The Evil Apprentice
One of my best telemarketing students has made the unfortunate decision to leave telephone sales and become an electrician. Foolish, I realize. I question his sanity in abandoning the taking of money by phone for taking money by means of screwdrivers, wrenches, and copper wire. None the less, here is a timely anecdote from The Evil Apprentice
The Night Shift Saga...
It's not easy being me. Those bone heads at the hall (the union hall from whence workers are sent to jobs) dispatched me to this god-awful night shift gig, three months of night shift, installing new pipe and wire in big box stores (Name withheld to avoid lawsuit).
So, there is the journeyman (my boss) up on a lift. We gotta run a pipe through this wall into the electrical room. He decides to use a battery powered sawz-all.
3:15 am Journeyman announces that there is an armored electrical cable in the way of the pipe and that he is going to cut it out with the sawz-all
Jesus Christ!, says I, is that thing live?
3:25 am Journeyman fetches his tickle tester to see if the darn cable has power. The cable is live, crawling with electrons.
3:45 am Journeyman and apprentice trace cable back to junction box that appears to be the feed for some 347 volt lighting.
3:46 am Journeyman makes command decision to saw through cable, disregarding protests from safety trained apprentice. Apprentice is 'new' and 'knows nothing' about 'the trade'.
3:50 am Journeyman then proceeds to wrap some cardboard around cable and then grip cable with left hand, while hefting battery sawz-all with right hand.
Oh My God!, says I, diving behind a skid of Polish Dill Pickles on Sale.
There is a loud bang, followed by a peaceful darkness as all the electrical systems in the store turn off. Emergency lights come on. Night shift staff are ordered to evacuate the store.
3:52 am Aw, Crap, says the Journeyman.
That was my excitement for the night, what about you? Did you have fun at work?
I, Fenris Badwulf, brought you this moment of construction trades whimsy and humor.
The Night Shift Saga...
It's not easy being me. Those bone heads at the hall (the union hall from whence workers are sent to jobs) dispatched me to this god-awful night shift gig, three months of night shift, installing new pipe and wire in big box stores (Name withheld to avoid lawsuit).
So, there is the journeyman (my boss) up on a lift. We gotta run a pipe through this wall into the electrical room. He decides to use a battery powered sawz-all.
3:15 am Journeyman announces that there is an armored electrical cable in the way of the pipe and that he is going to cut it out with the sawz-all
Jesus Christ!, says I, is that thing live?
3:25 am Journeyman fetches his tickle tester to see if the darn cable has power. The cable is live, crawling with electrons.
3:45 am Journeyman and apprentice trace cable back to junction box that appears to be the feed for some 347 volt lighting.
3:46 am Journeyman makes command decision to saw through cable, disregarding protests from safety trained apprentice. Apprentice is 'new' and 'knows nothing' about 'the trade'.
3:50 am Journeyman then proceeds to wrap some cardboard around cable and then grip cable with left hand, while hefting battery sawz-all with right hand.
Oh My God!, says I, diving behind a skid of Polish Dill Pickles on Sale.
There is a loud bang, followed by a peaceful darkness as all the electrical systems in the store turn off. Emergency lights come on. Night shift staff are ordered to evacuate the store.
3:52 am Aw, Crap, says the Journeyman.
That was my excitement for the night, what about you? Did you have fun at work?
I, Fenris Badwulf, brought you this moment of construction trades whimsy and humor.
posted by The Mayor at 3:54 AM
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