Prologue; Opening Statement; Prelude; Author's Notes

 Here we are! A fresh new blog to welcome in a fresh new president in a fresh new decade. This is especially meaningful as I work as an apprentice electrician and am therefore surrounded by union construction laborers who inexplicably love political candidates who strive to dismantle the very system that ensures their livelihood. I realize this is a controversial subject; I stand by my statement and will now move on.

Disclosure: Just a reminder that this blog is a representation of my experience. As a fallible human I am apt to use generalizations in the spirit of simplicity and humor. However I know the world to be full of intricate, complex people from all walks of life and my goal is not to influence or encourage a culture that promotes stereotyping individuals. We are not stock characters in a commedia dell'arte performance. My goal is to exorcise my professional demons in an occasionally comedic, slice of life format. I'm sure you can relate. Also, these are construction workers. There will be a good deal of cursing.

Since the day I joined the program that will carry me through five years of education and training in the electrical field I have felt that said workplace was worth documenting. I have worked over 20 jobs in my still-short lifetime and construction cannot compare to any. Electrician work in the northeast is not even comparable to working in local-level carpentry in a southern red state (which I have done). The men who work in construction truly represent a social circle of humans with characteristics we had believed expired in the 1970's. These are "men's men" as my father would tell me; pack-a-day smokers, borderline alcoholics, 15mpg just for the sake of a 4' suspension, 8' bed, and off-roading vacations. Most of them cannot get through a single sentence without  "fuck" or "fuckin'" drifting in to fill a pause or a forgotten word. At least one person a week proudly shares a story about his last DWI or the newest cuss his 5 year old learned to shout at his wife.

In this world, any human reaction beyond anger or laughter is a weakness that will be exploited. 

But on that note, I will insist there are brighter avenues to explore. I would not still be a part of this industry if there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel. Or hilarious graffiti and echoing music along the way.

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