Chapter 13
The Annus Horribilus is over,... but the work continues...
Table of Contents
Day 366 - Friday, May 21, 2004 - ONE WHOLE YEAR LATER...
Day 365 - Thurs. - Normally, this would be a year, but it's leap year, so wait for it.... Anyway, I decided to be a little lazy and sleep in this morning.  So, when my buzzer rang at 7:20am, I was still in my pyjamas, lying on my futon on the floor in the back bedroom.  At first, I wasn't sure I actually heard it, but then it buzzed again, so I threw on some clothes, put on my glasses and went to the living room to look out the window.  When I saw the big truck out front, I had sinking feeling I knew what it was... my mattress delivery.  Robert was supposed to cancel it, because I wanted John to fix the dents in the floor in the front bedroom and finish anything else that needed to be  done in there.  I also wanted the bedframe put together and touched up before the mattress came.  Well, too bad for me, because here it is.  I ask the delivery guys if they could put it together and they said, "Oh, I've never seen a bed like that before..., we don't have any tools..., we'll need a drill for that..., whew, it's a big job, it'll take at least an hour..."  Whatever.  Just deliver the damn bed and go.  Which they did (I stiffed them for their helpfulness).  I called Jefferson (my super, as most of you, who have been following along, know), and he and I put it together in less than a half an hour.  Thank you, Jefferson.  I speak to John later.  He says, no one will be coming the rest of the week.  We make an appointment to meet Monday late afternoon.  He says, he'll try and make it. 
Day 364 - Zip.
Day 363 - I called John today.  He didn't call me back.  No one came.
Day 362 - Monday, May 17, 2004 - I wasn't expecting anybody to come today, but lo and behold, I think Louie came.  The things that were done had just the right amount of "slapdashness," that says "Louie" to me.  He did some minor things on the preliminary Punchlist, leaving his spoor wherever he went and then left.  If someone comes Monday through Friday and does that amount of work for a while, we might be finished this year!
Days 360 & 361 - It's the weekend.  It's sunny and hot.  Really the whole week has been that way.  It feels like summer.  Which would be nice if my A/C were working.
Day 359 - John had told Robert he would send Louie to the apartment today.  What a shocker,... no one came!
Day 358 - Wed. - No one was supposed to come today.  When that's the case, there's no surprise.  No one came.
Day 357 - John and Louie are supposed to come this afternoon, but they don't.  Again, John can't meet with me-- either the same kid as yesterday or the other one has a recital.  Isn't that sweet?  What happened to the meeting with the other client excuse?
Day 356 - Monday, May 10, 2004 - I clear out the front bedroom and leave a note for John (in BIG letters that even a slow first grader can read) asking him to please work on the floor in there.  I want that room to be finished,  so I can set up the bedframe before the mattress is arrives (what a novel idea). Robert calls me at 8am and tells me John said he'll be there by 9am. Since I don't believe anything that John says, I leave, rather than wait for him to arrive at 9:30-10 o'clock, or so.  Robert calls me later to tell me Warren didn't come and John can't meet today.  Rachel or Tyler has a concert tonight and he has to leave by 3:30pm, the latest.  How nice.  Tomorrow he's coming in the afternoon and then he's not coming again until next Wednesday.  But, he sending Louie on Thursday (we'll see).  He might be able to meet tomorrow, depending on another client.  Yeah, sure.
Days 354 & 355 - It's the weekend.  Sunday is Mother's Day.  My family comes over and at my Mother's request, I grill hot dogs and hamburgers.  Yum.  Happy Mother's Day, Mom, Karen and all you other Mothers!
Day 353 - Fri. - Nothing doing, but I'm not using the radiant heat anymore.
Day 352 - Robert comes over at 7:50a.m.  Warren was supposed to call and tell him  whether eh would be coming at 8 or 8:30 a.m.  Of course , he hasn't called.  Robert calls and Warren says he's in Brooklyn, he won't be there until 9am the earliest (read 10 or 11a.m.).  Warren tells Robert he didn't hook up the radiant heat mats, John did and that's waht happens if they're not grounded properly.  Swell.  When I come home, I see the outlet near tthe back bathroom sink is out of the wall, there's an "ohm tester" from Warmly Yours on the sinktop and my toilet seat has a cigarette burn mark on it, so I know Warren was there.
Day 351 - Wed. - I figured something out this morning.  For a while, I had this feeling that my back bathroom  walls were vibrating.  I would put my hand on them lightly and they would sort of "vibrate," but it doesn't happen all the time.  I had told David  when he came up to see the apartment (Day 323) that one morning when I turned off the water at the bathroom sink, I got a shock, but it didn't happen again (do you see where I'm going?). So, this morning, I turn on the radiant heat and take my shower.  When I get out of the shower, and I'm about to turn off the radiant heat, I touch the wall and it's "vibrating."  I turn off the radiant heat and it stops.  On, vibrates, off , stops.  So, what I'm actually saying is:  when the radiant heat is on there is ELECTRIC CURRENT RUNNING THROUGH MY WALLS AND FAUCETS.  I finally speak to Robert, who speaks to John, who speaks to Warren, who says he'll come tomorrow and check it out.  John and Warern recommend not using  the bathroom until he does.  Well, since I've been using it for over a month and it only happens when the radiant heat is on (and I only feel it when I am barefoot), I think it's safe enough to use for another day.
Day 350 - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - Happy 9th Birthday Jessi!  Aprtment-wise, nothing's happening.
Day 349 - Monday, May 3, 2004 - I call John in the morning and he answers!  I ask if anyone is coming this week.  He say, Louie is working on a bathroom job, Otto's working with his friend for a few weeks (so maybe he's coming back?), John's in Connecticut on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday he has a lot of running around to do, so he'll be here on Thursday or Friday.  I ask him if he's planning on just coming once a week from now on.  He says, "No."  He wants to finish up, already.  Could have fooled me.
Days 347 & 348 - It's the weekend.  Saturday is beautiful.  It's also the day of Jessi's birthday party day.  She had it at Q-zar.  I play Laser Tag.  My team wins! (Go Red Team!  Go Red Team!).  I bet on the Kentuchy Derby.  My horse wins!  (Go Smarty Jones!  Go Smarty Jones!).  Maybe my luck is changing.  Ha!  Sunday is gross.
Day 346 - When I get to work, there is a message from the day before from Robert.  Didn't so me much good   today.  I think when you're going to cancel on someone, it would be nice if you make sure you speak to them, no? Anyway, he had a fabulously rich client that is selling an unbelievably expensive Park Avenue apartment and he had to help with the move, which is taking longer than he thought.  I never actually speak to him.  Nor to John, who I've left two messages with.  My guess is he didn't come today, because when he doesn't answer his phone and he doesn't return phone calls, he doesn't show up.
Day 345 - Robert and I are supposed to meet to go furntiure shopping and this time I intend to actually buy.  The only problem is, Robert never showed up and although I called his cellphone about 20 times, he never called me either.  So, after waiting for about an hour and a half, I went to some places on my own, scoped out what I want in a mattress (i.e.,  Shifman Van Gogh) and sofabed (i.e., Carlyle Tribecca with contrasting welting and a reversible mattress).  I will ask Robert to call and order them, so I can get his discount.  You can imagine how happy I was, though that Robert pulled a "John" on me.  Hey, I just coined a new word or at least a new meaning to an old one.  "Yeah, he never showed up.  He did a real john."  BTW, so did John-- no work today.
Day 344 - Wed. - John isn't coming in today-- Tyler has a field trip and although this time his wife is going, John has to be home for Rachel, his other darling rugrat.  So, no work today.
Day 343 - I met with John and Robert in the evening.  We went through the Punch List room by room, item by item.  John has started fixing the dents in the floor and I really couldn't tell where he had done it, in one of the worst spots (i.e., the front bedroom where the A/C access panel fell).  Really, there was nothing new to report, except I no longer leave from these meetings with the slightest hope that anything will get done and the second wall unit won't be ready anytime soon.  Apparently, John told this "Master Carpenter" (more like "Bator"), we weren't in any big hurry, so he started a kitchen in between my job.  Thanks again, John.
Day 342 - Monday, April 26, 2004 - I speak to John in the morning.  We haven't spoken in three weeks.  John tells me Otto left to join a friend (he probably gets paid now), and Louie is moving to Florida (probably to get a job that pays).  John says, "It's been a rough month."  I say, "For me, too."  The irony is lost on John.  He tells me he is going up to my apartment and should be there in about an hour and a half.  He has my "Punch List" and will start working on it.  He asks me if I put the doorstops on the floor where I want them.  I say, "three weeks ago, but I picked them up."  He says, he'll put them in.  "How many places can they go?"  I tell him to wait for me to place them before he puts them in.  We agree to meet one evening this week.  When I get home, I can tell that Warren had been there.  It smells like cigarettes and body odor, there are more light switches and I had to clean the toilet.  John moved the light fixture from the back bedroom to the front entryhall.  It looks better there.
Days 340 & 341 - It's the weekend.  Saturday is sunny.  Sunday it rains.
Day 339 - I speak to Robert in the morning.  I tell him nobody came yesterday.  He tells me, no, they're not coming until Monday.  He's sure he told me that.  Whatever.  Supposedly, Warren is coming on Monday.  I've heard that one before.
Day 338 - 11 months today.  Nobody came.  Nobody called.
Day 337 - Wed. - I notice this morning that my new back bathroom window is cracked.  I had noticed something before-- a black streak on the window, but I thought it was a piece of rubber gasket or some sort of sealant, sloppily applied.  I guess not.  Robert finally calls me today.  He was sick-- flu or something.  Oh, I thought his fingers were broken.  Anyway, supposedly John and Warren are coming today.  I fax him an addtitional page of "To Do" items (we're calling them "Punch List Items" now, but not final Punch Lists Items) for John.  There are now three pages.  I speak to Robert later in the day.  John's not coming because Warren's not coming (John probably owes Warren money).  I think it's funny (and not in a "ha-ha" way) that John doesn't come because Warren's not coming and then , if and when they are both there, John always says they couldn't get anything done because once Warren came, they got distracted.
Day 336 - No one called.  No one came.
Day 335 - Monday, April 19, 2004 - Supposedly, John, Louie, Otto and Warren are coming today.  When I leave at 8:30am, no one has arrived... I call John and Robert and leave messages for both of them.  Neither one calls me back.  When I get home in the evening, I see it's status quo.
Days 333 & 334 - It's the weekend.  I went out to Queens last night, so on Saturday morning, I drive in with more boxes. I unpack some things and clean the apartment.  It's a beautiful day.  Other then throwing out garbage, I see little of it.
Day 332 - It was too much to ask for, that everything go smoothly, wasn't it?  Richard and Dave from Lyric came at about 9:30am.  I ask a couple of questions (e.g., could I get a bigger TV in the front bedroom?; can the back TV be  mounted on the wall?; did Warren make some of the holes too big for the stereo controls?) (Answers:  Maybe, it depends on the support behind it, but the bracket is specifically for that TV; maybe, again it depends on the support behind it and if the wires run straight down the wall, they can be accessed fairly easily; yes, but they'll put a plate to hide the unused/unecessary hole).  Now for the real kicker...  For months I've been asking what all the wires spilling onto my bedroom floor are for, nobody really ever answered me and I guess I never asked the right people (Lenny from Lyric for one, who I can't stand talking to).  Well, I finally found out.  The wires were all pulled there because Lyric thought I was going to put a cabinet there and have all of the  equipment in the cabinet and apparently that's how the wiring plan reads.  This was never the case.  I had talked about putting the equipment in the coat closet and then, I thought, just as it can go there, it can go into the living room wall unit, so that's where I thought it was going.  WRONG.  Anyway, Richard says, he can splice wires, run wires, and reroute stuff to enable me to do what I want.  I just won't be able to listen to the TV sound throught the stereo speakers (I can live with that), but I would be able to have the cable box hidden at the very top of my closet (in virtually unusable space) and the DVD and VCR hidden in the wall unit.  It just really galls me that after ripping the place to shreds and wiring the whole damn thing, we have to jury-rig the wires, because they weren't pulled the way I needed them and I have no one to blame but myself.  Yes, I do, but in the end, I should have asked more questions of the right people about the wiring and not taken for granted that the wiring plans were right and would allow me to do what I had in mind.  It never made sense to me that I had a 1000 wires in the bedroom and very few in the living room, but I never said anything about it to the right people andI didn't meet any of the guys who were going to do the work until the day they came to start the work.  Yet another lesson learned.  Great.
Day 331 - Thurs. - Tax Day - I hope everyone remember to file!  It was nice to get up in the morning and know that no one was coming today.  I didn't have to be dressed and ready by 8:00am (just in case), and I didn't have to clean the toilet last night before I used it.  It was (almost) like a normal person, living without workmen.  I called Lenny from Lyric in the afternoon, just to tell him how nice and helpful his guys have been.  He says, they're coming tomorrow.  I say, no they're not coming until Monday.  He says, "there's been a cancellation and if it's okay, they'd like to come tomorrow."  I'd rather they come on Monday, but (wuss that I am), I say, "Okay."
Day 330 - When I spoke to John yesterday (about the cable problem), he told me that Warren is coming next Monday, April 19th and that's when he, Louie and Otto would be coming back.  He says, there's really not much to do...  I don't know, I have a list of about 50 things and that's just off the top of my head.  Anyway, the Lyric people also have more to do, but, they're not coming back until Monday, so I guess not much is going to happen in the next few days.  I hope that isn't a kinehora.
Day 329 - Dave from Lyric came at about 9am and I went over some things with him (e.g., where the old cable boxes are, where the new cable boxes go, will the wires for the TVs look as bad when they're all done, etc.).  He tells me that by this afternoon, if all goes well (oy), I should be able to watch TV...  Well, of course, all didn't exactly go well, but I have TVs and I have cable, so I can watch television.  Oh, joy!  The cable wire that was brought into the apartment and brought to the "Electric Grid" in my closet, was from Apartment 2A.  That's why I had to transfer my service.  But the wire that Time Warner Cable said we have to use is the one that enters from the back of the building, in Apartment 2D, and has to come through the (newly plastered and painted) wall.  This can then, either be stapled above the base-board moulding (I think not) or threaded underneath the moulding until it reaches the nearest cable wire in the room (only about 3� feet away from the wall).  John suggested that they could run the cable wire outside the building to the front, to come in where they have the other (old/wrong) wire  comes in.  I'm thinking that one good storm and there goes my cable.  So, right now, the cable wire is coming in through the open window and somehow, even though it doesn't snake its way all the way to the electric closet, it works.  In the front bedroom, the TV has power because they ran an extension cord from the bathroom.  They learned my clock radio trick!  Anyway, it was nice to watch some TV in my own home.  Just my luck, the President (he whose name shall not be spoken) had a press conference, but the good news is, I have a month of free premium channels!
Day 328 - Monday, April 12, 2004 - Matt, Richard and John from Lyric Hi-fi came today.  Thye're hooking up my apartment today.  They came promptly at 9:20am.  I thought they were coming at 8:30am (my mistake), but they came!  On the other hand, my contractor and his guys, did not.  When I get home in the evening, my wires are not all terminated, yet, but some progress has been made.  One phone jack works, but there's a hum and I can't hear well, but at least I have a dial tone(!) and two 20-inch Sharp Aquos LCD flat screen TVs are hanging on the wall.  I can't watch anything because my cable isn't working, yet, but we're getting there.  I did turn on one of the TVs and for a little while, I just stared at the glowing blue screen that read, English, Espa�ol, Fran�ais.   Not too exciting, but at least there were no commercials.
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