TERMINATE

As in terminate the connection. I did my first circuit breaker panel termination today, unassisted, but critiqued. I made some mistakes, but they were technique related and my journeyman offered tips to make my panel look more professional. It was an accomplishment unexpected...I was up on the ladder pulling the wires through, and when that was done I started to climb down, only to be told " where do you think your going? Your'e up there, finish it." Or words to that effect. So I did...I made the connections in the gutter (a 12x16 junction box), this was a 3 phase connection of the wire coming from the main panel down the hall controlling the panel we were dealing with, 4 heavy gauge wires phased black, red, blue and white. I climbed down and started putting my tools away only to be directed to the panel...So, I terminated it as well. I knew it was locked out (turned off) because I locked it out myself. You lock out to prevent some concerned citizen from turning on the breaker at the control panel and frying you with high voltage...it's like a chastity belt for circuit breakers...turn breaker off, attach lock out, attach padlock...no power. And that's what it boils down to for me. The awesome power of electricity was held at bay while I did my thing.
Sorry if that was boring, but it was a milestone for me and I'm having a rare prideful moment.
So, anyhoo...I'm doing my usual evening blogsurf after work, and picking up Ann, and going to the pharmacy, and then the grocery, then back to the pharmacy, then cook dinner while surfing when I went to broad at bat's blog and saw her post about distance and possible impending terminations of friendships, some that have been years in the making...the friendships I mean, not the terminations.
And it got me to thinking about our friendships, or lack thereof these days. Ann and I are both hermit types, we are happy to go about our day to day activities and come home to the company of each other and our pets. And by hermit I mean anti social. If you want to piss me off, show up at my door unannounced. As a rule, I hate unannounced visits, unless we haven't seen each other in a long time and you lost our phone number, or, you are kinfolk. I have precious few kinfolk, and they all share this unannounced gene, so it's not a problem. However, if Special K , or Jane,or Billy or BW showed up unannounced(or anyone on the blogroll for that matter)...they would each and all be met with joy. And food...and spirits.
So maybe what I really mean to say is we are "private" people and not anti social. Truth be told, we stay in touch better here, online, than in real time...I don't know if that's good or bad, but that's the way it apparently is. But back to the broad at bat riff...we have not gone out of our way to stay in touch with our local connections, and they, in kind, have not either. People change over time, but remarkably, remain the same.
I think about my friends often, but because of the day to day shizznet, rarely take action to call or email...and I'm guessing it's the same for them. And that's sad. I hope we don't terminate.