Week in, Week out

I'm gonna miss all the Amish and Mennonite people from this past week.  I only met one or two of the forty or so that were here, but the spectacle of watching them entertain themselves was a nightly treat.  Whether it be INTENSE games of ping pong or guitar-backed sing-a-longs about God, it was always a pleasure to have them around the common space after a hard day's work.

The house that Gaines and I are working on is completely done on the exterior.  All trim, siding, windows, roof, and paint has been been completed.  Today the electrical and HVAC subcontractors came in to do their work and we moved some drywall inside to get ready for next week.  It's only taken three and a half weeks to get from an open grass lot to this stage.

Last night I saw a young Mennonite, about 25 years of age, give a young Amish boy, about 18 years of age, a CIGARETTE.  It was very shady.

Expired

It seems that every single food and drink item that Gaines and I are consuming on a daily basis has been expired for at least six months.

Another realization is that though the Mennonites have a devout faith in God, they have the worst manners of any religious group that I've ever seen.

Gaines is about to finish his application to grad school and you'll be hearing from him in the near future.

A much older group surrounds us this week as the average age goes up to probably 62.

Architects Encounter the Dirty

The place that Gaines and I are living is nothing more than a combination of living at summer camp and freshman year dorms with Amish people cooking all the meals.  The mean age of most of the people we've been working with tends to be around the 65-70 range.  Don't be fooled by their age though...7 Iowan women can easily sling a 200-lb. wooden truss 10 feet into the air.  Despite the frowns that we may receive at our living quarters for our colorful language, the worksite is certainly a place of refuge.  Fucks and shits and bitches flow regularly, especially when nailing studs is involved.  Every morning starts off with a volunteer meeting and a prayer led by one of the volunteers.  Gaines and I are not looking forward to the awkward moments of me telling everyone I'm Jewish and him just out right refusing.  As we eagerly await the arrival of a boney friend, we are thinking of other ways to entertain ourselves.  Much of this entertainment is soon to come from Gaines.

Also, we got brand new tool belts that we plan on rubbing in the dirt so we can look as legit as possible.

Lastly, a joke from our construction director, Eddie:

Why are there no architects in heaven?

Because Jesus was a carpenter.