The story you are about to hear is true. Nothing has been changed to protect the innocent. And the amazing part is, that this has happened to me not once but twice. So sit back and let me tell you a story.
A story about a Very Wayward Ping Pong Ball.
One day, I was tasked with installing an internet wireless access point in the gymnasium of one of our Brevard County High Schools. My initial on-site survey located a previously installed network connection about 10 feet above the electronic scoreboard, which in itself, was 30 feet above the gym floor. I then scheduled the install and requisitioned an electric lift be made available on that day.
I arrived bright and early on the appointed day, gathered my tools and headed to the gym, where i found the electric lift waiting for me, what a surprise! I carefully positioned the lift to put me in the precise spot i needed and locked it down. Trying to think ahead for any possible contingency, I loaded up the platform with every tool and supply imaginable, cause I really don't want to go 40 feet up in the air any more than I need to. One last trip around the lift to ensure all is secure and level, I entered the caged platform and pressed the UP button. I kept a careful eye out as i approached the scoreboard, as I set my trajectory to within 3 inches of the edge, giving me the best possible work angle once I reached my destination.
Once I safely cleared the scoreboard edge, my attention focused on my destination, still some 15 feet above me. I'm now about 30 feet above the gym floor, still moving upward, my head just passes the top of the scoreboard and what do I see? There is a ping-pong ball, resting on the top ledge of the scoreboard. How in the world did that get way up here? As I passed, I grabbed the ping-pong ball, knowing I had something special I had to share with the world.
And like I said earlier, this has happened to me twice, two different Brevard County High School Gymnasiums. What you see before you in the plastic case, are the actual ping-pong balls I have discovered at these high altitudes. Please enjoy the marvel but don't take them, leave them for all to see.