forgive me- as of yet- as this world of blogging so to speak is nothing short of a new frontier for me. at this point it just seems rather common-sensical that i should be able to expel my thoughts in a public forum at no charge. lo and behold.

this is a project that i have been wanting to undertake for awhile now. sharing my rather crude observations of a gendered world where i- at times- seem to occupy a transient space. in this social mileau, many combinations of personality types, cultural backgrounds and perceivably even sexual orientations (?) thrive very well.

in many aspects this particular world- this particular field of work- is one that i admire for its eclectic groups of people and their input of grueling long hours of mental and physical work. it is one that goes undeserved and largely unnoticed- even by those who hire you and live in your work station for weeks at a time. it is a field of work that our society could never be without and yet, most would never want to be a part of.

nevertheless for the many who choose this line of work, it is a chance to work independently and without the many burdens of performing emotion-based work that marks other industries such that of service. it is an opportunity to work in a number of challenging and different environments and a means to build skills that will probably be in demand in most places of the world- developing and developed. it is also the field of work marked by a high percentage of those who are self-made millionaires. it is also the field of work that was highlighted by the new york times when the immigration debate was at its highest in the summer of 2006.

it’s contracting.

it’s building. it’s construction. it’s renovation. it’s drywalling. it’s re-plastering. it’s plumbing. it’s being an electrician. it’s gutting. it’s re-insulating. it’s paving. it’s reinstalling doors, doorframes, windows, crown moulding, shoe molding, quarter rounds etc. it’s wallpapering. it’s wallpaper removal. it’s installing floors. its re-finishing floors. it’s building decks, fences, patios. it’s carpentry. it’s welding. it’s ripping off all the shingles of a black roof on a 100 degree summer day. it’s tuckpointing. it’s stucco-ing.

the list goes on.

in my case its painting.

not painting pictures.

it’s painting the interior and exterior of homes.

not being a designer.

it’s scraping and it’s sanding and more scraping and more sanding…

it’s caulking, puttying, priming, patching, and two top coats of benjamin-moore-ing.

it’s being on a 40 foot ladder. its breathing in dry wall dust for 12 hours at a time.

it’s doing the work- some of it which is listed above- and running a company that is dominated by mostly middle aged men.

but today is a holiday and so i am comfortably dressed in one of my favorite items of clothing and am going to spend the time baking cookies instead.