Of train wrecks and tantrums

A man applied for a job as a railway guard.  The interviewer asked what he would do if he saw two trains approaching each other on the same track.  "I would swing my lantern to warn them to stop," the man said.

"What if you had no lantern?"  "Then I would blow my whistle as an alarm," the applicant said.

"What if you had no whistle?"  "Then I would jump up and down and shout and wave my arms at them," the man said.

"What if the two engineers didn’t notice you?" the interviewer asked.

"Then," said the applicant, "I would call my wife and say, ‘Gladys, come quickly and see the biggest train wreck you’ll ever see in your life!’"

I can’t say why I’m reminded of this story by what Professor Bogdanski is calling the "meltdown" at the Portland Development Commission following its selection of Opus Northwest, instead of Beam Development, to build the Burnside Bridgehead project, and the subsequent back-and-forth between b!X and Nathaniel Clevenger, going on here at Portland Communique.  Mr. Clevenger, a public relations professional, has advised PDC, Matt Hennessee (PDC’s outgoing chairman), and Opus Northwest on various matters in the last few years.

Actually, I could say why — the words "train wreck" figure prominently in the reason — but I think I’ll stop here for now.  I will say only that the Laquedemitasse learned at the age of three not to have tantrums in front of anyone other than his parents, a skill that will serve him well later in life.