Day 107
Open and shut. We had some great people help us during this process, which really makes the irritating ones stand out.

We have been waiting for weeks on one pantry door and one piece of trim for the cabinets. They were somehow left off the order and our rep had no ability (or interest) in getting them faster. She called last week and said they would be done, and that the shipping people would call with delivery times. Fine.

The week goes by, and I call the factory (they're built locally) to check in. Danny calls me back and says yes they're done, but the rep has taken them out of the shop. I waste a couple more days tracking her down and getting her to bring them. You'd think that this would be some sort of customer service call, delivering materials herself, but she drops the boxes at the door and scurries back to her car before i can even say my insincere 'thanks'.

So here it is Monday, and Jovan returns for less than an hour's work. If nothing else, the dog was very happy to see him. I think she might miss the company even if she doesn't miss the banging. Its not a very dramatic finish, but its nice to have all the pieces in place, even though we're still figuring out where everything goes.

We also put the dining room back together on Sunday. There still a few boxes to unpack and (always) more things to buy, but I think we can safely say this process is behind us. It's a shame we can't afford a vacation, because I could really use one about now.

Day 99

Let there be lights, or how I spent my summer weekend waiting on our electrician. The updates are getting farther apart, and I think that bodes well for our lifestyle. With major upheavals like a bed or a stove out of the way we don't have to spend all our time focusing on little things... like lights.

I finally tracked down the electrician and at least got a promised date and time for his arrival. Saturday at 9:00. Deedle was working so I got up for a day of wiry fun. Then, nothing. About 10:30 I called him to check up and I think I woke him up. He said he be there in an hour.

Two hours he called me from Home Depot and said he was on his way.

An hour after that he arrived, with his lunch. He then sat in his truck and ate while I stared in disbelief. Happily, I channeled my frustration into productivity and plowed through my overdue list of household chores.

Eventually he got to work, hanging the under-cabinet lights and connecting the wires he ran back April to actual power. I have to say, when I heard the dishwasher for the first time in three months I got a little choked up.

He works slowly but methodically, and after a while I couldn't watch any more. So I went to meet some friends to watch the second half of the US-UK world cup match. Woo-hoo, draw!

DeeDee came home and then bolted, so I came back to keep an eye on him. Day slid into night and he wasn't quite finished so he crept off into the darkness, promising he would be back at 9:00am to finish.

Right.

He called at 10:00 to say that Serbia was playing and that he would be over after the game. We're paying this guy by the job and he hasn't seen a nickel in over a month, you'd think he'd be eager ti finish. Regardless, he came over after another losing to Ghana, committed to putting an end to the job. By sunset the kitchen was filled boxes, bubble wrap and about 9000 tiny pieces of wire-- but we had lights.

He got bogged down installing the last outlet, as the hole for the cover was stripped and it would not stay on. I thought DeeDee was going to body block him out the door. In the end, he promised to return with a new outlet and accepted a check.

Now, all we have to do pick this trash heap up.

Day 78

Serbian Dance Party. Apparently our contractors are in better contact with each other than with us. After our electrician finished putting a new hole in the ceiling last night, Jovan showed up in the morning to patch it back up. We didn't even know he was coming.

He (and his trusty companion Sergio) managed to run donw my punch list before i even had a chance to put it together. Little things like straightening trim, touching up grout and cleaning up painting were done before I even got home. It might have had something to do with me not being around to pay him last weekend, but I'm not that cynical.

The highlight of their experience was the internet radio (called squeezebox) that Deedle picked up over the weekend. There are three Serbian radio choices so they were rocking it out, and asking for details on where they could get one and how to set it up. I wouldn't be surprised if they took the check straight to Best Buy to get Sqeezeboxes of their very own.

So we said our farewells, let him complain about how long it took, and waved from the porch as the dented white panel van disappeared over the horizon. OK, it wasn't quite like that, but is a bit like having a room mate move out. You might not have ever wanted them around, but you can't help but notice when they're gone.

That, and I'll miss Jovan's ability to actually get the electrician to come.

DeeDee's parents are coming this weekend, so we'll have to get our kitchen out of boxes and have more than two plates. Who knows, maybe we'll even have a dishwasher or outlets in the bedroom.

I'll keep you posted.

Day 77

Nocturnal electricians. Today was pretty slow remodel-wise, unless you count me leaving nasty voicemails about unfinished details. Getting back to work for fairly slow too, as I recover from two weeks of 10-12 hour days.

The only real remaining issues are electrical, and we haven't been able to pin down our electrician. The pendants, the dining room lights, undercabinet lighting, the dishwasher, the microwave and even the outlets in our bedroom are all awaiting his return (under cover of darkness, of course).

Anyway, I have left a few pointed messages over the weekend, and he waits until I'm on my way out at 7:00pm to say he wants to come by. DeeDee works late on Tuesdays and isn't even home yet. So I dump the problem on here and continue on my appointed rounds.

Coming home at 10:30, I find her and a friend confused in the living room and banging and sawing coming from the kitchen. Turns out that he came at around 9:00, moved a light fixture box six inches (because in all the shifting it would have been in the path of a cabinet door) and nothing else. Since we were looking to turn in, we shuffled him out with promises to return on Thursday-- during the day no less! Nothing seems time consuming but there is still a lot on his plate, and I for one would like to see the dishwasher working again.

So we wait in hope for the return of our shadowy master of electricity.

Day 75

Through the ringer and out the other side. The last couple weeks are a blur of work and travel and occasional outbursts of home-improvement. I had to go to Texas last week for a client's conference and the preparations went a little crazy. The on-site stuff wasn't much easier, but since I'm paid by the hour I guess I shouldn't complain.

I got back in time to see freshly installed countertops in all their glittery glory. Deedle said they were in and out in just a couple hours and they look sweet. Jovan and his trusty sidekick Sergio swept in to finish off handles, pulls, plumbing and about 3,000 miscellaneous tasks.

At some point they left, and I collapsed into a heap.

Jovan was flying solo on Saturday and I was back in deadline mode. He was knocking down tiny jobs like a man who thought there was a check in his future. Unfortunately, I had to make the drive of shame to the Fedex at O'Hare and he left without it. There was definitely some hurry in these last buts, but all in all the guy has been a hero.

Sunday was not quite reality for me. Deedle was in a planting frenzy, converting the ghetto slab behind the condo into floritopia. I did what I could to put our rooms back to their original function. If nothing else, the coffee pot returned to its place of honor in the kitchen.

I guess the rest is up to us.

Day 57

Wednesday was circus. Jovan and Sergio were running down small tasks (including the long-awaited bedroom door), Milan came by and looked at wires for a while, the counter guy came for the official measurements and there were various guest appearances and cameos.

One thing Milan caught that was the top cabinet door would actually hit the pendant hanging over the bar. Oops. That's one of the risks of making a lighting plan before there are walls or finished cabinet drawings. He came up with a workaround and then vanished, and I have no idea when he will enact this plan. However, the lights aren't showing up until next Tuesday so I guess its no big deal.

Many small bits got finished, like floor molding, but we still don't have cabinet handles on or appliances in working positions. That might go a long way toward making these posts less testy. it would also help our overall nutrition profile.

We also had to run out and get a new over-the-range microwave. This is something we've known about for a while and never really thought about it. For us, the microwave is a defroster and coffee reheater so it wasn't important.

This is apparently not the case for the rest of America. Microwaves are now crazy monstrosities, with more buttons than a NASA control panel and shelf space for 17 lean cuisines. We had no idea. We ended up choosing the least crazy model we could find, and for a change ending up spending less than we planned. We can pick it up on Friday and start popping corn like everyone else.

Seriously, what do people use their microwaves for that require all this functionality? Maybe I'm missing out on some culinary revelation, but I never got past making grapes shoot from one side to the other. Microwave lovers please comment, as our lives are incomplete.

Tomorrow I've got to go into the office so progress should be scant, but we can almost see the finish on the horizon.

Day 56

Cabinets interruptus. The closer we get the longer each delay feels. On Tuesday I was supposed to have a full house, and yet I found myself at 11:00 alone with the pets and fuming. A few angry phone calls later I had people on their way but fumes were going strong.

The decks got washed on Monday, but consistent rain since then has kept that process stalled. The rains also brought out leaks in Jovan's roof and kept him at home. I have no idea where the electrician goes, and what prompts him to return.

Anyway, Tuesday afternoon brought the cabinet salesperson and Jovan in the same place for a little he said/she said. In the end, we're getting our missing doors and glass, getting new trim and for the broom closet and Jovan will cover the rest. Somehow, it takes two weeks to put glass in doors but its not going to stop me from living so I'm not sweating it. Then everyone left (myself included) so not much moved forward.