Maybe I am a Curmudgeon

i just love taking things to a new level. want me to wear a mask? fine. i will go one better. when i go out, i wear a full tyvec painter's outfit, my heavy duty, harbor freight safety goggles, my 3m respirator, and heavy duty rubber gloves. if that don't make them happy, at least they are quiet for 10 minutes. its either that, or i break out the late 70's issue, czech republic gas mask, with a new, activated charcoal filter canister, and i give them all post its that have "aw heck, ya gotta die of something" printed on them.
IMG_20200423_211415709.jpg perhaps you thought i was kidding?? :thumb:
 
One time I went to the doctors office and he asked me a question. Do you wear a seat belt in the car. I said no. (I was not, because as a boomer cars didn't really have them, and I resented that the "establishment" told me I should. So I did not. It was more about being anti-establishment than anything else. ) He asked why. I told him my thoughts. He said seat belts just make sense, we all know the stats. I thought about it and I have worn seat belts ever since - NOT - because the "establishment" said so either.

I quit smoking, because it made sense.

I quit drinking, because it made sense.

I don't work in the shop when I am tired, because it makes sense.

I would not wear a mask to make "others" happy.

I do wear a mask..........

But, I do NOT always "play it safe". I have the scars to prove it. Almost cut my hand off this past spring.

Have a safe, nice and fun, blessed day, all.
 
One time I went to the doctors office and he asked me a question. Do you wear a seat belt in the car. I said no. (I was not, because as a boomer cars didn't really have them, and I resented that the "establishment" told me I should. So I did not. It was more about being anti-establishment than anything else. ) He asked why. I told him my thoughts. He said seat belts just make sense, we all know the stats. I thought about it and I have worn seat belts ever since - NOT - because the "establishment" said so either.

I quit smoking, because it made sense.

I quit drinking, because it made sense.

I don't work in the shop when I am tired, because it makes sense.

I would not wear a mask to make "others" happy.

I do wear a mask..........

But, I do NOT always "play it safe". I have the scars to prove it. Almost cut my hand off this past spring.

Have a safe, nice and fun, blessed day, all.
I started wearing a seat belt long before they were "mandatory"... it was because it had become a nuisance.... My second Corvette came with lap elts installed and they were always either under me or hanging out the door or something, so I started buckling them when I got in... kept them out of the way and made life easier....
I never learned to smoke... tried when my sister started, didn't take, tried again when the first wife started... didn't take... now can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke (I did grow up with cigarette smoke as my dad smoked from the age of 14 until 2 months before he died at 74)
Quit drinking 2 weeks before my first wedding when I got so drunk at a friends wedding.... I was so sick afterwards that I promised God if he would let me live over that I wouldn't ever do it again... I even gagged on our champagne toast at my wedding. A glass of wine or a beer now and then, but no more now.
I'm very careful in the shop... I did take heed to other's misfortunes and don't want to copy any of them... I like all my fingers, toes, ears and nose.... although I did take a bowl to the face once, now always have a face shield on when the lathe is turned on.
I wear a mask out in public more for you than me... plus my wife is very susceptible to the virus if I bring it home...I like her and want to keep her around for the next 30 or so years..
 
usually when people tell me to "have a good one", i usually give them george carlin's response of "i already have a good one, now i just want a longer one.', and that kept father mike quiet for about 10 minutes....
 
I wear seat belts mainly cuz I figger I'll always be the one to get a ticket for not wearing one. If I go to an establishment in my county, Parker, I don't have to wear a mask, but they do ask you to be courteous and do so. I do wear one very loosely in the Walmart near us. It's actually in Tarrrant County, which all that crap is mandatory or you can't go in. But, a lot of folks still don't. I have mine hanging very loosely just so I can say it's on. Now when I get near one of them thar WallyWorld Trolls, I tighten it up, run to next isle and feel good about escaping that situation which could be perilous for my well being. :rofl: I do try to be good but being kinda bad is a hard habit to break. And, I certainly don't play it safe as I do have some scars as proof positive. Spinal fusions, gunshot repair scars, muscles being sewed back on, etc.
 
i just love taking things to a new level. want me to wear a mask? fine. i will go one better. when i go out, i wear a full tyvec painter's outfit, my heavy duty, harbor freight safety goggles, my 3m respirator, and heavy duty rubber gloves. if that don't make them happy, at least they are quiet for 10 minutes. its either that, or i break out the late 70's issue, czech republic gas mask, with a new, activated charcoal filter canister, and i give them all post its that have "aw heck, ya gotta die of something" printed on them.
View attachment 112834 perhaps you thought i was kidding?? :thumb:
I'm wearing the exact same costume for halloween
 
Started wearing seat belts in 1970 Mercury. It was a big boat and really rode the waves. Put on the belt to stay behind the wheel. Since then it's just habit.
In Wally world did see fellow come unglued when someone questioned lack of mask. He was an American and by golly he could do as he liked. Big guy and very loud. Just what suits your fancy.
Everyone have a good something or not.
David
 
#3 son is a firefighter/paramedic. For the non-seatbelt wearers he has to deal with, First he picks up the loose pieces, then scrapes up as much as he can with a flatpoint shovel. Anything left after that gets washed off to the side of the road with a firehose. It really kinda pisses him off if it's a kid....


Alan
 
If you have to ask if you're a curmudgeon, you are and have been for a long time. Your friends are just too polite to tell you that you are.

I spent 30 years involved in the safety business. Even so, I detest the paranoia we seem to have these days about EVERYTHING. I don't tell anyone to be safe and I don't expect myself to be safe. I'd much rather tell them to "Be Smart". Best safety briefing I ever got was "Don't do anything dumb". Those words have kept me safe and sound through 20 years of flying fighter aircraft. They work in the shop, too. One of my former students gave me a sticker that said "These tools don't have a brain, use yours." I have it on my shop door so I see it every time I go inside.

Even OSHA has gone from "do steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to be safe" and have started telling employers to assess the hazards and take the appropriate actions to protect your people. What is needed to protect yourself in your own wood shop is different than what is needed in a furniture factory. Precautions that are necessary to protect yourself from COVID in NYC (24,000 people per sq mi) are different from those needed in a rural west Texas county with 13000 people total. If we assess the threat to ourselves and take the actions we need to do to protect ourselves from cutting off our fingers in the shop or from getting COVID in public then we are doing it intelligently and we will protect ourselves unless we happen to have significant pre-existing conditions that make us more susceptible to getting sick. But that should figure into our assessment.
 
When I was a teeny bopper and our cars were our number one important thing, Seat belts were just beginning to be talked about.. We all thought they were cool,,, made you car cool, like more racy. I installed them in my '49 Ford. Only draw back was if your girl was with you and you used seat belts,,, she couldn't sit right next to you... ... ... I remember having seat belt clinics, we called them, were we would install seat belts for people just to make some extra money.

okay, I kinda got off topic here... sorry.
 
Paul, interesting story. The military has required seat belts when on base/post since the late 60s or early 70s. There are exceptions, though, at least on AF Bases. If you have a vehicle which was made before factory installed seat belts were required, you do not have to install them. The reason is that in today's litigious society, not many mechanics will install aftermarket seat belts if they didn't come on your car. Not many manufacturers make them either because of the fear of lawsuits.

I have a friend who has an early 1960s Ford pickup, which did not come with seat belts. He periodically drives it to the front gate of Dyess AFB in Abilene, TX. Usually there's a very junior airman there who never learned that was an exception. He was just told make sure everyone has a seat belt. Jim delights in having them call the law enforcement desk, get the LE NCO on the radio and have him educate the airman. Yeah he's ornery.
 
Not many manufacturers make them either because of the fear of lawsuits.
This is very true... my stepson bought a 2003 F150 which I used more than he did.... when Harley was a puppy he chewed up the seat belts in the front and back seats... the front worse than the back.... I've looked everywhere for replacement belts... Ford will sell you all new seats, but not just the belts.
 
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