Today is "Dec. 14, 2007"

Nine months after starting my new job and being told that the project I was put in charge of is due for completion on Dec. 14th, 2007 - the project is complete!

Well, okay, not entirely. Just Phase II. But this is the phase that everyone has been asking about for an entire YEAR!!! It's the part where a population of several hundreds has asked - "When do we get to eat proper food and not a bag of chips?"!

After a week of waking up at 4:30am, including this past Saturday and Sunday - the dining facility opened up this morning.

Only problem was that we honestly did NOT plan to open a huge building with only one air conditioner on the hottest day of the year at 98 degrees. We planned on opening it on June 9th. Who knew?! Needless to say that my success was slightly trodden over by the excessive heat in the building and the constant barrage of complaints.

But, on the plus side - it's DONE! I finished the most critical phase of the project, and I pushed the contractor to get it done to MY level of perfection (poor soul!).

Admittedly, none of it was without a tremendous amount of frustration and phone calls to higher ups along the management chain, but I'm just happy it's over with. For now.

If I could write here all my frustrations from this past week, it'd fill an entire blog. It would also get my blood pressure back up on a really hot day in a very hot computer room. So instead I'll focus on the good things.

You know how they always show sexy construction workers on TV? The muscled toned guys, with the one million dollar smile? Yeah, well, that's in Hollywood. Out here, in the DC metropolitan area, you get the short and wide Latino guys who are shorter than me. I swear I have nothing against Latinos other than the fact that the ones on my jobsite are short and nothing to look at. But anyway, I digress. Last week, in an effort to get my project done to my satisfaction, the contractor company sent a new guy in. A drop dead gorgeous guy! I've been finding excuses to drop by the jobsite and take a Fanta break.



I wouldn't have mentioned this guy if it was just his looks, but he turned out to be the absolutely best construction worker I've ever come across as far as quality of work, communications, professionalism, you name it! The guy is absolutely outstanding. He moved in to the area two months ago from Detroit because of lack of work and got shafted by joining this dud of a construction company and was made superintendent overnight, probably because they noticed right away that this millwork guy also has brains.

At least my last few days on this project have been a little more enjoyable in having to deal with not only a competent construction worker, but with someone who is easy on the eyes.

I actually reached a point where I was going to text my husband and ask for his permission to flirt with the guy. But then thought better of it, because I knew my husband was busy playing Indiana Jones Lego on PlayStation and would very likely complain about me asking a stupid question since I should already know his answer.

So I flirted. Or..hmmm...I suppose it's MY version of flirting. I bought him three bottles of water today because I felt bad for him working out in this horrendously unforgiving sun in 98 degrees as he fixed a gazebo.

In my next phase of flirting, I gave him my business card and told him to call me. I had a good and innocent reason for it. I swear.

Then I saved him the call, by simply introducing him to my boss and asking my boss to use his contacts with other construction companies and get him the fuck out of this freaking construction company he fell into and to a better company that will appreciate what they got!

I think tomorrow instead of a Fanta break, I'll offer him a diet coke.