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Post by godotwaits on Jun 5, 2013 1:12:04 GMT -5
Johnny Eager was our foreman. He was a very big dude... He was like Arnold Schwarzenegger... only black... and every now and then.. he liked to come around and ... lord it about... and he stopped by the hammer crew. He wanted to show us how good he could nail a spike... He'd throw that hammer up over his left shoulder and then over his right and proceed like a windmill to shove that spike into it's place. With all his muscles vibrating with the effort. It took him 7-8 shots to sink it. We watched him do it, with an obvious amount of awe... He was a heavy dude...
But then, our section leader, a dude as about as skinny as me, and black as well, said, "Bullshit!! ... ain't no need for brawn like that... you just just lift the hammer up..." and he lifted the hammer to the sky... "and you let gravity do the rest..." And "BAM!"... he brought the hammer down and the spike sank it's tooth deep into the heart of the tie. "Like this..." he said. and he lifted the hammer up into the heavens... and let it fall. "BAM!"... And the spike sank deep into the soul of the tie... And then, lifting one more time to all eternity above he brought the hammer down and "BAM!"... he sank it into the final bone of the tie. It was done... The dude sank it in three shots...
Well. I learned from him and was soon able to drive a spike with three shots. I was a gandydancer. From Stamford to the Bronx, layin' track for the soon to come Amtrak trains.
When I was young and spunky.. my girlfriend used to give me back rubs... "MY god.. your back is like concrete.." I was a gandeydancer.. and still didn't even know how to play guitar...
Now.. I sort of how know how to play guitar... and my back feels like room temperature jello. It's a bitch, ain't it?
Just when you're smart enough to think something,... you're too tired and stupid to do anything about it...
Three shots to drive a spike into a tie...
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Post by Marshall on Jun 5, 2013 7:51:53 GMT -5
What do you have against jell-o?
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,910 
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Post by Dub on Jun 5, 2013 8:10:01 GMT -5
I like that. Did you write it? It sounds like something Bruce Phillips might have said.
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Jun 5, 2013 8:12:33 GMT -5
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Post by TKennedy on Jun 5, 2013 8:20:12 GMT -5
 Well written! Hammering in 20 frets wears me out.
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Jun 5, 2013 8:37:14 GMT -5
Well written! Hammering in 20 frets wears me out. Who really uses 20 frets? Maybe Lonnie and Bill. Most of us could get by with 7-9 and some of us don't need more than 5. Otis Taylor knows there is no reason to waste frets.  |
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Post by Lonnie on Jun 5, 2013 9:26:12 GMT -5
There's a song in that story...
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Post by millring on Jun 5, 2013 9:44:11 GMT -5
Same deal with Superman. He's strong by virtue of being an alien from another planet. He doesn't need to be ripped to be strong, but he's drawn that way anyway. It tends to make a fella cynical about the integrity of the comic book writers and their ability to grasp simple physics.
(nice story)
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Post by frazer on Jun 5, 2013 10:25:32 GMT -5
off-topic, but.... Gads, that's a beautiful guitar. I miss my SCGC F. Sigh....
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Post by Marshall on Jun 5, 2013 13:18:28 GMT -5
I semi-regularly get up to 15.
I met a guy who makes guitars. His models have 16 frets. Works for me.
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Post by Village Idiot on Jun 5, 2013 21:41:24 GMT -5
Love that story, Godot. And the skinny guy was right. Let the weight of the hammer do the work. I really liked reading that.
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Post by godotwaits on Jun 5, 2013 21:44:16 GMT -5
For all the compliments.. a humble thanks.
But I found the 'somewhat' digressions infinitely amusing.
Rob: About the refrigerator... my neighbors... ah... couple of 'turning 50' old line Italians.. Brawny dudes, very good with all homekeeping skills, you know... Always on your side, if you only toss a case of beer in their direction...without lookin'... ever now and then... As best as I could describe it to them. they were very interested. Of course, only if the price could come down a bit. You see, they're always having arguments about how the beer seems to be pre-empting the ice box from food storage. So they're lookin' for extra capacity. Annnnnd, since neither one of them plans on living much past 60... it could come in handy... for whoever or whomever gets stuck with the stiff. They're not hemmohraging with money don't you know?... So, if a stiff should arise.. they could just put in on ice for a timely fashion, gather up their hard earned sheckles, a make some kind of surreptitios move to Maine. I'll never be able to figure it out, but whenever they come back from Maine, they're always richer. I think they've buried their retirement funds in glass Ball Jars in some field in Maine.... just sayin' ... they might be interseted...
As for the geetar... I keep looking around this place and keep thinking..."plasticine porters with looking glass ties..." It's so .. so ... glissando. It reminds me of the furtive Playboy magazines of my youth, and no edition was complete without a glossy glossy sexy layout....(I mean, I like the avatars.. they;re so innerestin' and you guys got got interesting actions going on).. that guitar is absolute pornography. Whew~!... I love my plain jane, but darn, I could be moved to infidelity with that thing around the house...
I should have perhaps, described the peckerheads of youth who used to like throwing stones down on the tracks in the Bronx. You had to sink it in "three" with your newly acquired hard hat and duck quickly under the rolling equipment.. another time..
But moving on with my short diatribe, may I make a reading suggestion...
"Pelican Road" by Howard Bahr. Pelican Road is a stretch of track, which almost goes back to the Indians, going from Meridian, Mississippi to New Orleans. The story takes place in 1940 on the cusp of WWII.
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Post by godotwaits on Jun 5, 2013 22:08:03 GMT -5
For all the compliments.. a humble thanks.
But I found the 'somewhat' digressions infinitely amusing.
Rob: About the refrigerator... my neighbors... ah... couple of 'turning 50' old line Italians.. Brawny dudes, very good with all homekeeping skills, you know... Always on your side, if you only toss a case of beer in their direction...without lookin'... ever now and then... As best as I could describe it to them. they were very interested. Of course, only if the price could come down a bit. You see, they're always having arguments about how the beer seems to be pre-empting the ice box from food storage. So they're lookin' for extra capacity. Annnnnd, since neither one of them plans on living much past 60... it could come in handy... for whoever or whomever gets stuck with the stiff. They're not hemmohraging with money don't you know?... So, if a stiff should arise.. they could just put in on ice for a timely fashion, gather up their hard earned sheckles, a make some kind of surreptitios move to Maine. I'll never be able to figure it out, but whenever they come back from Maine, they're always richer. I think they've buried their retirement funds in glass Ball Jars in some field in Maine.... just sayin' ... they might be interseted...
As for the geetar... I keep looking around this place and keep thinking..."plasticene porters with looking glass ties..." It's so .. so ... glissando. It reminds me of the furtive Playboy magazines of my youth, and no edition was complete without a sexy layout.... that guitar is absolute pornography. Whew~!... I love my plain jane, but darn, I could be moved to infedelity with that thing around the house...
I should have perhaps, described the peckerheads of youth who used to like throwing stones down on the tracks in the Bronx. You had to sink it in "three" with your newly acquired hard hat and duck quickly under the rolling equipment.. another time..
But moving on with my short diatribe, may I make a reading suggestion...
"Pelican Road" by Howard Bahr. Pelican Road is a stretch of track, which almost goes back to the Indians, going from Meridian, Mississippi to New Orleans. The story takes place in 1940 on the cusp of WWII. It's a railroad story about an engineer, who is deep within the beginning stages of alzhiemers, and a conductor on the Silver Star (passenger train that runs from New Orleans to Wash, DC) who suffers from PTSD from his experiences from WWI. It's got sex, romance and despair all rolled into one. The novel is populated with a panorama of beautifully etched characters.
Lonnie; if my story might... and probably long shot might.... have a song in it, this novel has a dozen.
just sayin'...
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Post by godotwaits on Jun 5, 2013 22:39:15 GMT -5
To quote Major Major.... "How come I see everthing twice??" Is there some local COntinuing Ed course I can take to learn how to use this forum...?
nevermind...
I'm going to sleep now.... you're safe to comment amongst yourselves.
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Jun 6, 2013 13:59:17 GMT -5
Your writing is wonderful so I take your recommendation of Pelican Road seriously. I have downloaded it to my Kindle.
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