I had a kid working for me a few weeks back come to me early one morning asking questions about how toxic a certain brand of acrylic latex paint was. I told him that it was the least toxic paint in our shop. I noticed a brief look of relief as I further explained that if he wore a respirator when he used any of our paints he would have no problems.
The look of relief on his face was replaced by a very worried expression."What if you eat some of it?", he asked."I mean just a taste". It was too early for this kind of nonsense." You mean to tell me you ATE PAINT, What are you nuts?", I asked."Yes," he answered shamefully "That brown really looked like cocoa and it didn't smell that bad so I dipped my finger and had a taste. It tastes like crap. The can had a big dent in it. Do you think it could give me botulism?" "Nah but you may want to get checked for the clap. Taking paint internally spreads it faster than bumping uglies with the Hilton sisters." I retorted.
I could not believe someone intelligent enough to know what botulism is could do such a childish and stupid thing. I hope he is doing well at his present job and I pray he never discovers anti-freeze. I don't think he could resist a taste.
True Story. Do you have or had employees or co-workers like this? Do share.
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Donnie, I was working with a kid on an offshore platform. We were threading a lot of pipe and had some cutting oil in a Community coffee cup on the threading machine. It was cold and windy to where you couldn't get warm. The kid saw the coffee cup and decided, what the hell and took a shot. He said he thought it would warm him up.
Edited to correct the usual finger glitches!
[ February 02, 2005, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: Santo ]
Posted by Gene Golden (Member # 3934) on :
Had a kid working with me as a High School apprentice, to get credits toward graduation in a local vocational/trade school. Worked for several weeks. He was aware from the beginning that I was only doing this for his experience, not needing an employee. He quit High School with only a few weeks left... DID NOT graduate!
He had worked on a pretty involved project with me, three sandblasted community entrance signs. The signs happened to "disappear" just after he left school. About a week later, he came to me and asked if I needed any help, since there was all this work to be redone.
What a piece of work!
Posted by Darryl Gomes (Member # 98) on :
I was giving some paint a light sand inbetween coats with another guy. We were using 6" sticky backed orbital sandpaper. Another fella came to help (apparently he has painted fighter jets for the military for years). He came up to me looking at both sides of the paper and asked me "which side do I use?" This guy is 40 years old and apparently has never sanded anything or seen sanding being done in his life. I wasn't sure to ask him if he was joking with me or if he really was that stupid! I just walked away chuckling and told him to figure it out.
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Donny, you wanna make sure that boy gets himself sterilized. Anybody that f#%#@$ dumb should not be allowed to reproduce.
Posted by Bobbie Rochow (Member # 3341) on :
One time when I was little, my brother & sisters gave me a large spoon of "chocolate pudding", & I spit it out when I realized it was brown poster paint.
Posted by donny pavolini (Member # 2244) on :
Cam,
AMEN!!! We shur kin grow um reel good her in Missippee! Not as good as Albamma tho.
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
...What if the paint had tasted OK? ...A tasty new item on the kids food pyramid perhaps?
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
...What if the paint had tasted OK? ...A tasty new item on the kids food pyramid perhaps?
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
...What if the paint had tasted OK? ...A tasty new item on the kids food pyramid perhaps?
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
...What if the paint had tasted OK? ...A tasty new item on the kids food pyramid perhaps?
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
...What if the paint had tasted OK? ...A tasty new item on the kids food pyramid perhaps?
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
We've all had employees like this, but I'll bet some of us even did a few of these stupid things way back also. I remember one hot day, lettering a race car. Our shop had one of those drinking fountains that dispenses ice water, and I had a Pepsi (glass) bottle and kept refilling it at the fountain. My brother, working on the other side, also had a Pepsi bottle, partially filled with lacquer thinner. I don't know how they got switched during the day, but I do know it's a taste I'll never forget....and a shocking learning experience. Hmmmm....wonder if that's part of what's wrong with me now?
Posted by Dan Streicher (Member # 4515) on :
oh boy the stories I could tell here...but it would be a book.
we've had one pound a nail through his hand to the production table between his finger bones on a bet.....you're fired....
we've had one drink rapid tac because it smelled so good.....not fired but laughed at...
had one uhm urinate in our shop sink instead of walking to the restroom 15 feet away...you're fired.
caught more than one in the paint booth smoking pot...I really don't care what they do but don't let me see it duh...you're fired....
caught a group of guys playing a form of baseball where they would shoot nails at the batter with the nail gun and then shoot at him as he tried to run around the bases....they were at least wearing safety glasses....fired them all.
I could go on and on and on and some I'd really have to find a thesaurus to find appropriate words to describe in a mellower version for everyone to read.
