A few enteries from my professional diary

Sept. 4: I started working for a new company. I LOVE my new employer!
Sept. 9: I've been given two projects to manage. I'm very excited. I LOVE my coworkers!
Sept. 15: I'm managing the construction of two dining facilities. Sweet! I LOVE my projects!
Sept. 22: I'm the project manager. Someone else is the construction manager. I cannot be blamed for anything. Awesome! I LOVE my position!

Oct. 15: I've been asking the contractor to provide me a schedule for two weeks now. I LOVE the commute!

Nov. 6: They found severe termite damage in my building. Structural Engineer's report says, "Building is supported on the stucco and siding. Do not proceed to work until proper support is put in place."
Nov. 14: Still no schedule. Contractor claims the project will be done by Dec. 14. Construction Manager sends a threat letter to the contractor - deliver or be fired. I LOVE my construction manager!
Nov. 30: I asked the contractor when he will complete the project. He said "Dec. 14", so I asked "and when do you plan to increase the number of construction workers on site. Like from one person to possibly two." I got the look.

Dec. 4: Woooohooo! I got the schedules! Bad news - one project's deadline is April 15th, and the other is July 21st. I announced to the world "unacceptable!" I LOVE my role in life!
Dec. 10: Contractor decided to core drill through the slab without x-raying first. Abandoned conduits were the victims. Core drill is performed with a diamond drillbit and water to cool it down. Water travels in conduits. Abandoned conduits typically end wherever the previous tenant cut them. Water finds three cubicles, two computers, one cellphone, tons of paperwork. My second floor tenant is not happy. But since my client trumps them by a few ranks, they don't file a complaint. I feel lucky. But I update my resume just in case.
Dec. 20: Plumber contractor comes across asbestos. Building is closed down until they perform asbestos abatement.
Dec. 28: I asked for a status on the schedule. Wanted to know where we stand with the recent developments and the requirements to crash the schedule.

Jan. 10: Freaking contractor calls in OSHA due to more asbestos. OSHA comes and tickets them for safety violation. Area is declared hard hat construction site. I LOVE OSHA!
Jan. 20: Still no schedule.
Jan. 21: Lead paint found in the bathrooms. Enough to make toys for the local Toys R Us store.
Jan. 28: I finally decided which trusses and which rafters will be painted and stained. I sent seven pages of a visual display of what should be the final result. I paid my sister-in-law to do her magic in Photoshop (she's a graphic designer). I LOVE my sister-in-law!

Feb. 1: Construction Manager told me one project will be completed March 1, and the other will be completed April 21.
Feb. 2: I told my client that one project will be completed March 31 and the other will be completed May 23.
Feb. 4: Plumbers found more asbestos in my building. I HATE these plumbers!
Feb. 10: I told the contractor that the two bathrooms each get two windows - one on each exterior wall.
Feb. 13: Painter started painting the rafters. Despite my seven page visual he painted the historical trusses which were supposed to remain dark. I started climbing on the scaffolding to slap him silly. Superintendent stopped me. I gave him the look.
Feb. 15: Future chef wants a take-out window between the kitchen and the waiter station. I LOVE my future chef. He's cool!
Feb. 20: We met with the structural engineer, architect, construction managers, contractors, and all of gods children. Future take-out window must be very carefully coordinated due to a diagonal structural beam running through the wall.
Feb. 21: I took some photos of future location of take-out window, put them in power point, pointed out where structural joist is, what height to put the window. I LOVE taking photos!

Mar. 3: I told the contractor that those new studs in front of the future windows in the bathrooms must go. I'm surrounded by morons.
Mar 5: My construction manager breaks the news that the contractor will not be done on Mar 1, and has been given a drop-dead date of Mar 14.
Mar 7: I move my office location to the job site in anticipation of performing the punch list walkthrough. Soon. I can't stand this cold weather out here. Only one more week to go!
Mar 14: I wear black for the funeral. Contractor hasn't dropped dead, but I'm about to kill him.
Mar 15: Construction Manager forgets to mention that the drop-dead date has been extended to Mar 21. I'm hoping he'll drop dead soon.
Mar 20: Spring is here. Bird entered the kitchen. I sent a ticket to get it removed. Security emailed back "which type of shotgun should we use?" Future chef emails me "how would you like your wild game cooked?"
Mar 24: Contractor covered future windows in the bathrooms with drywall. HELLO? Anybody in there??? Remove them NOW!

Mar 25: Contractor decided to try out a switch. It was the fire alarm. The entire building was vacated. Some really important people were inconvenienced for 45 minutes. Important people weren't very happy. They don't love me any more.
Mar 27: Contractor installs tiles over future windows. Ok, I swear to dog, if I have to tell this moron one more time that there are WINDOWS going in there, I'm going to freaking bring a knife and cut the windows out myself!
Mar 27: I walk the site with future chef. Future chef looks at take-out window installation and exclaims, "Wasn't that a structural joist?" I look over, and sure enough, freaking contractor has cut the structural joist straight through! I count to ten and call the superintendent over, "Sup, did you consult a structural engineer before cutting this beam?" He responded with, "No, but don't worry, I'll just put a couple of 2x4's right above, and it'll be fine." I took a deep breath and called Construction Manager. Told him, "I LOVE my job! I LOVE my job! I LOOOOVE my job!" Construction Manager said, "Oh cr@p, I'll be right over!"

Mar 28: That's tomorrow. I have to wake up early. I need to spend a couple of hours writing up a list of things that need to happen before I'll be willing to walk the site and perform a punch list. Like, I want the kitchen equipment installed. I want running water. I want the wall base down. I want the chair rail. I want the bathroom stalls. I want the wall paint done. You know, little things like that.
Mar 31: I need to bring a knife to work. Must commit harakiri. Promised my client project would be done. I already know it won't.

I LOVE my job!
I HATE my contractor!
I LOVE my employer!
I HATE the plumbers!

Another Before and After

I just realised that I never updated you on the final product of our light fixture improvement project.

So here it is, the final product photos. I hope you'll all agree that this is a huge improvement on the funky light fixture that was there originally.

Some of you may notice that the photo angle is very limiting and not giving you the full picture. I blame these walls that are in the way:

This problem will be resolved tomorrow as a new contractor enters our house to perform some demolition. Yup, these walls need to come down. I need more open space, dammit.

And when it's all done, I'll be able to take better photos of the kitchen. Of course that's the only reason we're demolishing the walls - so I can upload better photos on my blog.

Everyone, please keep your fingers crossed that this contractor will be a tremendous improvement on the last moron that did our kitchen.

Personal post

To my fellow sophisticated, cultured, intelligent, good-humored, charming Aquarian from Compuserve - please email me. Your email address was lost in the big PC breakdown.
email.mybrid@gmail.com