A coal mining scenario?

Take a sledgehammer and wrap an old sweater around it. This is your "shovelglove." Every week day morning, set a timer for 14 minutes. Use the shovelglove to perform shoveling, butter churning, and wood chopping motions until the timer goes off. Stop. Rest on weekends and holidays. Baffled? Intrigued? Charmed? Discuss here.
Post Reply
User avatar
phayze
Posts: 297
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:57 am

A coal mining scenario?

Post by phayze » Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:40 pm

I had this thought last night while digging through my CDs for some good labor-related songs. I've thought of a few moves that seem to fit, but I'm sure some of you more experienced shovel-bums would have some ideas to help fill it out.

Picking - basically chopping wood, but the imagery is of using a pick axe on the mine wall.

Breaking Rocks - spike driving, but imagine that you're hitting very large chunks of rock or coal to break them into a more manageable size.

Load the Cart - shoveling, but with extra lift, as if scooping up coal from the mine floor and dumping it into a cart that's about 3 and a half feet tall.

Pump the Handcart - I think someone suggested this already, but I can't find the thread now. Hold the SG by the head and pump up and down with your arms and/or a squat.

Union Rally - As if picketing the corrupt mine-owners treatment of you, hold your SG like a protest sign and pump it up and down rhythmically. Chanting protest songs would be optional.

14 minutes of traditional coal mining songs would, of course, be a must.

Any other ideas?
1 Picture = 1,000 words
0:01s Video = 30 pictures
therefore, 0:01s Video = 30,000 words

VanillaGorilla
Posts: 145
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:50 am
Location: MA Chapter Of The BLS

Post by VanillaGorilla » Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:27 pm

Union Rally - As if picketing the corrupt mine-owners treatment of you, hold your SG like a protest sign and pump it up and down rhythmically. Chanting protest songs would be optional.
I actually do something like that from time to time. I hold the hammer as close to the bottom of the handle as I can and do pretty much what you described. I just didn't have a name for it, is all.... :lol:

Cool ideas there. 8) Cheers!
Fall down seven times, get up eight.

User avatar
david
Posts: 582
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 8:49 pm
Location: Oklahoma, USA

Post by david » Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:07 pm

The Union Rally idea is really funny!

Good work, Phayze!

--david

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Jul 12, 2006 11:14 pm

The Union Rally idea is really funny!
Ditto!!! :lol:
LOL...

How's your arms today Phayze?
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
phayze
Posts: 297
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:57 am

Post by phayze » Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:44 am

Glad you folks like the union rally idea - it's just weird enough to be funny, and yet still relevant (sadly, coal miners are still treated like dirt by the mine owners).

After I wrote that I found Reinhard's similar ideas in the archive from the old forum and particularly like "attack the scab" (fireman/"smite the orc", I think). I had envisioned the rally turning violent when Sheriff Blaire's thugs showed up, making a nice excuse for chop the tree, smite the orc, leap up/stab face, or some free style.

See, Shovelgloving is not only fun and healthy - it's also educational! ;)

Arms are better today, Deb, but still kind of unhappy. Hopefully they'll feel cooperative tomorrow.
1 Picture = 1,000 words
0:01s Video = 30 pictures
therefore, 0:01s Video = 30,000 words

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:19 pm

Great scenario and link, Phayze.

I gotta get an mp3 of that song...

In all seriousness (well, maybe in half seriousness), Shovelglove is a kind of communion with our laboring ancestors.

Reinhard

User avatar
phayze
Posts: 297
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:57 am

Post by phayze » Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:27 pm

Thanks, Reinhard!

If you find that mp3. let me know where - I've only heard it live, and I'd love to have it for my SG playlist. :)
1 Picture = 1,000 words
0:01s Video = 30 pictures
therefore, 0:01s Video = 30,000 words

Post Reply