I would NEVER make it in the blue collar world! :-(

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 6:08 am

Sunday, my fiance and I started a project of putting in a 12ft x 8ft stone patio.....we finished it yesterday. After digging through mud, waiting for it to dry up, then digging some more, moving clumps of dirt and mud, filling in with dry dirt, then pounding it down into the ground only to cover with a stone base and then to pound it down--not to mention moving all of those bags of stone and wheel-barrels of dirt....THEN moving (54) heavy stone blocks from the front yard to the backyard (each 16"x16", 2" thick), then putting in one by one, sizing them up, re-seating dirt and stone and such only to notice it wasn't perfect.......but good enough to call it DONE. Man alive, I'm EXHAUSTED. And the next project is putting in a privacy fence.... I don't care what the cost is to hire someone!!!!! LOL

So to those of you out there that do this sort of thing for a living, my hat's off to ya!

KarlSutton · Post by **KarlSutton** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 7:33 am

I love doing this sort of stuff, clears my head & makes me more productive in the studio. Plus it is great exercise compared to sitting in a chair pushing buttons!

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:26 am

Wanna come up and install a privacy fence for me for a trade in gear? LOL

MIDI Life Crisis · Post by **MIDI Life Crisis** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:25 am

Being able to do work like that is in direct proportion to age. In my younger days I was a landscape "assistant" meaning I would sometimes have to carry two pieces of sod (about 2' x 6') in each arm after a heavy rain. So today I have strong arms, but could never do that now (at least for a living).

I was making •••• money as well. Construction workers today (union guys at any rate) make a great living and retirement. But you have to be able to handle the load.

But look at it this way: you own a house (even if it is in FL). You have a wife and a great job. I'd gladly carry stones for that (although I also have a great wife and a great job). A house? In CA? Well, I have better things to do with $750k...

MM

ps- My dad made a patio like that back in about 1960. He passed in 1986 and my mom and her kids and grandkids STILL enjoy the patio to this day. So think of it that way and the pain will be way more bearable.

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:31 am

Florida would be even better---however, I'm in Indiana

I used to be incredibly athletic.... hockey, baseball, football basketball and soccer all in the same year, year after year. I'll be 32-years old in about a month--- starting to realize, I'm not youthful like I used to be! LOL

MIDI Life Crisis · Post by **MIDI Life Crisis** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:40 am

32! You're a child!!!

Where in Indiana? My bro inlaw is in Indianapolis.

jgest · Post by **jgest** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 10:13 am

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:Being able to do work like that is in direct proportion to age. In my younger days I was a landscape "assistant" meaning I would sometimes have to carry two pieces of sod (about 2' x 6') in each arm after a heavy rain. So today I have strong arms, but could never do that now (at least for a living).

I was making •••• money as well. Construction workers today (union guys at any rate) make a great living and retirement. But you have to be able to handle the load.

But look at it this way: you own a house (even if it is in FL). You have a wife and a great job. I'd gladly carry stones for that (although I also have a great wife and a great job). A house? In CA? Well, I have better things to do with $750k...

MM

ps- My dad made a patio like that back in about 1960. He passed in 1986 and my mom and her kids and grandkids STILL enjoy the patio to this day. So think of it that way and the pain will be way more bearable.

I hear you on the cost of a house in CA. I have 2 college degrees, and 2 kids, and I make more money painting houses than i could going the white collar road (unfortunately my music aspirations never set the world on fire, or even come close to paying me back for the time, energy and money i put in to it). I do admit as the 40 approaches, I feel often tempted to re approach the white collar thing.

Funny I bought a house in SF in the late 90's (burdened with student loan debt and no real income) when they were giving away no doc mortgages to anybody with DNA, and played the "investor game".
While I made money, and learned a lot, at the prices today compared with the potential risks of interest only and other predatory mortgages, my wife and I decided to rent and put the rest away.

It's $1200.00 a month cheaper to rent a house than it is to buy it and actually pay something toward the principal.......

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 10:33 am

Well, right under my screen name it says it.... FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

Many are surprised to find out I'm only 31-years old (for now) with the amount of experience I have. Hey, I got started young. I've actually been involved in the business for 17-years already.

Dwetmaster · Post by **Dwetmaster** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 10:40 am

BradLyons wrote:Wanna come up and install a privacy fence for me for a trade in gear? LOL

If you didn't live so far from me, I would have definitely come down and do that for you in trade of a few plugins...

MIDI Life Crisis · Post by **MIDI Life Crisis** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 11:15 am

jgest wrote:... I feel often tempted to re approach the white collar thing....

In 1976 I quit my job with MaBell (pre-breakup) and would probably be making mid 6 figures today had I stayed with a lovely 10 room house on the North Shore of Long Island. But I'd be miserable. I'd much rather be self-employed (with the financial roller coaster that comes along with that) than to be ..."working for the man every night and day. But I never lost a minute of sleepin' worrin' 'bout the way things might have been"

Those big wheels keep on turnin!

MIDI Life Crisis · Post by **MIDI Life Crisis** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 11:17 am

BradLyons wrote:Well, right under my screen name it says it.... FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

I don't read no stinkin' screen names

I just assumed you were in FL for some odd reason... Must be thinking Thoroughbred or something...?

Happy weekend on your new patio!

magicd · Post by **magicd** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 11:56 am

I had a conversation with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick on this very subject. I was telling him about a brick patio I installed and how it beat the crap out of me. Rick said he did the same thing. Put in a flagstone walkway. His quote: "Yeah it took me three days to put in the walk way and I was in pain for three months".

Just to add insult to injury, my wifes brother is a landscaper. He does this for a living (which is probably why he didn't do my patio for free...). Bro came over and saw the brickwork and said "oh, country-style, eh?". I guess country-style means it's not up to union scratch.

I'm thinking about putting in my own replacement windows and maybe next year rebuilding my deck.

Now I will quote Jim Carrey:

"Somebody Stop Me!"

Dave

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 12:47 pm

and to quote that kid from Forrest Gump who picked on little Forrest (said towards me)... "what are you, stupid or something?"

HCMarkus · Post by **HCMarkus** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 6:37 pm

Just be careful of the fingers guys... they come in handy for playing keys/guitar/sax/bass/drums.

Regardless, I'll second the sentiments of Mr. Sutton. This is why we musicians tend to build studios: killing two birds and all.

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 7:26 pm

Okay and the funny part about this now is...... You can lay a marble down in the middle and you have NO idea which direction it will roll, and how many times that direction will change. DOH! Oh well

MOTUnation.com

I would NEVER make it in the blue collar world! :-(

I would NEVER make it in the blue collar world! :-(

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