This is before electric companies went to remote meter reading.
When I first moved back to Houston I worked for Centerpoint Energy.
Couldn’t find anything with my degree and I just needed a job.
So they gave you a scanner and you either had to jump fences to get to the meter to read it
Or knock on the door to see if someone was home and would they let you in through their back door/open their fence
Now before the job you had to be able to run I think 8 miles in under 15mins
I was a fat boy, 10 piece eating ass nikka then
Anyway they dropped us off at Memorial Park and if you are from Houston you know how big that fukking park is

While running I knew this was not the job for my fat ass but I persevered through
First two days was easy because I had a trainer and they did most of the work
Third day and I’ll never forget it
You are on your own and here’s a map of the neighborhood

Now this is in the middle of August in Houston where it may say it’s 90 degrees but with humidity that shyt feels like 110
And this was before iPhones and shyt where you could just use GPS
So imagine walking around in feel like 110 weather
One bottle of Gatorade for the whole day
Dropped off in a “nice”neighborhood and you are 6’0, 245 chocolate black man
Anyway the first half of the route was pretty easy
Didn’t have to jump any fences, no dogs and if there was a dog
It was friendly and just wanted pets/play when I walked in the back
Welp that shyt went to hell around 12pm
I got lost, nobody was at home, so I’m just jumping fences and doing double work because those meters were already read by someone else and I had to be done by 1pm
So I just started finessing numbers to get done and try to find my way back to the starting point to catch the van back downtown
Couldn’t even do that with that fukking mapquest bullshyt
Supervisor was driving around until she finally found me
Where the fukk were you

I was just finishing up the last meter

You are way too slow and I expect you to be better tomorrow

Coworkers



Me:


That night I threw all that Centerpoint shyt away and never again
Had a couple office gigs but they where through temp agencies
So if anybody has been through that process

Got on with the Post Office and was about to quit too
But I persevered through that
15 years deep but my body ain’t shyt
Even after getting in shape
Take care of your backs young brehs

Now I sit behind a computer watching other carriers scanners from 6-2 and do my side hustle whenever now