finishing a project

-

You know I always figured that once you learned something it stayed with you forever...right...like riding a bike..until i jumped on a bike in key west,,,in traffic...crashing into bushes...banging off parked cars...not so easy...you know...but as I've gotten older I realize its the how you remember ..as opposed to the actual doing..two very different concepts....I worked as a carpenter in my youth..I was ok at it...enough to make a living...but not all that inspiring...so when the beautiful girl wanted a walk-in closet in the bedroom...I was like sure...no problem.. i can do that...
weeeellll..
what a load of bunk...first of all the memory is the first thing to go...in reality...I was a half assed carpenter more than twenty years ago...I had the tools and the energy to attack my projects...but I was an artist "working" as a carpenter...like a actor working as a waitor...( they are never good waiters!!!)...but now at 53...my eyesight is not the greatest..so those minute little cuts are a little bit harder...hell even reading the tape is tres difficile...nes pas...hammering those little nails in the trim...hard...without bending or for that matter smashing the trim...things aren't working out as plumb and level as I might like...a travesty...a horror in wood...oh i got it all plumb and level...the second time...the closet system and cedar lining went in fine... the second time...the zen part of me wanted the project to nurture some tranquility...to provide the chef with a release from the stress of the kitchen...but no...i find myself mumbling obscenities in the corner...far too many "fuckin stupid piece of wood... blah blah ...duohh!!!
So maybe I'll get better at this...the good thing about being this age is you can afford all the tools...yep i am one of those guys..shiny new tools in the "shop"...I used to tease my friend lonny...he bought the farm up in bucks county...he had his "gonna ride the tractor clothes"...and his "gonna do some carpentry clothes"...lonny the business executive or cia operative...I was merciless...grabbing his new leather tool belt with his shiny new hammer...asking if this was the tractor coat or the feed the horses coat...well buddy now chef has his pretty little shop to do his carpentry thing... pitiful just pitiful

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

boom

-
Image
like a kick in the chest...the wood shot out...kicked out of my tablesaw...i checked to see if i ripped my shirt...and then...was my hand attached to the wood???shit...blood...peeking at the remnants off my hand...okay be cool...grab that rag ...okay ...hospital...but the door to the house is closed...reaching for the knob...with..well not that hand...okay ...tuck the warm, red rag under my arm...squeeze tight...in the house...the beautiful girl asleep...closed last night...try not to scare the shit out of her...honey...honey...HONEY!!!...okay...the whole not freaking out thing impossible...hospital...where???okay down the road...ten blocks...on 5th or ninth...cindy screeching around corners...crying and glancing over at the warm, wet, dripping rag...my ashen face...in the one way entrance to the hospital...passing people who seem to have seen this film many times before...pointing to emergency...their are cop cars everywhere??..hope the girl doesn't get a ticket...warm red drippin...
Read more

the pitfall of p.c.

-
Image
So I am listening to the box and hear the story about Rham Emanuel referring to some politicos as "retards".. And then the head of this weeks "retard" brigade Sarah "what the fuck" call for his immediate resignation for denigrating all people with developmental disabilities. What a fucking "retarded" thing to say. Yet proving once again that this vapid glamor hog has nothing credible to offering in any intelligent conversation. No one was calling anyone with any disability any names. He was calling college educated legislators "retards". He could have used imbecile, fool, dolt, moron, pinhead or twit. But to his never ending mugient pain, he did not. His words had the same meaning and he could spared us all another 10 minutes of "palinism" for the tea party" retards" to latch on to. We all know who we are referring to when the word "retard" is used and its never the most special person in the room. ...
Read more

goodbye ted

-
Image
Today is your memorial service.  Today your friends gather at historic Gracie's to tell tales, laugh and drink to your memory.  I worked for Gracie, thanks to you, sneaky Pete and Steve.  Its fitting, a legendary spot, to pay tribute to the man that inspired me and unknown others to go chase our dreams.  I loved when we cooked together and I found my passion, standing next to you.  You shared your love and unfathomably incredible knowledge of music with me.  I found Jason Ricci, Eric Lindell, Los Lobos and David Migden in our "MO, wait till you hear this moments".  I endured your love of all things Zappa and I survived Zappa torture.  To those unfamiliar with this, it involved the can, copious amounts of inhaleables and song after song of your archives. Songs stopped only by you, translating the nuances that a rookie like me, most certainly missed.  The only rescue was SuSu and her, "honey enough! his eyes are glazed over and he has to drive...
Read more