i sodder. with a flaming torch in my left hand and a little stick of silver in my right, i try to join two pieces of metal together. i'm like cupid for the flute industry. without me, there would be no flutes. i practice with itty bitty bits of metal that i sodder onto a tube. i have to try to keep the flame a nice even dark transparent blue color, as opposed to teal (because teal means i have too much air), while trying to make sure i dab the silver at a forty-five degree angle so it will run correctly. it's tough, this soddering business. and butt numbing. but i am one of the few. the proud. the sodder-ers. er.



sadly, i realize that i have unwittingly been training for this job my entire life. it requires hours spent in eye fuzzing concentration. intense physical discomfort arising from a lack of movement. little games you create to keep the task from becoming too boring. losing all sense of time. these skills and many other relevant ones, i have acquired through a lifetime of playing videogames, studying, and web surfing. now, at twenty three, i am ready to become a menial laborer. i'm not sure if i should be disappointed or go update my resume.