home work

my corporate landlord in all of their benevolent self-serving money-grubbing glory has decided that every apartment in the building needs new windows -- not just the ones that are being renovated because they are empty. yesterday was my turn.



i can't even begin to tell you how ginormous and beautiful these windows are. sure, you probably have this in the suburbs. but in new york city? i know people who have grown up their whole lives in the city and seeing this in harlem would be a shocking thing for them. and this isn't a huge apartment.



and just like that, he popped the window right in.



i have to admit, it was strange to watch him work so quickly and with such exacting movements. he cut the frame for the outside and put the window in just so, and then someone else came in and nailed in the wood frame and caulked everything.

he had obviously done this a jillion times. i had never seen this before, so i took snapshots from my couch, riveted. my father was right: you can learn a lot by watching someone do something.

i could totally do construction.