Christmas night... and as I listen to Sirius' E Street Radio play a Christmas concert from '03 (Southside Johnny making a killer transition from "People Get Ready" to Bruce [and Sam Moore] doing "My City of Ruins"... chill-inducing), while Lisa and the boys pack some more (I moved what had already been packed into the back of the Pilot and have been given dispensation to key in this entry), I'll give a really Readers' Digest version of yesterday (and today)... so cue the be-pop jazz background to my free verse:
Early morning head to the house
To wait for Verizon
No one's there until the shingle guy
So I set out to prep the electronic box in the closet
[but it's been sealed up with caulk... idiots]
Then the sprinkler guy shows
and I open the exterior phone box
Then Josef and Jose arrive
and I putz around looking for stuff to do
[the label maker I brought has run out of tape...
and I'm too nervous or well-prepared to look over the notes
for the day's later meeting with lord voldemort]
A call to Josef from he-who-must-not-be-named
Fire inspection will be @ 11
and he will be there... joy
Jason had wanted to be there,
but he would have to leave early
even to get there @ 2,
so I text him to tell him
about the deck contract issue and the change in time
J tells me to remember the gaps under doors
and "reasonable care"
a legal term for contractors
A Thank You and I'm off.
I tell Lisa of his impending arrival,
and tell her I'll call when he gets here...
[she tells me that the shower door guys will be here Friday...
and that Steve the City inspector is out til 08... great...
and that Reed's the furniture guys won't return her call... joy]
Then tell Josef of some items around the house that need fixing:
little things, things he passes on to Jose
[I hate the subservient way Jose (must feel he) must act
toward Josef and the dark lord]
I include the door gaps... and out comes more caulk
[I had hoped for actual repairs but feared duct tape
so I guess I should be happy]
And then he shows up [I call Lisa]... he seems almost angry,
definitely not his velvet usual demeanor.
Wants to talk privately first and pulls me over to his Caddy
[I'm paying for his next one]
He asks if I received his response... I say yes and
apologize for the deck issue [but mention that my recollection
is that the mentioned non-work-item was the kitchen deck,
not the deck in question,
but as it's not clear, it's my bad, and thus my apology].
He said that he thought I was going to apologize
for yelling at himon the attic Monday.
I tell him I didn't yell, and we go round and round over that
finally agreeing to disagree
Then he does what he does best:
telling me that he met with his two (2!) lawyers all yesterday
and that there are two ways to end this
with compromise
or with a court fight that I will lose.
Tells me that he doesn't need my references
[gee, has he read this?]
Tell me that any judge would look at the end result
and throw out what I have to say
I listen
[don't know... may have even cracked a smile...
he's so transparently now the bully]
but say nothing, save that I don't want to fight either
but that I'm not afraid of one either
And Lisa arrives.
And the velvet glove comes on.
And I know I did smile then.
[motherfucking
bully
slick
bastard]
He is insulted maybe even hurt by our accusation
that he took advantage of us
We counter with industry standard
of the 10-15% final payment.
He says that he's legal.
[ah, yes... when a guy dodges
questions of ethical impropriety
with "I am within the law"
there can be no doubt
lying
sack
of
shit]
We go inside and talk over issues:
He's willing to give us $$$ for materials for the stair rail
(then we can call Frank and pay him 200 to install)
at this I balk, and installation is included.
The roof will be replaced
(as the spray thing they've started isn't working).
The gutters will go up next week...
he says this like it's a favor to us
[FUCK HIM]
but I smile and say good.
The nook and the desks are out of the question:
he doesn't do finish... that's not his area of expertise... and
this is where he begins laying his groundwork
for his kitchen defense:
any cabinetry would have to be prefab
(something he says he said in July...
something I don't remember...
but Lisa thinks that "might" have happened).
He also says that he brought us a second bid
after the first was too high.
That didn't happen... lying sack of shit.
So he asks me if there is anything else that is bothering me.
Lisa mentions that it's the deviation from the plans that gets to me.
I concur... the plans call for east windows
(he says the plans were poorly done... not what he's said before)
the plans call for enlarged windows
(he says nothing)
the plans call for nooks and desks
(he doesn't do finish... and we wouldn't like it if he did...
haha, funny fuckin' guy that fr-- voldemort)
and this -- I tap the granite bar -- this really bugs me
(What do you mean, this is beautiful)
beautiful, yes, and so straight...
IT'S CURVED IN THE PLANS
LOOK IN THE PLANS, IT'S CURVED
(silence, wonderful, stony, oh fuck, silence)
(blink)
I wait.
(My mistake. Do you want me to replace it? I'll replace it)
Lisa says not to waste such a great piece of granite.
I don't want the fucker in my life any longer that I have to:
No, I don't want it replaced
I just wanted you to admit it, fucker, and you did...
[thought bubble that stays in my head]
And that was about it: repairs will be made
(the porch and shingles), gutters put up,
payments for rails,
clean-up, and Jose's help Wed-Sun.
And a roar is heard, as the fire sprinkler test goes off.
And we pass
(save for the replacement of two sprinkler heads in the garage).
After the City follow up inspection
[garage wall issues, water line inspection, gas reconnection]
we're home free.
lord voldemort tells us we can move in and leave
[I hope our lives for good]
Then Verizon shows up
seems like coastline had shingled over the access points
for phone and cable
VerizonGuy was cool... secured it to the eave and
let it dangle to the tele-box
so Cain can do his invisible magic
when he gets back from Mexico
[Incredible]
And for the time being no real phone service... great...
and today we started the move in earnest
(after the boys opened gifts and left with the grandmas for
National Treasure)
and tomorrow it will continue
And so it goes. Was anything truly accomplished? Not really. Did we get anything? Not really. But we both feel somewhat relieved. Who knows why... maybe because we can now move into the house.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) Jose begins his time with us: we'll put him to use moving out of the POD (since it gets picked up Thursday). Thursday, the cable guys show (and network us up... need to get the wired router tomorrow... note to self) and so do the carpet guys; also the POD gets picked up... I figure Jose will concentrate on putting stuff together: master closet structure, master bed entertainment center, master bed, dad's closet stuff. Friday, the shower doors will be installed, and the movers will move dad's stuff and our big stuff... and we can really move stuff in. I'm thinking Friday/Saturday will be Jose's day to build in a quick-n-dirty, scaled-down version the desk built-ins for the boys. Hopefully, the furniture will get delivered on Friday or Saturday. We hope to spend Friday night in the house, do the final walk-through of the condo on Saturday, and be done with all this... and take showers for the first time on Sunday.
Probably won't blog for a few days... no time, and might not have much web access for a couple of days (if the phone problems are symptomatic of what we'll see on the cable end... sigh
late!
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