Back To School

Hello again,
Allot had happened Since I last wrote anything here.
I’ll fill ya in next time.
In the meantime, I decided to go back to school.
I’m going for GIS And Geo-Spatial mapping. I wanna specialize In Disaster Response And Recovery.
I’m half way there with What I’ve learned so far. Might as well get a little more knowledge….
Anyway, I’m gonna keep it short today.. I’ll be back soon with all the details of the last years or so…
Until next time, Quit looking at your feet…
Later,
LPL

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Disaster Recovery – 2011

Several weeks ago I was asked by an old friend who owns a CATV Contracting Company if I would be willing to come to Tuscaloosa, AL and run the Disaster Recovery project there for him. Having been outta work for entirely too long and looking forward to working with a friend that I trust, I jumped on it.

Having worked storm damage in the past, I didn’t think too much of what I was about to see….
The extent of the damage here is Biblical…!!!
I went to Ground Zero 4 days after 9-11. While that was the most destruction that I have ever seen, in Tuscaloosa the destruction was equal to that of the World Trade Center Complex, only it goes for MILES..!!!

 

Getting Older In Todays Cable TV Industry

Having been a LineDawg for 25 years now, I’ve seen a shit-boat full of people come and go in my Beloved Industry. I’ve seen big, bad-asses turn a funny shade of gray only 4 feet off the ground and the greenest rookies run up a pole like they’ve been hookin for years.

If you’ve been doin this for at least 15 years, then you probably were trained by a wild-ass Ole LineDawg.

These are the men I learned from. The Ole Dawg who trained me, “Hooks” Whipple, is one such old Dawg. He wasn’t wild in the classic sense, but he took absolutely no shit..!!! Especially from me…!!!

Two days ago, I had to keep my mouth shut while a fat tub of shit yelled and screamed at me in front of the men I am charged with Supervising.
Ten short years ago I would have beat the fat ass off him. But, instead, I chose to save my job. I gave him 1 chance to get a little excersize with me and, of course, he did nothing.

The point of all this babbling is back when Linemen were MEN and worked instead of crying about having to work people like BoBo didn’t last long enough to fuck up a set-up… They got the shit kicked outta them then got run off…

Why the fuck is it nowadays if you “thin out the herd” do people call the fucking police…???
Where is the PRIDE…???
Where is the HEART…???
Where is the HONOR…???

If you can shed a little light on this, drop a line here…

Later,
LPL

My Integrity Is NOT FOR SALE…!!!!

Yep,I’m bitchin again….
Why is it that alot of very successful contractors are owned by dishonest shitheads…???
Believe me, I’ve been around long enough to know damn near every dirty trick there is to rip off a company.

And you can believe this too: I never have and I never will…!!!!!

I’d rather be fucking broke than sell my integrity out for a few bucks.

If ya dig that, cool…..If ya don’t, then fuck you…!!!

Later,
LPL

The State Of Our Industry

It’s been quite a while since I wrote anything here, so I thought I’d scribble a line or 2…

I’m sure like a lot of other CATV people out there, I’m goin through a helluva time finding work.
See, I’m a Contractor. Either as a Construction Supervisor, Manager or Field Engineer.
The thought of working In-House just doesn’t appeal to me very much.
Too political.
Too worried about appearances.
Too willing to kiss an ass or 2.
It’s just not an environment that I’m all that comfy in.

My hair is a bit long, I’ve got some ink on me and I am very much an Old-School LineDawg..!! I do what I have to at work to not look too wild, but with 25 years in the biz, it’s a little tough to change my ways now.
I know my business and I’ve been told I’m good at what I do.
I also love what I do.

It seems that a lot of Contractors and just about all of the MSO’s are tightening things up to where it’s become difficult for a lotta guys like me to find a good job.

Some of us have a “Colorful” past. That doesn’t mean we don’t know our business…. It also doesn’t mean that we still act the way we did years ago.
We just had a little more fun than most. 😉

I’ve seen it happen more than once where an MSO needed to turn to those of us with less than perfect pasts to fix what their squeeky clean “Linemen” tore up…..

I sincerely hope that those of you who are managers at an MSO or Contractor would consider a man’s integrity, talents and present state before you shoot him down for things that took place years or decades ago…..
You just might find yourself a loyal and talented employee……

For those of you who are curious, go to: http://CATVK9.co.cc to get an idea of my experience. You can also have a look at: http://DMAPS.co.cc

If ya really wanna know who I am, go to: http://DaveRandall.co.cc for a good read. But careful with this one, it’s NOT for the faint of heart..!!!

Anyway, my search still continues for a Cable TV/Utility Contractor that is honest, has a good work-load and whose management is well versed in their fields of endevour….

As usual, I’ll keep ya posted on the the “Life & Times” of this CATV Lineman….

Later,
LostPlanetLineman

My Search….

I started this blog out of frustration. After being told of a position that I had supposedly landed, I received an e-mail telling me the position was not available after all… Now, that is and of itself isn’t a real big deal… What is, however, is that I received this e-mail while stopping at a buddy’s house half way across country on my way to the project I was hired for..!!!
Nice, huh..??
Now in our beloved Cable TV Industry, I’m sad to say, this is not unusual. You ask any contract Lineman out there and he’ll tell you a story just like it…
Hence; My search for a Company or Engineering Firm that is, how should I put this…. Honest.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve had alot of fun and made some very close friends over the last 21 years. I’m not bitchin’ about that. I don’t have many regrets.
What I am doing, though, is post my experiences looking for the elusive “Company with Integrity”….
I’ll let ya know what happens…..

Click on the “My Search” link above to read all the comments.

LostPlanetLineman

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