Nathaniel Britton had boots on the ground Wednesday. He could feel the soles and toes start to split.
Wearing an orange hard hat and yellow reflective vest, Britton was stationed on Ellsworth Avenue between Maple and Elm with a pole in hand bearing a “SLOW” message.
Britton was working as a flagger for one of several Frontier crews installing fiber optic cable in the neighborhood.
“I’m on my feet all day,” he said during a conversation on the “Word of the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program. His mission: “Make sure no one gets run over” on streets narrowed to one lane while Frontier’s “Way Down South & Associates” contractor crew ascends in the air to splice wires and finagle cable around poles.
He started at 7; he hoped to be off work by 4. Tuesday he clocked out at 8 p.m. after starting at 6:30 a.m.
He started the flagging gig with a subcontractor last week, glad to be back at work after getting laid off in December from a construction/landscaping job in Bridgeport. He’s done flagging on and off for years and has certification for it, he said.
He has managed to avoid injury over the years by remaining alert and careful, he said. “Listen, people sometimes drive over and over the speed limit and you can get hit and get ran over. The brain can get crushed.
“I’m really cautious because I don’t want to die.”
Britton spoke of interests and dreams beyond road and construction work.
“I’m actually a jack of all trades,” he said. He has started blogging; he posts on a page he named chickenfeed81 because, he said, he wants to inspire people to learn more about the harmful environmental effects of methane released by farmed animals. In between flagging and construction work he is also pursuing an online degree in sterile processing so he could work one day as a tech in a hospital.
His more immediate dream is to replace his footwear.
“I’ve been going to war with my boots,” he said. “The back of them, they’re speaking Spanish. The front is speaking Japanese. They’re flapping. The soles and toes are coming apart. …
“I’m 300 pounds. I have a lot of weight on my feet. Coworkers see me jumping on my feet sometimes to get the blood circulation working back and forth. It’s a long day.”
“Anyone want to donate some boots,” Britton said, can reach him through the Instagram page.
Click on the video to watch the full conversation with Nathaniel Britton on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program.
Click here to subscribe to WNHH FM’s“LoveBabz LoveTalk” and here to subscribe to other WNHH programs.
Click here and see below for previous“Word on the Street” episodes and write-ups.
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Word On The Street: The Gig Cycle Spins
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Butts, Burger King Wrappers Vanish At Wendy’s Drive-Thru
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Without Illusions, Lamont Stewart Makes The Most Of His Morning Walk
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Aldo Salazar Does The Circuit
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Word On Church St.: Drugs Are Everywhere
Indoor“Sunrise” Breakfasts Resume For The Hungry & The Homeless
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9th Square Grows On New New Havener
Warbler Watcher Waits In The Woods
Reggie Gibson Makes A Clean Sweep
Sorry, Wooster Street: This New New Havener Has His Eye On Whalley Pie
Demons Stalk Methadone Run
Surveyor Bundles Up
Grandpa Boyd’s Toes Froze
Jay Jordan Shows Up Early For First Day At Mickey D’s
Track Champ Sets Sights On Firehouse
Can Collector Seeks Redemption
Reborn Stetson Library Opens Its Doors
Mom Prays To Pause Violence
Commuter Rolls With Switch To Train
Word on the Street: Math
Word At The Barber Shop: Ukraine Needs Our Help
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Taylor Picks Up Her Step
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Turbocharged Community Soup Kitchen Plans Return To Indoor Dining
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Word on The Street: New Beginnings
Lyric Hall Goes With The Flow
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Word On The Street:“Level Up”
Word On The Street: Paying Rent, Staying Safe
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Word On The Street: Caffeine
Word On The Street: 10 AM Georgia Hots
“The back of them, they’re speaking Spanish. The front is speaking Japanese. They’re flapping. The soles and toes are coming apart. …"
His shoes are a metaphor for so many things, a more down-to-earth version of Yeats's "Seconding Coming". We all wear shoes, but few practice falconry.