The Job

[kyra_ojosverdes]

Day One:
Number of times:

• I was asked (in various words) "do you get to drive the boss' pickup because you're a girl?": two


• I was called "hon," "honey," "sweetie," or "sweetheart": five


• I decided it wasn't the time or place to wax feminist and object to being called "hon," :honey," "sweetie," "sweetheart," or "a girl": God only knows


• I was told "you've got balls," "you're doing a man's job," or "you're a damn hard worker": ten


• I was asked "Do you have a boyfriend": one


• I stretched the truth and said yes to shut the guy up: one


• Guys apologized for swearing in front of me: roughly twenty


• I pointed out that I can and do swear as much as they do: roughly fifteen


• Guys offered to carry heavy things for me or dissuade me from doing physically taxing jobs: four


• I acquired a blister I wouldn't notice until I got home: two


• I killed the engine or otherwise looked like an idjit while getting the hang of driving the Big-Ass™ company pickup: God only knows


• I've enjoyed a cheeseburger as much as the one I treated myself to after work: zero

I came home after work, showered, picked up the kids, bought Burger King, came home, ate, and fell asleep in my clothes. I was damn lucky to wake at 6:00 am to get ready for work today.

Day Two:
Much more exhausting than day one. I can now competently drive the pickup. I got one blister on my hand, but it popped before I even noticed it under my gloves, and it's quite happy under a band-aid. I'm getting respect beyond "hey, a female on the work site, she's got balls to even try." I'm the only female on the work site. Nobody offered to carry anything for me. One guy asked was I sure I wanted to "broom concrete," but it was because of my asthma (brooming concrete involves being surrounded by a cloud of very fine dust, the sort that causes siliconosis if inhaled in quantity). I'm still being called "hon" and "sweetheart," but it's not at all patronizing, so it doesn't bother me. Five guys pointed out that I was doing the most physically taxing job of anyone in our work area, and that I was working harder and more steadily than any of the men there.

Just before lunch break (30 minutes), I was so exhausted my vision was going blurry. (Twenty minutes, just twenty more minutes... ten minutes, just ten more minutes... and yes, as the only female on the job site, I DID have something to prove.) After lunch, I told the guy who was coordinating the work in our area that I'd do whatever shitty job he needed me to do, but I couldn't lift anything heavy or broom any more concrete today because I was too tired. He was great about it, again pointing out that I'd been working my ass off and deserved a break. (He also asked if it bothered me that he was trying to "look out for me" and explain how to do the various tasks on the job. I assured him that he wasn't being at all patronizing, and that I appreciated his detailed instructions so I could do things right the first time.) I then moved to "picking up and sorting parts" duty until the bosses needed me to make another parts run. Ahhh, air-conditioned pickup. No wonder the guys are envious of my "official runner" job. Guys are asking whether I like the job, and hoping that I'll stay on for a while. After work, Neighbor-Dan (one of the assistant superintendents at the work site) came over to ask how I was feeling, and tell me that I "got high marks" from the superintendent and both assistant superintendents for my hard work today. Kick ASS.

GOD, I'm soooo sore. I'm taking ibuprofen morning and night. I'm drinking a gallon of water on the job site each day. I'm SO protein-hungry. (The apparent key to doing Atkins: work construction. All you'll want is meat and fat.)

Comments

[smoonn.livejournal.com]

I missed seeing your presence online today, and wondered if you'd started the new job. It's only your second day, and already you're a treasured employee! Believe me, they appreciate you. It's hard to find reliable workers for hard, physical labor.

I used to work with a guy at the Forest Service who always called me hon and the like. Once, I replied, "thanks, sugar." Instead of taking it as a compliment, he seemed taken aback. He seemed to get the message, but in a nice way.

But no one told me until today that I've got balls! And that was a joke. I was sitting on a Big Ass (tm) pilates ball as I wrote, just to try it. It was comfy, except I could keep myself from bouncing, which made looking at the computer screen a little dizzying, which didn't help the whole balancing act of sitting on a pilates ball.

There's nothing like a giant rubber ball to attract inappropriate co-worker comments.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

LOL!!

Yeah, I knew I'd been 'accepted' by one of the assistant superintendents when he made a "nuts" joke to me. (I was going on a parts run, and needed to get a deep socket to fit a 1 5/16" nut. He was sending a sample nut with me.)

[thorne1966.livejournal.com]

Hang in there, hon... you're doing a great job. :-)

I've been out there in "man's work" land (was a commercial/residential painter for most of 1998), and heard all the same 'hey, you need help with that?!' crap on the site, too... until i grabbed a sledgehammer, and joined in with the demolition crew (since the paint crew had been called in early, thanks to a dumb general contractor, and were waiting on everyone else before we could get started *L*). I also ended up finishing all the new drywall, because the drywall hangers/finishers did such a sh*tty job with it... *L*

I miss painting, tho... if i could find a small company up here to go to work for, i would go back to it in a heartbeat. It's almost like art...

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

There's something about doing physically exhausting, but mentally and emotionally easy work. It just feels good. It's almost cleansing, like my body is sweating out the accumulated stress and anxiety of the past ten years, pushing it out of my muscles as I push my body to do more than I thought I could, for longer than I ever have.

[bluemanxcat.livejournal.com]

i'm so glad that this has started well for you! it seems like you're fitting right in. :)

[fuckingsilence.livejournal.com]

I'll tell you one thing. I don't think any man could do their job as full-on as you no doubt do yours and still have the time and presence of mind to count and chronicle every potentially bothersome thing said to him that day. Wow!

I am glad you're getting the respect you deserve. Don't push yourself too hard. You may be kickass, but you're still only human.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

You'll never prove it. :-p

[fuckingsilence.livejournal.com]

Uh-huh. Talk to me again when you're deathly ill, Supergirl :)

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

*sniffle*

*cough*

*sneeze*

SUPERHEROES CATCH COLD TOO, DAMMIT!!

*moan*