Hammering nails with the internet

After reading the first chapter of Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford, I would really prefer to make something with my hands than type this blog.  As Crawford quoted someone saying, "You can't hammer a nail over the internet".  But I'll type it anyway, because this book is really interesting.  It reminds me a lot of my dad, who is the maintenance director at a summer camp and retreat center.  My mom is the camp director there, and I have their roles sort of organized in my head: Mom does anything involving people, Dad does anything involving buildings or vehicles.  It's true that those distinctions overlap sometimes, but to tell the truth, I'm convinced my dad can fix anything.  At least, he can get anything fixed, even if he can't fix it by himself.  That's why I immediately called him when my sink broke a few weeks ago.

I know we have a wonderful Phys Plant team here at North Park, and I had already had to call them in to fix another problem with my sink this year.  But this time, the sink wasn't draining, and we figured the pipes were clogged.  I had my dad explain to me how to take apart the sink in case I needed to do it in the future (that is, over the phone) and I really wanted to try my hand at it, but my roommate was pretty against that.  So instead of taking apart my sink and probably getting it fixed that Saturday, I had to wait until Monday morning for someone to come.  I hate not being able to fix things, and I really wish I was better at it.  I do know a few things about fixing a toilet, laying fake-wood flooring, and using various power tools.  I haven't gotten the oil-changing demonstration yet, but I figure it's only a matter of time. 

I think the main thing Crawford made me think about, other than the things my dad does for a living, is the fact that I'm about to graduate from college and try to find a job.  I'm starting to ask myself if I can be happy doing a job that doesn't ever let me get my hands dirty...I've done clerical work and currently work at the library, but I wonder if those things are going to be as satisfying as saying "today I laid flooring in two rooms".