An Electrician’s Tell

You are likely familiar with a gambler’s tell. At the poker table, a player may reveal in some way that they are holding either a good or bad hand. Truth leaks out in small ways: a twitch of the jaw, a particular fuss with the chips, a silence stretched one breath too long, a sidelong glance. An observant opponent might catch this.

Electricians have tells, too. Mine show in the way I use electrical parts for things they were never meant for. At the cabin, they’re easy to spot. Cross the bridge over the creek and you’ll see copper-clad ground rods for rails. Step inside the cabin and you’ll see the lights are cusrom-built from conduit and junction boxes. Down at the fire pit, my poker stick is a length of ¾-inch conduit.

Luckily, I don’t have electrical supplies at the card table. My tells there are the of the more conventional kind.

Skywalk Lights

Kitchen Lights

An Electrician’s Fire Poker

—Mitchell Hegman