I like hanging out with plumbers and electricians, guys who cannot really write in english, who don't access email with a phone, who's contracts have typos. They have thumbs half the size of a phone. These are generally the people I want to be around.
I'm not really one of them. My hands are kinda soft, I inadvertently use uncommon words, and when I know they're on to me, I pretend to have no idea what they're doing. At that point, they normally get to a place where they wonder if they should write me off, but then its confirmed somehow that I'm the guy with the check book and then they often don't really know what to do. Often they just stop talking and go back to work.
They think I'm taking pictures to bust them doing something wrong. They shy away from the camera and get kinda nervous. On the night of the first day with the concrete crew I texted their boss this gif below. The next day the zone changed completely.
Spanish is the language of construction, even the guy pictured above spoke it fluently then had to pause and think before speaking in english. Half the crew didn't understand a word I said. Or, pretended to not understand, never get your boss in trouble.
My being on the job site seems like how pro sports athletes describe the GM being in the locker room before the game. Everyone thinks they're about to get traded and its generally very tense. My first trick is to be onsite before they get there, I do landscaping in place of a gym membership, and everyone can respect the boss who runs the shovel. So I let them catch me hacking blackberries and picking up trash, then say things like "I wish I knew what you were doing there" or "what are those things called?"
Many suspect a rouse right away, as though there is no way I could have the job and not know what is a dobbin. Most then play along, as though they immediately know what I'm up to, they offer to become the coach and tell me in their most professional understanding and conciliatory way. They smile and generally we're friends for life. The others keep their head down and never say another word. They're the ones that are easy to not hire again, but its tricky because those poorly versed in language are usually very good at something else. If you watch, the ones who struggle with social graces are often the last one on a trowel. They do the final finish work. They are the best in the business. In a sense, they're the only ones you really want. But then the contracts never happen on time.
I get the sense that bankers struggle with those people. Rarely does the best chemist also make the best manager. Similarly, almost never does the best finish carpenter formulate spreadsheets or interviews with bankers sufficiently to land checks back in 10 days. I was never very fast as a carpenter, I would have never gotten this job based on my plumbing skills. I have a long track record of dealing with government bureaucrats, lawyers, and ivory tower ilk, with a mediocre knowledge of construction. And so far its gone a little too easy. After yesterday's checks were approved, Richard finally seems quietly okay with me not actually doing anything. I've gotten $712K of $3.75M paid out and now the momentum is pretty hard for anyone to stop. When it was just starting, it wasn't so clear, but now it seems to be rolling relatively on schedule and slightly under budget, depending on how you do the math. Mostly now I sit and wait for the phone to ring.
The building itself is delayed. Turns out. So the next month is going to be pretty quiet, and instead of posting this in order of operations, I've decided to post much more randomly. There is a story to tell about the dirt excavation, but its still kind of on going. In case these posts goes public somehow in this small california town, I'd better keep a bit quiet on that for now. I can probably get into the water saga, as apparently its all now been approved, but that fiasco should probably wait. So I'm jumping the shark and moving on to the happier parts of the project. Like plumbers. I got some incredible shots of plumbers. And I'm pretty sure Frank isn't going to try and rip me off. Everybody loves Frank.
Fermin (below) is the guy everyone wants hanging out with their own grandkids, based solely on his disposition. He is a joy to be around, always. For the rest of my life, I will always want to be more like Fermin.
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