September 19, 2005

• “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH, SHADDUP!!!!!!!!”

  That’s what I am so very sorely tempted to holler out my window at the
  noisy bastards banging around below my window. Sadly, my fifth-floor
  apartment does not provide 100% UV protection from the sound waves of
  profane, yak-prone workers screwing around with something on the ground
  floor. In fact, the acoustics of the building’s exterior only add to
  the problem.

  And now they’re listening to up-tempo rap music. God only
  knows what they’re doing down there – I’m not even sure I want to know.

  So here I am with a day off to relax before tomorrow’s rigourous
  freight train, staring at my swollen powder-covered arms wishing all
  this shit would just go away.
  Last Wednesday, we were out working on freight equipment; and as I was
  not expecting to have to cut up the underbrush, I went out there in a
  short-sleeved shirt. I was promptly saddled with a chain saw and
  instructed to remove encroaching vegetation from a sidetrack. Of course
  the vegetation itself came up without a hitch, but I noticed some very
  ugly brown spots on my right arm when I was done.

  Oh, CRAP.

  24 hours later, my forearms were bulging with poison sumac.

  36 hours after that, I could barely move my right arm.

  Please, God, don’t let this turn into a systemic reaction.

  Miraculously (or maybe it was God answering that prayer ) I
  was flexible enough to fire seven trips on Saturday; needless to say,
  my sleeves were soaked at day’s end, although not from sweat.

  So, off to the pharmacy with tired, grouchy old Chris. Thankfully, I
  found an expensive but weightworthy concoction that penetrates the
  skin, nice as you please, and neutralises the urushiol from poisonous
  plants. Now all I have to contend with is the drainage – which is
  driving me UP THE BLOODY WALL.

  Good news is, the rash is going way back and scabbing over, and my arms
  are starting to return to normal size. Additional good news is, the
  engine steamed halfway decent on Saturday, in spite of dime-sized bits
  of coal that typically produce more ash than heat. Best of all, Railfan
  Weekend is nigh!! Two days of schmoozing with visitors (and actually
  having time for it) and firing a nighttime train on Saturday…my first
  Railfan Weekend and I can’t freaking wait.

  Sooo….do yourselves a favour, friends, and don’t take to the bushes
  without long sleeves and long pants. Even if you don’t think you’ll be
  taking to the bushes, be prepared – else I shall tell you I TOLD YOU SO!!!!
  
  Well, at least those noisy bastards down below are listening to Pearl
  Jam now – I can actually open my bedroom window again. I wanna get back
  to work.

  Meanwhile, a bit of surveying fun yoinked from Jenny’s LJ……

  
  BASICS…
  (1) Your gender: Of the male persuasion.
  (2) Straight/gay/bi?: Of the straight persuasion.
  (3) Single?: Oh-ho yes.
  (4) Want to be?: You better believe it.
  (5) Your birthday: June 22.
  (6) Age you act: Usually the age that I am (26). Under the influence of co-workers, though, probably more like 18.
  (7) Age you wish you were: Right where I am, thank you kindly.
  (8) Your height: 6’2″.
  (9) The color of your eyes: Brown rimmed with greyish blue.
  (10) Happy with it?: It has its kicks…
  (11) The color of your hair: Brrrrown.
  (12) Happy with it?: It’s the hair colour God gave me…why not??
  (13) Left/right/ambidextrous?: Rightie.
  (14) Your living arrangement?: All by me lonesome.
  (27) Your family: Two parents, one sister, buttload of relatives on my mom’s side…all in New England and sorely missed.
  (29) What’s your job: Train conductor/fireman.
  (30) Piercings?: Fawk no.
  (31) Tattoos?: Ditto.
  (32) Obsessions?: Hmmm…trains, sci-fi, reading and writing…that about covers it.
  (35) Do you speak another language?: A little bit of German and Greek.
  (36) Have a favorite quote?: John Adams – “Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”
  (37) Do you have a webpage?: Can’t say as I do.
  
  DEEP THOUGHTS about life and you in it
  (38) Do you live in the moment?: Most of the time, though I think a lot about the past and the future.
  (39) Do you consider yourself tolerant of others?: A bit too much at times.
  (40) Do you have any secrets?: Don’t we all?
  (41) Do you hate yourself?: Oh yes, often.
  (42) Do you like your handwriting?: All caps – that’s as neat as it’s gonna get.
  (43) Do you have any bad habits?: Procrastinating and cracking my joints.
  (44) What is the compliment you get most from people?: Me? Get compliments? Heh, not likely…though one guy told me recently that I work my #*$@!@&$^ off.
  (45) If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called?: “Uphill Battle,” most like.
  (46) What’s your biggest fear?: Failure.
  (47) Can you sing: Love to. Can I? That’s another matter.
  (48) Do you ever pretend to be someone else just to look cool?: Occasionally, when I’m not particularly self-satisfied.
  (49) Are you a loner?: In the extreme.
  (51) If you were another person, would you be friends with you?: Doubtful.
  (52) Are you a daredevil?: Ho-ho, yeah.
  (53) Is there anything you fear or hate about yourself?: The frequency with which I screw things up after doing them right the first time. Especially at work.
  (54) Are you passive or aggressive?: Mmm…half-and-half.
  (57) If you could change one thing about yourself?: Lengthen my attention span so I wouldn’t forget so many important things.
  (58) There are three wells, love, beauty and creativity, which one do you choose?: Creativity – the other two are bone dry for me.
  (59) How do you vent?: I don’t – I bottle, until something helps me forget.
  (60) Do you think you are emotionally strong?: Tremendously. If I wasn’t, I would have crawled into a hole and died years ago.
  (61) Is there anything you regret doing/not doing in life?: Man, I could write an epic novel about that…
  (62) Do you think life has been good so far?: Not particularly.
  (63)
  What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from life?: That if I weaken, and let anyone or anything drag me down, I won’t be long for this world at all.
  (64) What do you like the most about your body?: It can put up with several hours of hard physical labour without withering.
  (67) Are you confident?: Sometimes.
  (68) What is the fictional character you’re most like?: Don’t know. I’m me.
  (69) Do people know how you feel?: Very, very rarely. If they do, they don’t give half a shit.
  (70) Are you perceived wrongly?: Only all the time.
  
  
  DO YOU…
  (71) Smoke?: Hell, no.
  (72) Do drugs?: Fuck, no.
  (73) Read the newspaper?: On occasion.
  (75) Go to church?: You bet.
  (76) Talk to strangers who IM you?: Just enough to determine if I can have a two-sided conversation with them.
  (77) Sleep with stuffed animals?: Nope.
  (78) Take walks in the rain?: If it’s not too cold…
  (79) Talk to people even though you hate them?: Only in the line of work.
  (80) Drive?: Heh heh – almost everything from a Ford Escort to a C30-7 diesel locomotive.
  (81) Like to drive fast?: Not unless the speed limit is high.

  HAVE YOU EVER…
  (82) Liked your voice?: Eh, I kind of like it now.
  (83) Hurt yourself?: Many times, albeit not deliberately.
  (84)
  Been out of the country?: Yep.
  (85) Eaten something that made other people sick?: Not that I can recall.
  (86) Burped?: Heh heh…
  (87) Been unfaithful?: Nope.
  (88) Been in love?: Yes, and I don’t intend ever to do so again.
  (89) Done drugs?: Fuck no.
  (90) Gone skinny dipping?: Nevah.
  (92) Had a surgery?: Couple of times.
  (93) Ran away from home?: Nnnnno.
  (94) Played strip poker: NNNNNO.
  (95) Gotten beaten up?: Child of the 80′s…above-average I.Q….public school in greater Boston…you do the math.
  (97) Been picked on?: Relentlessly.
  (98) Been on stage?: Hoooo, yeah.
  (99)
  Been so drunk that you know you’re supposed to go out on a date with
  someone, but you can’t remember with who or when and that you faint
  when you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning, not to mention
  your breath?: Even under those circumstances, I’ve never been that drunk, period.
  (100) Slept outdoors?: Hmm-hmmmmm, yeah.
  (102) Pulled an all-nighter?: Yessirree.
  (103) If yes, what is your record?: ‘Bout 25 hours, give or take…man, I loved ROTC stay-awake-a-thons.
  (105) Talked on the phone all night?: Nope.
  (106) Slept together with the opposite sex without actually having sex?: Yup.
  (107) Slept all day?: Once or twice, usually if I couldn’t sleep a wink all night.
  (108) Killed someone?: Nooooooooooooooo.
  (109) Made out with a stranger?: Not on your life.
  (110) Had sex with a stranger?: Nothing doing.
  (111) Thought you’re going crazy?: Once I really did, when it felt like everyone and everything in the immediate world wanted to crush me into the concrete.
  (112) Kissed the same sex?: Uh-unh.
  (113) Done anything sexual with the same sex?: Fuhgeddaboudit.
  (114) Been betrayed?: Sure feels like it at times.
  (115) Had a dream that came true?: Never.
  (116) Broken the law?: No, although there was a time when the UNH PD tried to convince me I had. HA!
  (117) Met a famous person?: Walter Koenig, Billy Dee Williams, John Kerry…but oh, I would hitchhike clear across north Jersey to meet Anne Hathaway.
  (118) Have you ever killed an animal by accident?: Not that I remember.
  (146) Stolen anything?: Nope.
  (147) Been on radio/TV?: A few times – I’m hoping to appear on a railroad video later this year.
  (148) Been in a mosh-pit?: Nevah.
  (149) Had a nervous breakdown?: Close, but no cigar.
  (150) Considered religious vacation?: Took a couple, if Christian camp counts.
  (151) Been criticized about your sexual performance?: WHAT sexual performance?
  (152) Bungee jumped?: Nope.
  (153) Had a dream that kept coming back?: Never.

  CLOTHES and other fashion
  (154) Shoe brand?: Army-issue boots, preferably steel-toed.
  (155) Brand of clothing?: Carhartt.
  (156) Cologne/perfume?: English Leather, though I think it’s still at my parents’ place…
  (157) What are you normally wearing to school/work?: Jeans and a fluorescent green T-shirt, or denim shirt and overalls, depending on where I’m assigned.
  (159) Wear hats?: Engineer hat, me friends – it’s uniform.
  (161) Wear make-up?: Not unless you count coal dust and soot.
  (162) Favorite place to shop?: Get outta here.
  (163) Favorite article of clothing?: My “Still Not King” T-shirt.
  (164) Are you trendy?: Fuhgeddaboudit.
  (165)
  Would you rather wear a uniform to school?: Not on your life.

  BELIEFS
  (166) Believe in life on other planets?: In fact, I do. As big as the universe is, it seems like an awful waste of space if we’re the only ones here.
  (167) Miracles?: Indeed – especially if this sumac rash clears up by the end of the week…
  (168) Astrology?: No freaking way.
  (169) Magic?: Nah.
  (170) God?: You better believe it.
  (171) Satan?: Well, why else would bad things happen to good people?
  (172) Santa?: Eh heh, no…and I was harassed mercilessly about it in sixth grade.
  (173) Ghosts?: Used to, but no, not really.
  (174) Luck?: I should say so.
  (175) Love at first sight?: It’s happened to me once or twice, but now I know better.
  (176) Yin and Yang?: Hah???
  (177) Witches?: Mmmmmmmm, no.
  (178) Easter bunny?: Just the guy in the bunny suit who rides our Easter trains with the kids.
  (179) Believe it’s possible to remain faithful forever?: Yes indeed, if you set your mind at it.
  (180) Believe there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?: I dug for one once. Never found anything.
  (181) Do you wish on stars?: Might have a couple of times, but by and large, no.

  • 12:51 pm
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