First Saturday @ WRP
I think I am running out of firsts at WRP ... ummm, on second thought, I can think of a LOT of firsts I wouldn't mind happening there!
But for now, the was the first York University Day at WRP, but not the first York Day at Habitat. In fact, one of my first days as a Crew Leader, at 4200 Kingston Rd., was with York University students and alumni. I think I preferred the spirit of that group over the group this past Saturday, but then again, this group was also pretty amazing!
My Crew today consisted of about 7 women. Our job was to put up sill plates on Block A. I felt a bit like a brand new, never held a hammer before kid at some points during the day, because one guy loves to tell me that what I am doing is wrong, and say "why don't you do it this way; it's so much easier?" At every turn. Who's f*g crew is it? Mine, or yours? Sometimes his lack of ability to think through what he says has dumbfounded more than just me, and even the Site Super was at least able to recognize this guy's behaviour. The fact that he made a comment to that effect did not help me to necessarily look any better in front of my Crew today, but it helped me to definitely FEEL better. Even just to know that I DID actually know what I was talking about, and how to fix the problem, and that he was the boss, and not this tactless so-and-so. No, I didn't need to re-snap the chalkline, and stop being so anal about it. I am quite capable of, as Brian said, "eye" it, to make the minor adjustments needed. But I have worked around this guy for three years, and I know that he has people telling him that he does stuff wrong different times, and he seems to rail against being told that is not the way it will be done like his LIFE depends on it. Nor does he trust me with a skillsaw, or think I can teach others to use a chopsaw, etc etc. I had to ham it up with my girls just so that they would still listen to me.
Arrgh! I hope he is NOT there next Saturday, or at least that I do not work around him! I would like to work more with Mike O. and Carlos, though. Those guys are pretty amazing. I can at least defer to them when I don't know how to do something, and not be made to feel like sh*t, or have my task whipped from under my feet, and my Crew think I can't do my job or don't know what is going on.
Anyway. I actually DID manage to teach these women how to put down sill plates. You know what? I didn't go as fast as the fastest Crew, but there were a couple of young women there who are very interested in building, and want to return to the site. Some of the others were just "girly". Some of them took the opportunity to learn to use a chopsaw, use a drill and a spade bit, put down sill gasket and Tyvek, swing a hammer, and even toenail in Rimboard.
And one of the guys there recognized my "craft". My What? What, as in the way I swung a hammer? You can tell I am a budding carpenter, can you now?! LOL! Listen, whereas I will demand the respect that I give to others (to whatever degree I give it!) I also know that, as C+ says, I am at "the bottom of the pile". I know nowhere close to what Will or Carlos or Mike O. knows, I have nowhere near that level of confidence. Please do not try that kind of comment. I would tend to take it as sarcasm, or buttering me up to see how I react to that kind of B.S. I know I can hammer in a nail, and teach others to toenail, but don't assume I am a hammer "craftsperson"! B.S!
Well, there are some things I missed from today, but I also had quite a lot of fun, and learned some new things, as always, in the process.
