How this Geezer did it in the beginning

[Paul B]

Saf1, I also think in the Movie "Saving Pvt. Ryan" they gave Tom Hanks some military training.
Then he went back to his air conditioned trailers and turned on their 60" flat screed TVs with blue ray and played video games so it may have lost something.
But it was a good movie and he is a great actor.
It would be nice to see some real Veterans playing in those movies, but I would imagine, real combat Veterans have no desire to bring back those memories as a movie will never really mirror real combat.

I just thought of something else. When we were looking for our home we looked in Scarsdale Connecticut which is a very affluent place. At the time, in 1975 I wanted to buy land and build the house myself, so we went to a real estate and the guy asked me what I did for a living. I said I was an electrician. He said there was nothing here I could afford.
Now as I drive through that area, there are plenty of homes for sale because as the economy dipped, many of those people can't afford those houses any more.
But I can.
Don't get me wrong, there is certainly nothing wrong with having a technical or desk job. You usually make a lot of money and have prestige.
(Usually nice clothes also) All I am saying is look to your future and think about your retirement. Do you want to be working into your 70s?
My job once had me working a Victoria Secret photo shoot. I wanted to put the wings on the girls but I couldn't reach their shoulders as they are all 11 feet tall:facepalm:

One more thing. My wife tells me that sometimes I come off as a know it all, I say the wrong things, lack some class, social skills or my words just don't come out correctly. I am sure she is right but that may be from my lack of college, Army experience, construction mentality, Street smarts ( stupidity) or maybe I just don't talk good. :twitch:
But she says she knows that's just me, she loves me, and I don't mean to belittle anyone as I do admire a lot of people (especially:love1: Supermodels) :bum:
I also have many close friends, some from grammar school. I just wish one of them would have a fish hobby. :wave:

 

[biecacka]

Paul I agree. It is amazing how the lack of technical job employees is amazing out there. Their is such a high demand for service jobs but it tends to get looked down upon and in reality we NEED those jobs filled. Why?? Somebody has to change the tires! :lol:
While I am not in the military and never was, my dad served 2 terms in Vietnam and my brother ris stationed in Okinawa Japan. Both marines. It is a very respectful thing to do, as is technical jobs..
Thank you for your service

Corey

 

[Paul B]

Corey, tell your dad I said welcome home. I also would be very proud to be a Marine. I was in the Army and I was drafted like most people at that time. The only ones who did not get drafted were people in college or people with money or connections. But it was honorable to go and I am proud of my service as I am sure your Dad is. He did twice as much as I did, more even because he joined and served 2 tours.
Do you know which part of Nam he served in? I was in Tay Ninh in the high country on the Cambodian border and in Cambodia.

I agree, we need people to change those tires. My first job, when I was 12 was in a junk yard so I changed plenty of those.

Now that the bridges, roads and buildings in America are crumbling due to age, there is a huge lack of American workers to fill those high paying jobs. It is a shame that this country which was built by hard working Americans is being restored by foreign workers because we lack the manpower even though unimployment is so high.

There is an awful lot of talent in America, and you can see it just on these forums as we have some very talented people here. Just look at some of these reef tanks.

Oh well. Nothing to do about it I guess, it is what it is.

 

[ssdawood]

I really liked your post. I kinda admired your humour too. But today I have nothing to say. I thought you would be more humble than this. Comparing your cushion retirement to my generations hardship.

Most of us went to school to get a cushy job like you with pensions. Upon graduating some of us didnt get that job. So now we are working 18 hours a day. You know I will do what I have to do. But I rather work eighteen hours than be on the streets.

Time changes every minute remember that. Nothing is a given in this life. Enjoy your time while it is still good.

 

[SpartaReef]

I quit my job to go to college at the age of 31. Been struggling to get a job on the side since. No one wants to hire me part time. They want me to quit school and work full time. But they won't pay me what I anticipate making when I graduate.

 

[SpartaReef]

I agree Paul, the work ethic is lacking these days, not in everybody mind you, but each generation is getting lazier then the last.

 

[Paul B]

Comparing your cushion retirement to my generations hardship.

Ssdawood, I appreciate your comments and as my wife tells me, I talk to much, but you are correct, I have a cushy retirement. I did work for 40 years as a construction electrician and although I do have a decent retirement, almost all of those years were not very cushy. Crawling around the parapet walls 106 floors above the street to install lightning rods on top of the World Trade center while it is 17 degrees or re building a NYC garbage incinerator where I was ankle deep in maggots for 3 years did have it's down moments. Most of those workers you see on that steel on those new buildings are electricians with the rest being iron workers. But every hour I worked, I put money towards my pension and my 401K. That was my money that I put in, no one gave it to me.
I went to trade school to get into the electrical union. I didn't get in at first because those jobs were given to family and other people as I knew no one in the industry and my Dad, who was dead was a fisherman. After Nam I had to ask the Veterans administration to try to get me in, and they eventually did.
I served 7 years as an apprentice starting with minimum wage bringing home $52.00 a week. It took 7 years to start making a decent wage and in those 7 years I had to go to school at night and do side jobs fixing cars to pay the bills as I was married.
There is a reason construction workers get home early and don't usually work longer hours, it takes a physical toll on your health. I have had three shoulder and three knee operations just from overuse of those joints. It is hard work and it is rare that someone can do it after 40 years.

I thought you would be more humble than this. Comparing your cushion retirement to my generations hardship.

You are certainly correct here. As I said, my wife yells at me all the time for that and I really have to work on that. I do come off that way and I am sorry. I will try to work on my humility along with the many other things that I am lousy at.
I realize this younger generation has it hard, but so did we. First off we got drafted right out of high school at about 18 years of age, some of us went to war and almost 70,000 didn't make it back. Up until last year I still did odd jobs to make money because my Social Security didn't yet kick in. Social Security is your money that you paid, not the Government.
I did gardening, cement work, snow shoveling, tree trimming, house painting or electrical work. Most of those jobs, anyone can do. As a construction worker I was on furlough sometimes 11 months out of the year. You do not get paid for that time and have to learn how to make money. I did and so can anyone who wants to.
Here in NY it snows a lot. In the 35 years I have been in this house, not once has anyone come to knock on the door asking me if I would like the sidewalk shoveled. I used to make good money doing that.
I also used to wax cars. Not a very skilled thing to do but if I had no money, it was fine. There is money all over the place and if people are not to lazy, they can do some of them. I know those things I mentioned are beneath some people, but they were fine for me to do.
I will probably never starve and I will never let my family starve even if I have to clean toilet bowls.
Now for the humility thing. I am lousy at plenty of things. If I did my taxes I would go to jail as I have no head for numbers. My smart phone is much smarter than I will ever be and I have to ask kids all the time to help me with it. I can't remember anything, but I think that is because I am old, but I could be stupid, I don't know. I am very "lucky" to have married such a beautiful, wonderful girl who I probably don't deserve. I am overweight. I don't have the vocabulary of most of the very intelligent members here. probably not the looks either, unless you are into bald. I am also probably lucky to be able to keep my tank going so long as I am told many times that everything I do is wrong. It probably is. The list could go on much longer, but as I said, I forget. :idea:
After the Army I could have gone to college for free, I didn't. I am not sure if that was good or bad. I don't know if I could have passed college or what I would have been. If anything. :sad2:
I am still trying to work on that humility thing as I said, I do come off badly and have been told a few times. My wife thinks it is a Viet Nam thing, I don't know, maybe I sucked up to much Agent orange. But I am working on it, I promise.
And thank you for posting and telling me that. I like to hear about my shrotcomings most of all so I can work on them.
Have a great day.

 

[saf1]

I always get his name mixed up but the Ford F-150 / Dirty Job host Mike Rowe (I believe that is his name) did a really good speech to congress not to long ago about this very subject. Not about movies and tinsel town, but more about trade jobs being bad and the view from the public.

I really liked his talk about how his grandfather or father did what they did and how they did it. How they later taught him which later lead to why is college mandatory or if you don't go such a bad thing?

I will say though that has a parent with 3 in college now that I didn't push joining any form of military until school was finished. But I also know if they came to me and said Dad school just isn't for me then I would also be willing to guide or help them find something that did light the fire even if it included being a trapeese artist.

 

[SpartaReef]

I doubt he was a veteran, non veterans always think we veterans had it easy, that we have it cushy or that we are just whiners... I knew some vets that fit that description, but they were very unusual, and the military didn't keep them. Paul, you have every right to say what you said. People whine about the economy but hey it ain't the dust bowl, we got easy compared to what happened in the 30's.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for you Paul. You're a good man. Keep it up and just keep doing what you're doing.

 

[Paul B]

Dirty Job host Mike Rowe (I believe that is his name) did a really good speech to congress not to long ago about this very subject. Not about movies and tinsel town, but more about trade jobs being bad and the view from the public.

I saw that, he also said it in Popular Mechanics this month (or Popular Science)
I don't think he is a Veteran, he is way to young for the draft and it just doesn't sound like he was.

SrartaReef, thank you, but Ssdawood is also correct. I do sometimes sound like I have an attitude, or at least an agenda. I don't mean to. I am flawed.
And bald. :hmm2:
As for the war, people today just don't understand that. Todays warriors are on TV all the time and I am sure it is cleaned up for the camera's.
I have no idea what the living conditions are in the middle east for our hero's, I just know what mine were.
If you are in the service, and "not" in a combat situation it is a great job just like any other job. Many service people now have fish tanks and it is so different in my thinking. I went to basic training, then AIT (advanced infantry training) then to leadership school, then they dropped me in a clearing in the jungle on the Cambodian border (with no underware) when I was 19 and I stayed in the jungle for that year. That ages you and probably gives you an attitude that I most likely have. That's why my wife tells me I came back different, not better or worse, just different. I guess it's true.

 

[ssdawood]

I doubt he was a veteran, non veterans always think we veterans had it easy, that we have it cushy or that we are just whiners... I knew some vets that fit that description, but they were very unusual, and the military didn't keep them. Paul, you have every right to say what you said. People whine about the economy but hey it ain't the dust bowl, we got easy compared to what happened in the 30's.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for you Paul. You're a good man. Keep it up and just keep doing what you're doing.

Nobody said anything about veterans. Also there was no disrespect to paul either. You are making it a veteran non veteran issue.

I was just pointing out that I thought that Paul might be a little humble.

Again I thought he might be humble

 

[SpartaReef]

I wasnt talking about Mr. Rowe...

I think vets sound a certain way to non-vets... Its part of why vets and non-vets can pick each other out of a crowd.

 

[SpartaReef]

Sorry I didn't mean to offend.

 

[ssdawood]

Sorry I thought it was directed at me.

 

[Paul B]

Nobody said anything about veterans. Also there was no disrespect to paul either. You are making it a veteran non veteran issue.

Ssdawood, sorry again, my thoughts and posts tend to wander.
I don't remember how Veterans got in there but it is part of my life so it infiltrates my posts sometimes. As does baldness Paris Hilton and UG filters.
I think we were mentioning how easy or hard the two generations had it and I was just bringing up one aspect.

 

[SpartaReef]

Sorry I thought it was directed at me.

It was ;-)

I wouldn't have apologized if I didn't have anything to apologize for

 

[SpartaReef]

Ssdawood, sorry again, my thoughts and posts tend to wander.
I don't remember how Veterans got in there but it is part of my life so it infiltrates my posts sometimes. As does baldness Paris Hilton and UG filters.
I think we were mentioning how easy or hard the two generations had it and I was just bringing up one aspect.

Paul you got caught the the middle on your own thread

 

[Paul B]

Sorry I didn't mean to offend

Who did you offend? Oh now I get it, we are all typing at the same time and getting mixed up. We all love Veterans, fish people, young people, old people, bald people and some people who like paris Hilton.

 

[SpartaReef]

Roflol!

 

[Paul B]

Paul you got caught the the middle on your own thread

It happens, but remember, you can't offend me. :thumbsup: