While I was speaking with my engineer and good buddy RT last night I happened upon a thought for a blog. He and I were discussing our respective pasts and Tom says to me "Bill if the guys at athens could only see me now, see us now." I thought upon that for the rest of the night while we three completed our job. I thought about the doubters and the nay sayers of the illustirous AVFD and what they would say or how pissed they would be if they could only see me now.

I was looked down upon because I worked security and drove for Dominos pizza. I wasn't a machinist or an architecural engineer or a paramedic or a life time college student. God bless ya Chucky thats not a jab at you, I had nothing but love and respect for you. But back to the doubters and nay sayers to which I earlier referred, LOOK AT ME NOW. One of you is married to a slut that came home with bite marks on her ass that didn't come from you. One of you, and this one is my favorite one, one of you had rocky mountain spotted fever. Look at you now, you cant work, you cant fight fire anymore. A part of your life that was more important to you than anything else. You have to take dialasys 3 times a week and your on disability and cant work. Bite my hairy rail roading ass Col. The next of you is married to a woman he is so jelous over he turns all red in the face and nearly has a stroke anytime someone looks at her. How healthy is that ASS. Chief? And last but not least Mr Paramedic who doesn't go on a call for a 2 year old in full code just so you can go home and drink a beer. A two year old who just happens to die, possibly because of your lack of action. I list all these details because I know I can't name names because that would be against the law.

What do these four individuals have in common you may ask? All of these individuals all looked down upon and criticized me because I wasn't like them. They all considered me less of a man because I made less an hour or because I had less material posessions than they did. Well gentelmen, and I use that term in the loosest sense of the word.

LOOK AT ME NOW!!!!!

I am a switchman for the United States Sugar Rail Road. I make more than all but one of you and I lead a more satisfying life than all four of you combined.

Walking back to the cab of the 156 after a successful switching operation.

Waiting to throw a switch as the engine passes.

Here I stand on the front of engine 156 after completing a switching move.

Here I sit in the cab of engine 156.