Warnings be Damned

Your uncle Gabe is way more in to home renovations that I am. When Gabe looks at an old house he sees unlimited opportunity, and he is way to stupid to know when he's over his head. If you ever need advice on how to do something he is a great guy to call. He knows how to do almost everything in a home remodel project, and probably has the tools you need to borrow. He's like a one man DeWalt commercial. If you ever need advice on how to handle chemicals, don't call him, or your Grandpa Ray. He also likes the smell of toxic chemicals.

"Have you ever stuck your head in a can of paint thinner and took a deep breath? This stuff is like 40 times worse than that."

I talked to my brother today, and that is how he opened the conversation. It didn't even throw me off that bad or stike me as odd that my brother thought I should have stuck my head into a can of paint thinner. By the way, you should not breathe deeply when things like paint thinner are involved. You should wear a mask and make sure there is good ventilation. Chances are you will be like the rest of us Jorgensen men and figure that warning is for someone else.

This last weekend Gabe had to strip some finish off of concrete, and the only thing he could do it with was Xylene. Apparently it is some really nasty paint thinner type of stuff. Gabe spoke with a voice full of pride when describing how toxic it was, how it burnt his skin when he touched it, and how much time he had spent around it. Did he wear a mask? I really doubt it. He doesn't do drugs, but he's loves fumes. When he was a kid mom found him passed out on a gas tank with the lid off. He has liked the fumes for some time now.

Gabe is a good guy, and I probably should try to portray him better than this, but one time he chased me around our parents yard with a metal dog chain and would whip it around my ankles and make me fall. He also liked to pretend he was dying and make me go tell mom... repeatedly. I was very gullible back in the day.
So no, I guess I don't feel bad after all.