More Stalworth Brothers! =)

I got called "Asshole" at work on Friday for the first time ...well ...for the first time to my face, and, I reckon that it won't be the last time! Tsk! Tsk! Us kids just got to learn to get along! But, when I stop and think about it, I can't really blame Dylan for his use of such an unendearing term. It was only Dylan's second day on the job; we'd introduced ourselves the day before, but hadn't had any opportunity to chat. On Friday, however, we were both busy nailing boards together and talking when opportunity allowed; out of the blue Dylan enquired, "What does your wife do James?" For just a second I considered saying, "Pretty much the same as any wife does Dylan; it's not like I'm some kind of Sicko!" But I thought better of it, and instead replied, "You know, you're a nice enough fellow Dylan; in fact, I kinda like you ....but you ask the most damdest personal questions!" For an instant the look on his face was priceless, his eyebrows arched, and the rest of his face fell; I imagine at that moment, what was going through his mind was something along the lines of, "How could such an innocuous question have planted my foot so deep in it?" I had to laugh, and that shattered the moment; "Asshole!" was Dylan's fairly astute summation of that moment.

Dylan is from Saskatoon via Montreal, where he is in the process of becoming a cabinat maker, and returned to his home town, with his wife, for the summer. I was curious as to how he'd got living in Montreal, and he explained that his wife is an illustrator of children's books, and that Saskatoon, because of it's size, dosen't provide the wealth of opportunity in the illustration field as does a major urban centre. Now that she is established in the Montreal publishing industry, she is, through modern IT, able to spend the summer at home, while still fulfilling her professional obligations in Montreal. He's a good fellow to work with, is Dylan ....we just have to work on his use of proper English!

Cody is another co-worker, and started just last week; he's seventeen and just finished grade 11, with a keen eye for detail, a willingness to point out my blunders, and a quick and ready wit. His wit has to be quick and ready; there's a lot of witty competition in his family, and by that I'm refering to his step-father, Rick! Rick is a working on becoming a journeyman carpenter, and is almost there. He told me that he came to Saskatchewan from Northern Ontario three and a half years ago, and, has enjoyed the climate and people so much, that he wouldn't consider going back. Another comedian is Rick, and he lays his lines down with charismatic charm and a wicked grin. Witty would be an understatment; never at a loss for words, he delivers his lines with flair, and just the right touch of masterful 'cheekiness' to keep the topic interesting, without giving offense. Very entertaining, and, though I've never worked with him, very capable in whatever he's doing.

When I was first working with Cody, Rick dropped by and said, "James, if he gives you any trouble ....slap him!" "Ok!" I said, "But, he'll probably get so much trouble from Tom, that I won't have to bother! Rick laughed and wandered off about his business, while Cody and I continued at ours. Now, somebody told me a story, and I'm sure that it's true, so I feel safe in mentioning it here. There comes a time in the life of most young people, when they'd rather not be seen by their peers, in the presence of their parents; felt a touch of it myself in my teens, and, have the pleasure of my own daughter, Allison, 19, who showed a bit of just that quality in former years, but now dosen't mind my presence at all ....provided that I keep that presence in a different province! Now, the way I heard it, Rick was dropping Cody off at high school, and the young fellow expressed a desire to be let off somewhere ....well ....kinda outa sight! Rick is not the sort to let that kind of attitude fly; no, into the parking lot the truck pulled, and ....cruised it seven times! Up and down the rows of parked cars, swinging by the main entrance each time, with Rick smiling and waving at all the fresh arriving highschoolers! I didn't hear that he blew the horn, but ....I wouldn't put it past him! A man, his son, and a truck, it's a beautiful thing!

Now, as I worked with Cody, I had, upon occasion, to use my pencil. I had no difficulty in doing so, but, that wasn't always the case. Oh, I could write with it, and mark lengths, but ....only when I could find it! The problem revolves around having to wear a hard hat; by inclination I prefer to keep my pencil behind my ear, but the hat, unless you keep it really cocked to one side, makes this, at best, an uncomfortable practice. In the beginning I kept it either in a pocket, or my pouch, and this worked well enough, with one exception; I have a lot of pockets and pouches, and could never seem to put my pencil in the same one twice. That meant that, every time I needed it, I'd have to stop, and run through a complete physical inventory of all my hidey-holes. I finally solved this cunundrum by velcroeing the pencil itself, to my hard hat, directly above my right ear; if you have the technology, you may as well use it, and, it works for me! Besides, it's a look!

There were Cody and I, working away happily, when Rick passed by again; he stopped, and looked! And marched right over to me, looking real close at my pretty blue bonnet: "Velcroe?!" he said, sounding a little astonished, "You stuck your pencil to your hat with velcroe?" "Well," drawled I, "They told me at my interview, that if I got the job, I'd have to use my head; it took a while, but I finally came up with something I can use it for!" Rick was speechless, and I'd never seen him so before. As he walked away, I laughed, and said to Cody; "I'm thinking of getting a second pencil, and velcroeing it to the left side of my hat ....that way, I'd always have a spare, and, on bad days I could rake them forward for a slightly Satanic touch. On good days I could angle them back and upwards, sort of like the Wingfoot God of Greek mythology wore his set of headwings! If my dear Julie Anne Eliza taught me nothing else, she did teach me, "You have to accessorize!" Best of all, should anyone again enquire, I could widen my eyes, and, with a simple smile, quaver, "They help me hear the little voices!"

Yes, there's many fun moments to be found at MISI, and you haven't to look far to find them. Somehow, I've seemed to have come unstuck from the Glue Crew, and spent the last three days at work again working with carpenter Tom as his helper. I don't know how this transpired, and daren't probe too deeply into the matter, just in case there's been a mistake; a mistake I wouldn't care to see remedied! I was on the Glue Crew long enough to build up about three solid coats on my overalls, and laundered them today to no avail; that may well be waterbased glue, but, it's also waterproof! I have been, and dispite all my efforts to be otherwise, remain, a somewhat 'tacky' Mackay!

I'll tell you a little about my boss, Tom. A fellow I admire, Don Heron, or, as he was better known, Charlie Farquarson, talked about the gifts of the Three Wise Men, as he put it, "Gold, Franck Incest, & Myrth." Now, I don't know whether Tom has any gold, and it isn't my business anyway, and I'm dam'd if I'm going to be Frank about Incest ....at least ....not on these pages! But, the gift of Myrth ....Carpenter Tom has framed up nicely, and nailed down pat! The animation in his face astounds me! Never have I seen eyes that twinkle so ....with glee. I don't know what kind of drugs this cat's on ....but I want to know where he gets them! My old pal, Frank Zappa, claimed, when he was still with us, that there were only two drugs that he craved, "Caffine & Nicotine!" He wouldn't touch anything else! When I make tentative enquiries as to Tom's drug of choice, I'm informed, (by Tom himself), that he only scores 50% on Frank's scale. Won't touch coffee! Nicotine is another matter; "I like ciggarettes," said Tom, "when I light a smoke, it's like I've sent my brain for a break; everything slows and, calms, down."

It takes a lot to slow Tom down; the man is a whirling dervish in action! The results of this action are formidable, but, it does take a toll on mileage! Tom told me, "My dietician says I have to consume at least 4000 calories per day, just to maintain my weight!" I believe it, and I've seen days where you might have to throw in a couple extra sandwiches. In many cases all this energy, being tossed about, would tend more to chaos than success, but, not with Tom; he talks about focus, and being fully engaged in whatever you are doing, whether it be work, or anything else that might lay claim to your attention! I'm looking forward to hearing more on his theory of 'being fully engaged."

A good instructor, Tom takes the knowledge from his mind, and lays it out before you, in concise, palatable increments, making sure each step is fully digested before moving on to the next course. Then he watches to make sure you've process firmly in hand, before setting you loose in this world of planks! Tom resents any lack of energy or enthusiasm, and appreciates it when those two elements are present and demonstrated. When leaving work his, "Thanks for a great day, James!", accompanied by that quirky, high octane smile, make the outpouring of 'Sweat Equity', all worth while. While I have the opportunity, I'm sticking to this cat like ....well, glue! He must be on Drugs!

James (Don't B. an Asshole!) Mackay