I did the same kind of work during summers in college!

I was a form carpenter's helper. Visualize a bunch of hippy longhairs climbing buildings, tying steel, pouring mud, and bustin' rebar, ponytails poking out from under hard hats. I loved the mock-insulting banter the guys used to trade back and forth, pure poetry in obscenity and invective, but it was all so everyone knew, subconsciously, exactly where everyone else was and what they were doing, and that they were alert, without having to look for themselves. There was a lot going on up in the air, a lot of material moving around and people busy doing things, and everyone looked out for each other.

Working with craftsmen and watching men at work is a noble thing. It's what real men did to earn a living before we all became blow-dried wimps and office pansies. We hire Mexicans to do our work for us now so we can spend all our time talking to machines and pretending it matters.

Our children will pay the price some day.