My dizzy past.

In my previous post I talked about the periods of dizziness that I have been experiencing. That post set my memory in motion and I remember the many times I worked up high. We used to install the 'skin' on high rise buildings. That skin was made up of structural steel and a finish material of some kind; plaster or synthetic plaster. They would weigh around 400 pounds; some much larger and much heavier. We used an electric hoist that had enough counterweights on it to keep it from toppling over the edge when we began to lift the panel from the trailer on the ground. To begin hoisting we would take the safety cables down so that we could push the hoist out far enough to drop the hook and 'headache ball down to the waiting crew. Standing on the edge of the building with no safety cables to keep you from falling 20 or 30 stories is no place for a person with balance problems...but that was 30 years ago and my balance was fine.

Or the time when we were finishing up the Harrah's Hotel expansion in Reno and the elevator installers wanted to show me what work was necessary around the elevator lobby door on each floor; all 24 floors. I assumed that we would get in the elevator and stop at each floor to look. But no, we were going to stand on top of the elevator car and go from floor to floor and look from inside the shaft. Macho me, I wasn't going to say no so I stepped onto the elevator with the two mechanics. It was a small elevator, about 6' x6' with nothing to hold onto. In fact; right in front of me and at the center of the car were the lifting cables. They were always moving as the car ascended. I was told to be sure I didn't touch them. There was a 40 watt light bulb that didn't do much to disperse the darkness that surrounded us. Then I sensed rather than viewed the presence of the other elevators in that shaft. They whispered by us at very fast rate. We were climbing at what was called Inspection Speed while the other elevators were moving at their normal High Speed and that was aptly named.
We stopped at each floor and I would nervously make my way across the top of the car to look at the work. Then on to the next floor. With High Speed elevators on both sides of us, going about their business. When we reached the top I told them that I had some business to do on that floor and so I would have to miss the trip back down. But, thanks anyway.

I miss me....