Introduction via Miscellaneous Ranting

When i applied to college i had little idea what i was getting into or what i wanted to get into. You know, like after school, when young people in my shoes are introduced to the "real world." I applied to some nine institutions, but failed to get into the top tierers. Stanford and Princeton were among those, but i had little realistic expectations with a 3.2 out of high school. I had legacy at the schools, but the point is i had a little, a very little urge to go into creative writing. Now, i kind of hate, no that's harsh, perhaps... vex at the idea of this liberal vagueness. You see that? i said, "vagueness," which i don't even think is a good word. But i'm a little drunk. Point: I don't like mainstream education. I recently visited an advisor here at the University of Washington, and he was pretty cool, agreed with me about my rather low gpa being "fine." But what I'm getting at is our discussion about "experiential learning," which sounded good in theory, but i have yet to be impressed by this notion. Hands on learning sounds good, but I'm fucking fed up with this conventional lecture/discussion section bullshit. Quarter after quarter I've sat through intro to mid level classes, some relatively "better" than others, but all with their minuses. I'm in a fucking class where we watch movies and analyze them. Sounds okay, right? WRONG! We got two hours of lecture monday through thursday - generally wednesday and thursday, but fuck! I'm ranting, but i just think it's awfully sick when i think to myself, in class, and would rather be working seven to three in construction. Work was for sure not without its minuses, don't get me wrong, but ass!

I hear a lot of hilarious and frankly nasty stories (repeated here, beware if you're too sensitive!) at work. I'm like a soft flower compared to most of the dudes at work, but that's neither here nor there. My foreman last summer was telling us in the job shack one lunch about his experience with pubic crabs. In our line of work going to the bathroom is something both undesirable yet still valued as time to rest. Honeybuckets get very disgusting, and even more so in the summer when the shit and piss, warm up to permeate their stench beyond their confines. Smoking is prohibited not only inside, but also over twenty feet around the things because of supposed methane danger. But what i'm getting at is that nasty things can find their way onto the seats of these sweatboxes. So, the foreman didn't get crabs from some skank, but rather from a freak bucket. That's not the end of it, though. The man hadn't known, obviously, that he'd contracted the little buggers, and apparently he managed to get one on his EYE. "scratchin' my balls, then rub my eye...fuckin bastard latched on right on my eye lid." By this point everyone's laughing tough, and then he described standing an inch from the mirror with a knife to dig that shit out.

Most of the other stories include nights with big girls or something along those lines, which are funny, but not something i like to hear about too often.

One time (actually many times, but this one's a little unique, a new experience) at work my toughness was tested by these effin' roughnecks. I had been working under a deck; a ramp where they would pour concrete onto. It's dark down there and i was bangin on some frame clamps, and found part of my thumb betwixt hammer and metal. At the time it hurt a little, but it was dark, and i couldn't really see what happened. Well, when i came out at ten for break, i noticed that there was a blood blister raised about a quarter inch off my left thumb. I did a double take, then asked the other dudes what a should do. Pop it one way or another was the common consensus. I was a little wary to do this, but it was raised so much so it was actually impeding my work. I took the advice of one guy who happens to be a cage fighter in his free time (he'd get juiced off supplements during break and lunch). I went over to the job shack where the first aid kit was, cleaned my thumb off a little with a wipe, looked at the throbbing bumb, and bit it apart with my two right canines. Blood squirted into my mouth, and after i realized it didn't even hurt that much and was being a huge wuss. Well, that's what a call a learning experience okay?! Other dudes have stories about nails going through various body parts, sawing body parts, etc. There was one dude working for the pouring crew (they only come to the site when we pour), who was about my age, maybe a little older, who wasn't wearing eye protection and got some concrete hardening fluid in his eye. He started tearing in the eyes, and eventually going to the job shack for rinser. I asked one of his co-workers, "isn't that shit water-based, non-toxic?"
"Yeah, he's just being a big cry baby."
*smile, spit*