Thursday, January 06, 2005
I can drive! But Bill wants me dead!
I chickened out of going snowboarding again yesterday. It was nearly -30 again, and by the time I woke up, it was 11am so it wasn't going to get much warmer before I had to leave for work.
I'll snowboard today though, I promise.
Anyway I had my second "day" at work yesterday and it was much better than the first one. Sure, I'm still kinda slow and innefficient, but at least I got everything done (I think) and even got to go for a drive.
Sure, I haven't been behind the wheel of a car for about six years. And sure, I've never driven an automatic before (I kept looking for a clutch). And sure, I've never driven a column shift before (it's a weird system where the shifter is roughly where the headlight control would be on a normal car and there's a tiny thingee on the dash to show what gear you're in). And sure, I've never driven on the wrong / right side of the road before. And sure, I've never driven on ice / snow before.
I can hear you all running for cover now. But don't worry, it was all legal, and safe. I, and one of my co-workers, just took one of the work vans out for a drive round the carparks here to deliver a vast quantity of pillows and blankets to some punters. Except for one wrong side of the "road" incident and one wheel going off-road a little (it's really difficult to tell the difference between the kerb and the snow) it was fine. Either driving is a lot easier than I remember, or all those hours I've spent playing bumper karts or the parking game on the internet recently have been useful.
But why do I say that Bill (the owner and GM) wants me dead? Well, for the second shift in a row, I bled in the line of duty. This time I was cleaning up the hot tub area. It's close to -30 out there, and some geniuses leave wet towels outside. Rocket scientists the lot of them. What happens to wet towels (and wet cheap foam hot tub covers) in -30 conditions. Yep, they freeze into wierd shapes, and often attach themselves to the ground. I was trying to free one of these towelsicles when my foot slipped and I fell onto the concrete, skinning my left hand. Much less blood than yesterday, and I didn't do anything stupid like taking the tap home with me.
So, all up, things are getting better. The temperature is already at -18, so today should be tolerable up the hill (although rather icy) and snow is due for the next few days.
I'll snowboard today though, I promise.
Anyway I had my second "day" at work yesterday and it was much better than the first one. Sure, I'm still kinda slow and innefficient, but at least I got everything done (I think) and even got to go for a drive.
Sure, I haven't been behind the wheel of a car for about six years. And sure, I've never driven an automatic before (I kept looking for a clutch). And sure, I've never driven a column shift before (it's a weird system where the shifter is roughly where the headlight control would be on a normal car and there's a tiny thingee on the dash to show what gear you're in). And sure, I've never driven on the wrong / right side of the road before. And sure, I've never driven on ice / snow before.
I can hear you all running for cover now. But don't worry, it was all legal, and safe. I, and one of my co-workers, just took one of the work vans out for a drive round the carparks here to deliver a vast quantity of pillows and blankets to some punters. Except for one wrong side of the "road" incident and one wheel going off-road a little (it's really difficult to tell the difference between the kerb and the snow) it was fine. Either driving is a lot easier than I remember, or all those hours I've spent playing bumper karts or the parking game on the internet recently have been useful.
But why do I say that Bill (the owner and GM) wants me dead? Well, for the second shift in a row, I bled in the line of duty. This time I was cleaning up the hot tub area. It's close to -30 out there, and some geniuses leave wet towels outside. Rocket scientists the lot of them. What happens to wet towels (and wet cheap foam hot tub covers) in -30 conditions. Yep, they freeze into wierd shapes, and often attach themselves to the ground. I was trying to free one of these towelsicles when my foot slipped and I fell onto the concrete, skinning my left hand. Much less blood than yesterday, and I didn't do anything stupid like taking the tap home with me.
So, all up, things are getting better. The temperature is already at -18, so today should be tolerable up the hill (although rather icy) and snow is due for the next few days.
