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Post by Sasquatch on Oct 19, 2023 6:23:12 GMT -5
Go get him!
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Post by Sasquatch on Oct 12, 2023 16:08:02 GMT -5
A fine addition to the wall.
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Post by Sasquatch on Oct 12, 2023 16:06:47 GMT -5
Well done!
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 28, 2023 2:11:56 GMT -5
As some of you know I recently took the job of DOC supervisor at Clifty Falls.( I'll be the guy shuttling inmates around to help out.} I have had to attend mandatory training inside Madison Correctional Facility, a women's prison housing around 700 level 1 and 2 female offenders. On day one a surprise audit evicted us from the training room, so to occupy us we were given a tour--dorms, library, bathrooms, etc. ( Interestingly the prison has a dog program and I was surprised to see a woman between sessions that had a room with six or seven sleeping puppies in it ). Day two was Use of Force training; the legal mumbo-jumbo and learning some strikes and holds. At one point we were learning how to fall- chin tucked, arms out. One poor lady went down and as her legs went up a loud fart echoed through the training room. Awkward. When I finally escaped ( pun intended ) I was getting in the truck when I heard a loud thumping a few cars over. While driving past I saw a nice gobbler attacking his reflection in the door of another car. I got a little video but unfortunately missed most of the pecking. I finished the day out learning how to check the inn pool's Chlorine and PH, and then rode around helping a guy cut stumps down to 18" so the DNR's designated stump man can get his machine on them. Also saw a brand new Gator, faster and a lot quieter than our older model. It also has wipers and a nanny feature that precludes speeds over ten MPH unless you are buckled. All in all, a good day.
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 28, 2023 0:25:29 GMT -5
Nooo, not the SPAM!
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 27, 2023 23:21:34 GMT -5
That is great! Such experiences only get more precious with the passage of time.
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 27, 2023 23:19:11 GMT -5
Madison got a good bit and some again this evening.
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 24, 2023 8:22:40 GMT -5
She would doubtless be saddened to know I wouldn't know her if I saw her. Good riddance anyway, if she constantly throws ist and phobe around whenever someone disagrees with her. Lose an argument, start tossing out labels!
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 19, 2023 2:54:31 GMT -5
That's awesome!
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 16, 2023 1:32:24 GMT -5
**UPDATE**
Well I have survived thus far, though I'd guess that several years have dropped off of my life from the stress.
One funny story: Since I have a key to the office I came in early a few days ago, the idea being to make sure I could get the safe open early enough to have the money bags ready for the AM shift. I'm already super nervous, flying solo in a world of printed reports, deposit slips, and credit card receipts. I got the safe combo right and the dial stiffened, indicating I had hit the sweet spot. All that remained was an upward tug on the handle and .... the handle broke off in my hand.
As it turns out, the ridiculously thin handle had broken 12 years earlier.( The maintenance man at the time was the current office manager's father, which is the only reason we know how old the repair is ) He had fashioned a metal sleeve that held the two pieces together and this was wrapped with some kind of brown tape. It was really a pretty good bit of hillbilly repair work to hold up that long, only to give way in the grasp of an already bug-eyed office trainee. A pair of giant pliers later facilitated the opening of the ancient safe.
On a brighter note, the office manager came in today to do some last minute stuff before her vacation so I was paroled to work outside. There was a snag with the inmates so I got to work with the "trail boss," a friendly fellow named Kenny. I got to drive a Bobcat for the first time. Although herky-Jerky as expected, it was fairly intuitive otherwise. Getting into it was probably the hardest part. I was about two cheeseburgers away from not being able to secure the pull-down safety bar. Interestingly, the machine was a push-button affair, with a code required for start up. I was able to practice by lurching around the "lay-down yard," a bizarre mixture of lumber, extra equipment, and junk such as discarded toilets before taking a pallet of firewood to the campground. We then bounced down trail 8 in a gator to remove a fallen tree. All-in-all a good day!
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 14, 2023 17:15:02 GMT -5
The DOC part of the title is merely that. I’m a full-time DNR employee that is in charge of the offenders. Our boss is wanting to use them every day we can. I think they have most weekends off. Not sure how many parks use them; I know that Hardy Lake uses people from Madison. Ok so this is actually local inmates from county jails then? Guess the “prison” term though me off. No, it's a gen-yoo-wine prison, Madison Correctional Facility. It shares a boundary with the park; in fact, a large part of the park's 1,519 acres were acquired from the grounds of the Madison State Hospital, now the MCF.
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 11, 2023 8:18:22 GMT -5
Interesting…. Never would of thought a State Park would had a DOC job that was full time and that they use prison help every day. The DOC part of the title is merely that. I’m a full-time DNR employee that is in charge of the offenders. Our boss is wanting to use them every day we can. I think they have most weekends off. Not sure how many parks use them; I know that Hardy Lake uses people from Madison.
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 11, 2023 1:15:47 GMT -5
As many of you know I have been working at Clifty Falls State Park for the last few years manning the North gate, selling passes and extolling the virtues of the park to visitors from all points of the compass. I loved the job; it was the first one I'd ever had that was just what it purported to be-- I had one task, one place to be, one thing to do. No constant urging to go faster. No pressure to hurry up and finish so I could go somewhere else and do someone else's job. Showing up on time ( or at all) was noticed and appreciated. During the covid shutdown and for a time at the end of the season I got a chance to work with the maintenance staff, mowing grass and clearing trails, replacing signs and removing trees. A few full time positions came open and I applied for them, but I wasn't picked. But I accepted the disappointment and bided my time.( Besides, if truth be told I liked the gate job). Then out of the blue a few months ago the Park Manager pulled me into his office and said that another job was coming open and that he thought I should apply for it. ( the guy I got passed over for a year earlier had a serious drinking problem and had finally got the boot.) So I did, and I was offered and I accepted the salaried position Of DOC ( Department of Corrections ) supervisor for the Park. My job will be to ferry a work crew from the adjacent women's prison around the park and supervise them as they do various tasks such as cleaning and weedeating. I have some more training to do but will soon be at it. Interestingly, my second day was nearly my last. The assistant manager came up to me looking as if he had seen Death himself and said he needed to see me in his office. I thought I was getting fired, but the reality was almost as bad. A perfect storm of vacations and personal hardships was going to leave the accounting side of the office completely unmanned for two weeks. I was needed to step into the breach. This may sound like nothing to you all, but if I have any talents math is not first on the list. I had a familiarity of how the gate's financial process operated but as far as the reconciliation and accounting end of it, they might as well be asking me to work on the next Lunar lander. So I got about an hour tutorial from the seasonal office help on his last day before becoming an absurd parody of the interim office manager. He was a good teacher, but Lordy... the credit card receipts and daily reports and the bank deposits... I'm on day three of the crisis and to my amazement I think we have the process nearly figured out, though I am still terrified. I think I have aged a year in the past week. Pray for me!
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 10, 2023 23:45:03 GMT -5
Similar here. There was a weird outbreak of them this spring, but since then not much.
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Mitch
Sept 7, 2023 2:25:32 GMT -5
Post by Sasquatch on Sept 7, 2023 2:25:32 GMT -5
Making an upper age limit for office is a difficult thing. I'd agree that it's probably needed ( a fairly high number ) but more to be rid of the eternal power brokers than from fear of cognitive decline. No one is entirely what they once were at 80, but we all know folks who are still pretty sharp. On the other hand there is a lot to be said for keeping people from staying so long. Maybe a combo of term limits and an upper age limit.
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Mitch
Sept 4, 2023 21:56:36 GMT -5
Post by Sasquatch on Sept 4, 2023 21:56:36 GMT -5
I'm sure you all saw this. One does not need a Medical Degree to see that the poor guy needs some of his connections re-soldered.
Who replaces him?
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 4, 2023 21:47:20 GMT -5
It was certainly striking. I got a good view of it through the treetops of Clifty as I was leaving the gate.
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 4, 2023 21:45:37 GMT -5
Sorry for your loss! He left many memories with you!
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 4, 2023 21:44:03 GMT -5
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Post by Sasquatch on Sept 4, 2023 21:40:27 GMT -5
LOL, that's an instant classic right there.
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