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Chapter 17
If You're Going through Hell, Keep Going.

Table of Contents

Days 458 & 459 � It�s the weekend. Sunday is 15 months. But, who�s counting?

Day 457 � I speak to John. He can come next Thursday or Friday morning. I tell him I�m going to try to set up other things for one of those days, so I�ll get back to him. I call Suzette at Smolka. I would love to get the shower enclosure installed next week. Unfortunately, she won�t be in until Monday. Oh, someday to take a shvitz.

Day 456 � Thursday, August 19, 2004 � Happy Birthday, Mom! Big day today! The Service All Windows and Doors guys come at 8:30am. Curly/Colin is not with them. I�m not happy. The guys don�t know where any of the windows, ballasts or screens go. I show them. I wonder what they would have done, if I wasn�t there and Jefferson just let them in. When one of them asks me on which side the new ballasts are supposed to go, I am not filled with great confidence. He calls Colin. I call Tina. They replace both windows in the back bathroom, because the top window was cracked. The glass that was in there was frosted, that is coarse, but transparent. The glass that they replaced it with was opaque. I would have preferred the same kind as I had. I don�t mind it, though. What I do mind are the fingerprints between the glass. That is inside the sealed part of the double insulated window. There�s no way to clean them off. Great. Getting back to my weighted ballasts� they replace the ballasts in the kitchen windows and now they open and close easily. No, really. The new ballasts for the large window in the living room have to be replaced. Either it was made badly or it was damaged when they tried to install it. Whatever. The guys leave. Tina hasn�t called me back. At 10am, my fans and pendant light from Lighting by Gregory are delivered. Yay! Things are clicking today. Two stone guys come at noon. Ken is not with them. I could give you a blow by blow of each room and surface that they did, but I�ll spare you the details. Suffice it to say, they did a very good job on the hearth and mantel (There are now two little chips in the hearth that weren�t there before, but what are you going to do? And with the mineral oil polishing, you can barely see them.); when Ken came at about 1pm, he showed his guy how to polish up the Calcutta marble in the Master Bathroom and that looks nice. There is nothing they can do about the floor; in the Guest Bathroom, they cleaned and put mineral oil on the absolute black sink top and windowsill. They cleaned and sealed the floor, but it still has stains on it. Unless I want them to polish the whole thing (I sort of hoped they were going to), that�s the way it is. The stone is mottled anyway. If people notice, I'll just tell them it�s the look I was going for. Sometime during all this, I get a delivery from Astor Wines and Liquors � six cases of wine. Mmm, wine� Two of the cases are Lost Vineyards red (one from Argentina, one from Portugal) it costs $1.99 a bottle. How bad/good can it be? While the stone guys were doing the mantel, I noticed an odd, �something�s burning� kind of smell. I start dialing Ed from Murphco. I hang up. I ask the stone guys to come back and tell me if it smells like something�s burning. They do. It does. I call Ed. Ed tells me to call Pete and he�ll try and get there today. Tina calls me back. I tell her about the ballasts and the fingerprints and she says, �No problem. We�ll take care of it.� Curly/Colin calls me. If it�s okay, he�d like to come and take a look. He�s coming at 7:30 again. Ed comes and pokes around in my closet. He can�t find anything wrong. Of course the apartment no longer smells like something is burning. He turns the A/C unit back on-- nothing. We wait. We discuss wine, furniture and life-- still no smell. Oh well. I tell Ed, I even asked the stone guys before I called him. He says, �It�s okay. I can understand you being a little gun-shy.� A little gun-shy? How about living in constant dread? Anyway, as Ed is leaving, I tell him to take a bottle of wine. He says, �Naw.� I say, �No, really, please.� He says, �Okay. The one that intrigued me was the two dollar one.� I say, �In that case, take two!� When everyone is gone, I crack open a bottle of the Lost Vineyards Argentinean red. For two dollars, it�s a steal. I hope Ed likes it.

Day 455 � Wed. � Curly/Colin shows up at 7:18am. Luckily, I am showered and dressed. I�ve called John three times this week and left messages to see if he can come tomorrow. He hasn�t called me back. When I get to work there�s a message; he can�t come on Thursday. I call Robin to find out when Ken the stone man is coming tomorrow and , more importantly (not that it really matters), to find out what his estimate is. Robin says, she was just going to e-mail it to me and Ken is coming at 10:30-11am. I get the estimate and e-mail back that it�s fine. What am I going to say?

Day 454 � Curly/Colin from Service All Windows and Doors calls and asks if he can drop off the windows, etc. tomorrow morning. I say, sure. He�s coming at 7:30am. Uff.

Day 453 � Monday, August 16, 2004 � I meet with Robert II in the evening. He takes some measurements. We discuss some of the furniture that we saw last week and how it would work in each location. The table from Lee�s is wider than I had in mind, and when it�s pulled out from the wall for actual dining purposes, would not have the light fixture centered above it. Really, there is no possible way to have had a light fixture centered over the dining table and Robert II says he would have put sconces on the walls instead. But, as I�m not ripping those walls open again, for now, we�re staying with the light fixture I have. Robert II says, if it really bothers me, in the future we can take down the fixture, cap it and get standing lamps. For all my quirks, peccadilloes and mishegoss, I do not think this will bother me that much. We�ll see. In the bedroom, we discuss the chest of drawers that we saw at Desiron. Using a tape measure, Robert II shows me the height of the low chest (41�) and that of the tall chest (52�). Both of us thought each item were taller. In our minds� eye, the low chest was about 50� and the tall chest was about 60�. Great. I hope my spatial problem isn�t rubbing off. Over drinks at Rain, we discuss and come to an understanding about my decorator issues.

Days 451 & 452 � It�s the weekend. I have been doing a lot of thinking regarding my arrangement with Robert II and I realize I have a problem. My problem is that I have already paid in full for the services of a decorator and it galls me to have to pay again. This is my problem. It is not Robert II�s problem, but he is paying the price. If I want him to help me, I have to get over this. The other issue is the cost of furniture. As my mother put it, I have poured a ton of money into the apartment and when and if I move, it will all stay there. If I like and buy a piece of furniture, which can come with me, then cost shouldn�t be the deciding factor. I think I�m getting a grip on it all. I will talk to Robert II on Monday.

Day 450 - Friday the thirteenth - I take a day off (from everything). I spend a well-deserved, highly anticipated and relaxing Spa Day at Nordstrom's with my mother and Karen. Aaaaaaaaaah.

Day 449 � I meet Robert II at Lee�s Studio. He saw a dining room table that he thought I might like. And I do. It�s glass, metal and wood. It�s wider than I was thinking for the dining area, but I think it will work well. It�s a little strange after shopping so often with The Bailer to go shopping with Robert II. We don�t know each other well and it takes a little more explanation to get our ideas across. We then go cross town to Holly Hunt. There�s a couch that he thinks will work well with the shape of the Den/Media Room. It�s very nice. It has a long back with rounded sides. It�s not what I had in mind, but I could change my mind. I�d been to Holly Hunt before with The Bailer and I knew that costs were now rising. It�s not the price range I had in mind, but as with the shape of the couch, I could change my mind. Next it�s down to Soho to Desiron. In the end, I buy nothing, but I can see that Robert II knows the kinds of furniture I�m looking for. I feel kind of bad that I didn�t buy anything and I told Robert II that I thought the Holly Hunt couch was a little too pricey. He doesn�t get paid unless I buy something, so for him it was a waste of an afternoon. That�s how I feel; I don�t think Robert II feels that way. We make arrangements for him to come up to the apartment on Monday to take some more measurements. He�s going on vacation after that. Do you think he needs a vacation from this already?

Day 448 � Wednesday, August 11, 2004 � Big day today. Jorge, Yoshida and their helpers, both named Alex come at about 9:30am. They�re surprised that the Lyric people aren�t there. Yoshida starts grumbling about wasting time. I had no idea when any of them were coming, until Joy told me they were all coming at about 10am. Anyway, I call Lyric and speak to Lenny who says his men just left. While we�re waiting for the Lyric guys, Alex, Yoshida�s helper, whom we�ll call Alex I, asks me where I want the bedside light switch to be moved to. I show him and he warns me that depending on where the wires come from, he may need to splice the wires and leave them in a box behind a blank plate. I say, okay. He satisfies himself that I understand and after covering the bed with plastic starts busting up the wall. He has to chisel the brick to put the stereo control in correctly. You may recall that Warren used a junction box that was not deep enough and the stereo control stuck out from the wall. While Alex I is doing this, Richard and Dave (who we met on Days 328 and 329, respectively) from Lyric come in. They tell Alex I where and how to move the stereo control and are happy with how he did it. Jorge and Alex II have put down canvas tarps throughout the apartment and are working in the kitchen trying to put the brackets on better. This takes a good part of the day and they never finish. They need anchor screws. SO, BUY THEM. Jorge also popped the baseboard molding off in the living room, where there is a big gap near the wall unit and (for some reason) took off the A/C return by unscrewing one side and tearing it off the wall on the other. Why?? Richard and Dave hook up the stereo control and do a few other things and then go off to the hardware store. Warren left the telephone wires that enter the building for my apartment loose and exposed in one of my kitchen cabinets. They are going to get something to encase them and keep anything from happening to them. At this point, Yoshida, who had been here first thing in the morning and then left, returns and asks me where to put the electrical outlet for the other wall unit. I had spoken to Richard about the wall unit and what was needed and where the electric should go. He said about one foot up, but now that seems low. Yoshida also wants to know if it has to be recessed into the wall (more wall breakage) and I don�t know the answer to that. Why no one discussed this Richard or Dave while they were here, I don�t know. Anyway, they�ve been gone for a while, so I call Lyric, who calls Richard, who says, they went to the hardware store then got a sandwich and they�re on their way back. The intercom buzzes; it�s Richard and Dave. The gang box should be centered and about 18 inches off the floor, not recessed. See, wasn�t that easy? Then we realize, if we want to break the walls and run the wires, it has to be done today because Jorge is not coming back for a while. So, Richard, Jorge, Yoshida and Alex I discuss where to open the wall, the fact that I have a dropped ceiling and where all the equipment is going and then re-demolition starts. Two holes in the wall, one in the ceiling and 14 wires snaked through my dropped ceiling later, we�re good to go. Sometime during all this hullabaloo, the plumber comes. Luckily, it is not Alex. I think his name is Nicky, but I never find out for sure. He shows me how to light the fireplace. It lights easily. I try it. It lights for me, too. I swear I did exactly the same thing when I tried to light it myself and it didn�t work. He puts on the steam heads and secures them with silicone, and tightens the handheld showers. Joy comes at some point and asks me how things are going. She looks in to the bedroom. Alex I has his head in the new hole in my ceiling, Jorge has his head in the A/C return, and Yoshida, Alex II, Dave, Richard and I are looking at them, the plumber is splayed on the floor in my bathroom. I say, things are going fine. She asks if I know how to use the steam shower. I say, you just press the �on� button. She then asks the plumber. He says, you just press the �on� button. See how mechanical I am? She asks me if I have any other questions for the plumber. I say no. Is there anything else I need him to do, because each time he has to come, he charges. I say, that�s why I didn�t want him to come until I had the extra steam head. Joy tells me he�s not charging to come back and do that. Hmmm. The plumber leaves. Then Yoshida and Alex I leave. Joy, Jorge and I go over the timing of fixing the walls, etc. Jorge will be back in two weeks and will finish fixing the kitchen window opening, plaster all the holes and paint. After that I can have Fordham Marble come in and re-measure for the backsplash. Then it should be just a short time before everything is done. Ha, ha, ha. Joy leaves. Dave and Richard hook up my bedroom TV and put it on a stand perched on two buckets of spackle compound. Jorge and Alex II take off all the plastic covering my bed and all the drop clothes from the floor. Jorge, Richard and I discuss the wires coming out of the TV. Jorge doesn�t like how they are going to look aesthetically and doesn�t understand why they can�t be tucked into the wall. He tries to explain himself to Richard, who says he needs the length in the wires. My feeling is, I don�t care that much about the wires behind the TV, and I wish Jorge would think as much about aesthetics with the things he�s supposed to take care of. For some reason, Richard and I discuss the exhaust vents for the dryer and range hood. And after talking to him I realize that they really can�t be caulked to the wall; they have to be bolted. The way it should have been done was to have the vents be located near a window, so that they could have been drilled into the outside wall easily. As Richard said, they don�t hang scaffolding down from the fiftieth floor for venting in hi-rise apartments. Way to go, John!

Day 447 � I speak to Joy who tells me that Jorge, Yoshida and their helpers are coming at about 10am, when the Lyric people are coming. I asked if the plumber is coming. She asks why and when I explain that I sent her an e-mail saying that I had the steam head and asking that he come to show me how to light the fireplace, she says she�ll give him a call and see if he can come tomorrow, too. Robin calls me back to tell me the plumber will be there about 12 o�clock. Perfect. Right smack in the middle of the day.

Day 446 � Monday, August 9, 2004 - I get a call from Tina at Service All Doors and Windows. My windows, screens, ballasts, etc. are ready. She has a man out this week, so we make an appointment for next Thursday at 8:30am. I call John and leave a message. He calls me back. Warren didn�t fax him anything. He�ll ask him again. He calls Warren and calls me back again. He tells me Warren has to set up an inspection. I say, I know, but I want a copy of the permit. I also ask John about the ductwork (i.e., the range hood and dryer exhaust) that is not secured to the building (and water can get in when it rains). He tells me he thought Louie took care of it when Warren brought the long ladder. I said no. I didn�t say this to John, but I don�t think Warren ever brought the long ladder. And WHO is John going to blame now that Louie is gone (moved to Florida). John says he�ll take care of it. This week is kind of crazy, but he�ll come over next week. I say fine. I�ll let him risk his neck trying to secure these things before I have to pay Joy to have scaffolding put up and have her guy do it. I also ask him about the General Release. He doesn�t know what I�m talking about (or feigns not knowing what I�m talking about) and says, Laura gets the mail, so she might have gotten it, but not told him. He�ll have to ask. My guess is, since sent it about two months ago, if she ever had it (and I�m sure she did), it�s long gone now. But, I�ll gladly send another or give it to John when he comes over to secure the ductwork. I have plenty of copies.

Days 444 & 445 � It�s the weekend.

Day 443 � Fri., Aug. 6, 2004 � It was nice sleeping with my A/C fully charged, but it kept shutting off and I couldn�t understand why. Maybe it�s because the overnight temperature fell to about 62�F. Whew! I thought I was going to have to give Ed a call already. I e-mail Joy and tell her I have the steam head, I tried lighting the fireplace and although Alex said it was working, I can�t get the pilot to stay lit. I also told her I have two working air conditioners and the problem was with the wiring. She e-mails me back saying, she assumed the faulty wiring was because of the former electrician. I assume so, too. I certainly hope so, but Yoshida might have checked things out and rewired if it wasn�t wired correctly. No? Anyway, next Wednesday, Yoshida, Joy, Jorge, and the stereo guys are all coming to discuss and begin the re-demolition, rewiring and repairing of apartment. Joy's going to have Alex come, too, so he can put the steam head on, show me how to light the fireplace and answer any plumbing questions that I have. I was supposed to have the apartment appraised for insurance purposes that morning, too, but I think I�ll reschedule. It�s probably easier to get a truer appraisal value when there are no holes in the walls and no wires dangling out of them.

Day 442 � Ed from Murphco is supposed to come at around 9-9:30am. At 10am, I call his cell phone. He�s coming in his truck and because of all the security checks, he keeps getting stopped and it�s taking forever. He hopes to be here within the hour. He comes at about 10:30am and up he goes to check out the back A/C unit. The diagnosis is confirmed: my motor is fried. Rather than giving a blow-by-blow description, I�ll tell you he replaced the motor, checked both condensers outside, stopped the whistling in the hallway vent and hooked up the wetness indicator in my front A/C unit. They didn�t charge me for the new motor and except for the markup on the thermostats (which blew me away, but were apparently not out of line), they have been very nice and fair with me. I give Ed a check for payment in full and he gives me a receipt. I tell him he�s a very nice guy, but I hope I never see him again. He tells me I really know how to make someone feel welcome. It�s like the old say, contractors, electricians, plumbers and other workmen, like fish stink after 441 days.

Day 441 � Wed. � I speak to Robert II and give him the good news. I�ve decided to go with him. He seems pleased. I ask if he�ll be doing some sort of plan or if we�ll just go shopping and I�ll have to envision things with him. He says, �Oh, yes, certainly I can do some sort of floor plan.� I say, �Bully!� (No, I don�t). Anyway, we make an appointment to go shopping next Thursday afternoon. Then I call Robert III and leave a message giving him the bad news. My guess is he wasn�t that surprised or disappointed.

Day 440 � Mercifully, nothing happens.

Day 439 � Monday, August 2, 2004 � My Toto Jasmin Washlet works! I tested it out last night. Now, don�t get a visual. I was standing up with one hand blocking the squirting water, while the other one pressed the remote control buttons. This morning before I left, I covered it up with towels, plastic wrap and tape to protect it. There is no doubt in my mind that left uncovered, it will get scratched. I get a call from Robert II, he tells me he�s thought about what we can do, he has some ideas and tells me what his price structure is. I am on another line and I don�t want to just jump into things without thinking them out. I tell him, I�ll call him back. He says �That�s a good idea, have a think.� At 12 noon, I get a call from Joy. The plumber is there and can�t get in. I call Jefferson. He can be there in about a half an hour. Joy tells the plumber to take lunch. I get a call from Beverly of Ferguson Enterprises. She�s getting the part directly from Mr. Steam and she�s faxed me the return authorization and is sending me a UPS packing label, so I can send the brushed nickel steam head back at no charge. I call Pete from Murphco on his cell phone and leave a message asking him to call me. I don�t hear from him. When I get home from work, I see my steam head has arrived from Mr. Steam AND it�s polish chrome! I have a message from Pete. Ed is coming on Thursday at about 9-9:30am. Alex the plumber put in the wetness sensor for the steam unit, so now if it clogs, and can�t drain; it shuts off (and doesn�t flood my downstairs neighbors' apartment). He also replaced my bathtub drain stopper. Did I mention it broke? Actually, it looked like it was partially sawed through and then broken. One day about a week or two ago, I tried closing the drain and the stopper didn�t go down. So, I pushed it down and it sealed. Good. Then I couldn�t get it to come up. Not so good. It was 6:15 in the morning and I was partially soaped up in the shower and the water was rising and Yoshida was coming at 7:30 (see Day 426). Luckily, I had just bought a tiny, little screwdriver and I was able to pry it up slightly with that and then open it. Whew. Anyway, I have a new one and it goes down AND up.

Days 437 & 438 � It�s the weekend. I haven�t been home to see if anything went wrong since the plumber was there. I spend the weekend in Queens with a sense of dread hanging over me. When I get home on Sunday night, I decide to flip my mattress. As you may remember, it�s a Shifman mattress�the Van Gogh and the company recommends tuning it every month for the first six months and twice a year thereafter. The first time I turned it was when John the intercom guy came (see Day 407). It�s a month later so it�s time to turn it again. This time I have to turn it over, not just around. This is not an easy thing to accomplish. The mattress weighs 140 pounds. I know, I asked Shifman. At some time during my pushing and heaving the mattress off the bed frame, with my knuckles bleeding, from being skinned by the mattress ticking, and my shirt soaked with sweat, there was a point where I could have stopped, pushed the mattress back on and waited to do it when someone could help me. I passsed that point of no return, however, and pushed on. But, I persevered. I somehow turned the mattress, then pulled it up onto my legs while sitting on the box spring (at which point, I was almost trapped under the mattress (like Montgomery Burns under a feather), and I thought, �Hmm, maybe this wasn�t a very good idea.�), then slipped them out from under the mattress and finally got it back on the bed. Mission accomplished. Uff. Good news! Next month is just turning it around from head to toe.

Day 436 � July 30 - I get a call from Robin. Alex the plumber is at the apartment, he doesn�t have the keys and he can�t find the Super. Super. I put Robin on hold and call Jefferson. I get his voice mail. I leave a message. I tell Robin no one told me the plumber was coming today. I thought he was still waiting for a part. Joy was supposed to confirm with me. I call Jefferson again. Still voice mail. I suggest she try to get in touch with Jorge, who has my keys. She says she�ll see where he is. I wait about five minutes and then call Jefferson again. He answers and says, he just got my message. He can be at my apartment in five minutes. I call Robin, who straightens her people out (i.e., Jorge doesn�t have to come over�he loves me so much already, and the plumber will be able to get in). I call Murphco in the afternoon. Pete will call me back. He doesn't. When I check my cell phone messages in the evening, I have a message from Joy. The plumber was there and put in the condensate pan, I had a line to my icemaker, it just had to be turned on, throw out all the new ice, etc. I get a second message from Joy. She had the plumber put the toilet seat/bidet on�my Toto Jasmin Washlet. I asked her not to. I begged her not to. I told her, workmen treat things badly, it�s going to get scratched and I don�t want it put on until they are ready to leave. Well, the plumber was there, so she had him do it. Well, the plumber is going to have to come back, if for nothing else than to put on the polished chrome steam head, and he could have done it then.

Day 435 � I speak to Ken the Expeditor in the morning. He spoke to the plumber and he (Ken) will be sending a form to Nevius to sign, seal and send back for filing. Nothing major. He needs a copy of the sealed plans, which I have and will send to him. I leave work a little early and I am home at 6pm when Robert III arrives. I don�t know what I expected, but he�s tall and thin with salt and pepper hair and he�s dressed like Thurston Howell III without the hat. Anyway, I give the tour, and where Robert II was offering small pieces of advice and decorating tips, Robert III wasn�t very forthcoming. Not until a contract is signed (which he brought with him) and a retainer is given. His one piece of advice was regarding the unbuilt wall unit. He thinks it should be painted to �disappear� and highlight the things in it. It would be cheaper (I could use paint grade birch) and then it wouldn�t conflict with the wooden floors and kitchen cabinets. He�s probably right, but I like the look of wood, and painted things need to be repainted. Let�s see what Robert II comes up with. Hopefully,it won�t be outrageous. It certainly won�t be naf.

Day 434 � July 28 � I call Beverly from Ferguson Enterprises and tell her what happened with the steam head. She seems a little skeptical, but says she look into it. She calls me back and tells me they only have one polished chrome steam head left in the warehouse and it�s scratched (which is probably why the sent me the brushed nickel one�Thanks, morons). She is going to call the Mr. Steam people and send me a form so that I can return the brushed nickel steam head at no charge. I call Ed. He tells me Pete wants me to schedule an appointment so that I can be there when they come over to look at the A/C and I can pay them. Ed�s nice, but he�s already making noises to the effect that �the A/C unit was working, no problem.� I can tell you now, it�s going to end up that it�s not their fault it�s because of the electrical wiring, of course. And Joy will say it�s the A/C people�s problem. And I will get shafted. Again. I call Murphco to schedule the appointment and I am told that Pete will call me back. Is that their normal procedure? Does he schedule all appointments? I don�t think so. There must be a flag next to my name. Anyway, Pete never calls me. I leave early to meet with Don, a designer that Joy recommended, who for ease of reference we will call Robert III. I get home at 5:55pm. He�s coming at 6pm. I quickly change my clothes and shove a peanut butter sandwich down my throat and then I wait. And wait. And wait. At 6:25pm, I call him. Of course, the number I put into my organizer is incorrect. I call Information, they give me an automated recording of a number and when I call it, an answering machine picks up, but there is no message, it just beeps. I leave a message, but I�m not sure for whom. I call Joy and leave a message. Then I check my Palm and call Joy back. She is on the phone with Robert III. We all agree, he�s meeting me at 6pm� tomorrow. I thank Joy and tell her to tell Robert III I�ll see him tomorrow and hang up. Then I break down and cry. The thing that heartened me was realizing I�m probably not having a nervous breakdown. I figure, having a nervous breakdown is like having Alzheimer�s, where the afflicted person doesn�t know they have it. Since I know I�m on the edge, I figure I haven�t gone over. Anyway, I�m not looking into it any further.

Day 433 �I speak to Joy first thing in the morning. Yoshida�s going over at around 10am. I get an e-mail later from Robin, Joy�s assistant with the glass and plumbing estimates. She also tells me Yoshida was over and the motor�s burnt out. No s*** Sherlock. She is going to call their A/C people. I call her and tell her I will speak to Murphco first. I call Ed. He tells me he is working a job on Central Park West and he�ll try and get over sometime today. He�ll call me back. He never does. I speak to Jay from Popular Plumbing. The sign off has been held up because the Schedule B has to be amended. He says this is from the inspection that took place in September. I say, �this could have been taken care of back in September and no one said anything?� He says, they told the contractor. What a surprise. I give him Ken the Expeditor�s telephone number so he can convey exactly what needs to be done. I go home and there�s a package for me. It�s from Ferguson Enterprises, the Mr. Steam parts distributor. I don�t open it. I meet with Robert II and this time I�m not a crazy, teary-eyed mess. Yay me! We talk about the wall unit and discuss where the fabric panel for the subwoofer can be. He thinks a fabric panel in the middle would look �naf.� Which I assume is not good. We discuss furniture, floor coverings, window treatments, etc. He starts writing down the various items I might need, room by room, at which point I say, �shouldn�t we talk about money?� He says, he�ll write everything down, take measurements and then he�ll have a better idea. I just don�t want him doing a lot of work, if I'm not going to go with him. Robert II tells me he�ll work something up and give me a call in a couple of days and then he leaves. I find the Mr. Steam steam head package. The steam head is supposed to be polished chrome. The outside of the box says, �polished chrome,� the packing slip says, �polished chrome.� I open the box. The steam head is brushed nickel.

Day 432 � Monday, July 26, 2004 � I call Joy and leave a message. I call Lenny and Matt from Lyric and leave messages. Robert Smith, who we shall now refer to as Robert II, calls me back and we make arrangements to meet tomorrow evening. I tell him things are moving along, there are still some problems, but it will make me happy to start planning some furniture. I say I�ll buy him a drink. He laughs. He thinks I�m kidding. I think at this point we might both need it. When I get home, I see Jorge has cleared out a lot of the garbage in the living room. It looks better. I walk towards the back of the apartment and I think I smell something. As I get closer to the den, I recognize the unmistakable stench of �burnt out motor.� The air conditioner isn�t working in the back, so I think I can put two and two together. I call Joy and leave a message asking that Yoshida come and take a look. I open up all the windows to air the place out and then leave to take a walk. Joy calls and leaves a message saying, Yoshida will be there in the morning.

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