Oxygen Tent

Today I calibrated an oxygen tent. Yeah, that's the kind of exciting work I do. Dials and knobs and meters reading values that have to be just so. And you can't just wear out and half-ass the work. There are Regulations to be followed. I'd be risking my job to not follow every minute, prescribed step.

Plus there's the little fact that if I screw up, someone could die. It's motivation like that that gets me up in the morning every day.

So I get to the job at 8 am sharp, as always. Joe was there, already finishing off the first pot of coffee. Security didn't get in until 8:15 at the earliest, so we couldn't actually get into the back rooms to do our work 'til then. But heaven forbid we show up any later than 8 ourselves.

Joe and I chatted about last night's sportsing, as usual. I had no real interest, but kept up just so I'd have something in common to discuss with the team. Matt and Arnold would be in shortly to bicker. They somehow always wound up picking opposite sides in every game.

Then, almost precisely at the tick of 8:15, the security guard strolled in, uniform half-buttoned. He gave a friendly wave and started letting us into the back to do our precise, vital, and ever-so-engaging work for the day.

One more tent down. Wonder how many more there will be.