Today’s class on building materials, fasteners and adhesives was as boring as a 4×8 sheet of oriented strand board (OSB), which, I now know, is a manufactured structural panel used for wall and roof sheathing. Even our fearless leader was yawning as he spearheaded the vocational death march through Carpentry Fundamentals Level One. I’m not complaining, though, because the alternative is that we read the book at home. Homework. Not happening.

After hours of flipping through illustrations of wood grain, like beige-and-brown Rorschachs in a dermatologist’s pamphlet about scary moles, we finally shut the book and started searching Pinterest for things we could build in the shop. Adirondack chair barstools. Chicken coops. Anything that repurposes a palette. Memorizing lumber specs is boring; being around creative people is awesome.

Highlights of today’s book-learning:

1. Measure twice, cut once.
2. An 8″x 8″x 16″ cinderblock measures 7.5″ x 8″ x  15.5″
3. A 10-penny nail is 3 inches long. (Ten pennies stacked together are 1/2-inch tall.)
4. There are at least seven different kinds of staples. Seven.
5. Never burn pressure-treated lumber.

Highlights of today’s off-book learning:

1. Seriously, never burn pressure-treated lumber.
2. If you do a lot of caulking, it’s worth investing in a good caulk gun.
3. A good caulk gun can run $50.
4. The most frequently lost piece of construction equipment is a caulk gun.
5. Men do Pinterest, too.

Next morning update: A coffee machine has been installed.