Thursday, March 15, 2007
Ides of March
The Ides of March was a good day for Jed.
Caswell Park in the heart of East Knoxville has
four full sized Baseball fields and a nice field house.
Have you sat at a baseball or football game at night and thought about who would climb the poles and work on the lights? If you did you most likely thought the person would get paid really well...right?
This is one of about forty poles in Caswell park notice in the top photo
how there is a light not working, that is my mission. In the bottom photo
Jed is waving high to say all is well. I wait as the repaired light warms
up and comes to the proper brightness and think about Julius Caesar.
As I climbed I thought of how silly I was for doing this for $5.50 clear per hour after taxes, health insurance and child support. The comforting part was knowing it gets those things paid. Further discouraging thought was how when I spend my clear money it gets taxed 9.5% sales tax even at the grocery store.
Anyway it is an adventure to do these things and it beats slaving away at some factory. It makes me appreciate my good health and the fact I am alive today.
This nice little machine is a line-mans pulley, it is super light weight
and very strong. Best of all it is made right here in Tennessee. When
my boss bought it the man who sold it told him he would only sell it to
us if we promised to care for it properly. We have it nested in a bucket
with nice soft rope when it is not being used (out of the weather
of course).
Caswell Park in the heart of East Knoxville hasfour full sized Baseball fields and a nice field house.
Have you sat at a baseball or football game at night and thought about who would climb the poles and work on the lights? If you did you most likely thought the person would get paid really well...right?
This is one of about forty poles in Caswell park notice in the top photohow there is a light not working, that is my mission. In the bottom photo
Jed is waving high to say all is well. I wait as the repaired light warms
up and comes to the proper brightness and think about Julius Caesar.
As I climbed I thought of how silly I was for doing this for $5.50 clear per hour after taxes, health insurance and child support. The comforting part was knowing it gets those things paid. Further discouraging thought was how when I spend my clear money it gets taxed 9.5% sales tax even at the grocery store.
Anyway it is an adventure to do these things and it beats slaving away at some factory. It makes me appreciate my good health and the fact I am alive today.
This nice little machine is a line-mans pulley, it is super light weightand very strong. Best of all it is made right here in Tennessee. When
my boss bought it the man who sold it told him he would only sell it to
us if we promised to care for it properly. We have it nested in a bucket
with nice soft rope when it is not being used (out of the weather
of course).
Most of the time the problem is a 1000 or 1500 watt metal halide HID lamp which is about the size of a volleyball and has several working parts on its interior which has to be carefully handled. About 20% of the time it is something other than the lamp and takes a little more work. Below are two photos where I removed the ballast and capacitor for replacement and placed them in a bucket to be hoisted down.
You all know Jed can't leave without writing something on the back of the lens housing for the next poor bastard to read and not make matters worse.
Pink Floyd lyrics always work best when you are high.
In fact it is so high only crows visit daily, they leave their
marks as well. I let them keep the top billing.
You all know Jed can't leave without writing something on the back of the lens housing for the next poor bastard to read and not make matters worse.
Pink Floyd lyrics always work best when you are high.In fact it is so high only crows visit daily, they leave their
marks as well. I let them keep the top billing.
:: posted by Tennessee Jed, 9:23 PM
8 Comments:
You rock!
This is so utterly cool that I can't stand it.
Can't stand it in a good way because it makes me all twittery and a flutter in a good way. Thought I'd clarify that.
Wow- before I got to the lyrics part, my mind was racing as to what crazy stunt I would have to pull if I had that job! Before I could fully conceive of somethng, I saw your idea- very nice, I must say!!!
I could not do THAT!!! You deserve a medal the size of a garbage can lid for working at those heights!
Cheers, Mike.
Cheers, Mike.
I'm dizzy just reading that post..
Congratulations again for having found something they can't outsource to India or just strap on the back of a trained buzzard.
Thanks for leaving your touch Jed.
