On being fussy

One of the more respected sub-categories of carpentry is the fitting out of yacht interiors. Every square inch needs to count and, because your nose is never more than a foot or two away from anything, it needs to look good.....better than average.

We don't fit out yachts, but it seems that, no matter the size of the project, we're always accounting for every fraction, and building to levels of precision that sometimes drive me nuts.

I work alot with my architect friend, Amy, and I swear, she must have boatbuilders in her blood somewhere. Every project we work on together comes down to "Can you skootch that over like....an eighth of an inch?" or "Can we shoehorn a laundry chute in under the Master Bath shower seat?" or "Are those cabinets centered?" Sometimes I feel like I need to get out my micrometer. I mean "EQ" means E bloody Q!", doesn't it?

It might just be a perception though. Is there a line between picky and anal? I'm sure there is, and it's a fine one to be sure. I'd describe myself as anal, and I know I've crossed over it more times than I can count! I can't speak for my friend Amy (and if I did, she'd hammer me!), but I think that, if pressed, she MIGHT admit to crossing it as well from time to time.

For whatever frustrations there are in being so meticulous though, the rewards are in peace of mind granted to those of us with borderline OCD. Nobody else will ever know that those cabinets that are supposed to be centered between two windows are, if you were to take out a tape, a half an inch off. But I will. And it....will....drive....me....crazy. I suppose it would bother Amy as well.

And so my architect passes it to me, and I, in turn, push those that work for me to deliver something that is better than good........something that is, as Amy puts it "crisp". It's hard to define, but we know it when we see it.

The other day though, I was doing a small job by myself; digging a couple of pier footings and pouring a few bags of concrete. Digging and pouring precisely, to be sure.......but I got to leave the micrometer in the truck. I have to say that sometimes, that suits me just fine!