Thirty Days in the Hole

This—my pirate web site, my edgy blog site for my alternate universe—has sort of devolved into some anemic bulletin board about all the crap going on at work.

Didn’t really intend.

That said, here’s the latest: The chief was supposed to let me go back to a station spot on August 1st.

Ain’t gonna happen.

They’re keeping me in “The Bureau” for 30 more days, after which time, the department—by policy—MUST let me go.

I Didn't Do This!

....I just happened to drive up right after another County employee operating a backhoe snapped off the hydrant. Hey, stuff happens...

Note the large crowd of County workers beginning to gather. Note the presence of cell phone cameras. Note the two hapless firemen (second and third from right) from 114's ("Serving with Pride in a Single Wide!") searching fruitlessly for the underground valve which would shut off the geyser.

Not shown: Public Works supervisor searching for blueprints indicating exact location of paved-over valve.

T-Rex

Want to know the source of my anxiety these days?

It’s a dinosaur.

A T-rex to be exact.

“T-rex” is the nickname County engineers have bestowed upon the beast pictured here: It is a 1995 KME fire engine with non-synchronous manual transmission controlled by an inconveniently located and smallish shift arm said to resemble the tiny forepaw of the legendary behemoth.

It’s tight, unforgiving shift pattern has been the downfall of many an engineer, some of whom—completely whipped and chagrinned—have surrendered the driver’s seat to a junior fireman or an annoyed captain.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks driving this thing aimlessly around downtown Lancaster, struggling to make the machine “my bitch.”

So far, it’s a draw.

And the real test—not on these flat desert stretches, but the rolling mountainsides of the Verdugo foothills—is yet to come…

Dang! Missed my downshift!

Hey...It's Not Tomorrow Yet!

http://www.switch2planb.com/

Still Trying...

Still trying to get the hang of this "hands free" thing...