Monday, July 30, 2018

Plumbing Is Done

Slowly but surely, things are getting done. Today, the plumbing got put in and we now have a working sink and dishwasher. It didn’t come without its problems however. Since I am in Arizona for work, I had to coordinate with the plumber before I left at the end of last week. The plumber that I am using is a guy that the electrical contractor knows and works with often, and he is a little high strung to say the least.

When I spoke with him, I told him that I would be out of town, but that Kris would be home and she can tell him exactly what needs to be done. I also told him she leaves for work around 7:30 AM. So now he shows up first thing in the morning at 7:00 while Kris is finishing getting ready for work, and proceeds to tell Kris that I never informed him that I wouldn’t be there. Apparently the words “I’ll be out of town” don’t mean the same thing in West Bend. Then Kris goes over the work that needs to be done and he throws a minor tantrum saying that this isn’t what we discussed, and after looking things over, it is going to be way more than he quoted. Of course. And people wonder why plumbers (and other contractors) have bad reputations. But he still agrees to do it, after all, we are in a bind and if we don’t have him do it, then we’ll be waiting another couple of weeks.

Kris then told me that as she was finishing getting ready, she could hear him mumbling and complaining to himself about how he hates the kind of faucet Kris picked and how he wished people would consult with him before choosing fixtures, and how she (Kris) is going to hate it. And about how the sink is too deep, and how he is going to have to move pipes, and cut holes… blah, blah, blah. Oh, and he also had to complain that no one would be there to consult should problems arise. Again, saying I was going to be out of town for the week, and that Kris would be working apparently wasn’t clear enough.

At the end of the day, after all the griping and complaining, he got everything installed, and plumbed. And I have to say that short of the complaining, etc. he did a pretty good job. Although his rate was a little high, I can’t complain about the work. The good thing is that I don’t foresee any other urgent plumbing needs in the immediate future.

Saturday, July 28, 2018

We Have Countertops

Yes, after a full two months, the countertops are in place! There are still a few things left to do before we can actually have a functioning kitchen again, but at least we have a place to prepare food. One drawback of the new countertops though is that the refrigerator barely fits in the opening. In fact, when you open the door, the outer corner rubs against the wall. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that we can do about that. When we purchased the fridge I went based on the size of the opening, and this refrigerator was the same width as the old one, the only difference was the height. But with this one, the hinge is on the outside, so when the door swings open, it is like the4 front end of a car swinging wide in a turn. The guys who installed the quartz offered to cut it down, but I don’t believe it would have helped, as it would have only gotten us about an extra ½”.

I am going to deal with it when I get back from my Mexico trip. And by then, we’ll have a working dishwasher too. By then all we’ll really need to do to finish up is to get the outlets installed and powered up. Almost there!

Friday, July 20, 2018

Tesla Show


Kris and I went to the Tesla concert at the Waukesha County Fair last night.  Ever since we went to see Night Ranger last year, I thought that doing the VIP ticket is a good deal.  We paid $25 and got in the third row last year.  This year we were in row five.  Not too shabby. 

It makes me laugh too people watching the crowd.  It seemed almost like a fashion time capsule with people who looked like they belonged in 1988, but were in their 60’s or even their 70’s.  Some of the people were actually pretty funny.  There was someone sitting right in front of us who Kris actually mistook for a woman.  She was about to tell me to look at the lady and the hard miles she had on her, when she realized it was actually a man. 

We got lucky because it was supposed to rain, and in fact, it did right, only slightly though.  We were on the very northern edge of a line of thunderstorms that came rolling thru.  It lasted for about 20-30 minutes, tops, and we didn’t end up having to stand in puddles and mud. Luckily it happened right at the beginning of the show so that by the time they went into their acoustic set it was pretty much done raining.

Enjoy a few photos of the show:














 
Then as we were leaving the Fair, we decided to stop and get something to eat on the way out.  Kris and I had our first funnel cake.  I am not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t too bad, and it was fresh out of the fryer.  I practically burned my mouth on it.  I am not sure if I would ever have another one, but now I can scratch that off the list of things I need to do/try before I die.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

New Car


Sarah got a new car today.  We had been looking for a new car, actually a newer used car, to get for her after my car guy gave his input on it back in May when I got the oil changed.  My father had offered to look down in Florida since he thought he may be able to find one that would 1) have low miles, and 2) not be a “snow car” so the body would be in better shape.  Then when he started looking, he found that for a couple grand more, he would be able to get a brand new one.

We weren’t expecting to have to get it so soon, and actually had planned on Ali driving the old Saturn for a couple of months until we could get her a decent car, but plans sort of changed last week.  If it weren’t for having to fly back to Milwaukee, I would have tried meeting my dad in Atlanta so he didn’t have to drive the whole way up to Wisconsin. 

I think that after the accident, Sarah may finally wake up and be a little more careful driving.  I had her drive me to the airport for my flight to Atlanta, and I heard from Alison (Alison came with to keep Sarah company on the drive back) that she was a little nervous driving back home.  But she should be careful driving this car, because I plan on it lasting her for at least the next 7-10 years, and the next car she gets, she will be responsible for.  This one is going to be much more fuel efficient though, so I think at the very least she’ll save money driving this car.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Alabamy


I had to head south today for work.  We are looking at a new supplier so I am heading down to Alabama to do a site audit on their facility and evaluate them to make sure they can handle any work that we send their way.  It is only going to be an overnight trip, but unfortunately I had to fly into Atlanta and then drive west for about 90 minutes. 

Actually, the area is very nice and scenic.  But as far as the city itself, and the area/people are a little, uh, shall we say, “Cliché”.  Not exactly what I expected, but also what I expected at the same time.  We were actually up in the mountains.  We were right at the very southern end of the Appalachian Mountains.  I don’t know if I would ever go back there to vacation, but it was not bad.  And the heat wasn’t all that bad.  It was actually about the same in terms of heat and humidity as it was in Milwaukee when we left.  I actually like going places for work and getting to see areas of the country, I wouldn’t normally see.