Chapter 19
The Record's Stuck-The Record's Stuck-The Record's Stuck...
Table of Contents
Day 524 � Big Day!  The window guys come at 8:30am.  Curly is not with them.  They install the new ballasts in the living room window.  This time all goes well.  They also bring the new windows for the back bathroom.  They are the same ones that are there.  They�re not anodized bronze.  There� s no reason for them to do anything more, so they leave, leaving me the extra windows.  Thanks.  Jorge comes at 10 o�clock.  I�m not sure why.  I show him the gap between the bracket and the stone shelf on the kitchen island.  He says, �I made everything level.�  Well, that was one way to go.  In this case, I would have preferred slightly off level without a gap, so the stone is resting properly.  I tell him, I�m just going to leave it, and paint the wooden shim silver.  The plumber comes next and Jorge leaves.  I ask the plumber to move a flexible tube under my sink, so I can close up a hole with an access panel.  He does.  He also checks my steam shower dampness indicator light and tells me it�s supposed to be off, unless it�s damp.  I was sure it was on until Jorge put the access panel back and drilled a hole, sticking the indicator light through.  Next he checks my gas fireplace, which keeps going out.  He gets it so turning it on doesn�t blow out the flame, but when the pilot goes out, the gas doesn�t shut off immediately.  Obviously, this is a dangerous, so he shuts off the gas at the main valve in the apartment.  He and his boss, Alex (who I haven�t seen since the first time (See Day 419) and I just spoke to on the phone), suggest I call the company, tell them the valve is defective and get a new one.  Later on, I check my paperwork-- the gas unit is under warranty for one year�that�s exactly tomorrow.  The plumber checks all my radiators because at least two of them leak a little.  When I leveled the floors, some of the radiators were higher than the floor, so they are �hanging� in midair�they were shimmed under one or two of their four feet.  The plumber said to shim all of them, so I do-- with wooden shims.  I either have to find a nicer way to shim or get radiator covers for my replated Victory Grey radiators.  Anyway, the plumber tightens the two that leak, tells me to keep a something underneath the one in the living room, �just in case,� and leaves.  Steve (Joy�s partner) comes at 11am, shakes my hand, takes some measurements, tells me he�ll get back to me in a couple of days and leaves.  I call Robin and tell her I�m just waiting for Ken the stone man.  She calls Ken, and then calls me back and tells me, �He says he�ll be there within the hour.�  At 12:30, I call Robin and tell her I have to go.  She says, �I�m going to kill Ken.�  I leave.  In the evening, I meet Robert Dos at Lee�s Studio and we decide on the table and eight chairs�two armchairs and six side chairs in different colored leather� Black, Bordeaux, Bulgarian Red, Terre, and Caramel.
Day 523 � Monday, October 25, 2004 � Nothing
Day 521 & 522 � It�s the weekend.  It�s getting pretty nippy.
Day 520 � Robin calls me and tells me she has arranged it so everyone is coming on Tuesday, October 26th.  Wow!  Kenny rearranged his schedule and will be there, too.  I tell her I have to leave by 1pm.  She says, �No problem.�
Day 519 � Zippo.
Day 518 � Wed. � Nothing
Day 517 � Tina from Service All Windows and Doors calls.  We make and appointment for Tuesday October 26th for Curly to come and put the new weighted ballasts in  (again) and a new back bathroom window with a spacer that is anodized bronze not silver as I currently have.  I e-mail Robin and tell I was expecting her to tell me when Steve, the threshold guy, Ken the stone man and the plumber are coming.  I don�t hear from her.
Day 516 � Monday, October 18, 2004 � I call John and leave a message.  I speak to Robert about the dining table.  He says, �Ed said �Yes, they have the 39� table, but it�s not in stock.  It will take 6-8 weeks, blah, blah, blah.��  I say, that�s fine.  We make tentative plans to go up and look at the table and chairs at the end of the week.
Days 514 & 515 � It�s the weekend.
Day 513 � I�m expecting Joy to come with her partner, Steve.  He�s going to hang a picture from a bracket in my living room.  Joy comes over at 9:30am; Steve�s not with her.  I a little miffed.  We go over some things.  Discuss what needs to be done.  I tell her I�m trying to get John to come and secure the exhaust vents to the building.  She asks who John is.  I tell her, he�s my old contractor.  She basically asks, if he is still around, why am I having her people do things?  I basically answer, that I thought she and her subcontractors would do the work better and faster.  This sentence was left hanging in the air.  She finishes writing her list of what needs to be done and tells me Robin will arrange for people to come and take care of things.  We chitchat.  She leaves.
Day 512 � Thurs.  I meet Robert at Portico.  We look at dressers and decide, although the color matches the bed exactly, the dresser itself isn�t very nice and looks a little flimsy.  We also discuss the dining table.  Ed at Lee�s says the table is 43� wide.  Robert and I were sure it was 39�.  I found the tear sheet that Robert gave me and we are correct.  Robert says he�s going to call Ed and see what�s going on.  We leave Portico and Robert asks me if I have time and if I want to go back to Desiron.  I say, �No, I don�t have time, but yes, I do want to go.�  So we went.  I bought a dresser, two night tables and a couch for the Den/Media room.  Oh, if all my shopping expeditions could be this successful.  The dresser was the first one I saw with Robert some time ago and the night tables match the dresser.  I hadn�t seen the couch or I hadn�t looked at it before and I think the fact that I have no place for anyone to sit, coupled with the fact that it�s a nice looking couch at a reasonable (in the grand scheme of things) price, made me pull the trigger on all of it.  I asked Robert II if he thought I would ever actually buy something.  He turned a little red and said, �No.�  Can you blame him?  I n the evening, my friend Sally, who was in from London and she came up to my apartment.  The last time she was in was May.  At this point, even I agree it�s come a long way since then.
Day 511 � Robert - Part Deux comes over in the morning and we go over shades (I thought these were ordered).  He likes the desk legs in the silver.  We discuss dressers and night tables and a few other things and he leaves.  We�re meeting tomorrow at Portico on Broadway.  I call Magda; she�s on the phone.  I leave a message for her with the measurement.
Day 510 � I call John early in the morning and leave a message asking if she can come tomorrow morning, since it�s supposed to rain on Thursday and Friday.  Magda calls me (yay!) and asks me how much stone I need.  I guess 15 linear feet, but tell her, I�ll measure and call her tomorrow.  I speak to Robert II.  He is going to come tomorrow morning to go over some things.  I don�t hear from John.  When I get home in the evening, I measure my backsplash and sills.  Fifteen and a half feet.  Not a bad guess.
Day 509 � Monday, October 11, 2004 � Magda from New York Marble is supposed to call.  She doesn�t.  I don�t hear from Joy regarding when she can make it over, either.
Days 507 & 508 - It's the weekend.  On Saturday, I go to Lowe�s and buy things for the apartment (e.g., a battery operated smoke alarm-- Warren didn't hot-wire a smoke alarm in the back, a piece of plywood and some velcro to create an access panel under the kitchen sink, and a grommet for my stone desk top � if I can ever get anyone to drill a hole for me).  Sunday morning, I go in to work.  In the evening, Mom, Dad, David, Karen and Jessi come into the City with some of my things and to meet me for dinner at Pampa.   It was very nice.  Then everyone came up to my apartment.  David set up my new wireless mouse and keyboard, while everyone else milled around.  Karen hadn�t been over in a while (see Day 312), so she really saw a change (it�s clean!) and as everyone says, I focus on all the mistakes, it�s a beautiful apartment and once there�s furniture, I won�t notice them (as much), blah, blah, blah.  Jessi checked out my refrigerator and realized (yet again) that I have no food (and I had more than usual).  She wrote up a shopping list for me.  (Note to my self:  Buy food before Jessi comes again).  Well, it was getting kind of late and since I really have nowhere for people to sit and nothing for dessert (except Starburst Sour Fruit Chews), my guests went home.
Day 506 - I schlep a piece of Austral Azul to work with me.  It must weigh at least 5 pounds.  New York Tile and Stone is not too far from where I work.  I walk over there, ring the buzzer and ask for Maurice (it's not a code word, that's the name on the business card I have).  They let me in and I go upstairs.  Maurice isn't there, but Magda comes out to help me.  Without crying, I tell my backsplash story.  Magda says, she'll call around and get back to me today or Monday.  I'm a little skeptical, but I thank her and leave.  Then I go to Tobron, which I think, is an office furniture showroom, but turns out to be a sales office for a number of manufacturers.  I speak to Janet Ludwin, who is very nice.  She steers me away from the Herman Miller lateral filing cabinets ("You're just paying for the name"), she shows me three other companies, gives me various prices, the showroom addresses, tells me to go see the cabinets and after I've decided to give her a call back to order them.
Day 505 - I forget to bring a piece of stone with me to bring to New York Tile and Stone, the place that Robert II suggested.
Day 504 - Wed. - Another big day.  I call John at 7:30am to make sure he's coming today.  I leave a message.  He calls me back at 8:15am and tells me he got a late start and he's not coming.  I tell him that one of the reasons I wanted him here is because Warren and I despise each other and I don't like being alone with him.  John says, he'll call Warren and call me back.  He calls me back and tells me that Warren says he's he'll be here at 9:30, closer to 10:00am.  John wants to know if he should call Warren back.  I say, no, I need the work done and if Warren does a crappy job, there will be another electrical inspection and it will be Warren who has a problem.  Then I start reaming John about the "quality" work that Warren did and really going off about the A/C blower motor burning out, the use of telephone wire instead of thermostat wire, the unenclosed electrical wires running from the A/C condensers up the building and into my apartment.  When I calm down, John tells me he doesn't want me to have to rearrange my schedule, so if I want , he can come on a Saturday (not this Saturday, the Saturday after next), or Wednesday, Thursday or Friday morning of next week.  I tell him he can't work on a Saturday.  He says, well, it's outside and it will only take about 20 minutes. FAMOUS LAST WORDS.  I opt for one morning next eek.  I tell him I'll get bcak to him.  At 9:45am, I call Myra at Quality Glass and ask where the installer is.  She checks and tells me that although she wrote 8:30-9:00am on her installer's schedule, Gail changed it to 10am-12noon and the installer is just packing up his truck and will be there between ten and twelve.  I say, "It's 9:45am, and he's just packing up his truck, he's not going to be here at 10am."  While I'm on th phone with Myra, Warren buzzes.  I open the door and David (Warren's somewhat intellectually challenged helper) is there.  He tells me that he and Warren will be up in 15 minutes.  Warren and David come up at 10 o�clock and do the things they need to do inside the apartment.  Warren even labeled the circuit breaker box, asking David to tell him whether things were on or off.  He kept saying things like, �Oh, I have to move this one up a line, � and �Somebody labeled this wrong.�  So even thought the box is labeled, I�m skeptical as to it�s accuracy.  At 12:02, Tom , the installer from Quality Glass and his helper come.  Warren and David are done inside, and leave to put two GFI outlets downstairs on the air conditioning condensers.  As luck would have it, this time the gate is unlocked, when the Electrical Inspector came, we couldn�t get back there.  I will have to see Warren one more time for the second and hopefully last electrical inspection.  And then he will be out of my life.  After everyone leaves, I try to get on the internet and I can get connected.  Four calls and a lot of unplugging of modem and router and turning the computer on and off, I am reconnected.  Late in the afternoon, I meet Robert II at Jensen Lewis to look at a dining room table (not as nice as the one at Lee�s) and then we look at some filing cabinets.  I tell Robert II that Fordham Marble isn�t calling me back and that I�m thinking of switching gears.  He asks me why Joy isn�t dealing with Fordham Marble.  I tell him that Joy and Joyce had a run in years ago (and not surprisingly, it had to do with Joyce not returning telephone calls!) and she won�t deal with it.  Robert gives me the name of another stone place and tells me they just did some work for a client of his, they might have the stone or they might be able to locate it and they will come, measure, do a template, fabricate it and install it.
A word of explanation--  There's been a definite lapse in my blogging.  This has come about for a number of reasons.  When I got my new computer with the new 19-inch monitor, it threw off the proportions of my webpage and I needed to sit down and redo a number of days.  But, the spacing comes out funny.  Sorry.  I didn't get Word installed in the new computer, and Wordpad (which is what is loaded on the computer) is a little funky, so I didn't jumped right (or write) back in.  I've also been very busy and haven't had a chance to just sit down and do it and lastly, I just am so very tired of all of this.  But enough whining, it really is winding down and I'm not giving up now-- not on the apartment and not on the blog...
Day 503 - Myra from Quality Glass calls and confirms for tomorrow.  Joy e-mails me and says she's all booked up on Wednesday.
Day 502 - Monday, October 4, 2004 - Robin from Joy's office e-mails me asking if Friday at 10am is a good time for Joy to come over with her partner.  No.  Oh, and she sent another invoice.  I e-mail and say, Friday is not good, but anytime on Wednesday would be great, otherwise sometime next week.
Days 500 & 501 - It�s the weekend.  On Saturday, now that I have a desk, David, my brother, comes in to the City with my new computer and monitor.  Unbelievably, things go smoothly and in no time at all (okay, five, maybe six hours), I have a fully functioning computer and (best of all) internet access.  I feel reconnected.  Yay!  Thanks, David!  On Sunday, my parents come in and bring my old coffee table.   Thanks, Mom and Dad!  I set it in front of my couch for now.  Little by little...
Day 499 - Friday, October 1, 2004 - I call Natalie at Dallek to find out when the desk delivery is coming� between 12 and 2pm.  The man from Manhattan Shade and Glass is coming between 11am and 1pm.  At 12:20, I run out for a slice of pizza.  I leave a note address to: �Delivery men, etc. for 2A/2D� saying �I�ll be back in 5 minutes.�  Surprisingly, even though I had to wait ten minutes for a fresh pie to come out, I didn�t miss anybody.  At 12:55pm, I start calling Manhattan Shade, when my buzzer rings.  It�s the guy from Manhattan Shade.  We discuss the placement of the shades (i.e., towards the back,  the front or centered in the window box), then he measures all the windows and leaves.  The Dallek guys come at about 1:30pm.  As soon as I see the desk, I see that the legs and drawer pulls are silver gray, when I thought I was getting them in blacks.  I call Lou from Dallek.  �No,� he says, �the natural cherry wood with the nickel legs is what we have in stock.   If you wanted the black legs it would take weeks longer.�  He tells me the type-written order says, "Cherry Nickel" and it's true; the handwritten proposal looks like "Cherry Natural" and the drawing Lou did showing the configuration and measurements, legibly reads, "Black Legs."  Anyway, Lou speaks to Neil, the owner, comes back to me and says, "You could be in luck," and transfers me to Neil.  Neil tells me that someone else's order was wrong and they got black legs when they wanted nickel, so in three weeks (something to do with the timing of the other order), I can have them changed.  He things the nickel looks nicer and that the black is too much of a contrast with the cherry.  He recommends living with the nickel for a little while and then telling them whether I want to change.  The Dallek guys put the desk together and it looks really good (even with the nickel legs) and it fits!   Are you surprised?  I was a little, especially considering 1) my luck is crap (Exhibit 14082 - the nickel legs), and 2) I took the measurements.  I call John to make sure he's coming today.  I leave a message.  I don't hear from him.  He doesn't come.  After the Dallek guys leave, I go sit outside on my stoop.  At 3 o'clock, a man with no neck (literally) walks up my steps holding a clipboard.  When we make eye contact, he says he's looking for Ellen Solomon.  I say, "That's me, and you must be the Electrical Inspector."  We go upstairs and he says, "It says here, you have some new outlets and central air was put in."  I say, "O-o-kay."   Now, although I loath Warren, I hope he comes soon, because I don't know what he submitted on the application and I don't want to open up a(nother) can of worms.  My buzzer rings.  It's Warren.  The three of us walk around the apartment and go outside to try and see the A/C condensers-- the gates locked.  Long story short, there were only 4 minor violations.  It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut and not point out other things.  Warren makes an appointment with me for next Wednesday at 8:30am.  He leaves two GFI outlets that need to be installed in the kitchen.  One of them is used, and I point it out to Warren.  He says, "No, it's brand new."  Warren and the inspector leave.  I am livid that, yet again, he's trying to install used crap.  I go outside to find Warren, taking the used GFI outlet with me.  I see him, call his name and when he turns around, I throw the outlet at him and say, "I want a new one just out of the box."  He says, "O.K."  I turn around and go back inside.  I won't say I feel triumphant, let's just say, I feel less abused.  While we were looking at the A/C condensers, Myra from Quality Glass called, so I call her back and make an appointment for Wednesday at 8:30-9:00am.  John called me back and left a message.  The transmission in his truck went and he couldn�t come.  He left a message earlier for me at work.  Thanks.
Day 498 - Still waiting for telephone calls.  I don�t want to call and be too much of a pain in the butt, but my tactic doesn�t seem to work very well.
Day 497 - Wed.- I get a call from Myra.  The shower enclosure guys are there and can�t get into my apartment.  Really?  Wow, just because I said today was no good and my Super is on vacation.  How odd.  She tells me she�ll call me back to reschedule.  She doesn�t.
Day 496 - I call Myra.  She�ll get back to me.  She doesn�t.
Day 495 - Monday, September 27, 2004 - Myra from Quality Glass called and left a message on Friday, trying to set up the plastic strip installation for next Wednesday.  I call her back and ask if we can do it on Friday?  She says, she�ll get back to me.  She doesn�t.  I�m still waiting for calls back from Smolka and Fordham Marble.  I am now considering scrapping all or part of the granite back splash and putting in a stainless steel back splash.  I would like to keep the sills granite, but none of the pieces I have are big enough (and not chipped or broken) to fit in the right side window box.  Nevius (Architect No. 1) and N.O. Robert are in from New Orleans and come up to see the apartment.  Apparently, to them it is light years ahead.  I didn�t remember when they were here last.  It was the night Nevius measured for the stainless (See Day 236).  Of course it looks light years ahead it was 259 days ago!  N.O. Robert (who�s a graphic artist) gave me an original piece of artwork that he made; a screen print entitled Not One, Not Two. It�s a Zen thing.  It�s very thoughtful in more than just the �Oh, what a thoughtful gift" sort of way; the piece has the same ratios as those of the Twin Towers.  (Thank you, Robert).  I love it.  And clearly, I need a little Zen thinking in my life.  Maybe this will help.
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