Submitted by Wonder Boy

You know, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly a construction-like event can attract a horde of onlookers – namely men.

Case in point: This morning “The Tree Killers,” as I like to call them, brought a very large crane, a chipper / shredder thing, a cherry picker and about five guys to euthanize our moldy aged oak tree that shades the entrance to our building at work. As soon as the crane pulled up in the front of the building, guys from Information Services (well, me included) started drooling and lining up by the window to catch a glimpse of Tree Surgeons at work. In between meetings we all ran to the window and were mesmerized as only watching manual labor can make you.

Why is it that we are fascinated by watching other people work? Is this why reality television is so popular? This I cannot answer, but I know that a couple years ago a children’s educational video company took note of our fascination and starting taping the happenings of various construction sites and marketing them to the delight of youngsters and adults. As it turns out the videos fascinated children and were a favorite (and a bestseller) among boys that Christmas. There is even a whole cartoon dedicated to construction.

All in all, I think the “Tree Killers” did a very precise job, despite being attacked by a swarm of cicadas and killer bees. The best part is the head tree trimmer, who has a quarterback-like role on the team: calling the plays, guiding the cranes and chainsaws. He performed the entire job from inside the cherry picker bucket with chainsaw in one hand and a ciggy hanging out of his mouth. Now that is something to gawk at! R.I.P. Mr. Moldy Oak Tree. You will be missed!