No, these guys are not learning how to crawl, mining for loose change or praying to "the one and only God". Year-end repairs and improvements have been going on for the past weeks in the complex and these are the hard-working construction workers who are rebuilding what they have just been told to demolish! These men must have one of the most challenging jobs – imagine if you screw up laying the bricks and realize it after the cement has settled? You’re dead, break it up and start all over again or finish with stucco? Despite all the barricade and caution signs, paw prints and footprints would have permanently decorated our sidewalks if they didn’t fix it in time. I’ll stick to crocheting or knitting. If I mess up, one tug and the whole sweater is undone, yet I get to reuse the same yarn.
My neighbor Philip has ushered me to the male-dominated world of construction, not Lego blocks or Erector sets, but that field where some of the terminology I can’t even pronounce. Philip knows his fascia, overhang, lintel, expansion joints and that sort of thing which I try to learn thru his “show and tell” teaching method. Yesterday, we walked over (he actually bribed me with some pastries from the bakeshop of his girlfriend Susan) to one of the construction sites in the complex, where everything to me looks like cement, bricks, limestone and debris from the demolition. I'm thinking our poor lawn suffered much from being trampled on. In details he explained the purpose of this and that, making sure I understand that it is “slurry” not “silly putty” and you say “gauge” not “thickness”.
If you knew Philip you can guess how long we were standing in front of all this mess, admiring how straight the lines are, the pitch just perfect for water drainage and all that jazz; then just like a nutty professor he summarizes what was said to reinforce everything. He’s one compulsive lecturer, nothing wrong with that, he’s very smart, but I’ll freeze my butt if he doesn’t get to the point quick! I just realized the word “pitch” can mean so many different things, look it up if you don’t trust me, and if you already knew this, then my excuse is hey, English is not my mother tongue, so shush! I doubt if I can do better in my native language.
My neighbor Philip has ushered me to the male-dominated world of construction, not Lego blocks or Erector sets, but that field where some of the terminology I can’t even pronounce. Philip knows his fascia, overhang, lintel, expansion joints and that sort of thing which I try to learn thru his “show and tell” teaching method. Yesterday, we walked over (he actually bribed me with some pastries from the bakeshop of his girlfriend Susan) to one of the construction sites in the complex, where everything to me looks like cement, bricks, limestone and debris from the demolition. I'm thinking our poor lawn suffered much from being trampled on. In details he explained the purpose of this and that, making sure I understand that it is “slurry” not “silly putty” and you say “gauge” not “thickness”.
If you knew Philip you can guess how long we were standing in front of all this mess, admiring how straight the lines are, the pitch just perfect for water drainage and all that jazz; then just like a nutty professor he summarizes what was said to reinforce everything. He’s one compulsive lecturer, nothing wrong with that, he’s very smart, but I’ll freeze my butt if he doesn’t get to the point quick! I just realized the word “pitch” can mean so many different things, look it up if you don’t trust me, and if you already knew this, then my excuse is hey, English is not my mother tongue, so shush! I doubt if I can do better in my native language.
If he’s looking to me to inspect this project while he is at work, he’s in for disappointment, all I can promise to do is ask stupid questions or take lousy pictures of the wreckage. No one expects me to do this; I’m just a volunteer here but I’m sure my brother would be so impressed if he hears me using these big words Philip taught me.
What have I learned from all these? First, hats off to all mason workers - their job is not a piece of cake. Secondly, Philip knows his stuff and is an excellent teacher. So long as he doesn’t make me climb the roof to learn all about "pitch" and "pond", we shall remain good friends.
