Look For the Labels in Life

Allow me to put my two cents in on the reflecting pool fiasco. 

Bottom line: You don't fucking paint granite! Good gawd! One would think that the greatest builder since Adolph Hitler would know this, but we know he's more than a little crazy. Granite is an incredibly hard substrate that can never be prepped for paint. Cover it with a million gallons of water, and you are definitely courting disaster. I have no idea why it was chosen by the original builders of the reflecting pool, but eventually painting it was never a consideration at that time. I know that is true. Why would you?  

What was considered this year was the whim of whackjob president who thought he could make the pool his own, and perhaps put his stupid name on it, whilst making it more reflectible. Failed at that too. The initial photos (before it turned green) showed no difference in reflectibility whatsoever. I've never painted a pool in my life, but I believe the expertise of those who do, who have the knowledge that darker colors absorb the sun and are problematic to the ph content of the water and yada yada. A black, or a flag blue pool may look cool, but a professional already knows that it's a Bozo No-No, and it's his job to explain why you shouldn't do this. 

Homeowners have their whims. Professional contractors have an obligation to their clients to advise them against doing obviously wrong things- IF they are already astute enough to know it's wrong. When I first went to work for Delta, years ago, they assigned me the task of power washing the brick patio of the owner of the company. It was a beautiful brick patio, but it was prone to efflorescence- white crap- leeching out of the brick. Had to get rid of that. We all agreed that pouring on a chemical stripper and washing it off would work- an excellent theory- but one that we quickly discovered did not work. The solution then became more stripper and more power washing, and I was on that bitch for six weeks! I had been hired to run work, and this job was busting my balls. They didn't blame me. This was refreshing after my time at Ratmo Construction LLC. But six weeks, even with their consent was looking like a career killer. 

I wasn't to be the hero on this job. The hero was the owner of the company's adult son who, though not highly regarded by dad or the company, got the bright idea to get with a guy at a local Sherwin Williams store who had a suggestion that had not been offered to me when I had consulted my own experts. This guy simply suggested trying a different version of stripper that we likely never would have considered because of its hippie sounding name: "Back to Nature". It was pricier and it seemed delicate to this arduous task. But five weeks into beating our heads on a brick patio, why not try it? I don't know the science, Mr. White, and the product made no claim about being THE solution to this dilemma, but it worked like a charm. The hippies know! 

Now, it was about the same time as this discovery that I learned why the problem existed in the first place. The original painter joined me on the job and showed me the sealer he had used on the bricks. I read the label. I read labels. This one clearly stated: "DO NOT USE ON BRICK".  I asked the guy (Robert) if he had read that. Yes, he had. Then why had he done it? Because it was what the boss wanted to use. 

He claimed he made the boss aware of this very important warning, but that the boss gave the go ahead anyway. Bosses can be idiots, but I doubted it. I think you have a duty as a contractor or employee to make the client (or bossman) aware of any chinks in the armor of their plans. Maybe that's just me.

This may have been the case with Trump's weirdo pool guy/neighbor on the reflecting pool screw up. I rather doubt it though. We all know that Trump is one of those assholes who does not like to be told 'no'. Hitler was the same way. He didn't listen to his generals and he lost the war. Something happens to a guy when they get to the top. No matter how they got there, they believe their own press and think they earned and deserve it. Musk is the same way. He hasn't discovered a goddamned thing in his life. He has bought ideas and companies all along. He believes that he is a genius because he pays people to say so. Trump believes he is a genius too for the same reasons. One very simple key to life is to read the label. I read the labels whether they are on a can of paint or a person. The information is all there. Be smart enough to use it. And do not bother painting granite. Remember this and you'll be fine.