Ugly Ceiling

[cycotcskir]

After reading this thread again, and thinking about my past work and the range of work quality I've seen over the years, I have an opinion, or a theory, on why we see sloppy and non-compliant work so much.

The difference is that the slobs (for lack of a better single word) aren't enjoying the work. They don't take pride in doing it right, and they don't stand back and admire what they've accomplished and created.

You, my kindred friend, have described how I view the difference between Tradesman and Craftsman. Dictionary-wise, the Craftsman lacks in artistry, but in actual use it seems that a Craftsman is a cut above the Tradesman who simply works in the trade.

We can cut the semantics in different ways, but everyone knows both of these types of workers.

When I was a Padawan Electrician, I used to report measurements to my JW's and say something like, "32 3/16 Heavy" and all I would ever hear is, " Why do you keep measuring down that tight, just give me to the nearest 1/4inch"

My response was always to tell them that I will never reach perfection, but if I don't strive for perfection, I will never even get close. Besides, it reduces my margin of error.

I've been called Picaso, told we're not watchmakers and we're not buildin' a nuke, and heard plenty of other things that only serve to make the slacker feel better about his lack of attention to detail.

Of course, it may not neccessarily be my desire to enjoy my work, it may not be anything altruistic... Maybe it's just my OCD:grin::grin: