Distractions

[Enzo]

OK, first let me say I am not looking for sympathy, I am just reporting the situation.


I live in a 100 year old beat up farmhouse. Recently having roof problems, some boards are failing. Got that on my mind. Found there was a problem recording my deed with the county so I could show title setting up financing, got that on my mind. (It is taken care of now) And a couple days ago I was mowing, and mowed a nest of yellow jacket wasps, who took offense and swarmed me. I had no idea I could move so fast, made it to shelter with only 20-30 stings. Believe me I got that on my mind. By today, it is at the itching stage, and more uncomfortable than painful.

But whatever it is, a fight with the wife or the kid gets in trouble or some guy runs into your car. Distractions happen.

And I have to throw in medications. Cold pills can make you dopey and slow.

But as much as we like to warn the novice techs that their tube amps can kill them if they get careless, we ALL have to be aware of distractions. You/we/I cannot stick our thumbs into this equipment if your minds are elsewhere. I have to remind myself that right now I am not well focused on this workbench. perhaps this is a good time to work on battery powered effect pedals or something. Maybe fix some cords.

For years, we have had a policy here - no working on high voltage circuits while on cold medication. But all this other crap can be just as distracting. The need to be careful never ends.

[jbltwin1]

Boy, can I relate to that. Had a Music Man amp on my bench that I was converting BACK to a tube driver from SS driver. Had it up and running but went to bed with it not done done. Got up the next morning at 5am and HAD to get down there to look at a hum in it before I went to my then day job. Was NOT awake. Fire it up, standing over it half yawning and looking and dropped a pair of dykes that were in my hand into the running amp. Amazing how fast an amp goes bang when you short stuff together where it's not supposed to go. 700 volts doesn't bounce well either. Now I have my coffee before I go to the pit.

[olddawg]

The sad truth is this industry is dangerous. You will get shocked eventually and you are constantly exposed to toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Speaking of heavy, how about lifting stuff all day. Or cutting yourself. Ain't nothin' safe about it. You do have to be smart about it to reduce the damage, but eventually it gets us all. I used to run a big shop. Whenever I got a truly good tech I would ask, "Ok .... what's wrong with you?" The simple fact was that if you were smart, educated, and experienced enough to do the work, you could get a better salary and benefits doing something else in a safer environment. Got a lot of recovering criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, struggling musicians, and recent divorcees hiding from their obligations. As far has houses go Enzo, I have a 4 year old house and am younger than you. I'm trying to convince the wife to sell it and buy a condo closer to the beach when the kid goes to college next year. What do I need the castle for except to say I have one and its too much work for an aging couple.

[Leo_Gnardo]

mowed a nest of yellow jacket wasps, who took offense and swarmed me. I had no idea I could move so fast, made it to shelter with only 20-30 stings. Believe me I got that on my mind. By today, it is at the itching stage, and more uncomfortable than painful.

Done THAT Enzo. Must have been entertaining to the neighbors if any saw it, when I ran over a nest of "ground bees", little wasps the size of a honeybee. They got me good - about 30 stings to the right arm and a couple more here and there. Must say I have respect for their defense. Lucky I had no ana-, anaphyl-, anaphylectic (sp???) shock, not major anyway but wasp stings do put me in a bit of a "state" afterwards with no medication other than an adult beverage to calm down. Next day right arm was swollen and itchy but after sunset I shot that nest entrance full of insecticide foam and repeated for a few days until the ground bees gave up.

Good post matey!

jbltwin, yup one morning I hadn't gotten my coffee yet when I stuck my hand inside an amp that I had inadvertently left on overnight. "Why am I getting a shock?" I remember thinking. Lucky it was an old Gibson and 300-ish volts DC but there's a wake-up call. And it was across one hand so no harm done.

olddawg, we must be here because we like to live on the edge. Within reason of course. You won't find me jumping out of a perfectly good airplane for a hobby, for instance. Some of those "types" you mentioned, I'm not so sure are "recovering," not just yet. Another good post. Must be the day for it.

[52 Bill]

The only time i ever did something dumb enough to hurt myself was due to being distracted. I was working on a live Ampeg V series amp, and then a discussion started up in the shop about someone or something that was getting very funny. I stopped paying attention to what I was doing and started to pay attention to the conversation.

Now when something distracts me I either stop and turn off whatever I was working on, or I turn off what was distracting me.

[Paleo Pete]

Try getting distracted while running a lathe...I used to be a machinist, those things can take a finger off really quick...and I have no idea why guys in almost every shop I worked for thought they just had to have a radio going...not only do I hate radio, (sick of hearing the same 43 songs...) it's incredibly distracting. I saw these guys get hurt now and then, and no way could you tell them if they had been doing their damn jobs instead of listening to the radio it would never have happened.

Enzo - Don't take cold medication. A combination of vitamin C and red pepper and garlic will prevent it, the same will shut it down. All the over the counter stuff does is put more chemicals in your body that do very little if anything. You didn't catch a cold because you had a chemical deficiency...I haven't had one in 30 years. HUH??? Just what I just told you...vitamin C, 1000 mg morning and night, lots of red pepper and garlic, the common cold runs from me. I get flu once every 4 or 5 years, that's it. Usually no worse than most people get with a cold. Same treatment slows flu down, but won't kill it. Ginger helps too.

I know about the yellow jackets...I'm sure you're familiar with the nasty Red Wasp right? Well...I was floating along close to the bank of a lake in Louisiana when I was about 14 or 15. Hunting squirrels with my father...2 people, 1 paddle, 2 life jackets, 2 shotguns...floated backwards into a red wasp nest the size of a basketball. I never had the presence of mind to just jump in the lake, I started paddling with my shotgun...when we made it to the bank I stopped counting at 56 stings...neck, back, face, both arms, both legs, stomach, chest, ears...sick as hell the next day but made it through with no problems...he didn't get stung at all...fortunately I haven't had to deal with yellow jackets, surprising because one day I sat 2 feet from a yellow jacket nest for an hour trying to get pictures, but I've been hit by honey bees and read wasps plenty times. Not fun...

[kkregsg]

Enzo, great reminder not to take things for granted, and that life really is a full contact sport.

As a fairly new amp builder, I greatly appreciate your frequent input on questions here. I read a lot to see if I can find answers before I have to post my ignorance, and you've saved me many posts. Thanks.

Chuck H, I'm looking your direction, too. Thanks for your help.

[tired eyes]

"Ok .... what's wrong with you?" The simple fact was that if you were smart, educated, and experienced enough to do the work, you could get a better salary and benefits doing something else in a safer environment.

I quit the better salary to do this and wouldn't go back for any amount of money. I run my own shop, walk to work and set my own hours and to me that's priceless.

Good point about distractions, something I don't consider sometimes while trying to get sh*t done and turned around. For me it's not eating or taking a break when I should and just persisting with stubborn gear. Tube amps can kill you but being sloppy with a solid state amp is on the other hand dangerous to the amp. I had an expensive hifi unit in once where I slipped the probe and it shorted out every output, driver and predriver in the left channel, and those parts were not easy to find. I had to order from 3 different US suppliers (to Canada) just to get it back to the state it came in, before continuing to troubleshoot the actual problem. Lost money on that one.

[Jazz P Bass]

Ouch.

[Mick Bailey]

Distractions? My house is nearly 500 years old. Every day it's still standing is a bonus. Every day I'm still standing is another.