TO THE TOP OR TO THE SHOP...BITCH!!!

SO WE FINISHED UP ON FRIDAY IN THE TRANSMISSION YARD AND I CAN SAY THAT NOT A SOLE FELL OFF ANY OF THE OLD AND RATTY POLES!!! THAT'S ALWAYS A CONCERN BECAUSE OF THE SHAPE THAT SOME OF THOSE POLES ARE. YOU GOTTA REALIZE THAT OVER FORTY APPRENTICES HAVE BEEN UP AND DOWN SOME OF THESE POLES PROBABLY OVER A HUNDRED TIMES EACH SO THEY CAN GET PRETTY CHEWED UP. WE ENDED UP CHANGING OUT EIGHT POLES IN THE POLE YARD,THAT'S ALWAYS KINDA FUN BECAUSE I DON'T GET TO CHANGE OUT MANY POLES AT WORK, OR WHAT I MEAN IS THAT I DON'T GET TO RUN THE CONTROLS AS MUCH AS I PROBABLY SHOULD. AND AT THE TRAINING CENTER THEY HAVE A HAND HELD REMOTE SO YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO STAND ON THE TRUCK, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET UP NEXT TO THE POLE WHEN SETTING IT.

SO ALITTLE ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION TRAINING : WHEN HOT STICKING TRANSMISSION YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE A GOOD GRUNT THAT HAS EVERYTHING IN ORDER AND CAN TIE KNOTS. I WISH I HAD THIS TRAINING EARLIER CAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN PRETTY GOOD AT TIE'N KNOTS AND WELL FOR THE FIRST YEAR AND A HALF AS AN APPRENTICE YOU PRETTY MUCH SPEND IT ON THE GROUND WAITING FOR YOUR JOURNEYMAN TO FINISH UP THE TASK AT HAND. BUT YOUR GRUNT WILL SEND YOU UP ANY AND ALL SADDLE'S AND PUSH STICKS OR PULL STICKS. SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM JEW CLAWS....JUST IN CASE SOME OLD TIMER IS READIN:) BUT YOUR ALSO GONNA NEED SOME CRADLES AND LADY FINGERS....ALL KINDS OF ATTACHMENTS, BELL HOLDERS....AND A LONG HAND LINE:) YOU WOULD THINK THAT YOUR SHOULDERS WOULD HURT TONS FROM WORKING ABOVE YOUR HEAD ALL DAY BUT AGAIN, WHEN THE GRUNT IS HOLDING ALL THE WEIGHT WITH THE HAND LINE IT'S MAKE YOUR JOB PRETTY EASY. I'LL TRY AND SCAN THE PICS I HAVE OF THE TRANSMISSION YARD AND WE EVEN USED A HOOK LADDER FOR A BIT. ANYWHO, BACK TO THE SHOW UP TOMORROW AND WILL HAVE TO TRY AND GET BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS, I THINK THAT WE MIGHT STILL HAVE A FEW SINGLE PHASE POLES TO SET IN BISMARK AND THEN WE HAVE AN UNDERGROUND JOB AT ONE OF THE LOCAL GRAIN ELEVATORS SO IT WILL BE A BIT OF A CHANGE BUT IM UP FOR THE CHALLENGE.

TALK TO YA L8TER,

HURTMAN DAN