Lithonia OperatorWould you care to share what you disliked about the book? “Piece of crap” does not impart much information to those who might be considering reading it.
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In the navy on the ships public address system called for some reason the 1MC, one time only in the five years I was on that ship, a guy announced "Now hear this..." We all looked at each other when that happened with a Whisky Tango Foxtrot look on our faces. He obviously was a newbie and was given some instructions and never did it again. He watched a few war movies, I guess.
Lithonia Operator Im curious: in MPRCB, what is the PR? Provo?
Im curious: in MPRCB, what is the PR? Provo?
Proviso. Where Carl used to govern on high. At least on the hump.
Jeff
To “BigJim:”
Well, I said I thought he imbellished some things, and he probably did. And yes, he is “proud of himself.” Humility is not his long suit.
I was surprised that he got into his sex life, I admit. At first I thought it was completely gratuitous, and somewhat adolescent. But as I got further into the book and realized that there is a great deal of non-railroad content, that it is also about a man’s life in general, then I accepted it more, because sex is a part of life. And he talks about a lot of other aspects of life, also. In about (I’m guessing, since I do not have the book right here) 275 pages, maybe 20 relate to sex. And none of the sex parts are explicit or pornographic.
I kind of rolled my eyes at some of it, but to me that still left plenty of book to enjoy. A guy writing a few pages about sex didn’t freak me out, or cause me to not find enjoyment in the bulk of the book.
I certainly do not think that my enjoying the book means I have a “problem.”
Maybe you have a problem.
I still think that a lot of railfans and railroaders might enjoy the book. Maybe some will take a chance, and decide for themselves. I personally found the book much more engaging and real than the Eddie Sand stories.
Not sure why anyone would get riled up about this.
It didn't have to be sex, it could have been paranormal activity, or geneology, or any number of other things (although more people are likely to be offended by the sex angle).
If you start reading a book about what is touted to be the subject (and said subject is what you are interested in) and the book shifts to a different focus, I think many people would simply lay the book down and forget about it.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Lithonia Operator And none of the sex parts are explicit or pornographic.
Well, what's the point of reading it then?
(crosses it off the reading list).
As far as embellishing stuff, I wouldn't be surprised. Many people (incl. RRers) tend to have over-active memories about events. 99% of stuff out here is boring, and all but nobody would want to read about it.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
tree68 It didn't have to be sex, it could have been paranormal activity, or geneology, or any number of other things (although more people are likely to be offended by the sex angle). If you start reading a book about what is touted to be the subject (and said subject is what you are interested in) and the book shifts to a different focus, I think many people would simply lay the book down and forget about it.
I hear what you’re saying, tree.
This book is called Life and Times, etc., and that, combined with the blurb on the back, let me know it wasn’t going to be only about railroading. It did have more non-railroad content than I expected, but that was okay with me. I find people interesting. It was also about relationships, a business venture, building a house, friendships, etc.
But the book is overwhelmingly about railroading.
Do I think I’d find this guy a blowhard if I met him? Maybe. I dunno. But I found the bulk of his book to be very interesting and engaging. I never looked at it primarily as a way to learn about railroading, although I did learn some things. What I was after was an entertaining tale set in a railroad environment.
I enjoyed it. But if you are looking for the ABCs of railroading, this ain’t it. Nor is the novel I described.
zugmann Lithonia Operator: And none of the sex parts are explicit or pornographic. (crosses it off the reading list).
Lithonia Operator: And none of the sex parts are explicit or pornographic.
zugmann99% of stuff out here is boring, and all
And tedious. Like a pilots but that 1% can really get the adrenaline flowing?
They take cursing very seriously over the airwaves, Dad was acting silly on Frisco radio to the yard crews and said a curse word, but he thought the radio was off. The Yardmaster showed up and wanted to know who used the profanity and Dad admitted it was him, thinking it was not on. He was told to be careful in the future, and never did that again. So I doubt if anyone could curse when trains were running either, unless it was many years ago before FCC or a very loosely run RR.
zugmann Lithonia Operator And none of the sex parts are explicit or pornographic. Well, what's the point of reading it then? (crosses it off the reading list). As far as embellishing stuff, I wouldn't be surprised. Many people (incl. RRers) tend to have over-active memories about events. 99% of stuff out here is boring, and all but nobody would want to read about it.
A number of years ago, the 2nd MARC train out of Riverside Shops discovered a headless body adjacent to the tracks between Riverside and Camden Station. The first MARC train of the day had just departed Camden inroute to Washington. Someone, unknown as to who, started singing acapela, 'Losing My Head Over You' on the road radio channel. The 1st MARC train stopped at Halethorpe and called a 'Critical Incident Relief'. Just another day on the railroad radio.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Balt, I don’t get your next-to-last sentence. Could you explain?
Lithonia OperatorBalt, I don’t get your next-to-last sentence. Could you explain?
Critical Incident Relief happens when a crew is involved in a fatal accident. I believe it gets the crew requesting it, 'immediate' relief from the job responsibilities and a Recrew gets called to perform the balance of the run the original crew was on. The CIR crew also gets 3 or 4 days off with pay. The CIR crew also gets some level of emotional counciling to help them deal with the incident.
In the specific incident, the 1st MARC crew 'surmised' that they were the crew that had caused the death of the body - without knowing from their own visual knowledge that they had been involved.
Beyond the initial reporting of the incident - the further details of the incident are not normally made public.
So at least one guy’s joking about it on the radio. But then the whole crew, not even knowing it was their train, gets this relief, and paid time off. I definitely believe in the idea behind the relief, but this smells fishy.
Lithonia OperatorSo at least one guy’s joking about it on the radio. But then the whole crew, not even knowing it was their train, gets this relief, and paid time off. I definitely believe in the idea behind the relief, but this smells fishy.
The conundrum of management - do you approach the situation as a hardass or from the side of compassion.
Railroaders will ALWAYS 'game' whatever system a company operates under.
I had a 'practical joker' that worked under my supervision. I came into work one morning and found a Injury Report on my desk from him. The injury was jamming a paper clip under a fingernail. Knowing the individual I initially assume the report was his attempt at a 'joke'. When I got the bill from the ER it was proved not to be a joke.
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