When women find out I’m an electrician, more often than not the first question they ask is either: “Did you do it to meet men?” or “Do you meet a lot of eligible men?” The answer to both questions is, “No.” I did it because I needed a change from sitting behind a desk all day, because I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and because I get a kick out of doing unusual things.
I like men. In my life I have just as many close male friends as female ones. I’m very comfortable talking to and working with men. I also like men in “that” way, but to make a career choice based on the potential to meet men? Puh-leez. I suppose there are women out there who might make that choice, but I don’t think they’d last very long. Let me tell you, it ain’t a fashion show.
Most days are spent underneath the ugliest of hard hats and behind the nerdiest of safety glasses. Any make-up such a princess might choose to wear would be quickly sweated off or buried under layers of dust and dirt. Since most functional work pants are made for guys, they aren’t the most flattering to the female form. Footwear consists of clonky work boots day in and day out…enough to send any shoe diva screaming. Jewelry is a hazard when working with electricity. Hairstyles, if long, are boring ponytails or braids. Any shirt soon has holes from snagging on the sharp edges that abound on construction sites. Also, these sharp edges cause many gashes and scratches on exposed arms, leaving scars that make a girl look like she’s gone ten rounds with the pet cat from hell.
Of course, this assumes that the woman is actually trying to do the work and will get dirty, sweaty and bloody. I recently witnessed a chicklet on the jobsite who was happy to be there hanging out with the boys but who barely did any work. She was (supposedly) a framer, but spent more time giggling and standing around than she did working. She was quite attractive and the guys on my crew definitely noticed THAT right off the bat, but within a week or two they were referring to her as “The Beauty Queen” and commenting almost exclusively on how little she actually did during a day. Pretty soon, the boys were all atwitter with the gossip that she got fired. No one was really surprised.
Even if a gal is doing the job with legitimate motivations, there’s still the question about eligible men. Despite being single and surrounded by men on a daily basis, I’ve been too focused on doing a good job and learning the trade to pay more than cursory attention. It’s not that I haven’t noticed physically attractive men – c’mon, I’m a red-blooded female surrounded by hot, fit construction guys – it’s just that the opportunities to find out if there’s anything of substance beneath the muscles are few and far between. Any preliminary chat-while-you-work conversations usually lead to the discovery that the guy a) is married or in a relationship, b) is way too young or, c) has no substance. I guess if I was just interested in sex any available b) or c) would do, but those days are over and now I kind of prefer someone who can stimulate me mentally as well as physically. It’s not too much to ask that the guy has actually read a book in the past year, is it?
And then there’s me. I don’t think I’m exactly the type that appeals to construction workers, either. From sitting in on lunch conversations about their spouses and girlfriends, it seems that the overwhelming majority of these guys are quite traditional and take a bizarre kind of pride in having a woman who relies on them to do “manly” things. Oh, sure, they “complain” that their women don’t know how to check the air pressure in tires, don’t earn very much, if any, money yet spend lots on shoes, handbags and clothes to add to their already overflowing closets, and can’t undo a pickle jar without help (okay, that’s a wee exaggeration) but they all seem pretty happy with these women so there must be some kind of appeal. When I think about what I’m like in relation to those kinds of women, I often have a song from Annie, Get Your Gun running through my head:
I’m quick on the trigger
With targets not much bigger
Than a pinpoint, I’m number one
But my score with a feller
Is lower than a cellar
Oh, you can’t get a man with a gun
…or in my case, a Hilti gun.
Since my life is very much taken up by working long hours and being too tired to do much after work, the opportunities to meet men in other settings are pretty limited. So, for now I guess I can enjoy the eye candy that flits in and out of my field of vision during the day and hope than someday a single, interesting, educated and somewhat sophisticated guy who appreciates a self-sufficient woman will walk into my life. It could happen, right? Or, it might be easier to win the 6-49.
I think I’d better buy a ticket.
I like men. In my life I have just as many close male friends as female ones. I’m very comfortable talking to and working with men. I also like men in “that” way, but to make a career choice based on the potential to meet men? Puh-leez. I suppose there are women out there who might make that choice, but I don’t think they’d last very long. Let me tell you, it ain’t a fashion show.
Most days are spent underneath the ugliest of hard hats and behind the nerdiest of safety glasses. Any make-up such a princess might choose to wear would be quickly sweated off or buried under layers of dust and dirt. Since most functional work pants are made for guys, they aren’t the most flattering to the female form. Footwear consists of clonky work boots day in and day out…enough to send any shoe diva screaming. Jewelry is a hazard when working with electricity. Hairstyles, if long, are boring ponytails or braids. Any shirt soon has holes from snagging on the sharp edges that abound on construction sites. Also, these sharp edges cause many gashes and scratches on exposed arms, leaving scars that make a girl look like she’s gone ten rounds with the pet cat from hell.
Of course, this assumes that the woman is actually trying to do the work and will get dirty, sweaty and bloody. I recently witnessed a chicklet on the jobsite who was happy to be there hanging out with the boys but who barely did any work. She was (supposedly) a framer, but spent more time giggling and standing around than she did working. She was quite attractive and the guys on my crew definitely noticed THAT right off the bat, but within a week or two they were referring to her as “The Beauty Queen” and commenting almost exclusively on how little she actually did during a day. Pretty soon, the boys were all atwitter with the gossip that she got fired. No one was really surprised.
Even if a gal is doing the job with legitimate motivations, there’s still the question about eligible men. Despite being single and surrounded by men on a daily basis, I’ve been too focused on doing a good job and learning the trade to pay more than cursory attention. It’s not that I haven’t noticed physically attractive men – c’mon, I’m a red-blooded female surrounded by hot, fit construction guys – it’s just that the opportunities to find out if there’s anything of substance beneath the muscles are few and far between. Any preliminary chat-while-you-work conversations usually lead to the discovery that the guy a) is married or in a relationship, b) is way too young or, c) has no substance. I guess if I was just interested in sex any available b) or c) would do, but those days are over and now I kind of prefer someone who can stimulate me mentally as well as physically. It’s not too much to ask that the guy has actually read a book in the past year, is it?
And then there’s me. I don’t think I’m exactly the type that appeals to construction workers, either. From sitting in on lunch conversations about their spouses and girlfriends, it seems that the overwhelming majority of these guys are quite traditional and take a bizarre kind of pride in having a woman who relies on them to do “manly” things. Oh, sure, they “complain” that their women don’t know how to check the air pressure in tires, don’t earn very much, if any, money yet spend lots on shoes, handbags and clothes to add to their already overflowing closets, and can’t undo a pickle jar without help (okay, that’s a wee exaggeration) but they all seem pretty happy with these women so there must be some kind of appeal. When I think about what I’m like in relation to those kinds of women, I often have a song from Annie, Get Your Gun running through my head:
I’m quick on the trigger
With targets not much bigger
Than a pinpoint, I’m number one
But my score with a feller
Is lower than a cellar
Oh, you can’t get a man with a gun
…or in my case, a Hilti gun.
Since my life is very much taken up by working long hours and being too tired to do much after work, the opportunities to meet men in other settings are pretty limited. So, for now I guess I can enjoy the eye candy that flits in and out of my field of vision during the day and hope than someday a single, interesting, educated and somewhat sophisticated guy who appreciates a self-sufficient woman will walk into my life. It could happen, right? Or, it might be easier to win the 6-49.
I think I’d better buy a ticket.
******************************
Today’s Treasure: Frozen hamburger patties. Seriously. I came home tired and hungry and didn’t feel like cooking. Tossed ‘em on the BBQ right out of the freezer and, voila, instant supper. It’s the small things that make me happy sometimes.
3 comments:
My 2 cents: you're on the right track. Just do your thing, be who you are, and the guy who appreciates just how cool and awesome that is will find you, most likely when you're not looking.
My honey makes dinner most nights; I have assembled all the furniture requiring assembly (save one dresser-we're both proud of him); he does lots of dishes; I vacuum; he's awesome with the kids and changes diapers like a pro; I bake; he rocks at the electronics and computer gizmos.
We're more than a little weird, but if we do anything well, we're OK with playing to our strengths. Seems like a good way to go, whatever one's strengths happen to be. Works for us, anyway.
Hang in there and do your stuff, girl--capable+gorgeous=HAWT. :)
Thanks, Karin.
It sounds like you guys have a winning formula.
It's funny, although I devoted a whole post to it, I don't think I'm really looking too hard. It's just that I get asked the question an awful lot.
I think when you get to be a certain age and are still single, people wonder why...especially if you are surrounded by men day in and day out. I guess I'm not willing to settle when I see couples like you guys or Cookie & Dusty who have a whole lot of great stuff going on together.
You are an inspiration!
And, as my cousin told me, "I'd rather be single than wish I was."
Your cousin is quite right. Sometimes the loneliest place to be is in a relationship. You just haven't met the man smart enough to deserve you. Keep on being our lovely Laurel.
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