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Monday, December 5, 2011

The initiation of Jon as a Roofer.

Children believe that history began with their own consciousness. Even though we grow to know better when we have our own little rug snatchers, we feel like they were always with  us. Maybe it has something to do with String Theory and multiple dimensions and possibilities. Naw. It is just the arrogance of man. Anyway I'm going to narrate the history of roofing through my eyes.
Chapter 1:
Just kidding.

One morning my father got me out of bed. There was this big huge giant pile of stuff in the driveway and my father told me that my job was to get it on the roof. Come on! This was going to be worse than the summer I had to break up a patio cover with a sledgehammer and wheelbarrow it to a trailer in front of the house. How I longed to just sit and separate the screws, washers, nuts and bolts of hundreds of kinds that was another task when daddy brought home several footlockers full of them. He has enough for generations.

So I go outside and I can't even budge the package. My father has me start with a fraction of a package. Soon the little stones are sliding down my back and into my underwear and socks. Thank the Unmoved Mover that this was pre-fiberglass times.

Due to the youth of an 8th grader, I didn't get sore the next day. I piled more destruction on my body and when the soreness came on the third day, the sea parted from the land. Dad didn't let me off and wasn't going to on the 7th either.  This is the role model that Newt is talking about. Pharaoh!

When my ancient uncle showed up, and I never saw him before or afterwards, the real toil began. I tell you, a plank one by twelve deck really holds a nail. And there where three layers!!! Cccount themmm.

Once this epic task was completed we were ready for the forty days and nights. And so was another uncle that I knew well. I never knew he was such beast. He had procured me by right of blood to toil in his quarry, his parking lot, and his roofs. He was a man of many hats but had no sons. So, thus having completed the first job so well, I was sent off to never be heard from again.

Yeah, I did come back but soon discovered that people actually got paid for doing this work. food and shelter no longer sufficed.

When i went to college I looked for jobs and could only find work in bars and sweaty sheet metal shops. Then it happened. I met a roofer with the need for help. Imagine in the 1970's being 19 years old and making $150.00 a day. Thought about dropping out as we all know 19 year olds are immortal and time does not pass.

I watched my new boss measure roofs in his peculiar way while he asked me to spell "tear off" and "valley." So I changed from a science major taking Spanish to Political Philosophy and Italian, speculating that the upcoming wave of Italian immigrants would take over the roofing labor force.

Once I graduated from the University of Dallas, I couldn't find a job as a philosopher making my required $150.00 per day, so roofing was it. Besides I got to hire a lot of those students and teach them the value of an education.

Jon Alan Wright
Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows
1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310
Irving, TX 75061
972.251.1818 Office
214.718.3748 Cell
972.554.8090 Fax
    Follow jwrightroofing on Twitter

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