Working On Top of Cool.

A couple of weeks ago we started a million dollar plus roofing project. I don't often blog about my job, primarily because I try to keep my work sperate from my private life. I thought though that some of you might be interested in knowing what I do when I am not making art or building a log cabin.

As some of you may already know, I am a crew foreman for a commercial roofing contractor. I am a member of the roofer's union, as are all the men that I work with. This project is slightly out of the ordinary for us, as we not only have to make the building water tight, but also air tight and thermally efficient. The building? A 87,000 square foot refrigerator. At five stories high and bigger than a football field, this facility serves as a distribution hub for all of our local Wegmans stores. Each day we remove a section of the old roof exposing the existing vapor barrier and decking.

Next, we repair the existing vapor barrier and add a new vapor barrier over the top of that. We seal the vapor barrier from the roof to the sides of the building with a special sealant. We then adhere 2 layers of 3" Polyisocyanurate foam board insulation to the vapor barrier using a low rising foam adhesive spray rig. And last we adhere a single ply reflective white EPDM rubber roof membrane to the insulation using a contact adhesive. The roof is sealed twice at the perimeter, once to the new vapor barrier and once again to the siding.

This process requires that a crew of thirty men spend approximately 8-10 hours in order to complete a 3000 square foot area. As the crew foreman I am responsible for insuring everyone's safety on the job, maintaining material and equipment inventories, profitable production levels and quality control. I also serve as a referee, guidance counselor, coach, cheerleader and teacher. I love my job, the challenges it provides, and the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

This facility is located near the airport and we are often graced with low flying planes during take offs and landings. I love watching the planes come and go. We often get a close up view of pilots practicing for upcoming air shows. The view in general from the roof is worth getting up and going to work for. Yes, it is hard work; physically and mentally exhausting. I sleep very well at night.

My crew consists of men of many diverse backgrounds. We have Cuban refugees, inner city slickers and rural county bumpkins, whites, blacks, latinos, college grades and those with GEDs. Our tallest man is 7-2, the shortest 5-3, the oldest 58 and the youngest 22. Many are Christians, Jewish or Muslim. Some are of another faith and some are of none. For the most part we all get along, that is until late in the day if it starts to get too warm. I watch to be sure they stay properly hydrated. That seems to have the greatest effect on their behavior. Properly hydrated they are less irritable and more productive.

On the hottest days, we start at first light. I allow the crew take a one or two minute break to watch the sunrise, if it is a spectacular one. We take a 10 minute break in the morning and a half an hour lunch. Some days the breaks are a little longer, if I feel that we can stay on track production wise. Roofing is much more pleasant in the warm weather than the cold. As I am aging I feel it is becoming necessary to take the coldest winter months off. I never used to, but I really can't stand being out in the cold anymore. We also get rain days off, mostly, but there are times when things can and must be done rain or shine. A good rainsuit is a wise investment!

At the end of the day a few men will linger at their vehicles and shoot the shit as it were, depending on circumstances. We usually quit before the afternoon rush hour, but not always. When I get home the first thing I do is give my wife a kiss... and gives me one in return. Sometimes this takes us a few minutes  Then I spend a short time in the gardens. After a hot shower and scrumptious meal, I will either draw and paint, visit a few of you or fall into a coma. It is not a mundane routine at all. When this project is finished the next is likely to be completely different in scope and design. It will be in a new location with new sights. I will likely have a different crew, with a few of the same core members from this crew. I will drive a different way to and from work.

I think my job is cool. It pays well, although not as well as I'd like. I am treated right by my employers and coworkers. I get plenty of fresh air and exercise and at the end of the day I can look back and see what I have accomplished. It is a good feeling. My job is on top of cool!

Do you like what you are doing with your life?

Ostentatious Wealth

I recently was reading a blog about wealth distribution in America, and it struck me that we perceive wealth in a variety of ways. According to the blogger anyone earning over $36,000 annually is considered to be in the top 1% of income earners in America. Is this truly the most effective means of measuring wealth?

According to the blogger, the 99 percenters have been outspoken about wealth redistribution and taxing these wealthy individuals at a higher rate than the rest of the nation. I would rather not comment on that though. I was thinking after a while about how some people wear their wealth. If you will indulge me, I will tell you a little about my father.

My dad was a successful veterinarian. He owned his own business, an animal hospital and boarding kennels. There was a pet cemetery on the property and a full time groomer on staff. He did pretty well for himself financially. Dad invested wisely in the market, in his business and his properties. He clipped coupons, planted huge gardens, hunted and fished, and fixed almost everything himself. But when all was said and done he never outwardly appeared to be wealthy. He wore raggedy clothes almost all the time.

I would often notice dad wearing two different shoes, because he couldn't find the other brown one and the black ones weren't as comfortable. So he would wear one brown and one black shoe... out in public! His shirt was often half tucked in and misbuttoned. Rubber bands and paperclips held his glasses together. His trousers, well he often looked like he had gotten dressed at the Salvation Army in the dark.

Dad drove a car until it literally fell apart around him.

I know a lot of other people, some with money, most not, who play a part, pretending to be rich and famous money moguls. They buy expensive showy things, a fancy sports car or big house. They wear expensive designer clothes and decorative jewelry. These people are not truly wealthy, but merely pretending. At first glance we might look at them and think, "Man! That lucky bastard (or bitch if you prefer). I wonder how they got all their money? I wish I had XYZ". The truth is that these people are more often than not, ostentatious show offs, trying to hide their poverty, a true poverty of personal spirit.

I know that having financial wealth is a dream nearly all Americans share. Once we obtain a little bit of it though, how do we go about proving to ourselves that we have it? I learned a lot from my dad about establishing financial priorities. He was never concerned about expressing his wealth or stature in society. He was more concerned with how he ought to live his life. With that focus he succeeded where so many others have failed.

Dad is growing old quickly. He is slowing down physically and mentally. He is getting weaker, but he still has his wealth. I am not talking about his financial wealth, I am talking about his life, and his love for doing the right thing. He stays busy, enjoying the little time he might have left in this world with his closest friends and loving family, absolute true wealth. He believes doing things is a far better station in life than having things. I tend to agree.

How about you? Do you consider yourself wealthy? How do you wear your wealth?

A Topsy Turvy World

Ok, I'll admit, that might be a bit melodramatic. I have been watching the Red Admiral butterfly invasion with delight. The Super Moon. Birds nesting outside the window. Sprouts pushing up through the garden soil. Meteor showers. Peepers calling. The weather is unpredictable. The skies, ever changing. Like a cat deciding it needs to be in the next room NOW, the world suddenly changes. Sometimes change is good. The flowers, first up crocuses dried and withered away. Daffy dills all faded, tulips take their place. Scents of hyacinth give way to the aroma of lilacs. Today the forget-me-nots remind us that summer is on its way.

I am picking lettuce and radishes fresh from the garden. You can taste the sunshine and spring rains in every bite. There are so many wonderful little things that we overlook from day to day in this topsy turvy world. Seek them out at every opportunity.

This photo was actually taken 4/21/2012. I oopsed the year when setting the camera.

Relieving a Little Stress

The morn grew goosey gruffy grey
with mountainous mews and mousey musty hay
witty diddly Dan drew himself a dragon a day
and timers too old threw out the fickle firey fey

Whose is this Tikki Tikki Tembo
with his ninnysensicle rhymes?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
twisting the Jabberwocky's chimes

I say, said the seasaw to the slippery slide
How'd you like to take a serendippity ride
on a squeeky quicky swingset duly doubly wide
or play froggy froggy leapy, hippy hoppy hide?

No no no you mustn't be so sic-o-silly insane
cuz crazies cram cuckoo ca-ca into tiny brains
trading cans of raisin rye and corny tatoe grain
numbed dumb hum drums irradikates my pain

Blue Sven

 On Sundays, Millie and Dan host afternoons of art making in their home, inviting my wife and I, and several mutual friends. Dan's cousin Sven joined us this week. Sven had the misfortune of sitting across from me. I had predetermined that I would paint the portrait of whomever it was that sat across from me. I had also decided to leave all my colours at home, except the various blues. Painting with a palette of cobalt, cerulean, thalo, ultramarine, cyan, and windsor blues I rendered Sven. I would ask you to spare me the cliched obviousness with other blue artists, but I suppose by my decision I deserve to be contrasted and compared.

"Blue Sven" - acrylic on canvas