Wastin' Time with Jess Mancini (Photo by Jess Mancini)

I’m talking to Art Smith at the newspaper about retirement and he says I should write a column. I say I don’t know what to write about and I don’t want to be tied down. He says it’s easy, just do it as soon as you get an idea.

Art writes a weekly piece, “The Way I See It,” a delightful journey into the history of local things. Art is lengthy. I like brevity. I try to keep what I write from 10-15 inches. That is the goal and many times it doesn’t work out that way.

Art suggests I call the column “Wastin’ Time,” a reference to the Facebook videos I did for several years that showcased me making something in my shop. I would show and explain how I made things, interject humor in the process and hope all the 12 people who were loyal fans and watched the monthly show learned something.

Among the “Wastin’ Time with Jess Mancini” shows were how to make a shop apron from a tarp, a compass capable of scribing a circle up to 24 inches in diameter, a knife from a saw blade, chili, Christmas ornaments, door knobs, lamp pulls, toys and other things I can’t remember. I was proud that I never took someone else’s idea on how to do something. Well, never on purpose.

The point was I was wasting time, hence the title “Wastin’ Time with Jess Mancini.”

And Art says that’s a perfect title for a column.

I’m willing to give it a shot and each month write about how I make things, fix things or break things. The latter may become evident as time goes by. I’m no expert and I don’t know everything, although that hasn’t stopped me before.

So, that being said, if you have a suggestion on any topic or have an idea on how to do something, no matter how much of a waste of time it is, send me an email at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.

If it’s not outside my range of abilities, I’ll come up with something to waste our time.