The trusses are up and we are HAPPPPPPYYYY!
A few issues need to be fixed but we are 90% done and the review went well
In my previous post I described the 12 little builders, so now it’s time to talk to you all about the man in charge of teaching the 12 little builders.
David Pastre.
you know:
The one we go to for basically everything and anything in life, who stresses us out, the one we avoid when we do reckless things and try to hide it (that’s probably 50% of the time) “don’t tell Pastre”, the one who can talk for houuuuuuuuuuurs on end and who has no real notion of time.
Yeah, that guy.
I don’t really know how he juggles everything between having the 12 of us to deal with as a 24/7 job, an actual family and friends, ITC, Design build and practice/coaching for every sport ever invented on this planet.
Pastre is super knowledgeable in all things wood working and design build, and when he doesn’t know something, he knows someone who does. The great thing is that he loves sharing the knowledge and makes sure that people understand what they are doing. You learn so much from being around him because he is very patient and answers A LOT of questions with obvious answers, which i’m sure can be very tiring at times. He is very passionate about what he does but I’m also sure that he’s present because he loves us so dearly :).
He will push your buttons a lot (mine at least) to make sure you are the best problem solver on this planet. He is very particular about certain things and although sometimes it can be veryyy frustrating because we just want to take the easy way out he has a reason for what he does.
David is an 8 ft giant who, I am convinced is unaware of his ability to do things differently than people like me who are 5’0″ and who have a limited reach and sight line. Sometimes he’ll look at you in despair but won’t understand that your proportions are the cause of you being unable to do something.
David is always reachable, kind of like a doctor on call: At the beach, at home, at basketball practice, at the cigar factory call him, beep him if you wanna reach him. It’s a good thing only when we need him. But this access comes with consequences, it’s a two way street which means that we automatically become always reachable too. When you see “Pastre” pop up on your phone you already know you are in for a great time (and by great time I mean something is wrong).
David gets REALLY excited about very specific things and CANNOT for the life of him channel in his happiness and excitement, it’s like a kid on Christmas morning, it’s great and funny to witness! He is also very transparent with his emotions although some people might disagree, I know exactly when to stay away as soon as he steps out of that red truck. When he’s happy, he’s happy, he’ll come next to you and shake you by the shoulders. His reaction to a problem is very predictable *exhale loudly* *lean against the nearest surface* *Remove cap* *play with hair while thinking* *come up with a solution*, but when you propose a solution he is not convinced about it goes like this *pauses for 15 sec* “yeah, that’s not gonna work*.
David will not miss one opportunity to make fun of someone, whether it is making fun of alex’s funny faces, the boys’ basketball skills, or lauren’s stories. He thrives on making fun of our ridiculousness. I think it’s hilarious and sets the tone for the team. Given that we have a bunch of jokesters and thick skinned people on the team the dynamic becomes really playful really quickly. When working on a stressful project it’s important that everyone gets comfortable with each other so that it feels less formal. Team work makes the dream work.
Despite his previously very interesting vocabulary, I truly believe David grew from this process. He started out as a simple man with no slang knowledge and became a guy that says “That’s money” or “Skrrr Skrrr” and who vibes on current rap music.
Overall, the most important thing is that he cares a lot and that’s pretty amazing.
Thanks for a kickass semester Pastre! (even though I was over it most of the time).