I'd forgotten what a bitch spit-shining boots can be. When I was 18 and had too much time on my hands, I did it a lot. I remember once, back then, when I was laying down on a bed to sell plasma ($40 a pop, I didn't work,) some ex-military type was on the bed next to me. He saw my boots and said, "Damn, that's a lot of polish on those boots." It made me happy at the time.