*This* is why we do it ourselves

The Case for Working With Your Hands

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?_r=1

 

What a wonderful article.

"I once accidentally dropped a feeler gauge down into the crankcase of a
Kawasaki Ninja that was practically brand new, while performing its
first scheduled valve adjustment. I escaped a complete tear-down of the
motor only through an operation that involved the use of a stethoscope,
another pair of trusted hands and the sort of concentration we associate
with a bomb squad. When finally I laid my fingers on that feeler gauge,
I felt as if I had cheated death. I don’t remember ever feeling so alive
as in the hours that followed."

 

Heh. I had just copied that exact same para, to quote it here, but you
got there first.

A really wonderful essay.

 

Amen bruvver. As an apprentice mechanic I ignored/forgot advice to remove
the rocker cover before the plugs and dropped a cover bolt down a plug hole.
Blind panic set in until I remembered the magnet onna stick in every
mechanic's toolbox and managed to fish it up again before anyone found out.
Double relief!

 

Nice, thanks, forwarded to Tree Surgeon Apprentice daughter. [1]

T i m

[1] She had an interview with a large local Arb Co this morning and is
going out in the field with a team tomorrow.

 

Fabulous. Never thought I'd see Jackall referenced in an article like
that. Do I sense an order for the book being made at Mr B's?

 

the Piercy quote: "“the pitcher longs for water to carry/and a person
for work that is real.”" has a resonance for me of Homer's "The blade
itself incites to deeds of violence"

 

I was reminded of this:

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.rec.motorcycles/msg/c8896200b6def51a?hl=en

Urgh.

It's very appealing, and the book will probably sell like crazy, especially
to the zillions of out-of-work IT types.

 

"When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail."

 

LOL. B

 

On May 26, 4:37 pm, (M J Carley) wrote:
the Piercy quote: "“the pitcher longs for water to carry/and a person
for work that is real.”" has a resonance for me of Homer's "The blade
itself incites to deeds of violence"

Was that in one of the Halloween specials?

 

"When all you have is Excel, everything starts to look like a
spreadsheet."

 

Oooh, mind if I use that?

 

don't fucking start me.

 

Si j'avais un martea...

 

Partout cette terre...

 

dos moi pou sto kai kino ten gen

 

I'm sure I've nicked it from someone on here.

 

<fx: points dog to a block-and-tackle located on a brown dwarf several
parsecs away>

off you go, lad.

 

Google shows the expression (or very similar ones) being used for a
number of years.