Window Washers

The other day there was a really bad thunderstorm here in downtown Dallas. I think it was on Monday, but I can't remember for sure. My current office sits directly across from one of the conference rooms on my floor and since it's walls are glass in teh front and there is a large window in the back, I have a virtual window in my office. I remember sitting here watching the rain come pouring down, and unlike the usual site of other office buildings and things in downtown Dallas, I could see nothing but whitish rain and occasional lightning.

As I was sitting there watching all of this and wondering if it would stop before I had to walk across the street to my car, I noticed some black wires swinging violently back and forth. I decided to get up from my desk and go investigate to see what exactly was hanging from teh building. I couldn't see what I connected to, and it made me a little nervous standing in the cornered window with lightning striking nearby, so I went back to my desk puzzled. I noticed the black wires were still there yesterday as well so I figured at least it wasn't some random wiring that had been whipped off the building from the storm.

Just a few minutes ago, I looked up from my Internet surfing to see a window washer. He just finished cleaning my virtual window and has moved on to another area. I can not even imagine having a job like that. My office is on the 26th floor and there are 40+ floors on this building. That means, that poor guy has to hang from those wires that were violently blowing the other day in the storm in a little basket and lower his way down from 40+ stories above unforgiving streets and sidewalks just to wash windows. I am not really afraid of heights, but I have a fear of falling, and I think I would be going crazy as the basket swung back and forth in the breeze. I can see the wires swinging now - how scary!

Anyways, I thought I would share my little story about window washers so that if you are having a bad day, you can be grateful that your job does not include risking your life in a little basket hanging from two measly wires just to get some fancy office building windows cleaned! :)