“What is he building in there?”
You know it can be a bit odd having your own blog. Of course there are millions of others just like me who have them and we are all trying to get your attention and in a way sway your opinion. Personally I try to give you info about my work, what it’s like to live in Montana, and to give you an idea of how and why bikes are built the way they are. I am at times tempted to use this little space I’ve been given to talk about politics or social issues but then I come to my senses and remember that readers come here not to hear what I think about world events but to learn about bikes. After all there are lots of better informed and more worldly people out there to tell you about the bigger world and if that’s what you want to read about there are no shortage of places to do that.
All that said it can feel odd to talk about me, me, me all the time and frankly it makes me self conscious. So I’m going to take this in a slightly different direction and talk about what it’s like to be a bit out of the norm when it comes to a chosen profession.
I don’t know what ‘normal’ people do for a living but most do not stand in their garage day after day making stuff and sending it out to people all over the world who want that stuff. I don’t travel well or often but when I do and I see the roads filled with folks on their phones heading somewhere for the day I wonder what they do all day. Where do they go? Why do they go? On the other hand I know that those same people who leave their homes early in the morning with a cup of coffee in their travel mug and sleep still in their eyes drive past my home and see me there, standing in the garage with a torch or a file in my hand and wonder “What is he building in there?”
I live in the suburbs of a small town. It’s a housing development like countless others that sees a daily migration to and from work. I see the black Subaru leave in the morning and come back in the afternoon and I could set my clock by it – if I had a clock. But my immediate neighbors are ‘outliers’ just like I am. One writes ad copy that most sporting folks would have seen at some point. Two others run small independent bio-med research firms. The guy who lives across the street is a retired history professor who had a second career of building harpsichords and performs with the local opera company. It’s an odd and wonderful grouping of folks all working from home just like I do. So these people understand me. At the same time I get the feeling that those that migrate past my place everyday don’t understand. I had a very cool retired guy from a few doors down who waved to me everyday as he passed on his BMW motorcycle stop one day when he saw me in the driveway. He shut the bike down and flipped up his helmet visor and started searching for the words he needed to ask his question about what I do all day. He was doing his level best to not insult me but at the same time was clearly puzzled and maybe even a bit troubled by the fact that Karin (who also works from home) and I are here all the time. When I finally understood where he was going I told him that I was a bicycle framebuilder and that I produced these bikes in my garage he had the most curious look. He said something like “And you do this for a living??” Â “So what else do you do?” I assured him that was it and I wondered if he thought the bike thing was a cover up for my meth cooking operation.
At times it’s easy to forget that what I do isn’t big a deal and that it’s only important to a very small group of enthusiasts. Most of the world doesn’t read Internet cycling forums and fret about things like lug lines and chainstay stiffness. We tend to surround ourselves with those like ourselves and can lose track of where we fit into the big scheme of things. Don’t get me wrong — I would not trade this life for anything. But I think it is important to remember that most folks will drive by worrying about being late for work and wonder “What is he building in there? — What the hell is he building in there?”
I’m a huge Tom Waits fan so I thought I’d share this here. Enjoy and thanks for reading.
Dave
Share this Article:
2 responses to ““What is he building in there?””
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Another Waits fan here who has a non-mainstream career. Tom has no peer in my eyes except possibly the late Captain Beefheart. I have over 35 years in motor sports and still get the “and you do that for a living?” comments. As a 53 year old I’m proud to say that I’ve never had what would be considered a “real” job and have always followed my passion. Congratulations Mr Kirk for making it at something you love against all odds…..I can so relate. Beautiful work by the way, I own a couple of hand built bicycles and if I decide on another it will be a Kirk.
Hey Scott,
Thanks for the comment. It’s funny – I’ve had a few ‘real jobs’ and others that, like framebuilding, are a bit on the fringe. I definitely fit better in the fringe scenario. Good to hear from a fellow Tom Waits fan. It’s rare that a day goes by without having some Tom played in the shop.
Thanks again,
dave