Mo’memories

Thinking last night a bit and recalled some past stuff, and realized why I’ve had a bias against Engineers for most me life.   Not a bad bias, but one where I handle anyone that makes the claim “I’m an Engineer” with kid gloves and mucho patience. (Until they have proven competence or complete edu-mah-kated Idjit, and been more than a few of the latter,,, 🤐)

When we were kids, dad was the goto guy in the neighborhood.  Everyone came to him for help fixing things or building things, or just advice on such.  

Even the two (may have been more but two definitely) Engineers that lived local.   They respected my Dads advice and sought him out, even if just to bounce an idea around.

My dad is not ‘highly educated’,,,   He was forced to quit school very early on for family reasons, and has always been ashamed of that fact,  but he is NOT dumb,,,   i recall him taking part of my sisters homework assignments, not to help,  but to learn his danged self.   I remember him reading voraciously for several years: albeit slowly,  but very insistently.   And he’s intuitively quick on seeing ‘the problem’ and finding solutions.

And people wonder where Sis and I get it…

Of all the things my dad has given me in life, the one I treasure the most is the DRIVE to learn, and to think outside that bloody flippin’ box. (What box?  I know not of this box you speak,,,)

And I can’t recall how many times I have been asked “how do you know all this stuff?”   And my reply, ” know it? Hell, I’m making it up as I go along,,,,”  and not be bullshitting the questioner.  I get that from my Da,,,,   somethings are ‘just so’ and those are things we “get” and everything else has to be figured out from that.   

And of course theres some RTFM that needs to along with it

That is, if a manual is available,,,    many times that has not been the case and it was serious” make it up as I go along” time.

I think thats why I get so pissed off at ‘Teh Stoopid’  and you can read that as ‘the wilfully ignorant’,,,

Oh, I know there are somethings that a person can’t learn; some may have a mathematical deficit in there psyche, or reading might be a chore, but learning, as a whole should NEVER be put on a back burner and forgotten.  And those that refuse to learn are ‘Teh Stoopid’.  

Especially in THIS age, with the internet, utoob, other virtual venues, and Dog only knows how many courses being offered on ‘you flippin’ name it, we got that’  offered by everybody and their brother (for a small fee most times)   i personally have taken ‘virtual’ courses on kayaking, machining, even welding, when I hit those ‘I need a teacher’ moments.  

There are ZERO excuses for ignorance IMO,

and this is where I start wearing the kid gloves with “Engineers”,,, far too many have been proven to be book smart, math smart, etc, but when the rubber hits the road, DUMBER THAN ROCKS. No common sense for reality, and a “mighter than thou” attitude to boot. At least with Bossman, who is a Civil Engineer, does come to me with problems at times. There was one where we had a harness race track to put wood fence around, and he was confuzzed about some things on the plan. We figured it out together and made sense of what “Some other engineer” goosed up by not writing out details. The only time we really butt heads is when he has it in his head that “His way” is the only way, despite three other people giving him the side eye and saying ‘why don’t we try,,,,,’. I usually throw down the “fuck this, I quit” at that point. and thats usually the dousing of cold water he needs. One day though, that bluff is gonna get called,,,,

Don’t none of us fit in a cookie cutter mold, and thats why I think self claimed ‘Experts’ are full of shit on most things. Certification tends to be a joke, and like Heinlein said “,,,, specialization is for insects.”