What's your brew, as in life trade

[mike the bike]

Top man, a 400four fan - even better.

[Yamahawk]

Ah yes, where do we start... I was born dead in Seatle at the Catholic hospital there, and they need a name on the birth certificate, before you are pronounced dead for the death certificate. My folks didn't know what to name me, so the doc said, 'put down junior' and so, I have my father's name! Then I guess I started back up, and perhaps that was God's purpose for me.
I grew up in Seattle, went to India for 13 months, when I was 11, and then at age 12 ended up in central Minnesota for 1 1/2 years. We moved to York co. Pa. in 1970, and I almost graduated from Susquehannock H.S. when, 1 month into my senior year, dad decided to move us to E. Washington, and I was the 1st. graduating class out of Hanford H.S. in 1974. Then I moved to Port Huron, Mi. in September of that year. Spent 1 semester in a community college, and there were classes I forgot I even had lol... Dad said College may not have been my Forte!
Fast forward, to welding school in Cleveland, and my 1st job as a pipe welder in Standard Oil refinery in Richmond, Ca. in 1975. I ended up moving to Toledo, Oh. in 1978 for work, and have been in Ohio ever since, and am a retired Pipewelder out of Monroe, Mi. local 671. I have been diagnosed with Welder's Disease (Manganese poisoning) as a result of the 40 years of welding.
I am an avid motorcyclist, it is a passion for me. My first bike was a 1967 Norton Atlas 750, purchased in 1979. Then, a 1968 BSA 650 Thunderbolt, and then I went Japanese with my 1982 Yamaha Vision XZ550, 1981 XV920RH, (still have it) bought new in the crate in 1985. Currently, I have many bikes, (too many, the wife says), but I have a 2006 Kawasaki Concours (retirement bike), a 1981 Yamaha XV920RH, 1996 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 (therapy bike), and the 1971 Honda CB750K1. Also have a 1985 Honda Elite 250, and a few race bikes: 1975 Yamaha RD350, 1989 Honda VTR250 Interceptor, building a 1986 Kawasaki Ex250 Ninja. I have owned quite a few other bikes, including a 1984 Honda V65 Sabre (fast!), Yamaha DT360(basket case in shed) and DT250, 1973 Yamaha GT1(back of garage still), two 1982 Yamaha Visions that I have sold in the past two years, and that's about it... I think.
My passion for motorcycles has worked out as a way to spread my other Passion for Jesus Christ. I am a Chaplain (that's right, Charlie the Chaplain) through the Central Labor Council of Michigan, also to a racing group in Eastern Ohio (at Nelson Ledges Race Course), and am a Deacon of a Biker church here, Kingdom Run Biker Church and Outreach, and am Ordained to preach the gospel (good news)... He has shown me that I didn't have to give up bikes, just to use them for His glory, not mine... so I do. I hope to make your acquaintance some day!
Charlie
    the Chaplain

[Laverda Dave]

Wow, there's a few individual stories in there! That's some life you've lived up to now. I wish you many more chapters to come.

[SteveW]

I fix MRI scanners in both the NHS and private hospitals.

Due to the very powerful magnetic field i have a set of tools made from titanium, very, very expensive.
If you take anything metal into the room of any size, it will stick to the magnet and you wont get it off.

[Rob62]

Some fascinating stories on this thread. My career has been fairly unremarkable by contrast. I left school in 1978 with a handfull of mediocre cse’s and gce’s and went straight into a mechanical apprenticeship at a fairly local company IMI Yorkshire Imperial Metals in Leeds. I completed my apprenticeship, I also discovered that i could do much better at college than i did at school, with the right motivation....  I stayed there for 6 years in total before moving to a small precision engineering company as a centre lathe turner. There I was promoted a couple of times and ended up as planning engineer for the manufacture of components for the MOD (during the first gulf war), British aerospace and the oil and nuclear industries.. we manufactured a broad range of mechanical components.. I also got into some CAD work at that time which i enjoyed. That all came to an end in 1995 when the company went into administration and closed, along with many other engineering companies at that time... I took a couple of jobs over the next couple of years but eventually settled at a company less than 5 miles from my home where they manufacture glass packaging (bottles). Ive been there for 20 years now and i really enjoy the work. My job is product design engineer, the job typically involves taking customer design concepts and turning them into products which we manufacture and sell. I design the products and then the mould equipment required to form them in glass, its very rewarding to see them through concept, development and finally in the shops. i hope to see myself out to retirement in this role, sooner rather than later with any luck!  I bought my first motorbike on my 17th birthday, a honda! Bikes were my only mode of transpot for a few years.. Marriage and kids took me away from motorcycles for about 15 years but now they are my main hobby. I have a lovely wife, 2 lovely kids (now grown up and making their own way) and a comfortable home and although im not a wealthy man i consider myself to be lucky in life.

[mike the bike]

That sounds an interesting job you've got, what kind of products do you design and manufacture?

[Yamahawk]

Qualified Nurse since 1981. Last 'proper' job before retirement was a Senior Clinical Specialist Orthopaedic Nurse specialising in complex joint replacement surgery.
Nursing has always paid the bills but was never my real passion. I have led a double life......as a Car Dealer. I have worked at New and Used car dealerships, I have been a self employed used car trader and have been a co-owner of a Franchised Land Rover dealership employing over 50 staff. Cars and motorbikes have always been my real passion in life and although I would call myself an extremely competent nurse, I would say I am  s**t hot at buying and selling anything on 2 or 4 wheels.

Julie, I was curious as to whether you have seen the movie 'Flywheel', it is pretty good, and being this is a little bit of your passion, you might like it. I recommend it!
Charlie

[Rob62]

That sounds an interesting job you've got, what kind of products do you design and manufacture?

Thanks, it is interesting, these are a few fairly recent ones.... the new greenall’s gin range, hihland park “ice”, and gant fragrance for men.

[haynes66]

yamahawk, i'm also a committed christian but everyone has a vice so mine is speeding!! i work as a site manager in a residential behavioural school which is quite challenging, such as being punched, kicked and spat on regularly. but it's a fun job and it funds my riding habit...

[Nurse Julie]

Qualified Nurse since 1981. Last 'proper' job before retirement was a Senior Clinical Specialist Orthopaedic Nurse specialising in complex joint replacement surgery.
Nursing has always paid the bills but was never my real passion. I have led a double life......as a Car Dealer. I have worked at New and Used car dealerships, I have been a self employed used car trader and have been a co-owner of a Franchised Land Rover dealership employing over 50 staff. Cars and motorbikes have always been my real passion in life and although I would call myself an extremely competent nurse, I would say I am  s**t hot at buying and selling anything on 2 or 4 wheels.

Julie, I was curious as to whether you have seen the movie 'Flywheel', it is pretty good, and being this is a little bit of your passion, you might like it. I recommend it!
Charlie

No Charlie, have not seen that film but will look it up sometime.

[taysidedragon]

My first bike at 17 was an old BSA Bantam which my dad taught me to maintain. Very necessary.

I started off working as a Trainee Design Engineer for GKN. They used to put all their trainees through the apprentice workshop course, so they taught me really useful metalwork skills which I've used all my life.

A big career change saw me morph into an Air Traffic Controller. I managed to survive that until I retired earlier this year. It's one of the only jobs where you actually get paid to look out of the window! 

[SteveD CB500K0]

If you can see them out of the window, isn't it too late? 

[taysidedragon]

If you can see them out of the window, isn't it too late? 

Hopefully not.  The Mark 1 eyeball is still one of the best ways to spot something going wrong.

[Johnwebley]

My first bike at 17 was an old BSA Bantam which my dad taught me to maintain. Very necessary.

I started off working as a Trainee Design Engineer for GKN. They used to put all their trainees through the apprentice workshop course, so they taught me really useful metalwork skills which I've used all my life.

A big career change saw me morph into an Air Traffic Controller. I managed to survive that until I retired earlier this year. It's one of the only jobs where you actually get paid to look out of the window! 

 I have chatted to many air traffic controllers,and found them helpful and polite ,

[taysidedragon]

Do you fly John?