Re: Ring My Bell

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Wednesday, May 7, 2014 10:56:20 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
> I have to say even after a couple decades in the business I still find ne=
w=20
>=20
> ways to do something dumb.  I was working on a jobsite over the weekend a=
nd=20
>=20
> got a 4 foot drill bit stuck in a hole.  After I had the wire tied on of=
=20
>=20
> course.  I gave the wire a yank and the drill came flying out to crack me=
=20
>=20
> butt end first right on the chin.  A little higher or a little lower and =
I=20
>=20
> might not be typing this message.  It hit hard enough to ring my bell and=
=20
>=20
> stagger me slightly.  I was on a ladder at the time.  Fortunately, I=20
>=20
> maintained my balance, just barely.  I guess my misspent youth helped wit=
h=20
>=20
> that some.  LOL.

Well, I guess I can't miss the chance to tell my famous story.=20

Picture this. It's the middle of the winter on a Friday. Working on a house=
 under construction. There's a blizzard predicted to start during the day b=
ut I show up alone on the job early in the morning and start predrilling. N=
o other contractors show up so I have the whole house to myself. Figure it'=
ll go quick and I can get home before it gets too bad. Starts blowin and sn=
owin just as I get there but I start working anyway. I park the van around =
the back of the house just because it was easier to get my tools inside thr=
ough the rear sliding glass door. I have a 1/2 horse power Makita drill ( n=
ot a right angle, just regular handle) So, I set up the generator and I'm w=
orking along for at least a couple/few hours, all alone, fast as I can. usi=
ng a one inch auger bit. Welllll. the bit gets stuck, spins the handle of t=
he drill and wraps the cord around my hand with the cord pressed against th=
e trigger. My hand is twisted so that I'm pinned up against he wall. I've t=
ied a knot between the cord of the drill and the extension cord so I can't =
pull the plug. I'm there for about 10/15 minutes, my hand twisted and feeli=
ng like it was going to ... or had already been broken and the drill is sta=
rting to heat up because I can't release the trigger. I'd just filled the 3=
 gallon tank of the generator.=20

The fact that I made one mistake setting up, got me out of the predicament.=
=20
I "always" tie the extension cord to the generator so it doesn't pull out. =
When the situation reached a critical point, I figured I was just going to =
have to cut the electrical cord and hope I didn't get electrocuted, I tried=
 pulling on the extension cord going to the generator, thinking that maybe =
I could get it to stall if I pulled it up the side of the foundation, .....=
. the plug that I forgot to tie, pulled out of the generator.=20

I started packing up (with one hand) immediately.

But .... fate wasn't done with me yet. I looked out the front of the house =
 down the entry road for the first time since I started and there were snow=
 drifts all over the place. I get the van loaded and go to drive out from a=
round the back of the house and there were snow drifts at least up to the w=
indshield on either side of the house with no other way out. So ..... I did=
 what any other totally pissed off at himself asshole would do ..... I back=
ed up to the edge of the property line and probably hit the snow drift doin=
g 40. Fortunately it was all powder and I just kept right on acceleration t=
ill I got to the paved part of the road.=20

My hand wasn't broken but it sure was sore and took a long time before it w=
as back to normal. I bit the bullet and bought a right angle drill. Before =
that, I could never figure out why everyone used a right angle drill (WITH =
A F%*@ TRIGGER GUARD!) =20