Friday, August 10th
I am exceedingly crabby. Everyone better stay out of my way for a while or I am likely to say waspish and cutting things that I don't really mean. Why the nastiness? Lots of little aggravations adding up. The remodel has turned house and home completely upside down. Due to the scorching heat wave where it's 85 outside at 8 AM and tops out around 105, all with 95% humidity. Move a box and your drenched with sweat. Several brave souls went well and above the cause of friendship this past weekend when they helped us shift furniture and boxes out of the house and into the POD and into a U-Haul.Ah yes, the saga of the U-Haul. We rented a 14' truck on Saturday in order to haul the furniture, props, costumes, wardrobing supplies and other things theatrical that we have in our home down to the Playhouse costume/prop cooperative downtown. We loaded it Sunday and on Monday I drove it down to deliver. Or rather tried to when it had a dead battery. Jumper cables did restore it to life and we got it down there and unloaded. Got it back home Monday night and tried to return it Tuesday afternoon after work. Dead battery again. This time, no response to jumper cables necessitating a 9-1-1 call to the 1-800-UHAUL number. They promise to send out a mechanic right away. They give the mechanic both the wrong phone number and address. He arrives over four hours later. It is much too late to do a return and he finds a short in the electrical system that is draining the battery. Calls to UHAUL inc. are answered by a peabrain who is less than helpful and just tells me that her computer says the truck is overdue. We detatch the battery cables and hope to keep it from draining and get up early Wednesday to return truck. Reattach battery cables, no luck. Try to jump it. It doesn't budge. Several irate phone calls to U-Haul later, they promise to have it towed. It's still there Wednesday night along with a bunch of 'you're late' messages. It's still in front of the house blocking things (including yesterday's piano movers) despite twice daily phone calls. I'm about to call the towing company and have it removed and delivered to U-Haul COD. The moral of the story, rent from Penske.
The cats are royally perturbed at the weather, the changes in their routines and the strange workmen in the house. Patrick bit my nipple at 3 AM the other night which almost caused him to learn to fly. Shadow spends most of his time under the bed and Archie is more skittish than ever. I understand their feelings. Tommy and I are using what little spare time we have to argue about paintchips, floor finishes, tile and to curse the hundred and one little inconveniences and holdups that happen around projects like this.
Then there is the bank. They've renegged on their loan terms and it's going to be a lot less money for a higher interest rate. This means I have to get a quick advanced degree in creative finance to pay for the misery I am putting myself through. Calgon, take me away!!!
posted by Andy @ 9:43 AM
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