Roads are wide open today… not a thing to report in the way of obstacles or harsh conditions. Remember, though, that tomorrow (Tuesday, August 7), from 7AM until 4PM, Hwy. 138 is slated for full closure from Top Town Crestline to the Crestline Bridge. Don’t forget to adjust your schedule by allowing a little extra time for a detour… remember that lots of others will be joining you through The Narrows, and all it takes is ONE ultra- slow vehicle to force everybody else to go ultra- slow. Don’t get mad… there’s nothing good that can come from that. Just plan for a slow ride.
There was a great Saturday Night Live skit a few years ago (back when SNL was about comedy, not politics… Kids, believe it or not, this show used to be a comedy… it was even FUNNY!). The bit was set in the control room of a nuclear reactor. As one crew’s shift ended, and they were clearing out for the next crew to take over, one of the members who was going home left with these parting words: “Just remember… you can’t put too much water in the reactor!” And off he went.
Well, the rest of the routine was the new crew trying to decipher what he had meant… did he mean that we should just keep adding water to the reactor, because there is no way to put too much into it… or did he mean, that we need to be careful, and not add too much water?
I had sort of a similar thing happen not too long ago. I had been out for a jog… I’m still trying to beat my 50s, and I’m getting a really good workout now, with all of this extra weight I’m hauling around. Anyhow, it was a hot day to start with, and I was towards the end of my run… I was soaked with sweat. At an intersection I was approaching, somebody ran a red light, and two vehicles collided pretty violently.
Nobody had life- threatening injuries, but one older woman had a broken arm. She was in tears, partly from the pain, and partly from the trauma of being in a terrifying accident. I offered to assist her. She said, “I just need somebody to comfort me and put an arm around me until the ambulance gets here.”
This was within the scope of my medical training, but I wanted to warn her… I said, “Sure, but I am sort of sweaty and gross right now…”
Her response was, “Oh, that’s okay.”
Now, I didn’t want to put her through the nerd torture of evaluating the meaning and definition of words and the decisions involved in inflection and so forth… she was injured, not looking for a lengthy discussion, but just looking for a shoulder to cry on… I think… unless maybe the shoulder was all sweaty. I could not tell if she meant, “Oh, that’s okay, never mind then,” or if she meant, “Oh, that’s okay, I don’t mind a sweaty stinky person.” I have no idea. To this day, I have wondered what she actually meant. For the record, I did put my arm around her, but I’ve always wondered if this only compounded her misery.
Keep in mind that ambiguity can lead to confusion, even to the point of selecting a choice that is the polar opposite of the intended message. Now, get yourself on to work, but remember: You can’t drive too fast going through The Narrows.