the Diva meets a Boss

So we head out to the Habitat for Humanity site. 

It's still pretty chilly in the morning here in the Mile High. I didn't wear my Steeler vest because I didn't wanna make any waves today. I'm here to help and to learn. So I grab a patch of sun while the GC goes through the job site rules and regs with the crowd of 40 + volunteers.  He offers the choice of interior work, or hanging siding. I hang back, waiting for the interior assignments.  Good thing too.....I end up on Allyson's crew.

Allyson.  Tiny little woman, really. Both her Staff sweatshirt and her cuffed khakis are totally overrun with paint, sawdust and dirt. Her tool belt is worn and looks very comfortable hanging around her hips.  Hair pulled up in a wanna-be ponytail under a dirty green hardhat that's spot-sprayed with neon orange paint. She puts us all at ease almost immediately with her easy demeanor and understated confidence.  This is no Roughneck Diva. Allyson is a Boss.  As she tells me about her own journey into construction, it becomes apparent she loves what she does. 

She agrees to let me shadow her today.  For the next 6 hours, I am alternately in the kitchen with Allyson, or waiting my turn for instruction from Allyson.  This is not a bad thing.  She is very patient with all of us, and gives everyone all the time they need to understand her instructions. I make my very first cuts with a circular saw with Allyson watching sharply.  She walks me through my installation so thoroughly I don't even realize I have done most of it by myself. Confidence soaring, I head down to measure and cut some wood alone.  I only screw up once.

I needed to see Allyson.  I needed to work with her and the other female staff and volunteers in such numbers.  One lady was pregnant.  Quite a few were Regular Volunteers.....meaning they give quite a bit of their time and energy to build homes for people they don't even know.  Being around these ladies today empowered me.  Their presence assured me that I was not off on some fantasy ride; I could actually be competent, skilled and still love what I do. 

This week is definitely the best of training so far.  I hope it continues to get better.

Like Water, For Roughnecks

Week four of Green Construction and Energy training began a bit differently today.  I was introduced to water auditing.

Water conservation is quickly becoming a hot topic, both in Denver and around the country.  Most of us are aware of the restrictions placed on us during the droughts of the past few years. However, few people realize that conserving water in and around the home can not only be painless, but also beneficial.  Consider this:  the average person uses 211 gallons of water PER DAY.  By reducing consumption to 165 gallons per day, the average homeowner can save close to 30% on their water bill.  A water audit will identify where improvements can be made throughout a home or business.

Around 9 AM, we were driven to the offices of Rebuilding Together Metro Denver, where we spent the morning learning the nuances of water auditing.  After lunch, we split up into two teams to begin the installation of water saving appliances in the homes of elderly homeowners.  As most elderly homeowners are living on fixed incomes, RTMD and Denver Water provide the audits and the upgrades at no cost.  My team installed new aerators, a new efficient shower head and an ADA approved, energy efficient toilet. 

What impressed me most was the reaction of the homeowner.  She was genuinely pleased to receive the upgrades, and didn't seem to mind all the strangers traipsing through her home to complete the installation.  i could very easily see my gramma, or my mother, sitting in the same spot.  Just looking around the home at all the projects that needed to be completed made me appreciate the both the necessity of reaching out to our older homeowners and the opportunity to make a real impact on the lives of my fellow citizens.

Wednesday, we will be spending the day working with Habitat for Humanity.  If it proves to be as rewarding as today, I just may have to revise my long term goals to include more altruistic uses for my new skills.

I am finishing up my first week of training in Green Construction & Energy. 

We were told the very first day that we would be sitting down with our assigned career counselors. At that meeting, I realized I really had made up my mind about what I wanted to accomplish at Mi Casa. I had set some realistic expectations, and with sincere dedication and hard work those expectations are within reach. Because it is not just about being able to handle power tools, or go off on some 'adventurous' trip, but to put myself in a position to move up a particular career path within a few years.  It's also about builiding a passion for my chosen field, and proving myself knowledgable in that field.  I am not just looking for a job. I am here for a career.

I also faced the risks I am taking with this effort.  A 43 year old black woman with 20 years title insurance experience will face great obstacles in the construction field.  Especially with that "I was young and stupid" felony from the early '80s that never raised its ugly head until this Great Recession.  There is also the very real possibility of physical pain and/or disability.  Still, I see the benefits as far overreaching the risks.  So I move forward.

This journey will not be at all easy. But every journey starts with the first step.  I have already taken mine.

Building Strength....the Diva Way

I recently did some volunteer work at a local womens shelter by helping to hang drywall in one of their new family rooms.  The soreness the next day reminded me of the physical nature of the work I plan to do.

Whether Divatude comes naturally or not, everyone can benefit from a strong fitness plan.

After a thorough search for the best buff for my buck, I have decided to go with 24Hour Fitness.  Besides the obvious perk of being able to 'get my buff on' at all hours of the day, the variety of classes defintely piqued my interest.  They have everything a diva could want--strength training, yoga/pilates, dance (can't wait to Zumba!), kickboxing, cycling, water training....you name it and it can probably be found there. PLUS, a basketball gym, lap pool, sauna and whirlpool. AND of course, the obligatory free weights, cardio machines and circuit training.

Construction work is physical work, and being in shape is a requirement for anyone seeking to make their way. For women, this is even more necessary, as many of the men encountered will have preconcieved  ideas about your abilities anyway.  Be ready to put in your 10 to 12 hour days, and another 2 at the gym.  In the long run, your efforts will pay off.

Dealing with sexism is not new to me.

In my previous career, I started out as a lowly clerk. It was the early 90s. The title insurance industry was as male-dominated as the rest of corporate Amerca. Although most of the work was performed by women, the underwriting was spearheaded by men. As I began my rise through the ranks, I consistently found myself face to face with a male superior.  It was always a man standing in the way of my ascent into management. And it was ultimately a man who gave me the opportunity to own and operate my own company.  Like many women before me, I had learned to navigate the 'boys club'. I could speak their language.  I had earned their respect.

The construction trades offer a different challenge.  This is still very much a man's world - dirty, sweaty, and foul-mouthed.  Men of all ages and sizes engage in ritualistic displays of strength and skill, unfettered by societal rules and manners.  Here education takes a back seat to brute strength.  Here a man can stratch his balls, spit, and belch with impunity. The epitome of the He Man Woman Haters Club. Women are not welcomed.  Any female would have a hard time assimilating into this alien world.

Me? I am a Diva. I dream of the day my toolbelt matches my hardhat.  I search the internet for attractive work clothes.  I am constantly on the lookout for makeup that can withstand the rigors of dirt and sweat without running or smearing.  It would seem I am out of my element.  That's where the Roughneck comes in.  I curse like a sailor.  There is no life without football (GO STEELERS!!!). I may not drink much anymore, but trust me when I say I remember how.  I take great pleasure in going against society's ideas of what a woman should be.  But at the end of the day, I am still a woman.

Sexism and construction go hand in hand.  A thick skin, and a great sense of humor, is definitely going to be needed to navigate through the testosterone zone.  I expect to be lied to, conjoled, patronized, pooh poohed, riduculed and sneered at.  But as the saying goes, if you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen.  In the end, it will be my own determination and fortitude that decides whether or not I can be ran off.

I'd put my money on the Diva.  It ain't over til she sings anyway.

What a week! Being a Diva has its drawbacks, one of which is that you have to maintain your Divatude.

With that in mind, and despite having the flu, I went off this week to apply for Green Energy & Construction training at Mi Casa Resource Center in Lakewood, CO. This 10 week, intensive, hand-on program trains Coloradans in Solar Panel Installation, Sustainable Construction and Energy Efficiency. Considering my long term goals, it would have been a travesty not to apply.  So me, my flu germs and Bessie (my '95 Ford Escort wagon, complete with stick shift) jumped on I-70 and headed towards our future.

I was pleasantly surprised at the length and the detail of the application. For me, it demonstrated the level of commitment Mi Casa expects from the program participants. I feel this is important. Being a lady roughneck is hard; being a roughneck diva will be even more challenging.  I want, and expect, real training, not just lip service to the idea of women in construction.  The Center itself has been recognized by then-First Lady, now Secretary of State Hilary Clinton for their work with the un- and under-employed in the Denver area. The woman I interviewed with, Jill, greeted me warmly and treated me with dignity and respect.  In turn, she seemed impressed with the thoughtfulness and detail of my 5 year plan. At the end of the interview, I was invited back to an orientation and testing meeting later this month.  Both Jill and I feel very confident I will make the cut.

Next class starts April 10th, spring weather!!

I am down with the flu.