I work with a whole bunch of the most brutally lethal animals on the planet. Sure, most of the time they act like absolute sweethearts, & I love when people comment on CARE's cats with surprise at how seemingly nice and personable they are, but make no mistake- they are, at their core, instinctually-driven killers- dangerous and cold.
Next, I work with a lot of heavy duty equipment and tools at CARE. Tractors that can tip over on uneven terrain, engines that can mangle fingers, sharp knives that can cut through skin like paper, welders that can blind you & start fires, & power tools that can do all sorts of mayhem.
We have a very rigorous and specific training program for our skilled workers, and it involves a LOT of task repetition & building a mindset of continuous risk management. Recognize danger, report it, and remedy it. I am proud of our skilled interns and senior volunteer staff- they do a hell of a job keeping CARE's cats happy, healthy, & comfortable and being safe while they do it.
So, I gots to try REAL hard to not get myself injured over the course of the next few months. It sure would stink to go through this whole thing & then be forced to sidline myself from the mudrun because of a work-related mishap, so I can't let that happen. No way, no how!
Luckily I've got years worth of great memories of getting mildly banged up from my own stupidity to give me a healthy sense of humbleness and the experience-based skill of looking before I leap.
That being said, my next blog post is going to be the story of the worst injury I ever recieved out here at CARE. It has nothing to do with tools, equipment, or cats and everything to do with my lunkheadedness. Oh boy. I can't wait.
For now, I gotta get back to the kitties!
-Derek
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