Grump Central Archive: Week of 21 October 2018
Saturday, 27 October 2018
I never rains but it pours. I now have a surfeit of work to do with insufficient time in which to do it. The roofer wants to start work on Monday, and I'm not ready—the fascia isn't done, and today marks the first of three days of rain. Meanwhile, the Township has approved the revised blueprints, permits will be issued next Tuesday, and three inspections should be done by the end of next week. I feel like a one-armed paper hanger working in a wind storm.
Friday, 26 October 2018
When the siding was delivered yesterday, so was the solution to my problem of how to deal with the soffit and fascia. A friend came over to help me apply the finish to a portion of the eaves as a test. Some wood preservative/stain will give everything a nice tree-bark tint.
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Dinner with my friends last night provided a nice distraction from the crap I'm dealing with at the moment. But it also helped solve at least one problem: they hammered me to dig deeper and find alternative solutions. And sometimes a solution can be right under your nose. I've been wrestling over a bunch of standard-size sliding windows that the factory rep said couldn't be delivered for three months. I just ordered them all from Lowe's and they'll be delivered in three weeks. The balance of the order will remain intact, since for whatever reason the rep said all of the large custom windows can be delivered in five weeks. That doesn't mean I can move in by the end of the year, but it does mean I'm back on a somewhat more realistic timetable.
Wednesday, 24 October 2018
The electrical inspector finally showed up to offer his blessing on the service line. So, permanent electric service is (presumably) imminent. But then there are the windows: I've just learned that delivery has been pushed out to January. So much for moving in by the end of the year! Why is it something always goes wrong? Why is it I'm always getting screwed by someone? (Insert very long string of expletives.)
Tuesday, 23 October 2018
Last night it dipped down to 34, and the high today is only supposed to be 58. I'm not sure why, but it seems as though the cold has arrived rather suddenly, and I'm just not ready for it. My fear is the ground will freeze before I have the chance to connect the well to the house, so the race is on. Also, the electrical inspector is scheduled for today—it should be interesting to see if he makes it this time.
Monday, 22 October 2018
It's back to serious work on the house. My priority right now is to finish the fascia and eaves in preparation for the roof. This is going to challenge me like nothing else since I resumed work on the house; just deciding what to do will be half the battle. Meanwhile, a couple of days ago I tripped and fell, and whacked my bad knee hard. I also dropped my camera. Now having trouble walking. And my camera is having trouble focusing. But my injury is not my biggest concern, much less the possible need to buy a new camera. It's depression. At times, events unfold faster than I can recount, which can be exhilarating. Then there are the unproductive days, like yesterday, when the hours tick by at an achingly tedious pace, as if time had virtually halted, leaving me to ponder each unchanging minute of my life. It's there, in between those long minutes, I'm left wondering why I'm still alive and, more unnervingly, why I should remain so. These are the moments that remain my greatest challenge.
Sunday, 21 October 2018
Yesterday was a chill-out day, mostly spent just tooling around in my new ride. Yes, I pulled the trigger. The tipping point was a flat tire on my old junker caused by multiple failures in the suspension. It was time. I sprung for a '19 Subaru Crosstrek because it's reminiscent of the early Forester, which has since bulked up well beyond my preferences. Simple, nothing fancy; safe and reliable. I suspect it will be my last car. I'd wanted to get an EV, like the Bolt, but they're still way out of my budget. Plus, I'm not especially fond of relying entirely on software to run my car; I used to be a programmer, so I know firsthand how scary that can be. Older technology has the advantage of a longer track record.