Whine Oh Whine

There she goes again... whining... about the weather... the laundry... the car... and only God-knows-what.

But you know what? I kinda loving it. She is my Sweetie and it is becoming so cute now. Today, she is whining about the snow while surfing South Beach online.

She is my one and only Sweetie. And I love her so.

Between Ice-Fishing and Glasses

My Sweetie can’t believe that I have not gone fishing as often as I used to. Blame it to work. Blame it to weather. Blame it to timing. Blame it to anything you want but "me". Because as for me, I really wanted to go fishing as often as I want to but I just couldn’t.

The weather has gone crazy this winter. The higher than normal winter temperature this year helped the lakes and ponds warmed up and thawed the ice. Thank you very much.

My Sweetie can’t believe that we didn’t join the Sabago Lake Ice-Fishing Derby this year. This is the only year that we didn’t join it since she came here in Maine. She so loves it. It is the only outdoor activity that I don’t hear her whines… a lot. Wink*

It would have been nicer if I had a project going on so I would have a valid alibi for not using my fishing license which cost more than what my Sweetie paid for her Zenni Optical glasses that she bought online. It would have been nicer if I was too busy working on even just a little room renovation at least I know that I have something to look forward to... to pay my bills. And it would have been nicer if I do have a project and be able to go ice-fishing on weekends like I used to.

Work Experience... Do you have it?

Work Experience: It is what home owners are looking for when they are going to hire someone to build their homes. It's either you have it or you don't. Homeowners hire builders based on work experience.

Our trade is not just like any trade that you can learn by reading manuals. It is not like an art project that you can make by creating splashes of colors and come-what-may or like making wedding invitations that you only need to come up with color motif, design, theme, and special paper and you are good to go. It is not like playing monopoly that you need luck hoping that when you role the dice you will end up in “parking” and get awarded with the sum of money in the collection spot.

It is all about the length of years you have acquired to build that experience. It's all about the kind of experience you gained in that length of years. And it's all about the years of experience that you put in perfecting your trade.

Work experience is not just about work qualification... it is about us... as builders. It is the very basic foundation of any building that we build. And we take pride in that because with my years of experience... I am confident that I can deliver my homeowners' expectations.

Oh...deer!

This post is brought to you by Costa Rica Real Estate - buy, rent or find vacation rentals in Costa Rica.

I just want to share with you additional photos that I took during my short vacation last weekend at Elm pond with a friend.



As a deer hunter like myself... I know this is something that will never get away from my lens.



As for my Sweetie... Oh... deer... errrr... Oh, Dear, I know you wish it is already spring and summer because I found you searching again for Costa Rica Real Estate online. hahahaha

Unplanned Vacation

Our last project is done and I am now waiting for a new one. Boy, it is really tough.

And since I had nothing to do... I accompany a friend at his family's camp up north at Elm Pond. I was just happy that my Sweetie let me took that unplanned vacation up north without any struggle and guilty feeling. She even packed my stuff. Love you Sweetie!

So we went about hundreds of miles up north which was about 5 hours drive from our place passing Mouse Head Lake. It was a nice place away from civilization.

There is a nearby lodge for sale sitting in a 500-acre woodland filled with maple trees. The place is an old maple syrup farm with old lodge and cabins and a nice snowmobile trail. If only I have the money... this is indeed a good alternative source of income for me since maple syrup is one of the main products of Maine. It would be a better alternative source of livelihood especially when construction business is down.

I wish I had the money to buy the property.

My Bad!

This is a post-Valentine post.

My Bad! I didn't get anything for my Sweetie. But that is beside the point. The point is... I didn't see it coming.

I was actually hoping that she will get mad. That she will give me hell [just like in the past]. And that she will give me cold treatment for God-only-knows-how-long. And I was actually all set with that because I deserve it.

But lo and behold. She didn't.

She even had a wonderful card for me and a gift card from LL Bean. She wanted me to buy a pair of sneakers and begging me to go shopping for them. I of course, refuse. I can't handle it.

She didn't even whine about me not buying her flowers or chocolate. Maybe because she knows that I bought her a gold heart locket necklace last Valentine's Day which I just finished paying and a multi-colored diamond necklace last Christmas? I don't know. What I know now is that... she is different. And I like it.

I love my sweetie.

DIY in the CES

With the current economic situation... [Oh yeah, You must have already noticed by now that I usually have the phrase... "with the current or present economic situation or crisis" in most of my posts here. Sorry, can't help it.] people are looking for more ways to save without sacrificing their lifestyle. The economic situation dictates the people lifestyle and if the economy is down, lifestyle spiral down as well.

But with the [again] current economic situation (CES) there are things that we need to address no matter what or problems that need immediate solution irregardless if we have the resources or not. And in that case we need to come up with bright new ideas or alternative and effective solutions to address such needs.

In the field of construction, I have known for a long while now how hard it is to get new projects because more and more houses are being foreclosed and in that case, less and less new houses are being built. For a builder like me, in this CES we could have other alternative source of income through house renovations or additions. But honestly speaking, even that is getting very limited too.

In this CES the DIY or Do It Yourself - is getting more and more popular nowadays. More people are getting their hands dirty... renovating their own garages, porches, rooms, roof... almost all parts of their house. More people are doing their own house painting, landscaping, and even additions. Why not? It will save them more money on "labor". Hiring a carpenter will cost half of the budget.

Nowadays, I believe you don't need to have years of experience in carpentry to be able to build something simple because DIY is easy and readily available. All you need is some basic practical knowledge that you already learned from childhood [play], some skills from school [Math for measurement, Reading and Comprehension for following the instruction in the box, Science for mixing and stirring], a little determination to finish a project, a little inspiration or in my case "pushing and nagging" from loved ones, and a little sense of humor.

Just wishing

Few more hours and it's Valentine's Day. I am indeed doomed!

Wish I am more creative... so I can make a card for my Sweetie.

Wish I am a poet... so I can write her a poem.

Wish I can sing... so I can put rhythm on the poem and sing it to her.

Wish I can draw... so I can sketch her lovely face.

Wish I can paint... so I can express in canvas how colorful my life with her.

Wish I have the money... so I can just buy everything and make her happy.

But then... I wish she is not PMS-ing so that she will not be mad at me and give me a hard time when she found out that I didn't have the money, the time, and the creativity to get something for her on moment like this.

SO HELP ME GOD!

Carpenter's Knee or Angler's Knee

If there is such a thing as Tennis' Elbow... there should also be a Carpenter's Knee or Back or Shoulder, shouldn't it?

Geez... I am doomed! It's Valentine's Eve [and I still haven't figure out what to give Wifey or have the resources to get her one, shhhhhh]. It's also Chinese New Year's Eve [Gong Hei Fard Choy but I am not Chinese so does my Sweetie]. And it's February the 13th [good thing it didn't fall on a Friday]. It's 40 degrees. It's balmy. It's sunny. And it's just not right! My knees are sore and I can barely make my trip to the bathroom a breeze.

Wifey's Diagnosis: A symptom of Carpenter's knee disease. LOL No! It's not a new medical terminology. It's my Sweetie's personal Medical Terminology for my "chronic" pain. Well, since she enrolled on Medical Terminology class, she came up with lots of terminologies to identify different things to amuse herself.

The pain on my knees... that I can endure. I have no problem with that because I'm used to it, anyway. What I cannot endure is the fact that today is Open Ice-Fishing Derby here in Maine. A winter sport activity sponsored by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife! It's all over the News.

It means you don't need a license to join. It means it's a madness all over the frozen lakes and ponds and what-have-you in all of Maine. I can almost smell the competitive breath of true-blooded anglers vying for prizes big and small. I can almost feel the chaotic fun and adventures in-stored for all anglers and expectators alike. And food and drink are overflowing, I can already feel my calories rising and cholesterol storing up in my cartilage. Geez!

Note:
For more information on Ice-Fishing Derby Schedule here in Maine... CLICK HERE.

My first work resume

I am an only child so I practically grew up alone and played horsey-horsey or cowboy or a builder all by myself. I grew up building sandcastles in the beach in summer, piled up a few wooden planks up the tree branches to make tree-houses in fall, dug up some cave in the snowbank in winter, and gathered some sticks in the woods to build Indian tepees in spring. Those were just my childhood wayward adventures.

Now that I am indeed a builder I can put credit on those childhood play that some adults think are nonsense. Play gave me the opportunity to think and build a certain skill and perhaps hone a certain interest in me. But as a builder my trade is no play anymore. I take everything seriously and with passion. And I do take pride in what I do. But still I know that... childhood play is my first work experience.



Now, that I do have a little boy of my own, who I can say practically picked up same playful thing from me... except the robots and aliens and all sorts of super hero thingy that were not available during my childhood... I wonder what would he become when he grows up. As a father I want him to be like me or shall I say I should want him to be like me. But with his wild imagination, I have a feeling that he can make movie that will make millions of dollars. No kidding! Then, I will be happy and retire a rich old man. [I wish.]

Credits to Wifey

I have zero knowledge on computer and everything about the internet. Well, not entirely zero because I know how to make it works. I pay my bills and do my banking online. I search for building materials and everything I need to know about my trade online. And I know how to use its accessories like the headset, printer, modem, speakers and the mouse.

But with regards to website and how to use it for monetizing purposes like to promote my business… the credit goes to my Sweetie. Yes, she is the one who did everything here and she talks about Austin Search Engine Optimization that her blogger friend from Texas uses to help her get higher page rank and things like that… well, I just say yes because I honestly don’t know what she was talking about. I am just happy that I can share something here.

The Carpenter is a Caregiver too

I'm playing Doctor today. No, I was playing Doctor since last weekends. Wifey was down with a flu so I was her caregiver. But I think she feels a lot better now. Thanks God!

She is a whiner! Shhhhhhhhhhhh! [Hope she won't take a peek of my blog and read about this.] wink* Yes, she was constantly whining because she was not feeling good. Well she does whine even if she is not sick anyway so it doesn't make a lot of difference too. LOL. But even if she is a whiner, I still love her to death!

I'm playing Doctor now because Wifey always plays Doctor to me every night when I come home from work. Working all day on the roof take a big toll on my back and climbing the ladder more than a hundred times would worn my legs down at night. So I will be whining about my sore body every time I come home. And I will ask Wifey to rub my back with that magic ointment that she brought from the Philippines and that will instantly calmed the tight muscles down. Well, she would whine a bit when I asked her to do that especially if she is busy working online but nevertheless, she will take a break and give me her loving touch.

So now that she is the one sick, it's my turn to return the favor. And I tell you, I am not so happy that she is sick. She is not grumpy or anything, it's just that I want her to the her old bubbly self even if she is constantly whining like a baby.

Working on a Weekend

It's the weekend. It's that day of the week where everybody is looking forward to. I am looking forward to it for many reasons. Ice-fishing is one. But I am not going to ice-fish today because I need to go to my friend's to help him fix his heater.

For the past couple of week I have been working on weekends instead of the regular weekdays. I have no problem with that because as I already mentioned in my previous posts, it has been awhile since I had a project. So working on weekends was a-okay.

Last year, I used to work mostly on weekends because that is the only days of the week where I can work without being interrupted and without interrupting anyone. I used to maintain a property for my former boss who was then vacationing in Florida with his wife the entire winter season. The property is a commercial establishment so obviously, the weekdays are busy and full of people. And since my maintenance work involved a lot of pounding and sawing and grinding and sanding and painting and repairing... noise, smell and dust were unacceptable. So, the weekends were the best days to work. It was then that I spent most of my weekdays as my regular working day. If you know what I mean.

I'm in love again!

Starting a new project is like... falling in love for the first time.

I don't know about other people... but for me, starting a new project gives me mixed emotions like that of a young pubescent boy looking an a hot matured lady in equally hot and skimpy outfit. It gives me an indescribable adrenalin kick at my gut that makes me jump for joy.

Okay, I know this is too over-dramatic. "Very-Wifey" if I may put a tag on this. Or maybe I was too carried away. As what we all know, you only learn to appreciate something when it's gone. That is why when I had a long extended vacation from work... I really appreciate it because I have nothing to complain about.

Well, "falling in love" may not be the right words or phrase to describe my appreciation for the project I am doing right now... but since it is the month of the "hearts"... I might as well go with the theme. LOL

of Backache and Sea Urchin

Backache! Who needs one?

One of the downsides of my trade as a carpenter is the big "P". Pain, that is.

I have been working as a carpenter for more than 15 years now. It may not be that long for a guy past his golden years but being able to still do hard manual work at this age is already a blessing in itself.

I started a little late in the construction business because I did a lot of scuba diving for sea urchins for almost 10 years prior to carpentry. I worked under-water diving for sea urchins for 8 hours a day and 7-days a week on peak seasons. And I consider that as the most exciting job I ever had... not to mention the pay. wink*

Scuba diving for me is not just a job but it's a hobby. And to be able to enjoy my hobby and make money out of it is a good thing, isn't it? But some good things never last... as the saying goes. Sea urchins became scarce and so the work hours. It was then time to find something else to do and move on.

And so I moved on and shifted to carpentry but my passion for scuba diving didn't die when I quit the job. And definitely I will be sharing more experiences and photos of my passion in the near future.

Thanks for the Job

Work continues this week. Whew!

Our last project was done and we are starting on a new one. Thanks God! This is such a wonderful blessing. May work keep coming not only for me but for a lot of people who are also struggling like me. May work continue because we all have bills that are piling up. And may work become stable because we all need to survive.

Well, I cannot afford to whine about the economy since there is not much I can do. It's somebody else's job. It is not my job to solve that problem. It is my job to be grateful to whatever I have right now. And I am so grateful for my Sweetie for being patient, supportive and understanding of me and my shortcomings.

I just hope that the economy will improve and everybody remains positive instead of pointing fingers.