Closets and kitchens and bears... Oh, my!
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| Chapter 5 Closets and kitchens and bears... Oh, my! |
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| Table of Contents | |||||||||||
| Day 139 - Tuesday, October 7th - I go up to the apartment. All the kitchen cabinets are in place, but with boxes around them to protect them. Even so, they look great. I'm so easy to please. I speak to John, he tells me we have some momentum going and it shold be all down hill from here. He adds, "In a good way." John has such a way with words, doesn't he. | |||||||||||
| Day 138 - Monday, 10th of Tishrei, 5764 - I pray. John hangs cabinets. | |||||||||||
| Days 136 & 137 - It's the weekend. Yom Kippur starts Sunday night. I will atone for some of my thoughts about John. | |||||||||||
| Day 135 - Fri., Oct. 3 - I meet Robert at the apartment at 4:00pm. We meet with a planner from another closet company (deja vu!). This time it's the Closet Factory. I have a coupon for 10% off plus free installation, but I think this one will end up being the most expensive. Nice stuff, tho, but it's inside a closet, for goodness sakes! Anyway, John's gone, but I see that more kitchen cabinets have been put up. It's starting to look like a kitchen! I look at my chosen piece of granite countertop (Azul Astral) next to my toffee cabinets and I'm very happy. Someday this place is going to look great! | |||||||||||
| Day 134 - I speak to John today. He says he's at the apartment and putting up my kitchen cabinets. Since I call him on his cellphone, I'll never know unless I go up to the apartment. I don't. I'll take his word for it. Kitchen cabinet hanging continues... | |||||||||||
| Day 133 - Wed. - I meet Robert at the apartment at 4:00pm. We meet with a planner from another closet company (Closets By Design) to compare design, quality and $$$ (plus I have a coupon for them from my neighborhood Valpak!). John is there with Louie, working away. Boy, it does my heart good. More kitchen cabinets are in place, including my island. John asks if the appliance store is going to send over someone to see if they can get my Subzero into the apartment. When John had to bring some of the larger cabinets in throught a window, the fridge size became an issue. My cork flooring came. When Robert and I leave at about 5pm, John is still there working! | |||||||||||
| Day 132 - I don't go up to the apartment today. I speak to John, who says he was there in the morning, but had to go to another job for a little while and will try to get back (yeah, right). He says, cabinet hanging continues. I ask him when he can get me the radiator color samples. Thursday or Friday. I mention to him (not for the first time) that they will be turning on the heat soon (BTW, I have no radiators) . He tells me he will put some sort of pan under the open radiator valves. Apparently, they don't close all the way and leak. John asks me what days he can't work in the building. I tell him, Saturday and Sunday. He asks about Yom Kippur (is he converting to Judaism?). I tell him, he's allowed to work in my apartment on Yom Kippur. The only days other than the weekend that he might have a problem are Christmas and New Year's, but he won't have a problem (hint: because HE'LL BE GONE!). He tells me it's no problem, he takes them off. Ha, ha ha. But, he assures me he'll be gone by X-mas. I fish for whether he thinks he's going to be around come Thanksgiving and he assures me, his "plan is to have me in by Thanksgiving." Notice the wording. Aack. | |||||||||||
| Day 131- Monday, September 29, 2002 - I go up to the apartment first thing in the morning. Leonardo is waiting outside. I let him in. Two top cabinets are hung, nothing else in the kitchen. The area where the shower will be, is cemented. There are some hi-hats in the ceiling. I don't notice anything else. | |||||||||||
| Days 129 & 130 - It's the weekend. It's Rosh Hashanah. Happy New Year (5764)! | |||||||||||
| Day 128 - I speak to John at 9:30 in the morning. He's not at my apartment, yet, but he'll be going there soon (like 9:45am soon or 12:30pm soon?). He tells me he hung two cabinets! Two! And he's going to continue to put the cabinets in today. I'm just sure there will be this complete transformation over the weekend. Only if Disney is involved. | |||||||||||
| Day 127 - I hurry to the apartment in the morning because my washer and dryer are being delivered between 8am and 10am. I asked John to be there and he told me he would, but I don't believe him. I arrive at 8:05am. John is there, too! I am now convinced the washer and dyer will show up at 11 or so. I have become so cynical (become?). Anyway, the washer and dryer are delivered at 8:35am! I now have the whole day to work and play! John has to leave, but tells me he will be back by 9:30. I decide to wait at the apartment, because Warren the electrician is coming and so is the plumber and I want to make sure they can get into the apartment. Long story short, I let everyone in, and John doesn't come back until 12:30. I go through some things with him, (including the bathroom pipes that were moved and now aren't level) and then I leave. Half the day gone. But, YAY! I have my washer and dryer! | |||||||||||
| Day 126 - Wed. - Zippo. | |||||||||||
| Day 125 - Ditto, from yesterday, pretty much. I'm told the plumber came, but I'm not really sure what he did. | |||||||||||
| Day 124 - Monday, September 21, 2003 - Nothin' doin' at the apartment, but I go up with my parents to see my kitchen cabinets. I like the toffee color. Yay! At least one decision I won't regret! Unfortunately, the cabinets haven't installed themselves. Rats! My parents comment on how much more has been done since the last time they saw the apartment (Day 90!). | |||||||||||
| Days 122 & 123 - It's the weekend. It's gorgeous-- warm and sunny. Seriously. | |||||||||||
| Day 121 - John picked up the my kitchen cabinets last night and they arrived today !!!!! John and Louie schlepped them up the stairs and in through the window going up a ladder. Yay! I think there are 38 cabinets. It took the whole morning. Whew! Needless to say, then John had to return the truck and no other work was done. | |||||||||||
| Day 120 - Thursday, September 18th - I went up to the apartment in the morning and two men are there. Gennaro (I think, but he was wearing a mask) who was spackling and another guy who seemed to be packing up Sherwood's stuff. I don't think all that much went on today. John has to pick up my kitchen cabinets today or else he'll have to pay a penalty-- my guess is, they'll get picked up today. | |||||||||||
| Day 119 - Wed. - He came! He came! Yes, the plumbing inspector came and my plumbing received his blessing! Hallelujah! We can start closing up the rest of the walls (except the one bathroom, remember?)! John was also there and moved some doorways, I think. Louie, a Master in the Art of Spackling came and began his masterwork. | |||||||||||
| Day 118 - I'm not sure, but I think taping is finished for now. I'm all a-twitter, the plumbing inspector comes tomorrow and John is going to be there doing some work! | |||||||||||
| Day 117 - Monday, September 15, 2003 - Robert and I meet in the morning at Pearl Paint on Canal Street to look at metallic powders for my refurbished radiators. We're not sure whether these are usable on radiators, but at least I can show John my choice of colors. In the evening, I meet with John and Robert. We go over radiator colors (of course), door placement (again), TV placement (again), timing of deliveries, etc., etc. We also discuss the (supposed) schedule, jobsite attendance, money and communication, all of which have become issues, lately. Everyone understands each other (we'll see). I leave happier (can you say, "Fool's Paradise?"). I see taping continues... | |||||||||||
| Days 115 & 116 - It's the weekend. It's raining. My family and I make kreplach and stuffed cabbage for the High Holidays. | |||||||||||
| Day 114 - I call Gary at the managing agent. For all intents and purposes, the Board has approved my AC condenser placement. Gary just asks that he be there when they instal them, to see exactly where and how it will be done. Do you think the fact that the measurements were wrong, makes them a little uneasy? Taping continues... | |||||||||||
| Day 113 - Thurs. - I meet with Robert and a planner from California Closets. Robert doesn't understand why I need to be there. He currently owns more shoes than I have ever owned in my entire life and I think we have slightly different needs. Also, I have started, well more than started, to have misgivings about moving my bedroom to the front. Robert keeps trying to convince me I will be better off there, but I have some nagging doubts. I want to plan my closets for either eventuality. Taping continues... | |||||||||||
| Day 112 - John tells me the plumbers can't come back to move the off-center sink pipes because Jefferson is on vacation and they have to turn the water off in the building (surely, this could have been done before he left and will now have to wait until after the plumbing inspector comes). Sheetrocking is finished to a point. Taping begins... | |||||||||||
| Day 111 - Tuesday, September 9 - Sheetrocking continues... | |||||||||||