Not going into the office. I did make myself avocado toast with bacon and feta for breakfast.

Shiny!

Good grief, Hec. Not the way to start the day.

Good grief, Hec. Not the way to start the day.

I need more coffee if there's going to be a crisis! It's only fair. Crises need to wait in line outside the door until the light flashes "Second Coffee" and then they may enter and commence.

Well done, Dana!

Not so well done window guys. To be fair, if crises were mannerly and waited until you were ready for them they would hardly be being true to their essential natures.

I am in the office despite REALLY not wanting to get out of bed this morning. I don't have a charging cable for my phone, though, so that's suboptimal. And my granola bar breakfast didn't take so I had a second breakfast of a turkey sandwich out of the vending machine and those are never as tasty as I expect them to be. Filling, though, so it's doing its job, I suppose.

Definitely not a great way to start your day, Hec. I hope you were able to get it all worked out.

Definitely not a great way to start your day, Hec. I hope you were able to get it all worked out.

It continued to remain FUBAR for several more hours and I just told Matilda to present me with no new problems until I've had a shower.

I ran to the local hardware store to get oil based grey exterior primer. Simple enough, right? They're out. He can tint the white primer grey. Okay. Oops, his machine malfunctioned and dumped too much colorant into the paint ruining the only gallon of oil-based primer he had. (Thanks, supply chain issues.)

He said he could try to get some of the colorant out and see how light he could make it. I said I was going to the cafe next door to get a breakfast sandwich and would be back in a few. When I came back he was gone. Nowhere in sight.

So I left to the next nearest hardware store. The clerk looks perplexed. "Is this contractor from out of state? Because you can't sell oil based primer in gallons in California."

I shrug. I don't fucking know. I'm just doing what he said. I don't understand why he didn't buy the fucking primer and charge me like any sensible contractor.

"Well, says the clerk," still very perplexed, "I have four quarts of oil based primer I could tint grey."

Okay! "And I can pour them into an empty gallon bucket."

"Then, let's do that, shall we?"

Get to the new house where I've had to roust the tenants without prior warning, and my contractor is leaning out the top window removing trim. He tells me to take the primer to the backyard where they are painting.

Okay, but now I'm going to pin him down on the next time I need to be there. I won't be ambushed again! So, Tennessee Dave, when will you be back?

"Oh, I don't know. Whenever they tell me the frames are ready."

Great.

David - my Dad was a contractor and, trust me, it's never the contractor's fault. It's the subcontractor. And then it is the supplier. And then it is the laborers. Or one particular laborer who is essential before anyone else can do anything.

[edited] and don't forget the inspector and ... . I'm afraid all you can do is let yourself go with the flow.

[edited again] or the weather.

Uhhhhh welcome to home-ownership and be ready for about a thousand more occurrences just like it! Seriously, renovating, repairing, and maintaining a home unless you’re doing all of the work yourself? Is an ongoing pain that never really subsides entirely.

I'm afraid all you can do is let yourself go with the flow.

I shall attempt to find my zen. But it helps to know when the flow is beginning instead of being swept downstream before you've woken up.

New rules:

1. When the contractor calls, I keep him on the line until he has clearly stated: a. What day and time he's coming over next b. Which units he needs access to c. That he understands that if he's calling this afternoon and wants to go into one of the units "tomorrow morning prolly," he's SOL because we need 24 hours to let the tenants know d. What money for supplies or deposits we need to have for him that day

2. If I'm too busy to talk to him, I won't tell him to call Hec (even if he says he will, he may not, or he may not do it until the day he's decided to show up at the very moment he's showing up (as happened today); I should just collect the info in 1. above, pass it on to Hec and ask Hec to call him.

3. When in doubt, write everything down and pass it on to Hec.

Too much to meara. Love to all, good vibes and best wishes to those in need.

I took yesterday off work for (unrelated to the "Big C") doctor appointments that just happened to be scheduled in the midst of...all this. Thankfully, still clear for glaucoma - 'cuz I really don't need my eyes to mess with me while dealing with the rest of the issues. Then I spent the afternoon buying myself a recliner and a new, adjustable bed. I spent more than I intended, but it should be fine with the financing. I realized that while recovering from surgery, I'm going to need comfortable places to nest. My current mattress is, I kid you not, 40+ years old. I've been talking about replacing it for eons. And my couch is just getting uncomfortable so I need a comfy spot in the living room. The threat of several weeks of rest & recovery was finally the kick in the pants I needed to quit talking about it and finally make a move. (Actually getting a replacement couch is a project for another...season).

Now still trying to catch up with a jillion emails. Take a day off, catch up for the next three, I swear.