Working class stiff

[Guest guest]

A couple of months ago, I helped the son of one of my clients renovate

his basement, making a very nice living space for the grandson. This

same person has gotten me a gig renovating the attic of one of his

cousins. (Close-knit Italian family.) I have never actually done any dry-

wall work before, although I've been on many construction sites where

others were doing it. (I was a painter for a long time.) I got a good start

on it today.

It was fairly simple, measure and cut the dry wall, and nail it up. But I

had never done it before, and had to figure it out as I went along. It was

like I had to teach my hands how to do it, " talking " to them as I went.

Like, we all know how to type, but there was a time when we had to be

very aware of what our fingers were doing. It took a while to get a sys-

tem going, but I was able to finish the job in 5 hours. There still remains

the taping and " mudding " , (applying joint compound), and texturing the

ceiling before I get to the painting. The deal I made with the guy calls

for $10 per hr (untaxed), for the preparation, and $15 per hr for the paint-

ing of it. AND, I'm going to be painting the exterior of the house next

Spring! I've always really enjoyed that, working out in the sunshine,

doing MY thing, and no one minds if I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I've

done it long enough that I can be fast and also perfect. So I'm looking

forward to that, and this little job will help make up for the hours I've lost

on the job because of patients dying. It's all good, but I'm feeling a bit

sore and stiff after all that bullwork today. Not used to it, and out of

shape.

Clay