Bomb’s Away Softball tournament Day Two

Our first game was at noon. But I was supposed to help out with the reserve testing. I went to the station and met up with Dearth. I put my stuff on the engine and I went POV to the training tower. I helped get the course set up. Drew was giving out the jobs. He said he did not have one for Blake who decided to come and help. So I offered my position to Blake so I could go to the softball game. I was taken up on the offer so I went to my office and got my uniform on. Then I went to my apartment and got a key for it.

I went to Moscow and watched the softball game before mine be played. Smitty showed up and then a few other guys trickled in. Smitty said he is bringing two guys to help us for the ones we lost. It was minutes from game time and the main group of guys who were at the bar last night were not here. I was very worried. Then they pulled in at the last minute. I finalized the line up.

We were the number one seen having won three of four games on Saturday. We were playing the AleHouse again. I knew we could beat them as long as we played like yesterday. But our bats did not cooperate with us. They scored seven in the first and kept tacking on a run or two in most of the innings. We could not score when we were getting people on base. We lost to them by four runs. It was very disappointing.

After the game was done I drove to Colfax and got my extra mattress and some bedding linen. Then I went to my apartment and dropped it off. I went to buy some stuff for the place like a pizza pan and a power supply for my hand held scanner.

Wakeman had called about doing some engineer training with Reed. I said that I wanted to go. After my shopping was done I went to the station. We watched the end of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly with Chris then went to the tower. We set up the street pipe and did some pump time. Because of that I got one more thing checked off in my engineer training packet. We were also setting up a stand pipe and dwelling lay. I still don’t know all the calculations off the top of my head so when Wakeman testing us on a couple things I did not do great at that. But there was one thing I got right and Reed, who knows most of the calculations got wrong.

Wakeman at one point was trying to get into the tower. They key was not working. He said there was something wrong. I suggested using this other door. Then he wondered why the key would not work. I said PEBKAC as I was walking over to help Reed. Wakeman thought I was making fun of him so he had me explain what I said. When I did he got mad.

I didn’t say it to be mean, I was making a joke. I felt bad that we were finally able to talk easy with each other and I felt like I messed it up by doing that. I wanted to let him know that I did not mean to make him mad with it. But I did not say anything at that time.

After the training we got a couple calls. We were also doing vehicle maintenance. He asked what was wrong because I was pretty quiet. I told him I planned on talking to him about it later. We finished up the maintenance, which took a long time with just three people doing it. I watched some TV and then as I was leaving Wakeman came into the bay and asked what was up.

I told him I felt bad about making him mad at me. I told him how it seemed like only lately we have had a decent relationship while going on calls and I felt like I ruined it. Then he talked to me about how he felt I was undermining his being a crew leader. He knew I had more time on the department than him and that he thinks that I am in some power struggle with him.

That really surprised me that he felt that way. I have not harbored anything bad towards him being the acting crew leader. He told me there were a lot of little things that by themselves didn’t seem bad, but as he would go over things in his mind they were lining up pointing towards the power struggle. We talked about it for about two hours. I wanted him to know that I did not have ill feelings toward him. That my ways of talking to people are the same when they have a position of leadership over me. That when we need to do as we are told, I do so without argument and when there is time, if it is not in a grave situation I will question something I think is wrong or different from my plans.

I wanted him to know in no way was my joke today meant as bashing him and that I felt that I have a lot of respect for what he knows and what he does on the department. With the last few months where he felt I have been challenging him and when I said what I did that was sort of a last straw moment for him.

When the talk was done I think we were better off, but I am going to be a lot more mindful of his concerns about his feelings of me challenging him. I am going to do what I can to make sure he knows I am not doing that.

I got to my apartment around two in the morning. I unpacked the things I bought today and decided it was a good time to get some sleep.