[thechat] Attempt at humour

[deke]

On 16 Aug 2001, at 17:49, Erika Meyer posted a message which said:

> >8. When the photocopier doesn't work, call computer support. There's
> >electronics in it.
 
> 8. When the photocopier doesn't work, bash with a baseball bat.  -- 
> oh wait... that's just my fantasy.

My late first wife was plant nurse at Peter Eckrich & Sons corporate
headquarters and original factory in Fort Wayne.  Donald Eckrich 
became president of Beatrice Foods, but when Beatrice was doing 
its self-destruct thing, he said something sensible to the chairman 
and found himself on the sidewalk. Just to complete the punishment,
they put profitable Eckrich under the control of highly unprofitable
Swift, and shut down the Fort Wayne plant. 

Everybody from the other plants came in to claim all the equipment
they wanted, and the one thing *everybody* wanted was a $50,000
copier. Marsha ended up being the last person fired at Fort Wayne
because she had a tremendous backlog of insurance claims to
process - and because having an RN around when the plant was
being disassembled seemed like a prudent thing to do. She used
that copier a lot, and it was the very last thing loaded on the very
last semi that left the factory.

However, instead of having an elevated dock, and having a level
surface for trucks backing in and pulling out, they simply dug a
ramp for the trucks, so they were backing in downhill and pulling
out uphill. Because of the angle, though, they had to pull the 
trailers out before they could close the back doors. 

It was icy. The truck would pull forward, lose traction, and fall back.
Every time he would pull a few inches further before he would lose
the battle, and every time he fell back, he would hit the bumper on
the doc with a heavy thud.

The copier fell out. The driver didn't notice. But just in case the fall
didn't destroy the copier, the truck thudded back into the copier,
repeatedly.  Instead of a much-coveted super-copier, it was a
pile of junk that wasn't easy to get into a dumpster. 

If it had not happened on Marsha's last day, she probably would
not have so enjoyed telling the story...  And it may not be the
*funniest* story around, but the subject line is *attempt* at humor,
isn't it? <grin>

deke



 
------------------------
 "The church is near but the road is icy; 
  the bar is far away but I will walk carefully." 
                            -- Russian Proverb