Yesterday, GP and I were waiting for a helicopter that was late coming out of the bush, lazily drinking coffee and flicking through the many possible flash patterns on our new dash strobe to pass the time.
Ditch: “Nah, I don’t like that one.” [Pushes button]
GP: “That one’s kind of lame.” [Pushes button]
Ditch: “How about this one?”
GP: [Ponders] “I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem to scream ‘GET THE F*** OUT OF MY WAY!’ does it?”
[Thoughtful pause]
Ditch: [Reaches for button]
A few hours later, we were shaken from profound slumber to head 150 km. down the main oil-patch ice road for a car accident. The ice has been thawing for three days, so the road, usually even and grippy, was a buckled disaster of potholes. Road channel radio chatter is often entertaining to listen to, but here’s the best exchange I’ve ever heard:
Trucker #1 [Driving towards me]: “Hey, emergency vehicle, you wanna kill your driving lights?”
Ditch: [Kills brights and mulls over clever rebuttal.]
Trucker #2 [Voice from above]: “Why don’t you have some respect? Just pull over and get out of their f***in’ way, and stop worrying about their driving lights! Those guys might have to save your life some day.”