Thursday, January 08, 2004

Further Adventures of Delivery Guy!

Yup. I got to be Delivery Guy again, going out on the truck with Sad Sack to deliver our cabinets far and yond. (Favorite Sad Sack lines of the day: "She was another one that tried to kill herself when she was with me," and "I always feel sad in the morning. And it gets worse all day long." I actually had a good day with Sad Sack on the truck. We discovered a common interest in Fine Barbeque Experiences of the Deep South. We also shared a moment of remembering what it's like to be twenty years old, when the world is open with possibilities, and the poignant irony that no matter how carefully and prudently you live your life, year by year, doors are closed to you.

An observation that occurred to me as the New Jersey suburbs went by the window: I'm so much less self-conscious than I was when I was living in New York. I don't feel so on display. I used to have what I called 'crane shot experiences': I'd be walking down West Fourth Street and I'd almost see myself as though from thirty feet in the air. "Here's the urban dwelling leatherman, done with the gym and meeting his internet assignation du jour." No more. I just am. Now, I think a little bit of self-consciousness can be a good thing, so I'm not sure how I feel about this. I wouldn't want to forget myself or anything.

We wondered what the Pain-in-the-Ass aspect of the two deliveries we were making would be. With every job, there seems to be one Pain-in-the-Ass. The last time I went out, the house was under construction, and we had to carry these heavy cabinets up a one foot wide plank that was slick with mud. On another it was like an obstacle course: around the landscapers mixing cement in the driveway, stepping over the pipes laid out on the floor of the garage, up the uneven cinderblock steps, hop-scotching over the snaking power cables on the floor...

But there were no Pain-in-the-Ass aspects of today's deliveries. The people were pleasant, they liked the cabinets, I liked their houses, and in both cases it was a clear shot.

Very cool.

It was good to get out of the shop, too. When I started out this morning, I had this weird feeling. Y'see, the guys at work all wear the same clothes day after day after day. And I've been working at the sanding table just about all week. So it seems like the interuption--going to the gym, hitting Starbucks, heading home, making dinner for dad... It's like it didn't happen.

All told though, the dreaded first week back at work after the break has gone really easily.

And I got to be Delivery Guy today. I love being Delivery Guy.

"Hello. I am Delivery Guy. I can lift heavy things."


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