Dammit! UA is a manly man tangent

I'll go out on a limb and guess that most of you aren't built for manual labor anyhow. I sense a lot of "body by XBox" around here.

Tell us again of your mighty feats of running up and down stairs.

I wouldn't want to give you a heart attack from the sudden exposure to raw masculinity.

meh, tell me all about it after you've done your time in construction... or behind a bar for that matter.

I mean, I did manual labor. When I was 16-18. That's what youthful endurance is for. If you're still relying on muscles to earn a paycheck into your man menopause, I wouldn't take it as a source of pride unless you're winning Olympic Gold or some form of trophy.

I take my pride in being able to fit into the same sized levi's I did half a lifetime ago and still having 95% of my hair line.

I like a manly man, despite me not being in peak physical condition myself. it takes all kinds to make the world go round.

My man

I suppose that'd boil down to what "manly" looks like to you then?

Ok, champ.

There's no possible middle ground between "reasonably fit" and "able to perform strenuous manual labour for hours", of course.

Just pointing out that a job that mandates physical endurance is eventually going to be at risk due to age - especially if that labour is relatively unskilled and could save cash for the higher-ups by replacing folk with younger versions.

Even if the job does take skill, there's a reason sports folk retire by 40 latest.

It's not a sign of achievement. But if I blow MY joints I'm not automatically out of work.

Those "younger versions" drag their pudgy little asses and then just stop showing up after a couple weeks. Now they don't even apply.

I will happily pick up the money they leave on the table until I drop dead. Also happily.

repetitive, not necessarily strenuous.

If I recall, he runs a stamping machine of some sort. If any action in that is strenuous, either OSHA will have words for his employer or he's doing it wrong and causing himself more damage than maintaining anything.


Otherwise, yeah... I have no desire to go back into framing and general construction now that I'm past 50.

I do lots of things, not all of them strenuous. Stamping sheetmetal not so much, but slinging it around can be a workout. Welding is just sitting and concentrating. Powder coating means standing in a booth in a full body suit next to a 700 degree oven. Throwing boxes off of semi trailers is legitimate exercise, and I would also count painting walls when I assist with the remodel. But all of it is at a minimum uncomfortable, and that's enough to run off most of the yoots.

So pretty much like cabinetry, or most manufacturing gigs...

I think we're looking for supporting stuff that you're doing a gig most of these sponge cakes couldn't handle, so I don't think incidental painting counts.

"Incidental" 10 hour days with a telescoping roller extension. I lost a few more pounds that week. It was glorious.

"How dare he enjoy a moment's satisfaction? Doesn't he know he is exploited? "

Hell, I once knocked over a can of paint when drunk and managed to sell it for a significant sum as an original Jackson Pollock.

Not really but it's about as close to reality as any of the shit UA just said.

Sure. I'm making it all up.

You're not making it up. You're making up the reasons it's worthwhile.

I mean, ultimately, life has no meaning except what we give it. So I can't blame you for ascribing your own meaning to it.

I can blame you for choosing such a fucking shitbag meaning. Not the muscles thing, the rest of it. But the muscles are tied in.

"The best thing a person can be is of some use"

Heard that in a movie once. Can't find a clip. But if you must have a reason, that will suffice.

Yep, UA can tell everything about a person just by surface appearances. A lot of people have ended up getting their arses kicked who thought that.

Nope. I judge people by their conduct. I'm mostly with you about appearances, but in my case, what you see really is what you get: a 6 foot, pasty-white candle slowly melting in the sun. A "specimen" I am NOT.

That makes two of us...
For someone who's thrown into keyboard pounding rages when you feel someone has made any kind of assumption about you, it's interesting how many assumptions you make about other people.

It's not hard to find posts here where people assert an entitlement to something of value just for existing. It's not a big leap from there to picturing those posters as lazy and squishy.

Same.

I bet you look cute in his Levi's.

satisfaction didn't enter into it-nor did exploitation (although last time that was in my job profile with the GC, I was making about 30/hr.)
your assertion that that's some sort of back breaking work is the challenge.

you set pretty low bars for a guy who's so smug.

I always thought you were taller for some reason? Like in that 6'3"/250 range.

I do. Thank you.