Well I've been busy since my last H4H day. Busy enough that when I woke up to join the Kingston build I started my day like a chicken with my head cut off. Did not know where anything was: Not my safety glass, not my "trashable" clothes, not my grungy work bag, nothing. Then I checked my email and saw a notice come in, a late one, that we'd have to brown bag it this particular day. Wheeee!!!!!
Well, never did find my spiffy safety glasses but I did find some disposable clothing and grabbed a submarine sandwich from Bread and Butter (in Summersworth) as I dashed up Rte 16 towards Farmington.
The day was simple, we were picking back up where we had previously left off. Given the holiday that came and passed not much had significantly changed. Also the weather has not been cooperating with most of the outdoor work that continues to need some loving. Inside, well way back we hung up the dry wall. A very generous local dry walling contractor donated manpower and experience to taping and mudding the units. Then the walls were sanded and primed. Oooops, one step missed - Wipe down.
See if you do not wipe down the walls all the dust and grit from sanding is still on the walls. Then painting over that leaves a rough texture that is undesirable if not just unprofessional. To correct this the walls need to be re-sanded and then wiped down before the first coat of paint goes on. This is how I spent 95% of my day. Sanding and wiping. My shoulders are quite tired and still did not get all of the house.
The biggest hindrance was only one proper wall sander. If we had a few more we could've had several people doing it and then it would've been done. Since we only had the one, the other bodies were put to use painting the ceilings. Which hindered my progress as it is faster to paint most of the ceilings that it is to sand a room. I kept having to wait for paint to dry before I could move into an area. In the future I'll have to take a stronger lead in the chain of events so that one groups successful activity does not hinder another group's activity. (Sounds crazy but it happens in corporations every day!)
All in all it was loads of fun and at the end you feel great. The cross chatter is nice as well. While I would say that a the bodies that show up are of a wide sampling of the population (Men, women, Democrats, Republicans, etc., etc..) discussion stays amicable, no matter the topic, from our one unifying common ground:
We volunteer our time and energy to benefit someone else. We believe that given the chance, created by us, disadvantaged individuals will strive to be worthy of opportunities presented to them. No matter our differences, that unifies us and makes most other differences pale before it.
After that, is there really anything worth arguing about?
I forgot to add in about my great stupidity. I did NOT wear a breathing filter while doing all that sanding and I AM paying for it. It's like my nose and chest have been liberally coated with typing whiteout. I'm congested - its thick, gummy, and white as mayonnaise.
ReplyDeleteOh well, just another thing to add to my ongoing learning.