That story reminds me of this story.
When I graduated from high school in the early 70's I worked in a bike shop that was owned by a guy who had taken the shop over from his Dad. The father (Sam) was retired to Florida and would come up every summer and help out in the shop. Sam didn't like me at all. I guess there was a clash of egos going on.
The wheel building station was several steps above the shop floor and there was stool by the truing stand. The shop had about 10 mechanics and I was a lead man. I did most of the wheel building so I would sit up there and boss the younger shop rats around while truing wheels. Sam used to bark at me that it was impossible to do a good job while sitting down. He was a good wheel builder. Sam would go so far as hide the stool. We butted heads big time.
As the years went by we both softened and actually became good pals. After I graduated from collage I started a wheel building business with the owner of the same shop. We had warehouse space next door to the shop. I would spend grueling days standing in front of a truing stand putting the finishing touches on wheels as they came off the line. I spent so little time on each wheel that it didn't pay to sit down.
Every summer Sam would come up from Florida and I would be happy to see that he was doing OK. He would come over to my wheel shop and occasionally offer me a stool to sit on because he could see how hard I was working. I don't think he remember that he used to take my stool away but I would laugh to myself.
Sam was a good guy. I cried like a baby at his funeral. Jamie Swan - Northport, N.Y.
Wornoutguy@aol.com wrote:
> I was being trained by an old painter many many years ago
> We were stiring paint I was going round and round.
> He joking said don't do that you need to go back and forth.
> I said what differance would that make - he told me when he was young he
> worked for a man who used to scream at him if he did not stir side to side. He
> felt it made a differance. Thank God for paint shakers the machine does it
> far better than my side to side or round and round.
>
> Sam DiBartolomeo
> Riverside CA