:eek: awkward ....

As a kid, I always found it fascinating that in the south they let the n-word fly, but call chiggers redbugs. Redbug is like the most NorthAtlantic word in a Louisianan's vocabulary. All day long with their southern twang, then when they talk about itchy insects they suddenly sound like Katherine Hepburn for a hot minute.

I know what you mean about the n-word. Way back when (70's), when I was a teenager, I lied about my age and got a job with a railroad contractor who was based in Chicago. The first contract I went out on was for the K.C. Southern RR down in Texarkana. None of us, most were from Chicago area, could believe how the yard formen for KCS talked to the black guys working their. Talk about a culture shock. What passed for normal, everyday life down there would have got you killed in Chicago.

Some of these are just a hoot and have enjoyed reading them. Maybe it was just my early days, but I often think, "how did that happen and was I really that dumb".

Several buddies and myself, all white guys, used to play basketball one evening a week when the gym was open. (40 yrs ago) Some black kids none of us knew from a local town started showing up and we would play blacks against whites, their choice. I had very limited exposure to black kids so was very careful about what I said. We took a break and at the drinking fountain I asked one of them 'where are you 'boys' from. The one getting a drink spewed all over himself and we all had a good laugh. I did this again just recently with a car salesman. I'm not very couth.

If you saw the Tom Cruise movie American Made, then I'll tell you that stuff is true. In the mid 70's I was working at St. Petersburg/Clearwater Control tower and a Ted Smith Aerostar had called for landing. I told him to report left downwind for Runway 22. I saw the Aerostar and he reported and just then a Citation Jet called for landing a mile east of the airport. I told him to follow the Aerostar, I was going to chew him out when he got in because his first contact was just a mile from the airport.

The Aerostar lands and taxis in to the ramp and the Citation taxis in right behind him. They park maybe a 100 yards from the tower, so I can see everything real clear with the binos. I was trying to figure out what the Citation was up to. Just then I saw 3 or 4 guys jump out of the Citation with guns pulled and ran up and pulled the guys out of the Aerostar. It was a drug bust.

I found out the drug runnners loved using the Aerostar

http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acimages..._josemunoz.jpg

Feds were using a confiscated Cessna Citation Jet, they called the tower later to apologize for not contacting us sooner. They said they were following the Aerostar for a quite awhile and wasn't sure where he was going. Then when they saw them head toward our airport, they contacted us for landing.

https://www.flyingmag.com/sites/flyi...?itok=4oZ4KUC1

My other neat story from St. Pete Tower was around '77 I working in the evening about 8pm and we had taken our headsets off and had the radios in the speakers. I heard this pilot call for landing and without a doubt, I knew it was Arthur Godfrey, his voice was so distinctive. You younger guys probably say, who? Anyway, I wasn't doing anything so I ran down to the ramp just as he was pulling in. He was flying a twin, a Beech Baron by himself at night, not easy for a guy his age or any age for that matter. As he opened the door, I asked if he needed any help with his luggage and I carried in his suit case. Was a heck of a nice guy.

https://alchetron.com/cdn/arthur-god...resize-750.jpg

My first job when I got out of the Army in '72 was as a switchman for Southern Railroad in Savannah. That's about as redneck as you can get. I liked how they trained you, they didn't. I was standing at the front of a moving engine on my first day, and the engineer yelled "Go hit that spot", I didn't have a clue what he meant.

Does anyone know? The spot is a derailer, they have those near RR crossings, you as a switchman must run ahead of the train, which is only going about 5 mph, and throw that derailer off the track. You would think someone would explain that to the switchman trainee a little sooner than when it's about 50 yards ahead of a moving engine.

Kinda like how I found out what a torpedo was. Anyone know what a RR torpedo is?
The first day I was driving/operating the mobile welder on the tracks, walking along the back of it while moving the mobile welder backwards down the track I hear and feel this big ass BOOM about 10 foot behind me from under the welder. I thought I'd blown the whole damn truck up. It didn't take much to rattle a 17 year old on his first day operating a $1.5 million piece of equipment ROFL
One of the guys on our crew thought it was a good way to break in the greenhorn. :D

You should have sprayed him with Mace and then kicked him in the Balls to make it more funny.

i was in a rush to get to work one morning and I forgot to zip up my fly. I entered the office and one of the secretaries said to me did you forget to close your garage door this morning? I looked at her puzzled and was pretty sure I did. Later when i went to the restroom I realized what she meant. I asked her, when you saw my garage door open did you see a hummer in there? She replied no. Just a old mini van with two flat tires.

LMAO

LMAO

better a mini van than a run down Family Truckster with some worn out greenwalls.