Golfer in Paint Pants

Next Stop...Central Illinois.

I spent over 2 weeks right in the middle of cornfields, bean fields and stories of Abraham Lincoln. While there, I took a job as a painter. Donning the required white paint pants and white t-shirt, I reported to work at 6:30AM & clocked out at 4:00PM for a week. I spent my days touching up dorm rooms at Illinois College in preparation for the fall semester. After work, I spent time on my newest athletic pursuit-Golf. I would tee up in my newly marked paint pants. My hair would be speckled with little white dots & the paint was still dripping from my hands as I gripped my 7 wood. Working on my swing at the driving range was a great way to relax & let the paint dry.

I'd never played golf before, minus the windmill...mini-castle...putt-putt variety. Driving on a course, pitching with an iron and putting on the alien surface of green was a recreational revelation. Who knew you could have so much fun carrying around a big heavy bag of tools. Swinging a club is a bit like swinging a hammer-nice & smooth with the follow through, staying square with your target & keeping focus on a single point. And like it is for any carpenter, it is also true for any golfer: know your tools & know what they do.

I loved being outside exploring the contours of the course, choosing the right clubs & swinging away- sending my little white dimpled ball on a scouting flight as we mapped our journey together. I loved hitting balls in the afternoon and I loved my time in Central Illinois as a golfer in paint pants.

A Walk in Oak Park Illinois

It's been a busy summer.
Lots of sawdust and lots of tears, along with a little travel.
I was fortunate enough to have a month to travel and work throughout the Midwestern United States and see some of its architectural and geographic treasures.
The first stop on this journey was Oak Park Illinois, a Chicago suburb & early home of famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, where he designed & built his first residence and studio.
The streets of this Victorian village were full of beautiful gardens and well kept homes, many of them designed by Mr. Wright during and for a few years after his employment as draftsman for the well known turn of the century firm Adler & Sullivan.
My walk through Oak Park was a peaceful botanical & architectural feast.

Woodweb

There's a great website called Woodweb that I find myself coming back to-not only to use their extensive knowledge base and to read their really great forums on everything from adhesives to cabinetmaking-but also to read stories and advice from other carpenters and remodeling professionals.

Below is an excerpt from a forum about dealing with a client that is impossible to please. One carpenter found himself in a precarious situation after installing a vanity and asked for advice about how to walk off a job...

From contributor J: What you've got here is a job that has gone sour due to the behavior of the client. There is nothing you can do to make this person happy, bar doing the rest of the work to museum standards and paying him for the privilege of his letting you work on his house. Your job now is to detach yourself from this situation as quickly and as gracefully as you can. If you can't manage graceful, then settle for quick.
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From contributor B: I too have had clients this way. There is nothing you can do to satisfy this guy... nothing. He will always find something to complain about. If not yesterday, it's today or tomorrow. I'd take the above advice. Remove the vanity, saying that he's not pleased with it. Also take yourself off the job, saying that it is beyond your ability to make maple look like cherry... color, grain and all. The client I had like this, I figured he suffered from OCD and had to have everything perfect, which is impossible to achieve. I am convinced he contributed to my heart attack. Walk and be in better health.
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From contributor L: Been there, analyzed it to death, finally concluded the same thing everyone above has said - bow out quickly and whatever you do, don't go back. Some things never change their stripes!
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From contributor K: Absolutely... get out now. He sounds like the kind of guy that will be shocked that you don't kiss his butt. When he frantically says "What are you doing?" (while you're carrying your stuff out), just tell him how sorry you are that there was an obvious misunderstanding from the beginning and that you cannot give him what he wants at that price. If he tries to barter with you, ask you to stay, agree to pay more, etc. (savor the moment), tell him you'll consider it and then just keep on walking. Leave him hanging.

More On Labels

There's a good article from the New York Times today

about "Green Labels"

What is FSC Certified Wood?

Environmentally sustainable practices are at the forefront of many new home builders, designers and green enthusiasts minds and in the minds of many Americans that believe in retaining the Earth's precious resources and atmosphere.

Akin to the organic food movement, wood certification is the new question raised when people are in the market to buy "responsibly". And like the organic food movement, that raised the question of "why eat chemically modified, or toxic food-when there is a better, cleaner food called organic?".

Wood certification asks "why buy wood from those who butcher the world's forests, when there are resources derived from forests that are managed to particular environmental and social standards?"

But ethics and practices are very different and both equally hard to monitor.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), is one of leading global organizations that has had an impact on rethinking and branding forestry management. But they are not alone. Starting in the 1990's third party organizations began developing standards and practices in responsible forestry. They offer certification and accreditation to companies and suppliers that adhere to their standards and definitions of best practices. You may see the FSC label at your local building supply store or hear more about sustainable products as green building becomes more widespread. But like many organizations the FSC has their critics.

Just some food for thought as we consumers grapple with labels and their meanings. We want to know that something is safe and good for us and the environment. I believe that there is a lot of good work being done to insure the future of the world's resources but I also believe that we have a ways to go.