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It Happened to Me

Step one: Get a box…

So how’s your afternoon going? Mine’s a bit surreal.

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It Happened to Me

Scene from a Monday

Joey deVilla at his home office, smiling and holding a big glass mug.
Taken earlier today at my home office during one of my conference calls.
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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Me and Anitra on Beach Drive

Joey deVilla and Anitra Pavka on Beach Drive, St. Petersburg, Florida, June 2021.
Me and Anitra, enjoying a lovely day in St. Pete.
Tap to view at full size.

As The Plague slowly recedes, we’ve been getting out more and more. Earlier this week, we were catching up with friends in St. Pete, where we took this photo when we arrived.

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It Happened to Me Tampa Bay

Last night in St. Pete

St. Pete’s Beach Drive, right by Paciuga gelateria. Tap to view at full size.

Last night, Anitra and I had dinner with friends in St. Pete at The Birchwood Inn’s rooftop bar, The Canopy. We were having such a good time that I completely forgot to snap some pics of the gorgeous view from the roof, which would include the all-new St. Pete Pier.

It was such a pretty evening out, and I remembered to capture at least one photo (the one above) before hopping in the car for the drive across the Bay and back to Tampa. The Beach Drive gelateria, Paciugo, was doing some pretty brisk business.

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It Happened to Me

What we’re up to this week

The photo above should give you some clues. We’ve got a lot of green in our front yard and thought it could be improved with a little more color. We’re starting off nice and easy with a small assortment of plants and herbs. We’ll see if they thrive, after which we’ll add to their number.

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Internet Finds It Happened to Me Stranger than Fiction

The forklift safety training video I’ll never forget (and neither will you)

During the summer between high school and university, I landed a job at a warehouse where I was often required to drive a small electric forklift.

Prior to getting my 15 minutes of “training” on the use of the forklift, my manager and I sat in the break room and watched the mandatory safety video.

This “circular saw to the groin” scene could’ve come straight out of one of the Final Destination movies.
I can see the director calling for more red corn starch syrup.
I’m reminded of the song by ’80s synth-pop band Heaven 17: Crushed by the Wheels of Industry!

It was the 1980s, which was the golden age of gorehorror worker’s compensation workplace injury ads and videos in Ontario, and the one we watched took things to a red-corn-starch-syrup-soaked new level.

There’s a scene that’s forever seared into my memory. It starts with the Merry Prankster’s golden prize: an unattended forklift with the keys still in the ignition. A carefree teen decides to take it for a joyride, does a couple of donuts in the warehouse, and quickly loses control.

He plows the forks, which have been raised to the “halfway up” position (which you don’t do when the ’lift isn’t carrying anything), into an oh-so-fake wall:

Look out for the fake wall!

As if that isn’t bad enough, the lunchroom is on the other side of that wall, and so was someone who was just having lunch — he’s now just been forked from behind:

“Finally, I can enjoy my swiss and pastrami on ryAIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

I remember going home that evening and thinking with great disbelief:  “Grown adults commissioned, wrote, and made that video. And got paid for it.

I’d forgotten about that video, and had even begun to think that I’d misremembered it — until this compilation started making the internet rounds. And yup, it features the “forked from behind” scene!

Once again, in case you missed it the first time:

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It Happened to Me The Current Situation

I’m getting my second vaccine this afternoon

Scene from the film version of “West Side Story” featuring the Jets leaning against a chain link fence, snapping their fingers. Headline reads “When the Pfizer gang see the Moderna boys in the streets” and the caption reads “Finger snapping intensifies”
Thanks to Derek Wong for the find!

It doesn’t matter what gang you belong to — just join one, and work on your finger-snapping, dancing, and singing.