continued II

things proceed very slowly

escpecially when you don't know what yer doing

it's always fun when yer splitting a new culm

learning to do it with two left hands w/ ten little toes is tricky

eventually after a half dozen (culms) or so 

yer steering yer splits and getting consistency

without even thinking about it

that was a short and easy afternoon's work

feeling each other out

mike didn't know it at the time and he would find out eventually

I was a serious and dedicated student

I was not going to squander this opportunity

showed up around seven thirty the next saturday morning

for a long hard daze work

we heated and crushed nodes

all fucking day - this is incredibly tedious work

(as readers of my blog have read more than once)

say you've got three nodes per section

six strips per section means eighteen nodes to crush

times two for a two piece times three for a three

each node gets heated and crushed twice

you could fall asleep

(note - both mike and I have streamlined this process a bit 

mike uses the sweet nodemaster 500 or 5000 I don't remember

while I employ a timer to keep heating [relatively] consistent)

mike quickly showed me the key to enduring such drudgery

and handed me an icy cold bottle of budweiser from the keginator

still wearisome but made a bit more pleasant 

as the heating and crushing continue

must be crushing nodes

I don't know how we could have gotten anything else that day

all I've got to show for it is a dozen burnt crooked sticks

chances are pretty good I drove home w/ a pretty good buzz

really not a good call ever

it won't be the last time...