Two months ago, a pair of Hawaiian Electric workers
came to my house to install a state-of-the-art meter
with all the bells and whistles that signal rate hikes to me.
The old guy does most of the work, talking all the while,
the young guy and I watching, listening, and learning.
“Be careful not to install more than 40 meters a day.
If you install more than 40, you working too fast,
and you gonna work yourself right out of a job.
When we were changing over all the streetlights to LEDs,
we figured out we was doing um way too fast.
We knew we were going finish the work too soon,
so we started doing only 40 a day,
and when pau (finished) the 40,
we would go park the truck somewhere in the neighborhood
where no one could see us,
and we go sleep the rest of the day.
So be careful not to work too fast, yeah?
Go slow so you no work yourself out of a job.
After you do 40 of these meters, stop
and go find someplace for hide and sleep.”
The young guy takes this all in, as do I,
nodding and throwing in a “yeah” and an “okay”
from time to time – him, not me.
It was a good training session overall,
for the new guy and for me.
I think we both learned a lot.
So I notice my electricity bill went up.
Lanning Lee 