The View from a Drawbridge

The random musings of an autistic bridgetender with entirely too much time on her hands.

My Morning

Last night I got off work at 11pm. I went straight home, and managed to squeeze in 5 hours of sleep before getting up at 5:45am in order to go back to work at 7am. Oh, but there’s more. I get out to my car, and all the windows are frosted over. It’s 32 degrees…

Last night I got off work at 11pm. I went straight home, and managed to squeeze in 5 hours of sleep before getting up at 5:45am in order to go back to work at 7am. Oh, but there’s more.

I get out to my car, and all the windows are frosted over. It’s 32 degrees out. So I scrape them. But the INSIDE of the windows are frosted as well. So I scrape those, too. Did I mention I have no heat or defrost in my car?

So I drive down the road, freezing my patooties off, peering through a porthole-sized patch of window that is constantly fogging over, wiping it down every 30 seconds and hoping that no one steps out in front of my car. By the way, it’s still pitch black out. The sun doesn’t rise here until 7:20am at this time of year.

I get to work and thaw out for a brief shining moment, and then head back out into the raw, foggy blackness to meet one of those arbitrary deadlines that I spoke of the other day. The sidewalks and bike lanes on the bridge need to be swept. It’s been raining for weeks, so I spend an hour hauling about 30 pounds of wet leaves, mud, and soggy cigarette butts off the bridge. The sweat is freezing against my throbbing back. (And can someone please explain to me why smokers think it’s okay to just throw their butts anywhere they happen to be? It’s disgusting.)

As I toiled, a guy came by on his bike and shouted, “Great job!” It’s nice to be appreciated. By someone. Believe it or not, though, I do love my job. Just not this morning.

Finally I got back inside, and while waiting for the snot to thaw so I can wipe it off my face without tearing the skin, I read the news on the internet. “Twenty-seven Dead as Gunmen take Hostages at Mali Hotel”

I really have absolutely nothing to complain about. Nothing at all. Perspective.

 cinderella-scrubbing

8 responses to “My Morning”

  1. Mountainstroh (Tony) Avatar
    Mountainstroh (Tony)

    I VERY much appreciate your toils! I have wiped out more than once on wet leaves. And cigarette butts annoy me to no end! I see them on mountain hikes as well!

    But I agree, compared to the hell that is happening around the world, the things I have to complain about seem pretty damn small.

    Reply
    1. The View from a Drawbridge Avatar
      The View from a Drawbridge

      Thank you. That means a lot. And yes, perspective is important.

      Reply
      1. Mountainstroh (Tony) Avatar
        Mountainstroh (Tony)

        Plus I have no idea what all you do! I’ve always wondered what all was involved in being in charge of a bridge!

      2. The View from a Drawbridge Avatar
        The View from a Drawbridge

        We do most of the maintenance, greasing, and cleaning grease from the machinery. We also do the janitorial and clean up, and write reports when there are accidents and incidents and stuff. Oh, and we open and close the bridge, too. 🙂

      3. Mountainstroh (Tony) Avatar
        Mountainstroh (Tony)

        You will know this answer. At rush hour, who has the ‘right of way’. If a boat shows, it’s an automatic open? Or is there a wait time for the boat?”

      4. The View from a Drawbridge Avatar
        The View from a Drawbridge

        On the ship canal, we have a closed period between 7 am and 9 am, and 4 pm and 6 pm. During this period, per the Coast Guard, we do not open for boats, unless they are more than 1000 gross tons, but that usually applies to only the Gravel Barges, and they generally know better than to come through at that time. However, if a boat asks for an opening at 3:59 pm, even if the opening is going to take 5 minutes, we’re required to do it. South Park Bridge on the Duwamish has no closed period. (Bet you weren’t expecting such a complicated answer.)

      5. Mountainstroh (Tony) Avatar
        Mountainstroh (Tony)

        That is perfect! Always wondered why I would get stuck on the university Bridge, but I would always get there before 4

      6. The View from a Drawbridge Avatar
        The View from a Drawbridge

        Since most vessels know about the closed period, they tend to time it right before then, so we’ll get a bubble of frantic activity between 3 and 4. We’re trying to get the Coast Guard to extend the closed period, since it no longer fits the reality of Seattle traffic, but it’s a slow process.

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