Funny Story……..and True!

I said when I began the blog that I’d share my experience and my experiences from over the years. So, in that vein, a story from early in my career:

Back in the late 80’s, I was an assistant superintendent for a local home builder, working a tract of condos called Hampton Pointe, in Reston, VA. It was an awful job which gave me the beginnings of an ulcer at the time, and a nervous tic that I carry to this day, whenever I’m stressed out. Stressful as it was though, working a large site with lots of trades around was kinda’ fun…..lots of BS’ing at the roach coach (food truck) and, in general, a sense of camaraderie that I sometimes miss.

One morning, I was sitting at my desk in the construction trailer, when one of the framing carpenters walked in, holding his hand. He asked if I had a first aid kit, as he had injured his hand. Apparently he had stumbled while holding on to the trigger of the nail gun he was carrying. In the process of trying to break his fall, he got his hand between the nose of the gun and the floor. As he landed, the gun fired, and drove a 3 ¼” framing nail through the first three of his fingers; pinning them together like a shish kebab.

It was odd looking at the injury, because there wasn’t any blood at all. It looked like a carnival trick. We were both pondering what to do next, and as we did, a few of the other carpenters came in to look. There were the jokes of “Hey, why don’t I get it outta’ there with my nippers…or how ‘bout my cat’s paw? (a nail puller).” The injured carpenter was a good sport, but things were beginning to hurt, and he looked a little glassy eyed.

A few minutes later, Trudy, our on site sales agent came in, to go over one thing or another. She was a kindly, middle aged woman, but not the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean. She took a look at the carpenter and almost swooned. After gathering herself up, she asked a question: “Once it started to hurt…” she asked “why did you keep hitting the nail with your hammer?!”

Picture, if you can, coffee being spit through the nose and out the mouth of everyone in that small space, followed by screaming laughter (even from the injured guy). Once things died down, it was gently explained to Trudy how these new-fangled pneumatic nail drivers work. For the rest of my time there, I couldn’t look at her without chuckling to myself.

As for the carpenter, after a week or so off, he was back to work. So there ya’ go…..a funny story….and true!