Hi Folks,
I have worked heavy industrial and commercial electricl construction for forty years. If there is anyplace you're going to see practical jokes it is in that business. For the most part, what I saw didn't really cause any harm. There were a few incidents where things got out of hand, I attributed those incidents to a general lack of common sense. I think most of us here are intelligent enough to know the difference between a little prank and an out and out stupid stunt. While I did see some things that were stupid and could have possibly caused an accident, it never happened. The only injury and harm I ever saw occur was either due to the stupidity of the person doing something wrong and unsafe, or something due to a lack of safety on the part of the employer.

The plastic film over the toilet and a little water squirt was funny. If a person doen't have enough of a sense of humor to see that I feel pitty for them. I would really hate to go through life being like that. That said, I do think there should be practical limits. This new, so-called zero tolerance of this and that is probably more dangerous than a practical joke. These people who come up with this crap don't seem to realize they have created work environments that have led to marginally unstable people running into a work place with a gun and shooting people at random. Nice work geniuses...
It all comes back to one basic rule of life I strongly believe in, and that is moderation in all things.

I have been retired for about a year and a half now. People ask me if I miss the work. In honesty I have to answer that I do miss the people but I was really glad to get out of it because of the brain dead idiots they have running things now. They have really ruined any enjoyment that I got out of working. In that respect I'm so glad to be out of it. I am the kind of person that con't just retire and go sit on the couch. I have to be doing something. That is why I have started two retirement businesses. I am my own boss and I can do as I please.

Later Folks...

 

Here's a couple of simple jokes;

This first one I learned when I worked at the fab shop. Go into the bathroom, pull the top off the tank, unclip the bowl refill tube from the overlow tube and route it out towards the front, set the top of the tank back on so that the bow refill tube is held in place.
The next person that flushes is going to get suprising squirt of water.

While we are on the subject of water (this one is fun to do at home with your kids, especially if they do the dishes) Take a rubber band and put it over the trigger for the sprayer. The next person that turns on the faucet gets sprayed with the sprayer

Bobby

 

I wonder how funny it would have been if you were the one that got splashed. You can keep you pity to yourself.

Chuck

Edit. I posted this as bobbytnm was posting so I guess it applys to both dave and bobbytnm. I really don't understand what is so funny about these bathroom pranks.

 

Chuck,

As with most things in this world, we all have our own opinions and likes and dislikes. Foods that taste good to some are revolting to others, music that some people enjoy sounds like random noise to other folks, some people like to completely customize their trucks while others prefer bone stock factory originals. This is one of those subjects that people are just going to disagree on. If the jokes bother you or the subject bothers you please feel free to exercise your right to not participate in this thread any further.

I have been on the recieving end of both of the two previously mentioned water pranks. how do you think I learned about them? I have been a wise-a** from a young age. I had to learn early on that if you were going to joke with people (verbally or otherwise) then you had better be prepared for people to joke with you as, like most things in this world, its a two way street.

Bobby

 

Bobbytnm.

Well said.

Chuck

 

Years ago I was a mechanic for "Superior Ready Mix Concrete" in San Diego. We would constantly joke with the drivers that could tolerate it. Although we always performed top notch work, we were always sarcastic in our replies to maintenance requests. An example would be a write up saying "Left rear outside drive tire almost needs to be replaced." Our reply would be something along the lines of "almost replaced left rear outside drive tire." About the worst of our jokes was laying a big wad of grease under the drivers door handle. Never a dull moment around that place, but it definitely kept the monotony at a low level.

 

A pair of work boots set infront of the toilet and a pair of coveralls drapped over the crapper with the legs of the coveralls in the tops off the work boots so it loooks like someone is sitting there.Makes a long line up outside the washrooms.

 

We had a sound activated light switch in the mens room. We also had a guy that would dissapear everyday about an hour and be in the mens room.
We figured out how to change the settings on the switch and would make it so once he got in there it would shut off and he had to slam the stall door every 3 minutes to make it come on.
He would be in there banging the door and the girls who worked in the area near the bathroom would just laugh.

We also had a guy come in from out of town..a friends dad and he stopped by to see us.
He went in there and the damn lights went off hahaha
He thought somebody turned them off.
He walked right into a floor buffer machine in the dark and the handle smacked him in the *****.
I was laughing writing this. Its been almost twenty years ago.

 

Hey Chuck,
That and other things have happened to me lots of time and I laughed it off, as I assume any normal well balanced person would. Contrary to popular belief, the water will not kill you, and it even dries up pretty fast on a hot day.

Help stamp out **** Retention in our lifetime...

Later Chuck...

 

Chuck,

Thanks for not taking offense. After re-reading my post I think it sounds a little harsh, it was not meant to be. Communicating strictly by the written word has its limitations.


There is another time honored practical joke that has since passed into history. Anytime we got a new counterman in the parts department we would charge up a distributor condensor and toss it to him stating, "I need one of these". Nothing like a little zap to get someone jumping.
This joke backfired on my dad once. I was maybe 6 years old, dad was tuning up the car and took the condensor out and handed it to me. He told me to go give it to my mother. I think he figured I'd get the zap........well, I ended up handing it to mom without getting zapped. I did learn some new words that day. After the cussing died out I don't think mom spoke to dad for several days.....ooops

Bobby

 

Well as some of you know I drove a truck over the road for 40 years. In the late 70's I ran team to the west coast every week, my partner got up needing to tinkle, yelp, underwear, cowboy boots,cowboy hat which was in the seat went on his head and I stopped, he hopped out and I drove off just about the time he had everything going real well, about 300 feet he walked after he finished. Alot of horns blowing that day, I got new partner shortly after that.

 

I got my wife with that one a few times. Usually wait a couple of months between each attempt.......that one never gets old.....not for me anyway.


I work in the pipeline construction industry and there have been many a greenhorn sent to the supply van looking for sky hooks, left handed crescent wrenches, pipe stretchers, etc.....

Once the pipeline is constructed, we run a construction pig through the pipe to confirm that there has been no blockage or damage to the steel pipe in the construction process, I told this one kid that we needed to call the pigs in and sent him looking for a pail of feed.....the fella in the supply van usually has some on hand for just such an occasion, the kid came back with a big smile on his face, we then proceeded to show him how to call the pig and he did so for a couple of minutes until the group of pipeline veterans standing around couldn't contain themselves anymore.......The kid thought it was funny too, after he got over the embarrassment.....

As for practical jokes, as long as no one is hurt or no property is damaged, then whats the harm. Heck I enjoy the odd practical joke on me as well, it lightens the atmosphere and brings people closer together as a team.

Some people just have optical rectomitus - this is where the nerve that connects your eyeballs to your a**hole gets infected and it gives you a sh**ty outlook on life.

 

As others have said, I can take it as well as give it. I love a good practical joke. We have this one good friend/customer, who always leaves his keys in his truck. He came over one day to hang out and my grandfather talked him into helping him install a new faucet (he lives next door) anyway, while he was gone over there we drove his truck into our back room on the shop. He came back and didnt even notice for a LONG time. I finally asked him to bring his truck around and we'd load his stuff in it and take it to my shop. When he went out and looked for his truck he came back in lookin very SICK. I didnt keep him in suspense long, cause I couldnt take it. When I told him we ALL got a good laugh.




The guy I bought one of my trucks from was a construction foreman. He told me they always brought the new guys in on Monday. He worked the high steel. They brought this new guy in and this particular new guy was TERRIFIED of heights. As they were goin up the construction elevator, one of the guys on the top floor (about 20 floors up) threw over a dummy with a construction uniform on and YELLED!!!!!!!!!!!!! The guy turned his head in the elevator, when he looked down, one of the guys on the ground had taken the dummy out of the way and jumped up dusting himself off and said " If they do that one more time today, I'm going home!!!" The guy got to the top of floor and pushed the down button and QUIT!

 

That's what you call it. I have wondered for all my life if there was a name for it and now I know. I've met a few people with optical rectomitus in my military career. They just aren't very popular, especially if you are deployed overseas. You have to be able to laugh in life or it's just no fun.
By the way, I'm a big fan of practical jokes as long as no one gets hurt, and nothing gets damaged. I've been the brunt of many practical jokes as everyone knew I could take it. I like to dish them out too but I have such a hard time keeping a straight face.

 

I’ve worked in an office environment for more years than I care to admit.

My favourite is to pop a few keys off people’s keyboards and mix them up. Had one guy call IS to try to unlock his computer because he thought someone had changed his password on him. Works especially good on guys since they tend to have to look at the keys when they type…….

With today’s modular phones, you unplug the cord from the handset where it goes into the base of the phone, but leave it just barely pushed into the connector. When they get back from wherever, you phone them. They pick it up and start talking but can’t hear anything……

My all time favourite of one done to me- I had this unusual truck – an 88 VW Double Cab Transporter. Front half like a van, back half like a pick up. As aerodynamic as a brick. I loved that thing. It was mint. Had a picture of it as my screen saver as work and never had a password or screen lock on my PC.

Came back from a meeting one time and here’s my screen saver – Truck is jacked up on one corner, the wheel is laying on the ground. Big peace signs painted on the doors, flowers growing outa the back of it. One of those happy face ***** on the antenna. A stick person behind the wheel and one standing beside the truck. I just about pissed myself.

Somebody had downloaded a copy of the pic to a floppy, gone away and photoshopped it like crazy on their own time and then installed the altered photo while I was in my meeting. I kept it for about a week before I changed it back.