Salad Days

My first real job was full time at a medium sized east Texas university in my hometown as a tech for the energy management department. I was there from '80 - '87. Seven great years. I was a young squirt full of energy and mischief out on my own for the first time.My job was to maintain building temperatures within energy management and comfort levels. It was mostly pneumatic controls and chilled water/hot water systems. I loved so much of it. From wall thermostats to mixing boxes, variable air boxes, hot/cold water valves and air compressors. Hot and cold deck controllers. Calibration and installation and replacement/repair therewith.Handling temperature complaints from occupants could be a drag but I liked the rest of it. I had most of the campus to deal with. The west side was the older more historical side and had electric controls and steam heat. It was hard to maintain comfort levels in these delapidated brick buildings with steam but I loved the smell of fresh steam in the maintainance rooms at 6 in the morning on cold wintery days. The pipes would knock when the steam first came into the building.The east side was more modern, with buildings that popped up in the '60s. These were chilled/hot water and not steam. One notable memorable event was the total decimation of the Old Main building, which was destroyed by fire under surreptitious circumstances in I think 1981. That was a great historical building, with features that simply cannot be replicated this day. There was talk of rebuilding it but there's just nobody out there that could replicate the woodwork, windows, etc. I used to climb into the attic of that building and see soda cans dating back to the '30s that had never been cleaned out.It was the age of new wave music and punk rock and many students had the hair and clothing styles of the day. I played the role of mainainance man to the max, with my green uniform and cap and scraggly beard.I liked the variety of the buildings and the equipment I had to work on. I quit because of seedy politics. Competance didn't matter, just getting close to the boss and sucking up, which I never did. We had the worst supervisor at the west plant, he was just out for his own ass.I got sick of it.What compelled me to write this bit was the deaths of 3 old workmates in the past couple years, two within two months. They were from a town of mostly Polish descent and did a lot of hunting and fishing. What they ate came from the woods or stream, or from the ground. They only went to the store for salt and pepper and ketchup I think. And beer. Plenty of beer.Those were my beer days too.I have forgotten the bad stuff that led to my demise there. Now I just remember the good times at the plant with the fellers. The roaring boilers in the winter, the screaming chillers in the summer, the whine of the pumps in the penthouses.
That was 22 years ago.
But I will cherish those 7 years forever.

Bach's St. Matthew Passion

I am a fan of Bach all around, but lately I've become downright hooked on his St. Matthew Passion.
This is a 3 hour gig, by the way. I just listen to bit excerps on the stereo when driving in my car.
Below are a few of many chorals in the piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s6JfNREAgo&feature=related about 10 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4JYwbWwNSs&feature=fvw about 7 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSVFQTT9Lww&feature=related about 2 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScyrmYez6h0&feature=related about 9 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnZt5iXvGg8&feature=related 6 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEsjbpnUh1U&feature=related about 4 minutes



And the stultifying last two movements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXPpiXdpIq4

Handel, go fly a kite, you're outta here.