Do you prefer manual or sedentary work?
By ronaldinu
@ronaldinu (12422)
Malta
January 6, 2009 12:26pm CST
Today I had to shift about 100 tiles (30cm x 30cm each) from the garage to the washroom which means three flight of stairs. I felt my legs hurting but I continued walking up and down until all of tiles where shifted. I am expecting the tiler on Saturday to do the wall tiling in the washroom, so that when our four legged daughter arrives, we will find it easier to clean the room.
These tiles were used previously in my house but had to be removed because of bad tiling works. I managed to save some of them at that time. So today I had to clean 100 tiles from sand/cement that it was fixed with previously, so that the tiler can find everything ready for Saturday.
After about 3 hours I felt relieved to take a good hot shower and relax in front of television. Do you prefer manual or sedentary work? I prefer sedentary work by far.
7 people like this
26 responses
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
7 Jan 09
haha.. U are too used to having a good life ^_^ I will always prefer manual work, because it's much more fun and exciting.. Though it's tiring, but it's definitely beneficial to our health.. PLus, manual work often requires them to be always on the move, and learning of new things.. Nothing can be as enriching as manual work, because it applies to our dialy lives too ^_^ Just imagine of putting one's skills at home, the amount of money saved will be quite alot too.. lol
1 person likes this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
7 Jan 09
"U are too used to having a good life^_^ I" You sound like my father in law :) He always tells me that. When I asked him for a tool he always comes and do the job for me because he says I am not good with my hands. I don't complain.
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
7 Jan 09
Hey ronaldinu! At least you did the work for a good cause!
I forgot that the puppy was a little girl! I kept calling
her a him! Sorry! I forgot that you were having a new daughter!
She is going to love all the work that you are doing just for
her! How did you get all that cement and stuff off the tile?
That must have been some job! It's good that you had the tiles
though. That saved you quite a bit of money! I hope everything
works out! So when is the little girl supposed to arrive? It
should be soon! I know it is this month, isn't it?
1 person likes this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
7 Jan 09
The tiles were not properly fixed. It had more sand and no cement also. So getting rid of the mixture attached to the tile was not that difficult. Saffy is supposed to arrive when her blood tests are out. I supposte 3 weeks more
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
7 Jan 09
I actually don't mind either, except that I have been more sedentary lately, so I know that I would ache a lot if I all of the sudden got a manual job. I just can't have a really stressful job because of my health.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
7 Jan 09
I have always preferred sedentary work, I just never was that energetic, I could never wash walls and stuff like that, that doesn't mean I could serve at a lunch counter or something like that but never the heavy stuff.
1 person likes this
@guybrush (4658)
• Australia
7 Jan 09
Sedentary, definitely! It's stinking hot here today, so even the thought of manual work is distressing! A few weeks ago my husband and I did some concreting and it nearly killed us! I had to carry 20 bags of concrete, then he had to mix it and wheelbarrow it down to the site so I could screed it. Then we had to get the stencil on it before it went off - and I can tell you, I never want to do that again!
1 person likes this
@KatieDidit (989)
• United States
7 Jan 09
I've been employed doing both. I worked in a lumber mill which was constant physical work, and I've worked in an office environment working computers, phones and a radio system and couldn't leave my chair unless someone took my place.
I actually prefer a combination of activity such as when I worked an Emergency Room. The patient care could be very physical and demanding but you always had to sit down at some point and get the paperwork done.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160978)
• United States
7 Jan 09
I like to have a bit of manual or active work, and then some sedentary. The sedentary jobs tend to really make me tireder, but your day would have been way too much for me.
@moondancer (7431)
• United States
6 Jan 09
I like doing things with my hands. I'm a person that works with my mine much of the time. But my hands have to be busy when I can do things with them. I'm the type of oerson that can't just sit still. I must be doing something.
My mind is constantly working and thinking of everything from one extreme to another and all in between.
1 person likes this
@kykidd (6812)
• United States
6 Jan 09
It depends on the kind of manual labor, but I think I do prefer it best. Like, I wouldn't mind moving all of those tiles, although I know I would be sore the next day. But the cleaning of the tiles would drive me nuts. Give me something physical to do, even though I am pushed to my limits, I would rather do that than something tedious and time consuming.
Thanks for starting this discussion. I hope you are having a great 2009 so far!
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
6 Jan 09
I am with you on that! I prefer sedentary work by far....but the manual labor does keep one in shape so it's probably better for us then the sedentary work....I do stiffen up though if I sit at the computer too long...then I need a stretch and a walk!
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
6 Jan 09
Hi ronaldinu,
I do both round the house though I couldn't do hat you did, I puld have to get and strong man to do that for me as my hubby is very shy (work shy) he much rather go racing on his bikes with his friends than help.
Tamara
1 person likes this
@marylots (51)
• United States
6 Jan 09
Well..I like to do both, but in most cases, I prefer to do works manually, as long as I can do it without exerting so hard or too much effort. Doing manual tasks is a good exercise for my body. Doing just sedentary works is not healthy for us due to lack of activities in our system. The extra calorie stored in our body won't be burned, and this would result to getting fat, which is very unhealthy.
@Amythyst (59)
• United States
6 Jan 09
I would actually prefer at home work, due to my condition. However, if I could get an employer to understand my needs I could work at a happy medium between the two. I need a job where I don't have to stand in place for a long time. I can do a sitting job i.e. sedentary, but I would need to get up and walk around every so often. I can have an active job but have some weight limitations and would prefer one where I can walk a lot and rest when needed. If anyone had some suggestions for an entry level job in either they can let me know. I'm sure the person posting this thread would prefer you contact me direct though, as this is a job about work preferences and not suggestions.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
11 Jan 09
Firstly I hope that those muscles of yours are returning to normal and that there were not to many protesting because of lack of use in the recent past, before you moved those tiles that is,
For the type of work that I do is not really a choice. In some ways you could say that when I am driving the truck I only do sedentary work and that is true to a certain extent. However most of the time when I get out of that truck cabin, the manual or physical side of my work actually starts. Even if just a rest break, then I have to check not only the tyres are okay but also that the load is secured properly plus ropes are tied properly and the knots are not coming undone of that the curtains are closed and secure. If I arrive at the depot or where the load is to be delivered then it is a case of removing the tarpaulins and stowing them away properly together with the ropes or opening the curtains as well as directing the forklift driver which pallets are to be unloaded.
At the end of the week or if I have been into or going through certain areas, I have to wash the prime mover both inside and outside. So for that job it is a combination of both manual/physical or sedentary work and probably on a 30/70 split.
My other job is actually our small organic farmlet and that is 100% physical work because my partner is the one who does most of the account and record keeping as well as any business documentation that we need to keep.
Do I have a preference as to the type of work I do? Not really as both has it benefits and drawbacks but as long as each one keeps the money coming it is okay by me and I will continue to do each one for the same reason.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
14 Jan 09
I like one and then another.The work I do , I am on my feet all dat long. When I get home, that's when i can sit and do paper work.
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
6 Jan 09
ronaldinu....Thank you for the laugh, all I can say is you poor, sweet thing! I am 60+ years old, female, stand 5'5" and weigh 128 pds......I am a Tiler, by trade, and that is what I go thru on a regular basis! Love ya, bro! Hope exercise was on your list for New Year's resolutions. Now you can have anything you want to eat for lunch!
There should be NO such thing as bad tile works! I sure do hope that the Tiler that you have hired is reputable. And seeings these tiles are going in a bathroom, I sure hope that they will be mounted on a backerboard, that has been treated with a moisture barrier, or you will have the same problems...or worse. It is a rubberized compound that you paint on, and should cure at least 24 hrs. before tiling commences. Need more info, private message me...OK? Cheers!
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
8 Jan 09
Hi pergammano, I wish that I have known you about 5 years ago. You could have saved me from lot of problems. Unfortunately the first tiler used a mixture of mostly sand. This means that when you walk on them you could hear a hollow sound and most of the tiles were wobbly. Unfortuantely I had to re do the tiling works. The second time I hired a reputable tiler.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
8 Jan 09
The other reason for the tiles being wobbly is that when the Tiler applied the thin set, he/she either didn't back-butter the tiles or ONLY back buttered the Tiles & didn't do the floor! Tilers get lazy....and for a really good seat, both surfaces must be buttered with pre-mixed Thinset or Mastic! Think maybe, my friend, you should keep an eye on this project for the first little while!
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
8 Jan 09
Maltese tile layers normally use a mixture of sand and cement to do the foor tiles. It seem that the tiler that I first hired used a mixture of sand only. In fact it was relatively easy to remove the tiles in jst a few hours. If there was cement it would have been impossible to remove the tiles withoug breaking them. As you have said if the tiler batteredproperly the tiles they would not have become wobbly
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
6 Jan 09
I prefer sedentary work only because of my physical limitations. I remember how wonderful it felt to work hard and finally sit down and drink a cool drink or take a shower and then I slept so well at night!
If possible, I would like 75% sedentary and 25% manual!
1 person likes this
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
6 Jan 09
I prefer sedentary work too but if you don't do any kind of manual work you won't get nothing done, and its not good to be sedentary all the time, its good to move around and do some hard work.
1 person likes this
@audrey7 (232)
• Jamaica
10 Jan 09
I like a combination of both. I do not like to stay one place for long. I belive that physical work allows for a healthier you and for me it always stimulates my thinking.