I’ve possibly mentioned it here a time or two before, I hav moderate emphysema, and moderate asthma. As such I am in the elevated risk group so I get vaccinated when needed.
Yesterday was a couple of vaccinations, pneumonia, flu, COVID booster and second round of hep A/B vaccine (occupational exposure hazard of plumbing).
This morning I was handing over my doctors excuse. Typically I don’t give information when I visit a doctor- here’s my excuse go fuck yourself please. For some reason I told the office manager why I went - vaccinations, blood work, and a referral for my twice yearly endoscopy.
You’d have though I told her I kick puppies and steal old folks disability checks, the fucking look she gave me.
She started out with this ‘have you done your research…’ bullshit, so I asked her why her medical degrees weren’t hanging up if she knew better than medical professionals and left for my first service call. Then, I got to listen to my 17 year old apprentice (the owners dipshit son) explain to me how I really need to do some research and I’d probably change my opinion because I’m smart and I just need to be shown the right info, and that the other guys at the shop agreed about vaccinations. He then tried explaining to me that his grandpa who died last year of complications from esophageal cancer was really complications from the covid booster two years later.
Told him I’m dropping him with his daddy because we can’t justify the labor for an apprentice and a plumber for the service calls I had lined up today.
Ain’t fucking doing it anymore. I’m sixteen hours into overtime already and I’m paid double time so I’m not fucking this week up. I will finish my week at one shop and I will have another job by Friday this week if worse comes to it.
I’m not arguing with assholes anymore in the year of our lord twenty twenty five.
How was y’all’s day?
Its alright. I’m mostly left to my devices really. I’m the senior plumber so I get away with a little more than the other guys, I get to do most of my work by myself which is what I prefer- I really am a good plumber but I’m a terrible teacher so I’ve always had a hard time conveying what I know. Nobody questions me for the most part. I don’t really have to justify much of what I do to anyone. Most of my days are smooth enough that I honestly can’t complain too much.
I really only have days like today every once in a while, thankfully. Otherwise I’d have hit the road a long time back. I can be treated like shit anywhere, really. My license is my resume at this point.
I’m a bit of a loner naturally, so I’m already a bit alienated but I definitely have times where I need some companionship at work. Many hands make light work, misery loves company, whatever cliche you want. Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to someone.
Can you start your own thing? If you like working alone, do you really need them?
I’m ten months out from my hours requirement for a masters license. I have all of my requisite classes completed, now I’m just burning thru another 1,500-ish hours remaining of my 10,000 hour requirement.
I’m close. I’ll open my own ‘shop’ eventually but won’t take on any employees beyond my son when he comes of age to apprentice. I really want my son to get a j-man license that way he always has something he can fall back on until he finds his way.
Hell yeah. That’ll probably feel so freeing.