The Handy Man Can

I've intended this blog to obstensibly be about my New York to L.A. transition. Today's offering only semi fits the bill, but it's something I'd like to address. Namely, the misconception regarding my "handiness," or lack thereof. This covers my whole life really, beginning with my family, and currently being the position held by my wife Bubba. I feel I can get away with this here because the move has entailed my taking on an abundance of "handywork."

While I'll never be mistaken for Bob Villa, in my estimation, I've been as handy as I've needed to be. Living pretty much either as a child or a tenant most of my life, not as a homeowner per se, my large scale opportunities have been limited. I've never owned a place that required my, say, putting in a deck or something. That said, more than ever in my new California digs, though still a tenant, there've been many opportunites to strut my handy stuff. And by my count, I'm batting 1.000.

Since I've been here, I've installed locks on our kitchen, (to lock in the Big-O), installed a lock on our Spanish window, installed a toilet seat, unclogged drains, fixed the stove, assembled a deceptively hard faux palm X-mas tree, assembled a deciptively involved oscilating fan, and a bunch of other little stuff requiring a power drill, screwdrivers, pliers, box-cutters, and plungers. This, of course, is on top of all of the unpacking, storing and setting up of shop for all our stuff.

On top of this, I am technically handy as well. I've set up the t.v., dvd, vcr, x-box, stereo, and computer. I've upgraded software. Not to mention, I very quickly became quite adept on my new digital 24-track recorder. I've been making pretty involved, "full-band" recordings, burning cd's, and sending electronic files around the country. Hell, I'm currently "recording" a song with my friend Dimitri back in New York. I recorded the music, and now he's doing the vocals. Learned all this by myself folks.

None of this is insanely difficult. Lots of it was not easy either. My point is, I've never understood where this perception came from. Never have I set out to build/assemble/create something only to have it implode or something. I've simply handled whatever tasks have come my way. I've always maintained that most things are designed to be able to be done by people a lot dimmer than me. My father may not have taught me the nuances of how to say, use a power sander, but he DID teach me how to follow instructions.

Hope this puts this myth to rest. I'll be accepting projects the next time I come back east.