I feel better about me. by NewOldBrownCoat

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT'S BLOG

NewOldBrownCoat

I feel better about me.
Saturday, November 22, 2008

after hearing about the shuttle astronaut this week.

Among the stuff they're doin' up there, they're cleaning and lubing a big rotary joint bearing that's full of metal shavings from where it's been grinding on itself.

I've worked 30 years as a maintenance mechanic, and done at least my share of screwed-up bearings full of crap, even if smaller and not so high in the air.

So the astronaut-gal's grease gun freaking *B*L*E*W* *U*P* inside her tool bag.

Now I ain't ever had one explode,but I've had the top come off a couple, or hoses fail, or something screw up while changing cartridges, and I gotta tell ya, it's a *M*E*S*S*.

Sticky, slippery gunk all over everything, and ya try to clean it up, and it just gets spread around, gets on yer hands or gloves, and all over everything you touch, ya ain't got near enough rags to clean it all up.

But she kept on working, and eventually relaxed her grip for just a second, and the tool bag got away from her, took off in its own personal orbit.

And I emphathize with that completely-- I can't work on top of a 6 foot ladder without dropping wrench, screwdriver, hammer, one right after another, usually 'bout 3 minutes apart.

And then I gotta climb down, pick it up, climb back up , get my focus going again, and then drop something else.

And being near-sighted since I was a kid, and now gettin' far-sighted because I'm gettin' ol--that is-- not so young-- means I gotta be taking my glasses off, or puttin' 'em back on, or changin' to the other pair, and keepin' track of just where I set 'em down after I took 'em off last time.

So I feel better about being me- even highly educated and trained folks in my line of work make goofs and drop things.

At least when I do it, I'm not polluting outer space, or adding to the orbiting junk navigational hazards.

And a greatly smaller number of folks notice it when I screw up. It doesn't make the front pages of newspapers, or get flashed all over the Internet.

COMMENTS

Saturday, November 22, 2008 9:33 AM

SAFEAT2ND

I hear ya. I had a grease fitting on a front-end (of a car) blow-up on me (bad seal) and it is indeed a mess. Not to metion EXTREMELY slippery.

So I'm not one of those people that is spitting nails and pissing and moaning about her losing her tool bag. I know I could never do what she is doing.

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