lessons earned

When I was.. well.. 14 or 15 years old (nearly old enough to drive) I got a summer job. There was no filling out applications, turning in applications, pressing my shirt, combing my hair for an interview. I don't even think there was ink, paper, and a dotted line. Actually that I "GOT" the job sounds like I was looking for.. then found the job.. (not what happened). As I recall it, an extended family get-together produced my first ever employment. At said gathering My uncle (who was a Linebacker? in college and remains a football enthusiast) asked me how my summer football workouts were going. I said with some pride that "its hard work, I'm playing quarterback and we throw like 200 balls a day, do a half an hour of abs, and practice our drop-backs back and forth down the entire field." (I paused for his approval... I should not have paused). It gave him time to say this... "Quarterbacks wear skirts".. he laughed (which made me nervous... Is he kidding or is he about to have a Linebacker break with reality and spear me.) this is really not how I felt but I was certainly not going argue over the toughness of my position. This conversation meandered about until he figured out how to counter my summer of Pampered Quarterback. "What are you doing besides working out?" he asked ( Again I should not have paused)... Literally the next day, I was working for his construction company. I was placed on concrete form detail for the next few months. Raise your hand if you know what that means....Rrrrrright... I (alone) cleaned (recycled) the apparatus used to form -or- (give shape)... to wet concrete.  When the cement foundation or wall was dry, the forms were removed and sent to me... (lonely, bored-out-of-my-mind, in-want-of-rain me) to be stripped of residual debris and conditioned with burn-your-ass oil. 
I am grateful for THAT summer because I learned my lesson*(s)... the next couple summers I did the same thing but that was less character building and more so because (here I go speculatin') anyone else (anyone not related to the boss man) would have quit and forms gotsta be cleaned.

*(s) oil used for conditioning cement forms burns the skin like a sumofabitch
*(s) even when the job can be done better and more efficiently from a folding metal chair DO NOT sit down "Sitting Down on the Job" is frowned upon by the boss man.
*(s) lifting weights and throwing footballs does not fit in the category of "working out"
*(s) Don't pause
*(s) most of the people that work in construction started in some character-building role and take great
       joy in building the character of rookies.  this is common in many professions... but in construction
       they drag it out and leave you on a remote island... alone... without a chair. 

*(s) Don't call your boss by his first name in front of adults (even if you have done so your entire life)
*(s) avoid outside jobs that require blue jeans in july and august. 
*(s) Quarterbacks wear skirts

----lastly----

*(s) I was not on a crew for one or more of these reasons:

1.  A summer job is designed to build character not skills for a future career
those positions should be filled by persons of established character and a desire to make it a career

2. Too young to drive:  Crews are on different sites during the week

3. Too young to be exposed to the conversations/language on job sites.

4. My uncle really did not like quarterbacks


Thank you DG for the work.
I got to scuff my boots and learned that you dont throw away day old bread (or raggedy ass forms)

texas rangers to the top.
tdavids