I was on a project a few weeks ago, a concrete building from 1909, being turned from a car dealership into a Trader joes store.
Everybody I worked with was absolutely awesome. Three had long hair too!!
My boss was native American, had a thin black ponytail to his sholder blades. He looked like a country singer that I can't think of the name of. The nicest most laid back boss I've ever had I think. Half the time I was just on standby looking busy until he called me on my radio. Said he really enjoyed smoking some kind of herb at night. I'm his first choice of who to call when they need an extra person.
One of the concrete guys forming the elevator pit was a tall skinny readhead with hair covering his neck, and in his eyes. Beautiful awkward stage. I asked him if he was growing his hair & he took his cigarette out of his mouth and looked down shyly and said, 'yeah' with a little smile. I told him about mlhh & coconut oil, and how my hair was to my elbows. he was awed, and said his used to be halfway down his back. It was strawberry blonde. Rainbow highlights. He said it was the wrong time of year to be growing it though, and a week later, buzzed it to his eyebrows, leaving two inches on top, which he showed me with his big goofy smile. he'll work on it in the winter I'm sure. He had a three inch red goatee as well. I helped him dig for a few days. His family was in some kind of, um, cough, biker gang, but he got out of it. He was a good guy.
One of the brick masons was a skinny blonde guy who drove his girlfriends old little volvo. He wore his long hair in a bun like me!! I never felt so comfortable on a job in all my life! He had a little reddish beard, had dark and light natural streaks to his hair, looked french, and was pure granola hippie. Did all the heavy hard work too, and never seemed to tire. We talked about hair too. I said it's good he keeps it coiled up like that and he said 'Oh yeah! It stays in much better condition this way!' He said his girlfriend really likes it too! I'll bet. Very very sweet guy. His hair would come out in little curls around his face when he was smoking and mixing the mortar at the same time, and it looked beyond words nice. He'd look at me and frown and shake his head 'no' over the cement dust blowing all over him. I'd give back a big smile of encouragement.
A guy walked past the building with his girlfriend and he had his past his shoulder length hair in a half bun with the top half of his hair while the lower half hung loose. It was too much for me! I was surrounded! I started laughing and singing.
Hi John C.
There's something very folksy with long hair and the individual free spirits who wear it. Unfortunately it's unusual to work in a group where long hair is predominant. It's often the other way around. Thanks for sharing. Another thought: what with the economic downturn happening just about everywhere at the moment maybe fewer people would afford to bother spending money on haircuts.
Cheers,
Duncan
You're welcome Duncan, and thank you. As always, you're right! The economy could make people go either way though, I think. With the extreme competition for jobs, some might fear they need to cut it. I did, when my union didn't have enough work and I thought I might have to look outside construction, but doctors and such still make a living and do indeed still want bigger decks with new hot tubs and such nonsense, and I like my career and don't want to choose some short haired crap. It's better to stay with what I can do and enjoy.
Cheers,
John.
John C...Cool day at work-it seems...I get what you are saying--I work in a restaurant bar-tending and serving and out of the guys I'm the only one with shoulder length hair-At work it's always in a bun or messy pony-tail. I have a couple of guys who are regular customers and also sport a messy tail and they always ask for me to wait on them-it kind of feels like meeting kindred spirits in a way--One guy has hair longer than mine and actually commented how shinny my hair looked and I replied it's the "Henna treatments". And, he didn't believe that henna could look so good-his hair color is the same as my own (Medium to light brown)He said he was going to give henna a try because he was getting tired of looking at his grays lol...I replied, "Yes I know"
Thanks for sharing. ;p That's interesting.
Great story John - sounds like you have an interesting bunch to work with. I guess you could rephrase that old Christmas tune "Workin in a longhair wonderland".
- Oren
Or *you* could rephrase it, Oren - you seem to have a knack for revising song lyrics! :)
Hi John,
That certainly is cool to hear about that jobsite you currently are working on.I used to work in construction and do recall similar longhair sightings of my own on certain jobs I was on:)Now I'm in the service industry and work in office building, warehouses,and such.I have to admit on occasion I would see a longhair working in an office building wearing a suit!The most recent was several months ago as he was walking towards me and he looked like a normal businessman until I looked back at him after he passed me and his ponytail was down to his lower back!Now that was AMAZING:)I have to say for a male office worker its the longest hair I ever saw on one.Others were maybe passed the shoulders at best.So there is hope for the longhairs my friend but much work remains to be done;)Cheers
Mark
HAHAHAHAHA! Oh, this is great! When was the last time you heard someone say they had such a good day at work that they started singing?!?!?! Thanks for the story, John! :)
You're welcome I'm sure!!! ;D I sing sometimes, but not every day, or every job! The acoustics of the building were delicious, and they were running this grinder on the floor above me for long moments at times, making a loud bass note, to which I'd harmonize in some Elizabethan countertenor falsetto or whatever came to mind! Haha. Or a made up Gregorian melody.