Why me? Wednesday - The begingings of ranting regularity

Well it's Wednesday and you know what that means...no wait...You don't. This is the first Wednesday of its kind, for this is the first "Why me? Wednesday" on Adam's blog.

I have noticed two very fun traditions on popular blogs that I have read. The first is the ever-entertaining rant of a frustrated blogger and the second is a theme post that happens on a regular basis. I have, in my own conniving way, concocted a plan to utilize both at the same time. I shall, unless the world changes drastically, find something to be frustrated or annoyed at and make it the topic of a post each Wednesday.

This week I have a personal issue to share/rant.

Concrete predictably expands and contracts in varying temperatures.

I understand how someone could not know this. I am even willing to accept that someone working in construction might not know this. I am skeptical that a job foreman can afford to be ignorant to this fundamental physical truth. But I simply refuse to accept the fact that a foreman would ignore the advice of a mason on site and insist that cultured stone veneer be extended to the concrete pad below. But this is apparently what happened three years ago to ruin my week. I am currently working in Big Sky, Montana on a group of condos, installing cultured stone on the fireplaces, exterior wall and pillar bases like this one.

I have decided not to name persons in my rants who are not already public figures, so in this case we will call the week-ruiner.....Richard.

To make an already long post shorter. He would not construct the neat little wood spacer that you see in the picture and insisted that we lay stone all the way to the concrete slab. Three years of expansion and contraction later we have some significant damage...Like this.
When a post like this is cleaned up so replacement stone can be installed it looks something like this. This one took me about 40 minutes to clean off.
All the posts that had been badly designed now fall to me. I get the distinct pleasure of removing the bottom course so the wood spacer can be inserted. All the damaged rock must also be removed. This takes between 30 and 80 minutes per pillar. Then I looked up and saw this.
There are 46 columns in this complex to be repaired. And if that were not enough, about half of the slabs have been re-poured and the cement now covers up to 1.5 inches of the stone which still has to be removed. This is the most difficult thing I have done in my whole life. It requires the stone to be pulverize on the wall without dislodging the stone above it or damaging the concrete.
So my first "Why me? Wednesday" is my third straight 10 hour day of this great fun. Thanks...Richard...Thanks a lot.

p.s. I still love my job and my employer/Father-in-law. Richard just ain't my favorite person this week.