STEAMER'S BLOG

Steamer

Latest Firefly Moment
Friday, August 4, 2006

I've had so many of these lately I wish it wasn't so ruttin' hot out, else I'd wear my Mal costume proudly everywhere for the duration of Serenity Summer. Anyway. Digression.

I'm an instructor for steam-locomotive firemen, and last weekend I had a fairly-new student (only worked with him once before). Target-rich environment? Believe it. I was showing him how to fill and start one of the lubricators, which involves opening a series of valves and then regulating an oil feed, which you can observe coming from a needle in a sight glass. So I was staring intently through this glass, verbally urging this one drop of oil to drip from the needle: "C'mon! Ain't got all day! I promise you that gorram needle is not gonna miss you, let's go!"

My student's reaction:

"Gorram needle. That sounds like something you'd hear about on Star Trek or somethin'."

My smugly grinning reply:

"Or somethin'. I got that from another short-lived science-fiction show I was quite fond of."

That was the end of that conversation...for the moment. But who, I asked myself later, woulda thunk that teaching new firemen could potentially yield so many new Browncoats?

I have two new guys tomorrow. Pardon me while I arm myself to deal with them appropriately.

SERENITY NOW!!!!!


(Edited to add: point of interest - the piece of equipment we were working on was the Nathan Hydrostatic Lubricator. Coincidence? I think not. )

COMMENTS

Thursday, September 7, 2006 1:53 PM

KAELE


Nathan and Lubrication in the same sentence, nay, the same description. Pardon me while I get some alone time in my bunk.

Sunday, August 6, 2006 3:00 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Steam locomotive fireman instructor? Well now...you have a mighty interesting job there, Steamer. Suddenly, your call sign makes sense;)

BEB

Friday, August 4, 2006 5:26 PM

NOSADSEVEN


"Nathan Hydrostatic Lubricator"?

I gotta get me one a' them...


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