Tweet
I had to get them all in one week I suppose. I am so glad to be done with that
Flagging Tutorials
Here's a brief tutorial for when you encounter a flagger on the road:
1) Read the 3 consecutive bright orange signs that proclaim "Men At Work" "One Lane Ahead" and "Flagger Ahead." Your inability to read said signs is not our fault.
2) When approaching said flagger, if sign is flipped to SLOW, that means slow down from the rip roaring 60mph that you were doing (in 45mph zone, in front of a Disabled Learning Facility I might add) to a moderate 30 mph. And don't get mad when the flagger does the slow down hand motion, we're just trying to keep people from getting hurt (i.e us and the multiple people who go in and out of the school's driveway)
3) When sign is flipped to STOP, yes, this means to stop. Yes, we like to be safe, but you don't have to stop 500 yards or more from me, that holds the up the line, which on one end isn't good because there is a very busy intersection behind you. If you are stopped, it is ok to be stopped right in front of me. I deal with cars everyday, going almost 80mph right next me, a stopped car does not frighten me.
4) When sign is flipped to stop right before you come through, do not yell and curse at me. The other flagger has a very LARGE line built up and we need to get them through. With you being the only car stopped on my end, it is logical to allow the people who have been waiting to go through. I don't care if you're late for an appoitment.
5) You see this face? This is the face of someone who has been standing in the same spot for 5 hours. I haven't had a break or lunch yet, I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK, WAIT YOUR TURN!
6) When sign is flipped to stop, you stop where I am standing. Why? Because where I am standing is the safe distance we have made for both our trucks and worker to work safely, it is also a safe distance for semi-trailers to straighten out after coming through the one lane. You do not, under any circumstances, think you can move up any farther. You will be met by a yelling flagger, brandishing the sign against your front bumper.
That said, here are the doozies, some mentioned up there.
Doozy 1
Flagging. It's about the second hour into it. I have my sign set to stop, facing the intersection. The lane that is open is the right lane. A woman in a white car pulls up and.....keeps pulling up....into the one lane.....that has cars approaching.....
I step out in front of her, holding the sign up and yelling at her to stop. she starts yelling and cussing at me, I just point her over, so the cars that are coming don't hit her. She moves over and proceeds to open her door and yell this gem:
"What the fuck is your problem?! You're supposed to stop me at the cone!"
I look beside me and point out the cone I am standing next to. I repeat the gesture several times.
"I know how flag, and you're not doing it right!"
Reminder: I am a college student, a seasonal worker in the last week of work. At this point, I don't have to take shit from anyone.
Me: I'm sorry, did you say you know how to flag? Where did you learn this? Did you work for a utility company or the state highway or anything dealing with roadways? Have you ever taken flagging courses in your life?
Her: No.
Me: Then I suggest you shut the fuck up. When I tell you to stop, you stop! Not keep going till YOU think it's ok, you stop when I tell you stop bitch. Now get back in your car and wait your fucking turn.
Oddly, she does without complaint. I hate entitled, I-think-I-know-it-all people. Flagging doesn't seem like that hard of job, but it can get scary when people try to pull shit like that.
Doozy 2
Flagging on the opposite end now. My co-worker A is getting ready to relieve me for lunch when a biker like guy comes past in a jeep. He stops and yells "hey get a real fucking job!" and drives off. I smile wave and yell back "hey, get a real fucking life!" The sheriff that was behind him had to pull over he was laughing so hard.
Yes, they are different
This is more of a sucky worker than a SC. I was on break, and went to the gas station down the street to get cigarettes. Now, I know I've only been smoking for three years, but when the change the name or packaging on the cigs, I know it. My dad still the gets the newsletter from the company I smoke, even though he quit 5 years ago. Believe me when I say, I KNOW. With that said, I go up to the counter and ask for 2 packs of Reds. He hands me 2 packs of mediums. I politely try to explain to him that those are infacet mediums, not reds. He sits and starts yelling, "No they say red label. These are mediums" and pulls out packs that say mediums. Now to clear the confusion: This company came out with a medium blend tobbacco, named mediums. But, because some dumbass lady thought they meant healthier, she smoked them and sued the company, so they had to change the name to red label. Now the comppany still has A LOT of the medium labeled boxes left, thus a store could have both the red labeled and the medium labeled boxes at once. They are still not the Reds. Reds are full flavored and have a completely different designed box. My attempts to explain this to him went unheard. Finally he, "What are you calling me a liar? I own this place I know this. You're just a stupid highway worker (note: had my vest on still), you know nothing.
ME: You know what, here (hand him a $20, pay for my things, get my change), fuck you. I"ve been polite this entire time and I've had enough. (I grab my stuff and start heading out the door) And just because I work on the highway doesn't mean I'm stupid. Have a nice day." And walk out. Never going in there again!
Wait, what?
Last day, we get the lovely job of picking up roadkill (deer, dogs, racoons, etc). We're up were I-75 and SR- 30 intersect. We're picking a VERY large black sheppard. I swear the thing looked like a fricking black bear! Took all four of us to get it up on the truck to dump later. Fast forward to the end of the day. Apparently, the supposed owner of the dog wanted to know what we did with it. Why do you ask? They wanted it back. To bury it......Uh, yeah not happening. That thing had been there at least a week, with most of it's fur gone and maggots infesting the whole of it. I am not going anywhere near that thing again. And why now? Why not a week ago when it first got hit? If you knew it was there, why didn't you go get it yourself? Plus, there was no tag or collar on it, so you have no way to prove that it is yours. You still want it? Well, it's out on another highway, way off the side of road by a river bed, buried underneath the four other deer carcusses we picked up, have at it!
I wonder what my job working at the school this quarter will bring....
Flagging Tutorials
Here's a brief tutorial for when you encounter a flagger on the road:
1) Read the 3 consecutive bright orange signs that proclaim "Men At Work" "One Lane Ahead" and "Flagger Ahead." Your inability to read said signs is not our fault.
2) When approaching said flagger, if sign is flipped to SLOW, that means slow down from the rip roaring 60mph that you were doing (in 45mph zone, in front of a Disabled Learning Facility I might add) to a moderate 30 mph. And don't get mad when the flagger does the slow down hand motion, we're just trying to keep people from getting hurt (i.e us and the multiple people who go in and out of the school's driveway)
3) When sign is flipped to STOP, yes, this means to stop. Yes, we like to be safe, but you don't have to stop 500 yards or more from me, that holds the up the line, which on one end isn't good because there is a very busy intersection behind you. If you are stopped, it is ok to be stopped right in front of me. I deal with cars everyday, going almost 80mph right next me, a stopped car does not frighten me.
4) When sign is flipped to stop right before you come through, do not yell and curse at me. The other flagger has a very LARGE line built up and we need to get them through. With you being the only car stopped on my end, it is logical to allow the people who have been waiting to go through. I don't care if you're late for an appoitment.
5) You see this face? This is the face of someone who has been standing in the same spot for 5 hours. I haven't had a break or lunch yet, I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK, WAIT YOUR TURN!
6) When sign is flipped to stop, you stop where I am standing. Why? Because where I am standing is the safe distance we have made for both our trucks and worker to work safely, it is also a safe distance for semi-trailers to straighten out after coming through the one lane. You do not, under any circumstances, think you can move up any farther. You will be met by a yelling flagger, brandishing the sign against your front bumper.
That said, here are the doozies, some mentioned up there.
Doozy 1
Flagging. It's about the second hour into it. I have my sign set to stop, facing the intersection. The lane that is open is the right lane. A woman in a white car pulls up and.....keeps pulling up....into the one lane.....that has cars approaching.....
I step out in front of her, holding the sign up and yelling at her to stop. she starts yelling and cussing at me, I just point her over, so the cars that are coming don't hit her. She moves over and proceeds to open her door and yell this gem:
"What the fuck is your problem?! You're supposed to stop me at the cone!"
I look beside me and point out the cone I am standing next to. I repeat the gesture several times.
"I know how flag, and you're not doing it right!"
Reminder: I am a college student, a seasonal worker in the last week of work. At this point, I don't have to take shit from anyone.
Me: I'm sorry, did you say you know how to flag? Where did you learn this? Did you work for a utility company or the state highway or anything dealing with roadways? Have you ever taken flagging courses in your life?
Her: No.
Me: Then I suggest you shut the fuck up. When I tell you to stop, you stop! Not keep going till YOU think it's ok, you stop when I tell you stop bitch. Now get back in your car and wait your fucking turn.
Oddly, she does without complaint. I hate entitled, I-think-I-know-it-all people. Flagging doesn't seem like that hard of job, but it can get scary when people try to pull shit like that.
Doozy 2
Flagging on the opposite end now. My co-worker A is getting ready to relieve me for lunch when a biker like guy comes past in a jeep. He stops and yells "hey get a real fucking job!" and drives off. I smile wave and yell back "hey, get a real fucking life!" The sheriff that was behind him had to pull over he was laughing so hard.
Yes, they are different
This is more of a sucky worker than a SC. I was on break, and went to the gas station down the street to get cigarettes. Now, I know I've only been smoking for three years, but when the change the name or packaging on the cigs, I know it. My dad still the gets the newsletter from the company I smoke, even though he quit 5 years ago. Believe me when I say, I KNOW. With that said, I go up to the counter and ask for 2 packs of Reds. He hands me 2 packs of mediums. I politely try to explain to him that those are infacet mediums, not reds. He sits and starts yelling, "No they say red label. These are mediums" and pulls out packs that say mediums. Now to clear the confusion: This company came out with a medium blend tobbacco, named mediums. But, because some dumbass lady thought they meant healthier, she smoked them and sued the company, so they had to change the name to red label. Now the comppany still has A LOT of the medium labeled boxes left, thus a store could have both the red labeled and the medium labeled boxes at once. They are still not the Reds. Reds are full flavored and have a completely different designed box. My attempts to explain this to him went unheard. Finally he, "What are you calling me a liar? I own this place I know this. You're just a stupid highway worker (note: had my vest on still), you know nothing.
ME: You know what, here (hand him a $20, pay for my things, get my change), fuck you. I"ve been polite this entire time and I've had enough. (I grab my stuff and start heading out the door) And just because I work on the highway doesn't mean I'm stupid. Have a nice day." And walk out. Never going in there again!
Wait, what?
Last day, we get the lovely job of picking up roadkill (deer, dogs, racoons, etc). We're up were I-75 and SR- 30 intersect. We're picking a VERY large black sheppard. I swear the thing looked like a fricking black bear! Took all four of us to get it up on the truck to dump later. Fast forward to the end of the day. Apparently, the supposed owner of the dog wanted to know what we did with it. Why do you ask? They wanted it back. To bury it......Uh, yeah not happening. That thing had been there at least a week, with most of it's fur gone and maggots infesting the whole of it. I am not going anywhere near that thing again. And why now? Why not a week ago when it first got hit? If you knew it was there, why didn't you go get it yourself? Plus, there was no tag or collar on it, so you have no way to prove that it is yours. You still want it? Well, it's out on another highway, way off the side of road by a river bed, buried underneath the four other deer carcusses we picked up, have at it!
I wonder what my job working at the school this quarter will bring....
Saves you one headache.
(Smell that? That's sarcasm.)
Comment