Week ending 4/29/11

We didn't do much on the house this week. I took a few days and got away for some R&R, during which I got to watch a bit of the royal wedding (William and Catherine) for some added fun.

This is C's latest project, a computer to use as a media server in the living room. Of course he's building it himself!

Week ending 4/22/11

We didn't do anything on the house this week. We had some family business to take care of and it was a stressful week. Some weeks are like that.....

Week ending 4/15/11

On Saturday, we worked in rearranging the office closet so our new printer could go in there. Previously, we had a huge photo printer that sat on the desktop and took up a ton of room. This one's pretty big too, but since it's in the closet with all the network equipment it's not a problem. C hooked us up - it's a printer, fax, copier and scanner and it's attached to the network. Print right from your desktop and it turns itself on, opens the cover and prints for you. No need to get up until you need your printout.

I worked on getting the office to our unpacking checkpoint while C finished setting up the printer. We were quite happy to finish the office and now just have the bedroom to go!

Sunday we did out taxes - yuck! The good news is they get easier every year because nothing has changed for us in a while.

On Monday, I busted my back and got the bedroom done to checkpoint. The highlight of the day came when C got home from work at 1:00 am and said WOW!

I had lined up an electrician who was supposed to call today but of course he didn't. The difference now is that I don't NEED him and I don't need to put up with his crap! There are plenty more electricians. On Tuesday, I called the contractor that referred me to this electrican and told him the electrician blew me off and the contractor found me another electrician. This guy actually worked here at the house while the contractor was working here.

HAHAHAHA - I just found out Home Depot has an affiliate program! I've been doing affiliate marketing in my business, but based on how awful they are I would NEVER recommend anything from them.

Since we got to checkpoint, I started the window shades today! YAY!

On Wednesday, I spoke to electrician #2 who said he's call Thursday and come out on Friday, but I was suspicious because it seemed too easy.

In case I didn't mention it, the problem we're having is that the circuit that powers the garage door and exterior outlets isn't working. It trips the breaker immediately.

On Thursday, the electrician didn't call, WHAT A SURPRISE!

On Friday, I called electrician at 9:20 and he called me back at 10:20 and said he forgot about me and now can't make it! I called him and told him don't bother! As much as I cannot believe contractors are still acting this way (and then complain about how bad business is), it feels so good to not have to put up with their crap. I would like the electric fixed, but it's been over a month so I don't need it fixed right away. I understood when they acted this way when the economy was booming, but in case he hasn't heard the news, contractors are not doing well in this economy! It would help your business to call customers back and show up when you say you will!

On Friday morning, C and I fooled around with the electric a bit to see if he could narrow down the problem. His schooling was electrical engineering, which does come in handy sometimes even though his expertise is in computer programming.

This is Calvin in his little bed:



You can see the new plastic mats I bought so the desk chairs don't damage the flooring. Calvin didn't want to use this bed for the longest time, but C kept gently encouraging him to get in it and now he uses it regularly though not a lot. Sometimes he is so perfectly fitted into it that you can't see the floor of the bed.

Week ending 4/8/11

On Saturday, we went to Amoeba Music, a Los Angeles landmark, and used a gift certificate from our wedding 6 1/2 years ago. We both really hate to shop and since we're so busy it's hard to prioritize shopping.

But things are looking up, if only a bit. On Sunday, I went to a coffeeshop with my laptop and did a little low-demand work. It's something I love to do but haven't felt like I had the luxury to do in a long time.

On Monday, I prepped the house for a PROFESSIONAL cleaning! I was so excited to be at a point where we could get the place cleaned! It was filthy and hadn't been cleaned in decades when we moved in, and we've been doing construction for 5 1/2 years to this is a real milestone!

On Tuesday, we had a professional cleaning crew in and it was amazing! I'm absolutely serious when I say the place is cleaner than it's been in decades. It feels so good to have a clean house for the first time in 5 years. It's like pressing the reset button.

Wednesday, I bought and installed plastic chair mats for under our desk chairs. We didn't want to damage the flooring by rolling our desk chairs over it so we threw down some cardboard once the flooring was done. The clear plastic mats are way nicer!

Week ending 4/1/11

We continued to work on getting to our "checkpoint" in unpacking and re-moving in after the flooring. The truth is, we don't have a lot of extra time and it's going slow. I'm pretty burned out too, so I'm not as productive as I could be. The kitchen and living room are done.

We were putting fabric on the bottom of the furniture so it doesn't scratch the floor. We needed so many pads that we decided to use thick black fabric instead of buying individual little pads. Danny assumed the fabric was a new bed for him.