Rrrrrrrr!

Wooo!! Chainsaws! So after some abridged PT this morning (allegedly – that run seemed just as long as it was yesterday and I sucked today), we spent the first half of the day in a class on chainsaws. Our packet for the class is about an inch thick, it’s crazy. I could not stay awake either, it was awful. I’ve been getting plenty of sleep but I just want to conk out every five seconds sitting in the work center. And there was so much information. I feel like I can’t remember any of it. Well, I remember some of the most important parts like don’t use the chainsaw over your head, make sure to look for overhead hazards, clear the area, have a safe zone, watch your kerf while cutting … but there was so much more than that. After lunch, we spent a little more time talking and then we got to play around with some actual professional chainsaws. All of the chainsaws have names – Sasha, Otis, FSU, Monique, Mr. Orange, Tyler Durden. No one was allowed to take Tyler Durden. I seem to recall Ervin telling me something about that particular chainsaw but it escapes me now. I took Otis, which I found out was Ervin’s chainsaw last year.

So we each got to take the bar apart, see all the vitals, take out the air filter, take out off the flywheel cover. It was pretty cool, I enjoyed that far more than sitting around. I remember a lot more too, but then I’m a visual person. Then we got to start chainsaws and see what they felt like. I went to start mine and it just would not go. I kept yanking on the cord and I got nothing. Ervin was egging me on and I finally just gave in and told him to do it. Well, it wasn’t just me – it was flooded. So Ervin and one of the Forest Service guys had to work at it for a while. Eventually, they got it started but they found out that the idle needed to be fixed because it would just cut off after you started it unless your finger was on the trigger. So we learned two methods to starting a chainsaw. I finally got it started on my turn. It felt pretty cool. They’re heavy, but they’re not as heavy as I thought they would be.

After work, we found out how the break situation is gonna work. Half of the teams are going to take break during the scheduled AmeriCorps break, which is June 27th to July 6th. The other half would take a break from May 23rd to 31st, pending Kevin’s approval. I’m currently in the May break group, but I might be able to switch to the June/July break. We’ll see. I feel like the May break is poor scheduling. It’s so last minute. We would find out if the May break is official on Tuesday, which would give me roughly a week to buy tickets and arrange transportation. Meanwhile, the June/July people have more time to figure out how to get home, what tickets to buy, etc. I dunno, we’ll see what happens. I might end up being able to switch with someone and go home in June. I’d like that because it would give my mom a chance to take off from work for the time that I would be home.

Meanwhile, this morning is the second morning that my MP3 player hasn’t worked, so I’ve had to run without music. Boo. I need a rhythm. I can run without it, but I’m gonna call Sandisk’s tech support and see if I can fix it. I really enjoy running with a tempo, with instrumental and lyrical motivation.