Processes
We all take so much for granted all the time. To be fair, it’s almost impossible not to, but it's important to reflect on certain things at times. I certainly do.
I wrote my high school graduation speech about how we don’t know anything about the processes required to maintain the lifestyle we live.
In the speech, I used the example of a pen. Everyone has a pen and uses one regularly. At the time, pens were even more prominent given that computers and phones hadn’t taken over written communication yet. Nobody knows how to make a pen. Nobody really values how amazing a pen is: the pressurized ink, the affordability. Walk into a bank and get one for free. It’s crazy.
I also think everything you see has been removed and extracted from the earth and built. I think about this a lot when I’m walking around New York City and see all the skyscrapers. All these windows, all this metal, concrete, paint, street signage, every speck of every material was extracted from the earth in a process that was once a huge discovery, then turned into a business venture, and grew to the point where production could develop a city.
Anyways, today I came across one such process that I don’t think about, even though I complain about the result when it deteriorates or gets shoddy. I’m talking about roads, the roads in New York City, the crumbling infrastructure that any New Yorker is incredibly aware of. I bike a lot and the roads are horrendous. Often, in order to avoid terrible potholes and badly paved roads, I have to swerve and nearly get hit by cars avoiding terrible pavement.
Anyways, it is crazy the degree to which infrastructure in America is crumbling; the roads in New York City are terrible, despite the insane level of taxes paid here, and the cost of living. But anyways, today, and this whole week, I have been witnessing the paving of roads. I had no idea how it was done, just like I have no idea how refrigerators or condoms or dog leashes are made. Anyways, I got to watch these construction workers pave my street today. It involved a lot of machinery and a lot of weird foggy gross tar-y air. But it was a beautiful process to witness. I filmed some of it and I will put it right here.
I named my graduation speech "Fire Hydrant and Cookie Cutter" because I knew everyone in the audience would have a list of all the speech titles (at my boarding school every senior gave a speech). I didn’t mention this earlier because I wanted you to believe I was valedictorian or something. I was not. Anyways, I named the speech something nonsensical so nobody would anticipate what it was about. When I got out and had graduated, my aunt rushed up to me and said, “Your dad is the hydrant and your mom is the cookie cutter, right?” And I was like, “No, it was just nonsense.” Rorschach test much. Very funny lol.
Anyways, process is crazy and the things going on around us are incredible no matter how mundane they may seem.
Below is some footage of the paving of the road. Also, while filming I stepped in some tar that splattered onto the sidewalk. I looked it up and found that WD-40 could be used to loosen the tar off the shoe, just apply the spray to the affected area, it will loosen, then wash it away with a moist towel or rag of some sort. It worked wonders. Thanks for reading, champ.
Tar removing spray.
Oh and here are the steps involved with paving roads:
Surface Preparation: This includes clearing the area of debris, grading the surface to ensure proper drainage, and sometimes applying a base layer of aggregate material.
Application of Asphalt or Concrete: Once the surface is prepared, hot asphalt or concrete is spread evenly over the area using specialized equipment like pavers or spreaders.
Compaction: Heavy rollers are used to compact the asphalt or concrete, ensuring a dense and stable surface that can withstand heavy traffic loads.
Finishing Touches: Finally, the paved surface may be sealed, striped for traffic lanes, and equipped with necessary signage and markings for safety and guidance.
This process results in a smooth, durable road surface that provides safe and reliable transportation for vehicles and pedestrians.
Dumping Stuff out, not sure what that is. Here you can see multiple steps iin the process simultaneously. This was cool.
This was the scene on Halsey Street in Booklyn April 26th.
This is the compaction phase of the paving process.
Here is a car that is already not at all thinking about the road paving process.