It's Hard(ware)

I am beat. Worn down to a nub. Heading to bed in a bit, but wanted to post before that happens.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was absolutely my most trying day since I started at the woodshop. Oh man.

Since I'm no longer a Sandinista, that also means that Delivery Guy has made his final appearance. But, let's welcome Service Call Guy! Y'see, after the cabinets are installed, they need knobs and such, and it's usually one of us from the Hardware Department who are sent. Yesterday, it was all three of us who went off to a pretty ferociously ostentatious McMansion to do just that.

And that's cool. I'm definitely down with that. It's always fun to get out of the shop, getting paid for riding in a truck.

We pulled up to the McMansion and we were pleased to see it was under construction. (Always better when the homeowners aren't looking over your shoulder.)

As I walked up the driveway, my pulse quickened: two... three... four... four cigar butts. And indeed. The construction crew was out in force, and it was the House of Muscled Tattooed Beasts. Oh criminy! But we were only on site for about twenty minutes, long enough for me to get an eyeful, when someone had to drive back to the shop. Y'see, we needed machine screws, and also, two of the doors had to be replaced. The replacements had arrived. They just needed to have the glass and the hinges installed.

And so I was off, bidding a fond farewell for a while to the House of the Muscled Tattooed Beasts, frolicking with rebar in the mud pit that would become the swimming pool. (Woof!)

Back at the shop, things got tricky. While changing the bits on the router I needed to drill holes in the door for the hinges, whaddya know, the bit got sucked up into the exhaust system. Phoop!

Fuck.

I needed that bit to put the hinges in the door, and the Hardware Team was waiting for me and the doors and the machine screws at the House of Muscled Tattoo Beasts.

There I was, blinding sheer panic. Oh. My. God.

I checked with the foreman. No, there was no replacement bit on site. He'd pick one up tomorrow morning.

Oh. My. God.

Okay. Deep breath.

I improvised. I'll spare you the details, but it pretty much worked. Only it took me two hours. Working right through lunch. And on the way back, I ran into a highway road crew and the picturesque New Hope-Ivyland Steam Railroad.

A fine performance by the Employee of the Month, huh?

Oh man.

When I got back to the House of Muscled Tattooed Beasts, my fellow Hardware Guys were totally non-chalant. Although that did nothing to cure my anxiety, as I imagined that they had spent the intervening time dissing me up and down.

Finally, after spending the remaining hour and a half of the day putting knobs on the cabinets--and getting an eyeful of the Muscled Tattooed Beasts, it was time to call it a day. Never was I so glad. We headed back to the shop, I punched out, and got in my car and headed to NYC.

Whassup? I had agreed to be part of GMSMA's final program of the season. The theme was Sports. Aggressive Sports. I had been asked by Program Chair to talk about softball. Well that was cool with me.

And, more importantly, Sir was waiting for me.

I met him at the Starbucks at 16th and 8th, which is, in fact, where we met. Better believe that was poignant. As I walked up 8th Ave, there he was in the window. Oh man, am I a lucky boy.

Big had coffee, and I had a Venti Iced Quad Three-Pump-Cinammon Light-Ice Latte. As always, instant repartee. Sir reminded me that although grueling, in a short time, it would be amusing. Although it hasn't gotten to that point yet, I've learned at this point to trust my Sir. It's all about trust.

Then off to the GMSMA meeting. I think I peaked in rehearsal. (Rehearsal was in my jeep on the way up.) And, I was in between minimally clad boxers and minimally clad wrestlers. Talking. Regardless, I think I made some good points (although way too many of them for a twelve minute chat), and I'll see if perhaps they don't better lend themselves to writing.

Big walked me back to my jeep. And then I did one of the hardest things I've done in a long time. Harder even than the tough day at work I had just had. I got in my jeep, headed through the Holland Tunnel, and was homeward bound. No, I didn't get to climb into bed with my Sir. Nope. I headed home. Arriving just after midnight, calling my Sir to let him know I made it home safe and sound, and got in a nice almost-four-hours-of-sleep before heading to work this morning.

Quite the day.

Sorry if I'm a little bit disoriented, but I am not running on all my pistons at this point. And I'm headed to bed.

'Night.

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