Free Stuff, MMA and New Colorways
The last couple of weeks of construction have been pretty rough. Between the cold weather, self-important, twenty-something inspectors, angry contractors and indecisive project owners, I am ready to get back in the store and carry heavy things for Ivy.
Three days of the last two weeks, have been too cold to work outdoors. When this happens, I sit in a construction trailer pretending to get caught up on safety reports and paperwork until I feel like I can go to the gym. With any luck, some type of salesperson will come by and try to sell new shovels or stuff like that. If I’m really lucky, the salesman might bring burritos, do-nuts, or maybe even pens or baseball caps. I live a charmed life!
I’ve learned a few things in construction over the years. Mostly I’ve learned the industry is/has changed. Did you know you can go to a university and get a degree in Construction Management? I don’t think those courses and resulting degrees teach you how to use a shovel or a hammer or even operate a tractor. Those courses teach you how to wear a hard-hat, safety vest and carry around an electronic tablet.
People that get those degrees and then get a job working for some type of contractor usually are pretty well rounded and likable. People that get those degrees and get jobs working for the municipalities are self-important, arrogant (construction language) holes. I like to play with the (construction language) holes.
The very same self-important inspector that I have written about before stopped by the site. Within five seconds of his arrival (not exaggerating), he was involved in a screaming match with one of my contractors. The screaming match escalated quickly. The inspector looked at me and said, “Where did you get this moron? I’ll bet he was the cheapest contractor in town.” The screaming match quickly changed to a MMA stare down, with me in the middle. Now, I don’t mind being in the middle, trying to calm the situation, but I thought this might liven up a pretty dull day. I stepped out of the middle.
Mr. Self-important quickly retracted his earlier statements. I asked everyone to cool down. That’s the nice guy that I am. Twenty minutes later everyone was shaking hands, and I was thinking, “I could be dyeing yarn right now!”
Speaking of yarn, (this is a yarn store blog) Ivy informed me I have a custom dye job to do. I like dyeing yarn. It is just me and the yarn. No yelling, no hard-hats, just peace and color. Unless of course I mess up a custom order and Ivy goes MMA on me. (OK, she does not do that.)
Elaine and Ivy have asked me to teach a dyeing class this spring/summer. They want a class where we start with yarn, dye the yarn and make it into something. They say some of you requested a class in dyeing.
Ivy wants to develop a spring colorway exclusive to the store and something to do with an egg. I have no idea what that means. I think she wants me to dye more yarn.
I don’t know if I like those ideas. I’m way more lazy than that. Who knows? I might like it better than lifting heavy stuff.
Our crazy lives!
Monner
