam, two-part exam, and it’s one of the final steps necessary in becoming a licensed professional engineer. 

Although I was eligible to take the exam this past October, I was advised to hold off until spring… it’s much easier to motivate yourself to study on a cold snowy night than when it’s sunny & warm outside! So I’ve started gathering reference books and practice tests, and I’m planning to sign up for a review course. 

The only thing that I haven’t yet figured out is what to do after taking the exam! I’d like to take a few days off and go on a relaxing vacation. It’d be a bit too cold in April for an Alaskan cruise, and Europe doesn’t quite fit in the budget… but there are still plenty of potential destinations!

For the past couple of years, the executives at my company have really intensified their focus on business development and marketing. They hired a outside firm to help us “rebrand”, creating a new logo and slogan. They’ve spent hundreds of hours with another consultant, redeveloping marketing and sales skills. They are determined to expand our client base, provide a broader variety of services, and become leaders in the industry nationwide. 

At the latest staff meeting, our group supervisor invited one of the company’s business development staff members to speak. He talked about some of the latest initiatives, and shared a few lessons that he’s learned along the way. The biggest lesson: allow clients (and potential clients) to do most of the talking, instead of the other way around. The rule of thumb he gave was to spend only 30-40% of the time speaking, and the remainder listening. 

Many companies spend most of their client time giving a “sales pitch” of products & services available. The sales consultant that we’ve hired has been coaching individuals to spend more time getting to know our customers, letting them share what’s going on and what problems they have. That allows us to provide very directed marketing, offering products and services that are directly applicable to what their needs or concerns are. The client feels like we’re listening and we truly care, and we don’t waste time (theirs and ours!) trying to sell things that they don’t need or want. 

After the staff meeting, a coworker commented that she’s heard it before - on Millionaire Matchmaker! It’s a TV show on Bravo that chronicles an exclusive (and pricey!) matchmaking service for millionaires. Most of the millionaire club members are men, and they recruit primarily women as potential dates for the millionaires. During the recruiting sessions, Patty Stanger (the owner) often gives dating advice to the women. She says that women often screw up by not letting the guy talk enough, and that it should be more of a 3:1 ratio. 

And it’s true, in both dating and in marketing. The party who wants something (the gold-digger on a date, or the company trying to make a sale) shouldn’t monopolize the conversation. 

I wonder how much money the company could have saved in consultant fees if all the executives had just spent a few hours watching the Millionaire Matchmaker or reading articles on dating advice from teen magazines! 

For most civil engineers, becoming a licensed professional engineer is a huge milestone. Just graduating with a degree in engineering doesn’t mean much. You can get a job, and you can practice engineering, but you can’t “sign off” on plans or specifications. In order to submit plans, an engineer with a license in THAT state must sign off. In order to get licensed, it’s a multi-year process that includes:

• Obtain Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from an AEC/ABET or CEAB-accredited school
• At least 4 years of engineering experience after graduating (co-ops/internships don’t count)
• Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, an 8-hour test (usually taken during senior year, but can be taken after graduating)
• Pass the Principles & Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, another 8-hour test
• A satisfactory review by the State Board of credentials (transcript, work experience, professional references) 

In order to take the PE exam, there’s an application process to determine if you’re even able to register. For the most part, they review your transcripts, and then you have to certify that you satisfy the experience requirements. Once you pass the exam (and for first-time test-takers, the pass rate is only about 60% for the Civil Engineering exam), they perform a thorough review of your engineering experience and references before granting a license.

The official eligibility criteria in Michigan requires four years of “acceptable engineering experience at the date of examination after graduating with an EAC/ABET… bachelor of science degree in engineering.”  

The exam is only offered twice per year, in April and October. In the past they’ve allowed a little leeway with regard to the four years of experience requirement. May graduates were typically granted permission to take the April exam, even though they were about three weeks shy… because by the time the results come back, the four years is easily satisfied. But for December graduates, taking the October exam was questionable, and only some applicants gained approval… despite that the four year requirement would still be satisfied by the time the results are posted. 

It’s an $80 fee to apply for “Michigan Pre-Approval of Education for the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Examination”, and since I was a December graduate, I had figured I’d just play it safe and wait until I had my full four years of experience after graduating. That put my exam date for April 2010.  

Well, the State of Michigan just updated their PE Pre-Approval FAQ, and they now specifically indicate that December 2005 graduates can be approved to take the October 2009 exam. Six months earlier than I had previously anticipated I would be able to take the exam. 

Now I’m stuck in a quandary. I can’t decide whether to take the exam as soon as I’m eligible, or if I should stick to my original plan. I’m a bit rusty on several of the disciplines (water/waste-water treatment, hydraulics, hydrology, geotechnical, & structural engineering), which together represent over 40% of the exam, so I plan to take a 7-week PE review course from the Engineering Society of Detroit. 

I need to decide 3-4 months ahead of time, to order all the review materials and reference books (you have to bring your own reference materials into the test), complete the Pre-Application, take a review course, and register for the exam. That leaves me with only six weeks to decide…

This year the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has a ton of construction projects planned in the metro-Detroit area. One project includes rehabilitating eight bridges and four miles of of pavement in Oakland County along I-696. As part of that project, they’re reconstructing both eastbound on-ramps at Novi Road and I-96. A second project includes pavement patching and bridge rehab (including substructure & deck repairs) for another 42 bridges in Oakland County along I-696.  

Now I’m not usually one to criticize road construction. Sure, I hate the inevitable longer commute… these projects have turned my 15-20 minute ride into a solid 45 minutes every morning! But I fully support my tax dollars being spent on infrastructure construction, because that’s where my paycheck comes from. And MDOT is usually pretty good about construction projects, ensuring that the proper sequence of warning signs and arrow boards is up and in good working condition, applying temporary pavement markings, providing well-signed detour routes, etc. 

This year I’m not at all impressed. In fact, I’m rather surprised at how poor the I-696 maintenance of traffic has been. I think the prime contractor is Dan’s Excavating, and they’re a big outfit that usually does good work. I saw PK Contracting laying down the temporary pavement markings, and they’re also pretty knowledgeable at what they do… so I couldn’t believe how uncoordinated it seems to be, and how blatantly unsafe portions of the construction zone are. 

For example, here’s a photo taken on the ramp from westbound I-696 to westbound I-96, in Novi. This is normally two lanes, with a paved shoulder on each side. They’ve barreled off the left lane (see the solid yellow line), but have added a couple feet of asphalt pavement on the right side. Then they re-striped the road to maintain two lanes of traffic, with the right lane driving essentially on the shoulder.

I believe the posted speed limit is 60 mph (normally 70 mph) through this stretch. There isn’t much separation between the right-hand travel lane and the guardrail, but that isn’t unusual in construction zones (or on surface roads, for that matter). What bothers me is what’s up ahead, maybe 1000′ to the west (where Haggerty Road crosses over the ramp). The expressway ramp curves to the right, and this is what it looks like: 

There are still two travel lanes. I took the photo in the left lane - there’s still a second travel lane on the right (sandwiched between that solid white and the guardrail). It definitely feels tight, but it’s at least tolerable… until you get to the bridge. The bridge supports (the concrete columns) are VERY close to the travel lane (definitely less than 3′, quite possibly only 1′-2′). There’s very little clear space, it’s located on a curve, and there are absolutely no warning signs or object markers. At nighttime or in adverse weather conditions (rain or fog), a driver wouldn’t see the obstruction until they’re right on top of it. I first drove through it a week ago, on my way home from class (after dark), and I couldn’t believe that MDOT would allow it! 

Maybe it’s just because MDOT has placed such a strong emphasis on mobility (maintaining traffic through construction work zones), or maybe they’re just too swamped with stimulus jobs to notice how incredibly unsafe this is… Either way, I wish someone would do something about it.

I’m tempted to get some better photos and contact the local MDOT TSC myself!

I attended a very interesting presentation today, put on by the Michigan State Police, regarding speed limit law.  Most of the information I already knew, but they gave a great overview of the subject, with a handout summarizing the applicable laws. There was also some interesting dialogue between some of the engineers and law enforcement officials that were in attendance. 

The legislation for speed limits underwent some pretty big changes in 2006, and a new set of criteria for how speed limits can be established was set. Basically, the law (MCL 257.627) now says that the prima facie speed limit is based on the number of access points (driveways and intersections), and can otherwise be set higher or lower if an engineering study (conducted in accordance with standard traffic engineering principles) determines it is appropriate to do so. Engineering studies typically use the 85th percentile speed to determine what is “reasonable and prudent”, and therefore what the posted speed limit should be. There are other considerations as well (pedestrian crosswalks, hills & curves, etc.), but in general most drivers will drive at a speed that enables them to respond to safely navigate and respond to potential hazards… 

Of course, there are all sorts of exceptions that allow for fixed lower speed limits (such as in platted residential areas, business districts, around schools, through parks, etc.), and there are still maximum speed limits (55 mph/70 mph). 

Since the vast majority of speed limits are set artificially low (mostly for political reasons, don’t get me started on that!), I knew that it was pretty easy to get out of speeding ticket. There are several valid grounds to have a ticket thrown out in court, and the recent changes in speed limit laws have made it even easier to fight speeding tickets in Michigan. 

That said, something that I was not aware of was that the law (MCL 257.627 [10]) states that if a speed limit is not properly established, then the legal speed limit reverts to 55 MPH.

So, let’s say a speed limit is set artificially or improperly low (30 mph), for whatever reason, and you receive a citation for speeding (45 mph). Through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you request a copy of the traffic control order and documentation indicating how the speed limit was determined. If they can’t produce sufficient documentation, and the speed limit was not based on the number of access points along the stretch of roadway, then the speed limit would actually be 55 mph, and the ticket would be tossed out on appeal. Even if the number of access points, or an engineering study, would have otherwise determined that the appropriate speed limit should be 40 mph, the legal speed limit would be 55 (at least, until they got around to correcting the speed limit). Rather interesting how that works. 

I could go on, but I’ll save more on the subject for a future post.

I spent a few minutes today looking through my calendar, trying to figure out how much vacation time I’ll be able to “save up” (I’m limited to 40 hours carry-over, but I’ve yet to carry over anywhere near that!). Out of the 15 days (120 hours) of paid time off (PTO) I receive each year, I usually use one week for sick time and for doctor appointments, and the remainder for vacation. 

This year I’ll have to take a few days off for wedding photography. We have a couple of events booked that either require travel or that occur on a weekday. Hopefully I will be able to work four ten-hour days during those weeks, to avoid using my precious PTO (or at least to minimize how much I need to take!). 

I usually take a few extra days around the holidays, especially when they fall mid-week. For example, Christmas fell on a Thursday last year, so we had Wednesday & Thursday off for the holiday - and I used a day of PTO on that Friday. 

For 2009, it looks like every single paid holiday creates a long weekend. Here’s the list: 

• Jan 1 (New Years Day) - Friday
• Apr 10 (Good Friday) - 1/2 Day - Friday 
• May 25 (Memorial Day) - Monday
• July 3 (Independence Day, obs) - Friday
• Sept 7 (Labor Day) - Monday
• Nov 26-27 (Thanksgiving) - Thurs & Fri
• Dec 24-25 (Christmas) - Thurs & Fri 

I’ll probably still use vacation time to lengthen some of the holiday weekends, but I’m pretty happy at how the 2009 calendar worked out!  :)

I’m going back to school, to pursue a Masters in Business Administration. A few of my coworkers are currently working towards their business degrees, and I feel like I need to earn mine in order to remain competitive and to receive equal consideration for future advancement opportunities. 

Since I’m eligible for a significant tuition reduction at Oakland University, it doesn’t make sense for me to apply to any of the other MBA programs in the area (Michigan State, UMich, Univ. of Toledo, or Wayne State). Oakland is primarily a commuter campus, and they offer most classes in the evenings - so I’d be able to continue working full-time.

In order to be admitted, I need to complete some of the prerequisite courses, take the GMAT, & submit the application. I’ll be taking a basic accounting course from a nearby community college, starting in January, which will hopefully fulfill the prereq’s. It’s possible that they’ll make me take an economics course as well, but I’m hoping that they will accept the ones I took as an undergrad. 

The program itself is 48 credits, which includes several “core” classes. The website indicates that they will waive some of those if the student has sucessfully completed comparable undergrad classes, so it is possible to graduate with only 36 grad-level credits. I really need to talk to a faculty advisor in the School of Business, to find out if they will exempt me from any of the cores; I’m hoping that I can pare down the program to the 36 credit minimum!

As far as the financials, here is the situation: 

• Graduate tuition is currently $496 per credit hour. 
• The tuition reduction is 50%, up to 32 credits per year - so I’ll only be billed $248 per hour.  
• My work offers a tuition reimbursement program, of 50% up to $3000 per year.
• The effective tuition rate will be $124 per credit hour, based on the ‘08-’09 rates (assuming that I receive both the reduction & reimbursement for any given course).

However, I have to earn a 3.0 (B) or higher in each class in order to receive both the tuition reduction and the tuition reimbursement - so it could potentially be very expensive if I don’t do well. The tuition reimbursement program at work is on a class-by-class basis, so I will likely only get reimbursed for some of the classes. I will still have to pay my tuition up front, and will have to wait 4-6 months (after successful completion and approval of the course) before I would be reimbursed. And my company may very well decide to follow suit of several other local employers, and discontinue the tuition reimbursement program altogether.  

There are some potential tax implications as well. The tuition reduction and the tuition reimbursement are partially taxable (to the extent they exceed $5250/year), because they are considered fringe benefits. We are unclear on what this will actually mean come tax time, depending on how it is reported. It’s possible we will have a very *substantial* increase in tax liability, but it’s equally possible that I could claim a tuition & fees deduction on anything that would be considered taxable income, which could make it close to a wash. 

When all is said & done, the MBA will cost somewhere between $3,500 and $25,000 - plus books & travel expenses (and any tuition increases), and will take me 2-6 years to complete. That doesn’t include the time or money for prerequisite courses or the GMAT exam/study materials.  There are just so many unknowns right now!

With all the financial uncertainty as of late, coupled with the desire to reduce our credit card debt and to get back on solid footing, I’ve been thinking about getting a second job.

We already have a few plans for the upcoming month, including a 4-day trip to Milwaukee over Thanksgiving, a corporate holiday party, and a week-long vacation to Key West. With a schedule like that, plus availability only evenings and weekends, it’s unlikely that I’d be able to find a seasonal retail job… so I haven’t bothered applying.

I did, however, apply to a few seasonal positions as a tax preparer. Tax season runs January through mid-April (therefore would be unlikely to conflict with my full-time job). It would be a stretch, since I’m not a CPA or EA, but I can at least say I’ve had formal training and experience (through my volunteer work last season).

I have an interview with a temp agency tomorrow morning, before work. I’m not expecting anything to come of it, but it’s at least worth a shot.

It’s been a crazy week on the jobsite… Called 9-1-1 twice, once resulting in the HAZMAT team being called out. The police made emergency closures of the road (twice!), and I got in far more overtime than I wanted!

Last Thursday the contractor was pouring some concrete sidewalk ramps. The concrete truck was pretty much empty, so the foreman sent the driver to go “wash out” across the street. The driver didn’t notice that there was a cable (or phone, not sure which) line hanging low on the overhead lines. The crew didn’t see him pull in, and the concrete truck ended up snagging the cable.

He didn’t notice, and kept going - which caused the adjacent wood utility pole to snap in half, and damaged a second pole. When the first pole broke, the electric line came crashing down, landing right on top of the concrete truck. We heard a loud boom (presumably the pole breaking), and then saw sparks and arcs all over. 

Fortunately the driver remained inside the truck. I had left my cell phone in my car, so the contractor called 911 to get the fire department on-site. The city police came out and shut down the road, since the power line was live and laying on the ground, and then several fire/rescue trucks came out. They put a call into Detroit Edison, and everyone more or less just had to wait around for them to come and kill power. The fire department gets patched straight into Edison’s hotline (it was a 10+ minute wait when the contractor tried calling), so they sent out a crew pretty quickly. Within an hour they had a couple of guys in the bucket truck, disconnecting the line and then eventually untangling the concrete truck. The driver was pretty shaken, but otherwise okay.

Fast forward four days, to yesterday. The guardrail contractor was on-site, using the pile-driver to install the guardrail posts. Just after 5, I went down to check on them and noticed that the crew had stopped working, and that the road was covered in a grayish smelly liquid. I asked the foreman, and he said that they blew a hose, and that hydraulic fluid had leaked onto the road. 

 

A few minutes later, I noticed that some had gotten into the river too.This photo (below) was taken approximately 10 minutes after the “spill” - there wasn’t a lot of hydraulic fluid that actually got into the river, but it definitely poses an environmental concern. 

The fire department was first on scene, and they dumped some oil-absorbing powder into the water. The photo below was about half an hour after the spill.

The fire chief also mobilized the Hazmat crew (which serves all of Wayne County, as well as portions of Oakland and Washtenaw Counties). It took close to an hour to mobilize and arrive on the scene, but they totally took charge once they got there. The chief sent a crew to evaluate the extent of the contamination downstream, and then immediately began working to deploy the booms (floating tubes which collect the floating debris) to contain the mess.

Eventually the environmental cleanup contractor was contacted, and they arrived just before 10 PM. I was hungry and exhausted, and by then all agencies had been notified and everything was under control (and fire, police, and hazmat were leaving)… so I left. I figured that they’d be mostly done with the cleanup by morning, but they were still working! They finished sometime mid-afternoon, leaving the booms in place… It sounds like both the DEQ and the environmental cleanup contractor they will monitor it for awhile, and will change out the booms as needed. Anyways, here’s what it looked like after they left.