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Grumpy McGrump Grump.
Oct. 22nd, 2014 11:13 pmNot a very nice day at work today. All the morning I was very tediously replacing the nuts on a couple of bins of clamps. They came with nylocks, we wanted them with regular nuts. So being the fixit guy, I got to order the replacement nuts, and then replace them. Tedium, thy name is nuts.
The weather is grey and drismal. We are in the middle of a noreaster. For those not from new england, it's a four day long rainstorm, rain varying from just a misting to gutter-gushing downpours on a random basis the whole storm. Add to this strong gusty winds that are coming from constantly varying directions, and thunderstorms stirring up the mix from time to time.
Boston drivers, it seems some of them have never driven in the rain before, and have not a clue how to react to it. So some of them go really fast to dodge the raindrops. Some of them go really slowly because their wipers don't work that well, or the defroster is broken, or maybe they are just terrified of the fast drivers.
So I got sent into Cambridge to pickup some gear at MIT. They give me the oldest most broken down truck we own. The defroster doesn't work, so the windows are fogging up and I have to constantly wipe them to see outside. It's a pickup right in the middle of traffic time, so I have to drive up the southeast expressway in the traffic. those of you who have the experience of driving the southeast expressway in traffic time already know the pain.
The building I'm going to get the gear is one of the lesser known architectural failures of MIT, the Media Lab building. It has a loading dock. The loading dock is juuust wide enough for a box truck. The passenger side window is about an inch from the wall on that side. The drivers side has just enough room for me to open the door and slip sideways out of the truck. I have to duck and crawl underneath the side of the truck to get past the dumpster so I can get up to the loading dock and actually load my truck. On a narrow side street in cambridge. that street, by the way, is the detour route for some construction on a more major road nearby today.
I get there, and there is another truck. The other end of this street is Memorial drive, which is very much a no trucks road, and I don't have anyplace to turn around except the loading dock. So I turn on the blinkers and wait, blocking traffic, to the immense irritation of the drivers of cambridge, who do everything short of driving on the sidewalk to get around me. Certainly waiting for a minute and taking turns with the cars coming the other way is beneath their sense of urgency and self-importance. After about ten minutes, the other truck finishes and pulls out. After playing dodgem with the idiots of cambridge, I manage to back the truck into the worst loading dock in the greater boston area.
Get the truck loaded. Now it's almost 6pm. Still peak traffic time. Ugh. So off I go, across cambridge, take mass ave from MIT down to dorchester, then onto the southeast expressway again. Finally get back to the shop about 730 pm. breath a sigh of relief. At least it's overtime.
Now into my car and off I go. back up the southeast expressway to go to Somerville and the NESFA clubhouse. but by now the traffic has eased, and now it is merely difficult. Get to nesfa, my usual parking spots have been taken and have to find another. Takeout chinese for supper.
As I am just sitting down to start eating, my phone rings. It's my dad, a tree fell on the house. (remember those winds?) I ask my dad to look and see if any windows are broken or the roof is leaking. No and no. So I tell him that I'll deal with it in the morning. I hurry through my obligations at nesfa and head back home. yup, driving skill is still water soluble. I get home, and observe the fallen tree. It's only lightly touching the house, but it is completely blocking the driveway. I'll get the chainsaw out in the morning and deal with it. ugh.
Edit. Got up early. Dug out the chainsaw and a couple of extension cords to cut it up. Chainsaw doesn't work. Took it into work to try and fix at lunchtime. Oh bother.
The weather is grey and drismal. We are in the middle of a noreaster. For those not from new england, it's a four day long rainstorm, rain varying from just a misting to gutter-gushing downpours on a random basis the whole storm. Add to this strong gusty winds that are coming from constantly varying directions, and thunderstorms stirring up the mix from time to time.
Boston drivers, it seems some of them have never driven in the rain before, and have not a clue how to react to it. So some of them go really fast to dodge the raindrops. Some of them go really slowly because their wipers don't work that well, or the defroster is broken, or maybe they are just terrified of the fast drivers.
So I got sent into Cambridge to pickup some gear at MIT. They give me the oldest most broken down truck we own. The defroster doesn't work, so the windows are fogging up and I have to constantly wipe them to see outside. It's a pickup right in the middle of traffic time, so I have to drive up the southeast expressway in the traffic. those of you who have the experience of driving the southeast expressway in traffic time already know the pain.
The building I'm going to get the gear is one of the lesser known architectural failures of MIT, the Media Lab building. It has a loading dock. The loading dock is juuust wide enough for a box truck. The passenger side window is about an inch from the wall on that side. The drivers side has just enough room for me to open the door and slip sideways out of the truck. I have to duck and crawl underneath the side of the truck to get past the dumpster so I can get up to the loading dock and actually load my truck. On a narrow side street in cambridge. that street, by the way, is the detour route for some construction on a more major road nearby today.
I get there, and there is another truck. The other end of this street is Memorial drive, which is very much a no trucks road, and I don't have anyplace to turn around except the loading dock. So I turn on the blinkers and wait, blocking traffic, to the immense irritation of the drivers of cambridge, who do everything short of driving on the sidewalk to get around me. Certainly waiting for a minute and taking turns with the cars coming the other way is beneath their sense of urgency and self-importance. After about ten minutes, the other truck finishes and pulls out. After playing dodgem with the idiots of cambridge, I manage to back the truck into the worst loading dock in the greater boston area.
Get the truck loaded. Now it's almost 6pm. Still peak traffic time. Ugh. So off I go, across cambridge, take mass ave from MIT down to dorchester, then onto the southeast expressway again. Finally get back to the shop about 730 pm. breath a sigh of relief. At least it's overtime.
Now into my car and off I go. back up the southeast expressway to go to Somerville and the NESFA clubhouse. but by now the traffic has eased, and now it is merely difficult. Get to nesfa, my usual parking spots have been taken and have to find another. Takeout chinese for supper.
As I am just sitting down to start eating, my phone rings. It's my dad, a tree fell on the house. (remember those winds?) I ask my dad to look and see if any windows are broken or the roof is leaking. No and no. So I tell him that I'll deal with it in the morning. I hurry through my obligations at nesfa and head back home. yup, driving skill is still water soluble. I get home, and observe the fallen tree. It's only lightly touching the house, but it is completely blocking the driveway. I'll get the chainsaw out in the morning and deal with it. ugh.
Edit. Got up early. Dug out the chainsaw and a couple of extension cords to cut it up. Chainsaw doesn't work. Took it into work to try and fix at lunchtime. Oh bother.
