Catching Idle Butterflies

About Work

Land surveying attracted me for two reasons:

1. The math. I know, I’m a weird one when it comes to that, but hey, like David McClain said, I yam what I yam.

2. Going outside to play. I love going outside to work in the sun, rain, snow, wind, heat (my least favorite) – and get paid for it at the same time! But the best part is watching how my computer calculations and 2-dimensional drawings take 3-dimensional form out on the ground.

The scariest was when I went out to a job site that required cutting into to the ground in excess of 15 feet, and moving the dirt to areas that needed to be filled from 8-10 feet high. They had just started digging and I prayed, “Dear God, I hope I didn’t screw up!” We’re talking a million cubic yards of dirt moved around on a 150 Acre site that in the end with all the streets and underground installed cost over $7 million. Moving the dirt alone I bet cost $1 million. For sure, I did not want to be wrong.

I can breathe a sigh of relief – and say a little prayer of thanksgiving – that I didn’t. In fact, the dirt moving was the easiest part of the project. I enjoyed watching all the trucks, scrapers and all the other earth-moving equipment. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing, and was timed so perfectly, it was almost like watching a dance.

Yesterday, Dave (Do you think I know enough people named Dave yet? Sheesh) one of our engineers told me he and I might have to go outside to do a little topography. Yippee!! I haven’t surveyed outside in over two years now. Yep, my bosses got me chained to my desk designing and drafting. I was so looking forward to going out. Even donned my hiking boots, and put my hair up in a pony tail in preparation.

Sigh. No such luck. One of our crews had the time to go after all. I also just got off the phone with the crew chief, because he had a problem with one of the instruments. It’s been so long since I used it, I had to drag out the manual. It made me realize even more how much I miss it.

All dressed down and nowhere to go. That’s me.

Something strange happened here yesterday. I had asked you – what a week ago now? – to fill out my "Invalid Item"  survey. I received many responses, but for some reason, yesterday I was inundated with them. I scratched my head (must be them fleas again) wondering what brought that on. I didn’t plug it in any forum or activities page.

I admit it took me better part of the day to realize the newsletters came out. Sure enough, there my survey screamed in the Contests and Activities Newsletter.

Most of the answers were much of what I expected, because we write for many of the same reasons: To communicate, to shut the voices in our head up, to spill out that story that won’t leave us alone, as therapy, and to help others.

I feel like I bit off more than I can chew with it, both in reading all the responses, but also adding those responses to a separate item so everyone else can read them. I finally managed to get them all in (so far) this morning. You will find them both entertaining and illuminating, I think:

Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. #1251230 by Not Available.