Jobs I've Had. Part 3

I think my favorite job I ever had was the year I was a house painter. It was the first job where I was making a decent amount more than minimum wage. I had a great guy I was partnered with named Wayne, Wayne was a huge Judas Priest fan, and this was long before Rob Halford came out, so I don't know how that news hit Wayne.

The job was going well so my step-father helped my buy a brand new Mazda pick-up truck to use for work. Life was wonderful, a fun job and a brand new car. It was the first new car I ever owned.

Sure I would have to get up pretty early so I could pick up the paint trailer and then get to the job site. But we had freedom. We were mostly doing exteriors of houses, and it was just the two of us. So we would spend several days at each job site, so we always had new surroundings and no bosses looking over us.

I loved wearing the white painter pants, and work boots. The blue collar life was for me. Sitting on strangers front lawns eating lunch out under the sun. We were both good at what we did, so the jobs went quick and easy. If we finished ahead of schedule we could pack it in early that day.

Well then the company separated Wayne and I to run two different crews.

Things were still fun, but not nearly as much. I had 2-3 smart assed college kids who were crappy painters. Half my day then consisted of telling them to get back to work, and explaining to them that we had a schedule to meet.

Well then cam the cold weather, and most of the business dried up. We were a non-union paint shop so the search for a new job had to begin.