Friday, June 24, 2011

Attaboy!


I got some good props for doing pretty much nothing this evening.

Isn't that pretty much the way it goes? The nights you work your buns off nobody says anything. But one simple thing earns you praise and you sit there with your tongue in your cheek and say "Okay. Yeah. I did that."

Somebody heard a rumor (here we go with that again) that there might be something worth finding out on the yard and they were pretty specific about where it could be found. Sgt Uncle T and I went to look and, sure enough, there was.

A long rusty spike of a nail about seven or eight inches long laying in the grass by one of the light poles, right in plain sight. Like someone had dropped it there on purpose hoping one of us would pick it up. Which of course someone did.

It was big enough and hefty enough and still well sharp enough you could have easily killed somebody with it. Several somebodies. And nobody in their right mind wants things like that loose inside the fence. Especially staff. Brrr! It gave me shivers looking at it.

I was more than willing to take one for the team to get rid of the thing. If it meant doing paperwork, that was fine as long as that was no longer a threat to anybody inside the fence.

I stuck the thing in my radio case and went up to do my Del Norte walk. On the way I ran across Lt Chestnut, who was shift commander, and showed it to him.

"How much paperwork do you want on this thing?" I asked.

He looked at it with one eyebrow up and said "It just looks like nuisance contraband to me. Just make sure that it goes away, okay?"

"It will disappear, sir."

"What will disappear?"

"Nothing, sir. Just talking to myself."

Some shift commanders would have wanted a full detailed report with pictures and a map describing where I found it and a property slip and have it stored over in the evidence locker with all of the paperwork that ensued with that as well.

He just wanted it to go away. Hey, I could do that. I carried it with me on my Del Norte walk and, as I went outside of the sally port at the end of my walk, I tossed it into the pool in the creek that runs under the sally port. That pool is three or four feet deep and full of scummy water that's always full of debris and crud. That nail made a satisfying "plook" into the water and went right to the bottom. By the time anyone ever sees it again it will have rusted down to minute particles.

I took it to keep anybody else from having to do the paperwork. When I got back from my walk Sgt Uncle T had written an entry in my file about how professional I was for finding and disposing of the thing.

He ended up doing more paperwork over it than I did.

I got something for nothing. That just doesn't happen very often around here. I think I'll savor the moment.

So Friday I will be 2-10 down in the Hive. In BG's spot. Not sure exactly how I am going to handle that. Just wait and see, I suppose.

Friday will also be Museum Comes To Life Day. I'm glad I'm not Ben Stiller. It will also be Celebration Of The Senses (you got me), International Fairy Day (rolls his eyes), Take Your Dog To Work Day and Ugliest Dog Day.

Is this one of those 'dog days' of summer I keep hearing about?

6 comments:

  1. where i work my boss thinks every day is bring your dog to work day...watch him leave it home!

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  2. "The nights you work your buns off nobody says anything. But one simple thing earns you praise and you sit there with your tongue in your cheek and say 'Okay. Yeah. I did that.'"

    I know how that is.

    I'm not sure if I agree with the lieutenant's decision on that one. I'd probably want a little investigation into the matter. Then again, what are you going to find out? That you are working among violent, dangerous people that might be planning to hurt someone? News Flash, right?

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  3. Darn it, didn't take the dog with me and she told me she was supposed to go with this morning. Had a total snit fit when I left without her.

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  4. Sunday- I would like to work in a place that was dog friendly. That would be cool.

    Bryan- Considering what happened today I'm just glad that nasty little thing is gone. That might have gotten ugly.

    Critter- You know you should pay more attention...

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  5. The question I have is how on earth did something so dangerous find its way to the inside of the fence? It's not like you generally just find those lying around. Especially with you walking around picking up and throwing away little odds and ends you find that might be dangerous.

    I like doing paperwork, though. Paperwork is fun. And it means you don't have to be outside. Outside is dangerous.

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  6. I'm with Chanel in wondering where the item came from. That's how I work. I'd do the paperwork just to see if there was a way to find out what it was doing there. But there probably is no way to find that out, is there?

    and now I'm waiting for Chanel's post on the evils of the Outdoors...

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