The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: drawbridge

  • My 100th Blog Entry

    All distances in the Byzantine Empire were once measured from this original milestone, located in Istanbul (Constantinople back then). I’ve stood beside this very important yet inconsequential looking stone as hundreds of people walked by it, probably not realizing its significance. I was thinking about this stone today as I’ve arrived at an important milestone…

  • A Really Bad Day in the Life of a Bridgetender

    1:00 – 5:00 am: Dog periodically wakes up, dry heaving, causing me to periodically wake up. He has gotten into the landlady’s compost heap again. 6:15 am: Alarm goes off. I sit up in a fog. Room spins. I feed dogs, one of whom is predictably not hungry. Let the dogs out, watch them head…

  • Why I Fail to Thrive in a Bureaucracy

    I have never been one to suffer fools gladly. I suppose that actually sums it up. I could stop this blog entry right here. And it’s not the first time I’ve addressed this subject. See also my entry entitled How to Give HORRIBLE Customer Service. So I don’t suppose I really need to go there…

  • Bridge Goes Boom

    One of my coworkers reminded me of an incident that occurred a few years ago on our drawbridge. I can’t believe I had forgotten about it. It was very bizarre. Makes me wonder what else I’ve forgotten. Hmmm… Anyway, two workmen from the Department of Transportation were leaving the bridge after doing some repairs when…

  • Coming Full Spiral

    This morning I sort of did the walk of shame. I trained on a drawbridge that I had worked on for years, but had left two years ago to completely change my life. After working on this beautiful little bridge since 2001, I realized that as much as I love the job, there was no…

  • A Rare Gift from a Dolphin

    I am a bridgetender at a bridge that spans the intracoastal waterway in Florida. This job gives me a front row seat to observe nature. The other night at around midnight, I was walking on the bridge to check if all the navigation lights were functioning properly. As often happens, I startled a blue heron,…

  • A Passing Relationship with the Great Scareball in the Sky

    Unless you’ve worked the graveyard shift like I have for the past 12 years, you are probably unaware that there is a whole other civilization out there, right under your nose. If you are even remotely cognizant of our existence, you probably think we make big money, but I’m here to tell you that most…

  • Tragedy Between the Lines

    When you work on a drawbridge, you’re sometimes a silent witness to some really tragic events. No one tells you that when you take the job. On the bigger bridges you’ll get jumpers. Occasionally one will survive and 100 percent of those will say they regretted their action the second they jumped, which says a…

  • Trapped on the Washing Machine in a Powder Blue Tux

    “You know, midgets are because humans used to breed with trolls.” These words of wisdom were issuing forth from my coworker, “C”. I wish I could say that I was shocked, but after years of working with this guy, nothing could surprise me anymore. There was no point in trying to explain that trolls are…

  • Why are Characters Drawn to Drawbridges?

    The other day I was walking up the bridge to work and I saw the Barking Man. I immediately slowed my pace to assess the situation. The Barking Man is a guy who likes to fish off the bridge on mild evenings. When he’s on his medication he’s quite friendly, and we’ll exchange pleasantries. When…