Closet Extremist

Love and Hate

There's a certain dichotomy associated with my profession (ie: Elevator Installer/Mechanic/Service Technician) that make it such a joy, and at the same time... a pain in the ass. As an installer, I never know where I'll be working. It could be a mile and a half from the house, or it could be in another state. I don't know from job to job where I'll be. This makes it impossible to plan out anything in advance. You wanna meet me at "insert location" in two weeks?... I'm certainly "game" for it, but I can't say that I'll be there. It's more likely that I'll be two hundred miles away from "there" (Pick a direction) when the time rolls around. The part of this that "sucks" is that I can never establish a routine...One week, I'm up at 5:00, and the next I'm awake at 6:20. A "normal" sleep-cycle is not to be had.

Then, I never know whther I'm to be an "Installer" or a "Mechanic". The variance is that a Mechanic will arrive on the job, secure everything that he needs to get the job going, and take it until all the "mechanical" aspects of the job are "Did". It's an a "Rails is up, Cab is builded" kinda existence. you'll pull the wires where they need to be, but you'll never tie the first one in. No need to read the "prints", just get it Mechanically sound.

An "Installer" will bring the machine into full functionality. He'll be the guy who land's up all the wires, Applies Power to the controller, and gets the elevator "hitting floors". The Doors will also be close... In regards to speed, torque, and so forth. All that's left is for the "adjuster" to come out and fine tune the ride, perform the weight and safety tests, go over things with the state inspector, and correct anything that the state man isn't happy with. Much more satisfying to hand it over to the adjuster, than to hand it over to another Installer for completion.

The "Service/Repair" guy's almost universally get a bum rap. "They don't DO anything" is the standard line, but it's patently false. I've had occasion to ride with some of our service technician's between construction jobs, and these fella's certainly earn their living. It's a strange thing...one day, all you'll do is go around cleaning pits and car tops, getting tickets signed along the way. Then you'll be involved in a "problem child" that leaves you scratching your head for weeks on end. Repairs can be a real bitch sometimes... so much so that you'll create new problems by trying to diagnose old one's. Short periods of mundanity are surrounded by longer periods of absolute stress and dumbfoundedness. Dealing with differing systems every day, stuff from the 1950's all the way to equipment that is the most modern. An expert you must be. Not work? Fuck You!

I Love to learn new things...And I hate to experience change. I love the diversity of each job that I'm sent on, and I hate that I have to reequip myself to suit each task.

It's obvious that the circumstances that I enjoy, go hand in hand with the things that piss me off. It's a wash, and I'd have it no other way. Pure, clean, and balanced. It's how I roll nowaday's. Get with it.

Posted by Johnny - Oh at March 19, 2006 11:21 PM | TrackBack