lady scrapper 
I'm getting complaints from the city for "code violations". Not to justify my mess, but I see far worse around the city that never gets tended to. Seems they pick and choose who to harass/bother.Originally Posted by vamped400
I'm getting complaints from the city for "code violations". Not to justify my mess, but I see far worse around the city that never gets tended to. Seems they pick and choose who to harass/bother.
|
to Dee; vamp400, tell them what I told my neighbor - When you start paying my bills, you can tell me how to live.
People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
At first most of my family and friends gave me a hard time about it. Most people think the same way, but I LOVE what I do. I make good money at it and its only getting better. With that being said I DONT CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ME!!!!!!!
|
Thanks to Carhuntr for bringing this back to life. A little twist to stereotypes. I did not know how my parents felt about my previous professional until I started scrapping full time a year ago. Shortly after starting I had a great opportunity in education. When I told my parents I decided not to pursue it they said good and they thought I made the right decision. So Parrothead, please do not tell my parents I am back in education, they think I am still scrapping.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
I have to admit that this locality (including myself) has always considered "junkmen" as lower class; someone who couldn't make a living otherwise.
I inherited a farm and the prestige that goes with it, farmed it for 45 years while also driving schoolbus, mailroute, logging on my own land and enjoying it all. In later years I figured I had better get rid of much farm machinery of my own that was sitting in the trees and that's what got me started. Neighbors with old machinery and junk asked if I'd take theirs and it is endless. I torch what I need to get it loaded and haul some pretty big stuff on my 16 ft trailer. I load with a Gehl skidsteer and enjoy running it. I'm sure I'm not as respected in the commuity as the guy who farms 1000 acres and drives new pickups but I'm proud of what I do and actually can't keep up with the demand. I always remark that "I look like a junkman so I may as well be one". I have a beard....LOL. My wife and I are both professional musicians and perform weekly with a band. Those people who look up to us and admire us in that profession would probably ignore me if they saw me hauling hog feeders, twisted tin and barbed wire down the road with my coveralls on and a stocking hat. Reminds me of Jesus who was thought of as "Just the carpenter's son". Haha.....we're a simple class of people aren't we? My Prime Rib supper that I'm going out for tonight will taste just as good in my mouth as it does to my banker. Remember the reason for the Season !!!
|
This brought up a great memory for me. Many years ago, I had a friend named Jim Seybert. We both worked in the trenches of CATV (community antennea for television, or cable tv as everyone knows it). We were installers together in an industry that was considered the red headed step child of the utility industry. Believe me, it was hard. the power company and the phone company just threw their lines in with each other (joint trench), but we had to dig our own stuff in all the time,.....period.
Anywho, This conversation reminds me of a quote from Jim. Although it pertained to cable TV, it can be used in any line of work. It would never fail, when there was a discussion with a customer about our jobs, or if it came up at a bar we stopped at, he would always say, " Yeah, I work for cable TV. But please don't tell my mom. She still thinks I play piano in a scrap metalscrap metalscrap metalscrap metalscrap metalhouse."
Scrapper could be used the same way. I am a scrapper, please don't tell my mom. She still thinks I play piano in a scrap metalscrap metalscrap metalscrap metalscrap metalhouse. Or flip it the other way. I drive the bus for the nursing home, but don't tell my mom, she still thinks I am a scrapper.
Just having some fun and good memories with this. (R.I.P Jimbo). Thanks for sparking this memory for me and I hope you enjoy it and use it in the future.
Everything else aside, I truly don't give a flip what anyone thinks about me eyeballing their garbage. I truelly love it when I essentially pick a $20 bill out of someone's garbage in the form of a collectible that I can sell on e-bay, or a box full of old motors that I can scrap. Their loss, my gain.
Party on Wayne. Party on Garth.
edit. Did not think I would get the word filter on that. I figured *****house would have been safe. No worries. Better safe than sorry, I always say. Actually, the censored version is pretty funny in it's own right.
Last edited by parrothead; 05-10-2011 at 09:02 PM. Reason: clarification
New Guy
|
[QUOTE=lady scrapper;2626]Other people are just pricks!! I'd like to say...yea you with your little new car and 14 credit cards...QUOTE]
Haha, lol! Some guys treat me weird, but I don't care. As an "about-to-be-single" mom, I get to be outside and moving around, not sitting behind a cash register (not that anyone will hire you when you've been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years). Plus I have a blast taking stuff apart & loading it with my son (quality time). Most yards around here pay me cash, so that helps. THEN I don't have to blow $ on nice outfits to wear to work. The heck with those people!
Experienced Scrapper
|
[QUOTE=xhalt;9690]That great to hear you get to spend quality time with your son, especially because you could be possibly be training him as a future scrapper!Other people are just pricks!! I'd like to say...yea you with your little new car and 14 credit cards...QUOTE]
Haha, lol! Some guys treat me weird, but I don't care. As an "about-to-be-single" mom, I get to be outside and moving around, not sitting behind a cash register (not that anyone will hire you when you've been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years). Plus I have a blast taking stuff apart & loading it with my son (quality time
Experienced Scrapper
|
Nice to have another female here, x. Did you introduce yourself ? If you did I missed it. Anyway, happy scrappin'.
Experienced Scrapper
|
woman who scrap are sexy oww oww
haha. yes, yes they are!woman who scrap are sexy oww oww
Experienced Scrapper
I tell people that I am a Recycler. This has given me some good responses so far. Though telling people I "dumpster dive" is laughable to some. idiots.
Last edited by WTAstronaut; 05-26-2011 at 04:14 PM.
|
|
An experience at the scrap yard reminded me of this thread:
I took a load up and was waiting in the office for my check. Another guy waiting started talking about the "stickers" on my truck. "What stickers?" Come to find out, he meant the lettering on the doors - "Mick's Metal and Battery Recycling", town & phone number. He said "You've got some big (nerve) putting it out there what you do. People just give me a crap about it". (not EXACTLY what he said, but you get the idea.) I told him that he must deal with the wrong people and that I only deal with people who call ME, so why would they be giving me grief?
After he left, the yard manager told me that wasn't the real reason people gave him crap about it.
Last edited by Mick; 07-09-2011 at 08:32 AM. Reason: added the word "reason"
Experienced Scrapper
|
|
whats the real reason?
|
|
He didn't say but, from the looks of the guy I'd say from poor workmanship. Supposedly, he put up drywall for a living. Around here, that's even easier to get into than scrap metal. I had a dry wall guy wanted me to get a bunch of stuff (including a pickup, car and dryer) from his yard cause it was "too much work" to haul it to the scrap yard. I passed because he's a (jerk, idiot, fool, lazy a--) take your pick.
|
At first my hubby didint even want to ride around in my truck if I had scrap in it and he said my garage looked like Sanford and son. But...then he went with me to drop off a load and saw the money handed to me and it didn't bother him so much after that and he actually now brings me stuff from work AND has hooked me up with a plumber who works with him and brings him scrap motors/etc all the time now for me to recycle!
I did try to explain to other family members and some were ''Cool!'' and some were just polite about listening I could tell. Most other folks don't mind I think because it HAS become such a big thing now and if it does bother them I don't let it bother me.
I look at it this way - It's a job and brings in money, it cleans up the earth and teaches my kids the importance of recycling and how it impacts the local economy while cleaning up all the messes my generation made lol, I'm my own boss can work from home which is important to me and it very simply keeps my hands and mind active. I don't care what other folks think, I will be paying cash for college for my sons this year, paid off a truck a year early with the extra income and some of the folks that look down on this can't say that and I dont' have the stresses associated with a 9 to 5.
|
ALL the above!I passed because he's a (jerk, idiot, fool, lazy a--) take your pick.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
I've been waiting a long time for the appropriate thread to tell this story and this seems like a good a place as any. About 9 years ago I was laid off from my full time job where I had been working 11 years and was making a very good salary. Within a year or so of when I was laid off I also went through a divorce. I was left with a $15,000 credit card(I was a very stupid husband) having bought a car for my ex-brother-in-law, had to sell the house and give my ex 1/2 the profits, pay $5,000 to my ex directly and $2,000 to her lawyer. About 1 1/2 years ago I started scraping on my days off from my new full time job. I was pretty dumb at first: didn't really know where to find metal or how to identify one type from another. In September of 2010 I finished paying off all my debt from the ex wife, started the 401K at my full time job, and have saved up $6,000 toward the purchase of a small house or condominium. I owe this almost entirely to digging out other people's garbage at my apartment complex and scrapping for cans and the occassional construction site on my way to or from work or on my way to the scrap yard. I still claim to only do this as a hobby, as the income from my full time job is now greater than my expenses, however the fact that on a regular basis week in-week out I can make an extra $40-$60(week of July 4th was very good, I did $100)for collecting cans out of a garbage can is a gift from the big man upstairs. All I have to do is look at the success I've had doing this and people's opinions of me begin to be very unimportant. I love reading the stories I find on here and enjoy getting ideas on new sources of scrap metal. I'm sure many people on this site have similar stories, I think one thing we all have in common is that we don't waste our energy crying about our problems rather we use that same energy to come up with solutions for those same problems. As for those people who don't understand what we do or those people who whine about having no money they are the source of many problems in this country as work exists the issue is that most people are to lazy to do it. In any case take care everyone be safe and I now joke about the fact that I can even smell metal.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
|
Yup......
;?)
Experienced Scrapper
|
|
thanks for sharing that guiro....very inspirational....have a great day !
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks