You can't go back

Nor would I suspect, want to

I like to scourge the Internet to find quotes that suit my mood, moment or day.  My usual suspects, Mark Twain, Will Rogers or even Unknown meet the "thought for the day" category pretty much, but now and again I find a gem that gobsmacks me right to the bone.  Such as the case of this one stolen from one of the other blogs I occasionally read.

 "You never know when it will be the last time you see your father, or kiss your wife, or play with your little brother, but there is always a last time"

Written by some guy John Trooper, whom I've never heard of let alone read one of his books.  Little explanation is needed and one surely can expand this meaning to other loved ones.  It's just one of those little truth's in life.   So, 

Yep, we're outta here tomorrow.  Whether it's to our usual roosts or not, who knows?  Most unreliable schedule I've ever known.  Get a call at any time and if you take the job, you got a couple of hours to get there and set up.  Can be a real pain sometimes. Especially at night. As far as on call though, well, I'll put it like this.  Young guy shows up not fifteen minutes ago.  I thought I recognized him out of the couple hundred guys I deal with every day and asked if he had left some time during the day,  (being not new round here was  the question). He says he left about 3:00AM.  Yep that's my gig.  He had to come back because some "Jagoff" (and isn't there always some jagoff whose name we never hear?) had screwed some (insert a thingamabob that I haven't the faintest idea of recognition or purpose)  Then he added "Don't you get bored doing this?".   I thought back over the years, to all the years owning jobs that I was on call for?  And two memories leapt instantly to the top of the heap.

A time in the early nineties when as a newly divorced, broke Dad with two small children living in a remote location, middle of winter with two plus feet of unplowed snow outside.  Odds of getting out in 4X4 50/50.  Getting a midnight call that I had to deal with, no getting around it.  (This stuff happened alot back then.) because some "jagoff" probationer or parolee was "struttin his stuff".  (yeah i was a PO, another term that needs no explanation)  And also fresh from child custody court and here I am having to find some midnight babysitter's because I really hafta handle whatever bullshit is going on.  Loading the kids up and dealing with that little nightmare, picking up a couple of sleepy little ones a couple of hours later to go back for a few minutes of precious sleep to then start the day again.  Cuz, well I needed the job.

And.............

For thirteen years give or take working at Skywest Airlines,my coveted second job,  bless her soul for doing so much for me, yet taking so much as well.  Many, many nights of walking into a terminal full of screaming angry passengers because, well, because God thought this was a great night for a snowstorm to trap them all in some small town they had never heard of, midway during their flight to whoever knows where.  Sometimes hundreds of them.  Yeah I know, a lot of folks have to do this stuff.  But this was betwixt and between the other stuff.  And the gods of coincidence just loved to make them all happen at once. And to me.  To work eight hours overnight in freezing weather, go  home change clothes, drop the kids at school and then, exhausted, go sit on a witness stand for a couple hours in some courtroom scattered between eight counties. There are limits though.  One prosecutor from a northern county some five hundred miles away faxed a subpoena about quitting time for the next day.  OK, he would be a classic "jagoff"  I called him and the dude really expected that I was going to hop in the state ride and be there AM.   Such is the abuse a state employee gets.  Dismiss or deal dude, it ain't happening's what I told him.  It's been nearly eight years since I retired and wouldn't return on a bet.   Folks who abuse state workers should walk a mile in their shoes.

So anyway, to answer the guy's question, No, I don't get bored here everyday.  Matter of fact, I kinda like it.  Fer now anyway.


 "What day is it? It's today squeaked Piglet. My favorite day said Pooh."

             AA Milne