Dog Attack!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
As many of you know, I work part time as a utility meter reader to help pay the bills. Dog attacks are the number one occupational hazard for meter readers, and up until yesterday, I had been fortunate enough to avoid them!
On Tuesday I was out working in Ramsey, right on the border where suburb turns into "the country." Most people had a sizeable parcel of land with their house, and most of the houses had dogs; big ones; multiple ones. For some reason this neighborhood also liked to keep their dogs outside, untied, and all the kennel doors open!
Early in the day I approached the back side of a house looking for the electric meter. I saw the back garage door slightly ajar, and before I could think twice, two large golden colored dogs came out of it and were tearing across the property towards me with the hair on the back raised, barking like mad. I froze for a split second and then started running backwards, remembering not to turn my back on an aggressive dog. The dog in the lead ran straight towards me and was lunging at me, so I put up foot to block the teeth, but that only made me flip over backwards. Somehow in the shock and adrenaline rush of it all I ended up doing a sort of backflip/summersault and landed on my feet with my pepper spray in hand, ready to fire. After my unplanned acrobatics the dogs continued to bark but kept a slight distance, so I spared them a painful spray in the face, though I really wanted to do it. I was able to back up all the way to my car, but not before two other large dogs from the neighbors came running over to join in the barking assault.
Let's just say I was a little jumpy the rest of the day whenever I heard anything that sounded like a dog coming (a LOT of things sound like a dog coming when you've just been attacked by some) and I really wanted to go home, but knew I should probably finish the day of work. I had several other encounters that day, including an owner letting her huge dobermine pincher out into the back yard with me! (She hadn't seen me enter the yard.)
That was probably my worst day on the job so far. Something else you can pray for - safety on the job!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:03 PM 2 comments
Labels: Meter Reading, Minneapolis
All In A Day's Walk
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
A few snapshots from my first two days on the job as a meter reader:
-Having a lady call the police on me because she didn't believe I was a meter reader. (The neon reflective vest that says "meter reader" and giant meter reading PDA that looks like a cell phone from 1991 weren't enough to convince her.) And don't worry, I outran the police.
-Seeing numerous pitbulls, bulldogs, german shepherds, and rottweilers, along with a million other dogs out in yards I was supposed to enter - and none of them attatched to my body! Why do people buy these dangerous guard dogs when in the same neighborhood people also leave their garage doors open all day when they're at work????
-Getting stuck in the snow in my Jeep
-Being gone for work from 7:30am to 7pm and realizing most people who commute do this every day....
Posted by Benjamin Washam 8:47 PM 2 comments
Labels: Meter Reading, Minneapolis
Eureka! A Job!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
u-til-i-ty, (yōō-tĭl'ĭ-tē); n. pl. u·til·i·ties, from L. utilitatem (nom. utilitas) "usefulness, serviceableness, profit,"
- The quality or condition of being useful; usefulness: "I never imagined myself finding utility in working for a utility company" -Benjamin M. Washam (1983- )
- A commodity or service, such as electricity, water, or natural gas, that is provided by a public utility.
This is not a desk job, or a warehouse job, or a retail job, or even a delivery job! I have entered into the nebulous field of a "meter reader." You might have seen one of these curious men or women sneaking around your house during the week with a PDA in one hand and pepper spray for aggressive dogs in the other. Please don't harass them; better yet, why not offer them a glass of hot chocolate and some warm cookies? It could be me....*
The biggest challenge at this point besides rabid dogs will, of course, be the cold. With average daytime temperatures still negative, I am having to outfit myself with fancy equipment like "wool sox" and "three layers of long underwear." One neat little trick they recommended is called yaktrax, which is basically a pair of removable snow chains for your feet. Pretty cool.So I'm now employed with RMR Services, a independent contractor that works with utility providers in the Twin Cities Metro area to install, repair, and read meters for gas, water, and electricity. Basically, I'll be doing a short commute out to the suburbs, parking my car and walking 10-12 miles a day house to house recording gas, water, or electric meter reading. The pay is great, and the hours are flexible! If nothing else, it will help get me in shape to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in the summer of '08 if for some crazy reason I decide to join my cousin. (Why not?)
(photo credit 1) (photo credit 2)
Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:26 PM 2 comments
Labels: Meter Reading, Minneapolis
