RRRIIING. RRRIIING... "No. There is no way that I getting out of this bed," I mutter to myself. Upon picking up the phone I instantly realize that it is indeed the Super 8 motel's 5:15 wake-up call that stirred me from my pleasant slumber. As I roll over, I can hear my co-worker turn on the TV, a sure sign that he is out of bed and getting dressed, already two steps ahead of me. I'll just lay here for another second and then get up. It is just too damn early!

Throwing on a ripped shirt, a dirty pair of jeans, and a seasoned pair of work boots, I make a dash for the truck where my five other co-workers are already gathering. After exchanging a few grunts of early morning greeting we are off to breakfast. Breakfast today, like every other day of the week, will consist of six bananas and half a gallon of skim milk, which I always purchase at the Quick Star gas station on my way to work. We push onward towards the job site where we usually arrive at by 6:00 A.M.

This was my typical summer morning. While most of my peers were still sleeping in my hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin, I was hundreds of miles away in small towns across midwest, putting on my hard hat, safety glasses, and gloves, and wondering what I was doing up at such an ungodly hour. Working eleven days in a row without seeing friends and family is hard on everyone. Yet despite these atypical conditions, the job that I chose not only gave me the freedom that I desired, but also taught me many invaluable lessons.

The first things that I learned on my new job were the technical skills involved with building feedmills.  My first job of the day entailed climbing 85 feet to the top of a feedmill with a can of paint, a wire brush, and a safety belt. I was then given instructions to "chip the corrosion off the weld seams and paint 'em."  I was 85 feet off the ground looking for a thing called "slag" to chip before I paint the "weld seams"!  I can now look back at this experience and laugh. I have not only learned how to chip corrosion off weld seams, but also how to weld, torch, and of course, shoot the shit with the best of them.  

Responsibility and independence were two important assets that I quickly acquired after starting work as a feedmill builder. Prior to my construction experience, I had only been away from the watchful eye of my parents for short periods of time. Now I was getting all the freedom I had ever wanted and more. About three weeks into my first summer, I was put on a road crew that traveled around to various towns and fixed old feedmills or constructed new ones. This entailed a whole new set of challenges.  At first it was hard for me to adjust from my mother's exquisite homemade meals to the extra value meals served at McDonalds, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Working 75 hours a week and not consuming the right types of food wore me down pretty quickly. It didn't take long for me to figure out that these meals would not only deprive me of energy, but also deplete my pocket book.  Ten or fifteen five dollar "Extra Value Meals" really add up quickly. After a week or two I learned how to get a balanced meal and balance a budget too.

In short, I learned many lessons from working construction. I consider those lessons to be invaluable, and I am sure they have helped shape the person that I am today...