Saturday, May 14, 2005
I'd rather burn
Well my funkity funk FUNK is over. It was a day pass into sad and pathetic land, and I've overcome it. I got my Fenton-slap, and all is good now.
For some reason, it's days like this, Friday the 13th (insert cheesy attempt at macabre music), that brings out the edge in some people. All day at work, the social aspect has been something akin to a gong show of weirdness, myself of course being included in some folly. Ok, by folly, I mean screaming flammable disaster...
I test drove a demo mower today, a John Deere with the handle bars (much like a Bobcat) that control your movement. The mower itself is incredibly fun to drive around, but unfortunately, it is (the deck specifically) not meant for the rugged terrain or tight spaces that we deal with, but rather, a golf course. You can even alter the blade cutting height. I considered making a green on a boulevard today (a really large wide one) but before I could even giggle and rub my hands together in glee and contemplation, I ran out of gas. After flagging down another City truck, I got the garage guys to come out and fuel the machine up enough to go over to the pumps (across the street, and ironically right next to the first piece of grass I was cutting) and fill the tank completely. Yadda yadda. Got over there, (and another thing, this mower cannot climb curbs worth a damn, as the wheels are mounted to the front of the deck, and ...this is hard to explain) and started filling the tank, but stupidly, I thought momentarily that the pump wasn't working and lifted the nozzle up out of the tank. Diesel diesel, everywhere. Everywhere! It took me my lunch break to clean it all up, and I was running away screaming from all the smokers who congregate outside of the garage at break, and similarly, dropping my coveralls to around my ankles (in the event that they ignite, I figured I could kick them off relatively easily) whenever I had a smoke. Generally looking mentally handicapped, and smelling like ass. It was pretty hilarious in retrospect though, however, my eyes and nose watered/ran from the fumes until I ran home and jumped into the shower.
On a more serious note, there was a bit of a hullabaloo at work today also, regarding a mechanic whom I know relatively well (let's call him Cap). I had just come from the Signs department after whining after a guy for some cardboard for a safety display when there was this discernible tension in the air, and voices were humming with "what's happening? Do you know what happened? What's going on? Why isn't anyone telling us anything?" Apparently this morning, a girl whom I know well, and also dislike quite a bit, got chewed out by my mechanically inclined friend, and in turn she filed a harrassment suite, and he found out about it after our second break, which is when all the questioning started, because he flipped a gasket I guess, and threatened someone injury. When I was driving around to recycle though, I saw this ambulance whip out of the parking lot of our building, as well as observed a firetruck perched next to the front door. So, I fretted and made my way back. Apparently "nothing" happened, but....the city foremen, they're like the MIB, they cover up stuff like crazy. Ah ha ha...this is me losing my job for getting too gossipy on the internets...
Bottom line is, Cap lost his temper. And I'm worried about him, because the girl in question, is very manipulative, not to mention that Cap has had two heart attacks in the past. And we all know what effects apoplectic rage has on the old ticker. I hope they don't fire him.
However, the absolute biggest news of the day is that I dropped $15 bucks on a Smith-Corona portable typewriter at a garage sale. It's beautiful, and it comes in a carrying case, even though the fucking thing weighs eight pounds. It's amazing, and probably one of the best investments I've made in a while.
Boat goes in tomorrow with a 7:30 wake up call. I'm horny, and sleepless. What else is new? ¶ 2:34 AM
For some reason, it's days like this, Friday the 13th (insert cheesy attempt at macabre music), that brings out the edge in some people. All day at work, the social aspect has been something akin to a gong show of weirdness, myself of course being included in some folly. Ok, by folly, I mean screaming flammable disaster...
I test drove a demo mower today, a John Deere with the handle bars (much like a Bobcat) that control your movement. The mower itself is incredibly fun to drive around, but unfortunately, it is (the deck specifically) not meant for the rugged terrain or tight spaces that we deal with, but rather, a golf course. You can even alter the blade cutting height. I considered making a green on a boulevard today (a really large wide one) but before I could even giggle and rub my hands together in glee and contemplation, I ran out of gas. After flagging down another City truck, I got the garage guys to come out and fuel the machine up enough to go over to the pumps (across the street, and ironically right next to the first piece of grass I was cutting) and fill the tank completely. Yadda yadda. Got over there, (and another thing, this mower cannot climb curbs worth a damn, as the wheels are mounted to the front of the deck, and ...this is hard to explain) and started filling the tank, but stupidly, I thought momentarily that the pump wasn't working and lifted the nozzle up out of the tank. Diesel diesel, everywhere. Everywhere! It took me my lunch break to clean it all up, and I was running away screaming from all the smokers who congregate outside of the garage at break, and similarly, dropping my coveralls to around my ankles (in the event that they ignite, I figured I could kick them off relatively easily) whenever I had a smoke. Generally looking mentally handicapped, and smelling like ass. It was pretty hilarious in retrospect though, however, my eyes and nose watered/ran from the fumes until I ran home and jumped into the shower.
On a more serious note, there was a bit of a hullabaloo at work today also, regarding a mechanic whom I know relatively well (let's call him Cap). I had just come from the Signs department after whining after a guy for some cardboard for a safety display when there was this discernible tension in the air, and voices were humming with "what's happening? Do you know what happened? What's going on? Why isn't anyone telling us anything?" Apparently this morning, a girl whom I know well, and also dislike quite a bit, got chewed out by my mechanically inclined friend, and in turn she filed a harrassment suite, and he found out about it after our second break, which is when all the questioning started, because he flipped a gasket I guess, and threatened someone injury. When I was driving around to recycle though, I saw this ambulance whip out of the parking lot of our building, as well as observed a firetruck perched next to the front door. So, I fretted and made my way back. Apparently "nothing" happened, but....the city foremen, they're like the MIB, they cover up stuff like crazy. Ah ha ha...this is me losing my job for getting too gossipy on the internets...
Bottom line is, Cap lost his temper. And I'm worried about him, because the girl in question, is very manipulative, not to mention that Cap has had two heart attacks in the past. And we all know what effects apoplectic rage has on the old ticker. I hope they don't fire him.
However, the absolute biggest news of the day is that I dropped $15 bucks on a Smith-Corona portable typewriter at a garage sale. It's beautiful, and it comes in a carrying case, even though the fucking thing weighs eight pounds. It's amazing, and probably one of the best investments I've made in a while.
Boat goes in tomorrow with a 7:30 wake up call. I'm horny, and sleepless. What else is new? ¶ 2:34 AM
