HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

Ok, I've made no secret of the fact that my job entails throwing a big heavy ladder, but a little clarification might be helpful to explain today's post.  Every day I get in my work truck, drive to my turf (area I'm working in) whether that be 10 minutes or 2 hours away, get my 80 lb ladder off my truck, balance it on my shoulder and walk into peoples back yards (or wherever the utility pole is) and extend it up to the cable strand.  Then I climb up there and clean up the tap (where your cable comes from).  Why do I do this?  Because it's my job.  At least this year it is.  Before this all we did was walk there and using binoculars and/or a signal meter at the house, check to make sure that every one that was hooked up was supposed to be and that no one was getting cable piped into their house without paying for it.  The only time we had to climb was if we found someone hooked up illegally.  Beginning last fall, that changed to climbing at each and every pole in the turf and cleaning up the lazy intaller's messes.  HUGE difference....  Instead of getting my ladder off my truck one day a week, I am spending a minimum of 7 hrs every day standing on it or hauling it around.  My back is killing me, my feet feel like a bastinado has been used on them, my shoulders are a constant ache, I have a sweat induced rash on my head from the band of my hard-hat and my arms and shoulders are starting to resemble this girl's.  

Well the powers-that-be have decided that we aren't finding enough illegal people so we get to go back to the old way of doing things.  WOO-FUCKING-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!  With the amount of people I'm finding illegal, which last week totaled out at 2, this turns my job back into easy street!  I'm not afraid of hard work, honest, but when you push yourself to your physical limits every day, cleaning up other people's laziness it wears on you.  I used to thoroughly enjoy my job, up until they decided to change to this asinine audit.  Now I hate it bad enough that I was actually looking for a different one but all that's changed because they finally came to their senses.

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

Old age and treachery will win out every time.

Well the oldest had her 16th birthday party.  I felt kinda bad for her because not one of her friends showed up, and I only invited about a dozen people besides them.  I loved seeing the looks on the X and L's face when they showed up and were practically ignored except for the half-hearted comments trying to bring them into the conversation.  As usual when something isn't about her, L sat in the corner looking pitiful because she was in some kind of pain, except for this time she was largely ignored.  *BIG GRIN*  I know, I'm evil and going to hell.  *BIGGER GRIN*  The teenager seemed to enjoy the party even though none of her friends showed up and that was the important part.  My house was clean, pictures up, everything looking pretty so when people looked around I was proud of my home.  I wasn't so proud of my behavior up until the day of the party though.  My home is my sanctuary and I don't like it to be invaded even if it is by friends.  I didn't realize how much this was bothering me until I actually slept through the whole night last night.  Poor M took the brunt of it for about a week.  I apologized and knowing him I won't have a punishment for it, but I still feel terrible about it.  I honestly don't see it when I'm in the middle of it and to date we haven't figured out a way of pulling me out of it long enough for me to realize what I'm doing.

I'm glad he's a patient man.