And your Point is?

How's your commute to work and back? Mine is pretty damn cool… plus I get to see this a lot, well, when the sun is out anyway.  I ride the boats of the Washington State Ferry system every day and after 6 years it's become apparent that the workers who get us safely on and off the boat each day have a unique job description, like no one else's; They Point.

Oh there's some waving and a bit of arm movement as well but for the most part they Point.  See the guy in the stylish neon yellow and orange vest… see what he's doing?

 He's indicating exactly where he wants your car to go with the simple yet effective action of  extending his index finger and by golly you do what that finger says! Sometimes they will help you get your car as close to the one in front of you (*rant to follow later) with a little 'bring it, bitch' finger wave and if you are really good and stop to their satisfaction you get jazz hands as a reward.

Now I'm not trying to belittle their job, I mean what they do involves a lot of thought and skill to get as many vehicles as possible on the boat and you can tell the ones who have been doing it for years; they have that glazed-over look but don't you dare try and go rogue and park where they haven't pointed you to!  That shit isn't happening… did I mention they can yell, like really loudly?  They can and then the Point gets up close and personal, gulp.  It's no surprise that they have developed an attitude considering some of the dip shits super geniuses they have to deal with every day.  I mean all you have to do is follow the finger and park your car; simple right? It's not rocket surgery here people!

I wonder if they have to attend Pointing School, hmmmm.

The things they have to put up with every day must drive them crazy because I have a couple that make me insane… look out people, it's time to RANT!
(Some of you may have heard a portion of this rant before but it bares repeating… it does!)

It seems that almost every ferry boat ride someone’s car alarm goes off because boats, I don’t know,  fucking Move when it's on the water and evidently the crime rate on a Ferry is so drastic that people feel the need to turn their car alarm on… and then go upstairs, leaving their motion-sensitive, alarmed car Alone.  Really?  Because there's a majority of passengers, such as myself, who choose to stay in their car and would pretty much Notice if someone was breaking into their shit … hell, we might even say something to them like "dude, I can see you!"  But no, it takes a ferry worker announcing over the speaker system that a blue BMW's alarm is going off to get their ass back to their car to turn that piece of shit OFF  secure the alarm.  There's not even a walk of shame… they aren't in the least sorry that we've had to listen to that loud, obnoxious, unnecessary sound for the last 5 minutes it's taken to get to their car.  No, they are annoyed that they have to come all the way down and look suspiciously around as if they think someone may have actually tried to break into their car.  Yeah, cause that's how you get away with a bunch of great stuff; breaking into a car that's surrounded by 100+ other parked cars with people in them! GAH! 

And another thing... as I just Pointed out, boats Move and so does your car unless you engage your parking / emergency brake.  It’s so simple really but so many choose to just put their car in park and sit there as they rock back and forth when we do that controlled-crash thing otherwise known as docking. Given that we are parked so close together it’s only a matter of time before those that roll will hit another car... duh!  Parking / Emergency brake... use it. *End Rant* Whew, is it hot in here or is it just me? 

The only other job description that could even come close to what the Ferry workers do would be those construction sign-flaggers… you know the ones that have a Stop / Slow sign on a stick and are usually smoking a cigarette, looking so damn bored they wondered how they got to this point in their life, I mean my Gawd they point for a living, WTF?! But wait, they do more than that… they Point AND turn a sign from Slow to Stop. Ahhh, it all becomes much better than they'd previously thought; It's almost as satisfying as canned cheese. Almost.

And my Point is?  Do what you do with the best you've got.  Take pride in your job and in your Life, even if it involves index fingers, signs you twirl or, uhh … canned cheese, (and a stoned anteater), cause damn life's too short to miss out on that shit!

Welcome 2011… I have a feeling it's going to be an amazingly non-boring year! LOL