Getting got

03-09-2010

I've found out over the years that people at work will try out the new guy to see how he takes things. Sometimes called "getting got." One I just heard about last week was a new young supervisor from New Jersey was told by a worker that a part was needed - a stool sample valve. Supervisor went to the storeroom and ordered the much needed part and found out he had been "got." Don't think he was too happy.

On other jobs I've had people have been sent to the tool room for pipe stretchers, board stretchers, sky hooks and a hen way. When they go ask somebody what's a hen way the answer usually comes back "oh about 4 or 5 pounds."

A story was told about a man when he was new on a job many many years ago this old quiet black man that he respected and enjoyed working around supposedly had a daughter that could really dance. Several people kept telling this young man to tell ole Mo he wanted to see his daughter and he finally got up the nerve to ask one day.

He walked over to Mo and said "I heard your daughter can really dance like crazy. When can I come see her?"

Ole Mo was sitting on his bucket over in the corner, looked up at him and said "that ain't funny man, my daughter has polio and cain't even walk!" Jeff felt like crawling under the nearest rock and ran away from there in a hurry. Later on he found out none of it was true and he had been "got." Most of the time things are not that cruel.

One of the first days on the job for me I was told by a co-worker to go check the oil in a certain locomotive. When I opened the door to the engine compartment there was this huge cement block sitting where the engine usually sits. I knew right then I had been "got." I closed the doors back and when asked later how was the oil level I just said it was full. No need to get mad about it.

I'm doing a show at the Brunswick Hospital for the month of March and this picture is when things were being hung. The other picture is one I took at Zirkle a while back and am going to enter it in a photo contest in Valdosta in a couple of weeks.

wayne