"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

A good American I suppose
June 09, 2008 - 9:49 pm

*****

My less than lackluster birthday weekend continues... well, I guess it's post birthday week or something.

Originally, I was going to take this whole week off... Originally, there wasn't much going on. Originally, I deluded myself I might even take a trip some place.

The reality is.. that at the last moment several things came up at work. I didn't nix the whole week off, but I'm just taking today (Monday) and Tuesday off. I am not checking v-mail or reading email. I gave folks my cell if they really needed me. I've got faith I won't be needed.

What sucked about today.. was well, it was install the dishwasher day.

As a short flashback, I did a new toilet a while back.. and the fucker who installed the old one not only bolted it to ground, but cemented it in place. I'm not sure what sort of bowl movements my predecessor had, but I'm quite confident bolts alone will do. The poor plumber had to more or less chip the cement out.

Flash forward to today... and a new set of plumbers show up to do the dishwasher. Everything is going swimmingly. Loca is sniffing and skittering about quite undecided what to make of two strangers and their curious smelling tools.

I don't know what you do... or what one is supposed to do when folks are installing things, but I hover... more or less out of the way and watch. I'm curious. I want to see what's what.

As the kickplate came off, I frowned. Even I could see that something wasn't quite right, but the expert said nothing... continuing to fiddle with this and that. I figured I was wrong and waited. He ran out of things to fiddle with and said something like, "Why would they do that?"

Basically what the genius who installed the dishwasher (no doubt related to the toilet installer) did... was grout the dishwasher in place. The tile was cut to exactly the size of the washer's front feet.. placed and then sealed into place.

In other words the washer isn't sitting on tile, but on the true floor -- the sub-floor. The result is that the "feet" (once one removed the grout) are 1/2 to 1/4 of an inch below the top of the tile. Considering that the top of the dishwasher is flush with the counter... there's no room what so ever to lift/tilt the dishwasher... of course, it can't be pulled straight out either. Why on earth anyone would do this is beyond me.

They should have tiled under the dishwasher OR raised it up to the height of the tile and then life would be "normal".

So... the plumbers left. They can't do anything about this.

There's two solutions as far as I can tell:

1) cut tile, which takes a specials sort of wet saw.
2) cut the counter top

I suppose there's choice three... which is for me to chip fucking tile and pray I don't fucked it up too bad -- I'm not going there.

And I suppose there is choice four... which is just use the leaking dishwasher and hope it doesn't truly rupture. I'm not so much a fan of four either.

The plumbers work for a guy who also owns a home improvement kitchen/bath type company. Said company can come out and look at my little fiasco Friday. I guess I'll be working from home Friday. Joy.

The only good thing that the last installer-asshole did... was leave tile for all thing things. I've six or so kitchen tiles. Upon realizing this, the fix really becomes much easier. Simply cut out the tile at the nearest grout line... which gives tons of room to slide the dishwasher in and out... cut replacement tile to fit and carry on -- hopefully with some sort of solution so that this won't need to be done again.

As all of this was going on, I gazed at the fridge and stove... what the fuck do these monsters have in store for me?

As I was sorting out with the improvement company, there was a knock at my door. Two very sweaty men greeted and the older one said "Desk from Depot." I think that's what he said. My desk and chair arrived. I don't know how these two very sweaty were paid, but I'd guess it's by delivery... they were gone in record time with I don't think anything else spoken.

I'm not even sure I signed for the delivery.

I've got the desk basically half built... the main part. It has a hutch thing too... and drawers still need assembled.

So far, I like it. It's pain in the ass to build, but well.. it's sturdy and most (if not all) of the pain part is my own fault for not reading right or doing something out of order.

To be honest, I'm not all together sure I'm going to build the hutch part. No doubt I will, Loca will be trilled with a place so high. I'll need to make sure I keep part of the desk clean for jumping down from the top. No doubt, I'll frown mightily the first time she walks from the hutchtop to the doortop -- it will be that close, but at least she can get back and no more playing at getting 'stuck' up there.

The upshot of the desk being here... is that... this place is in even more of a mess. Bits of wood and screws here and there. I need to pick up so much stuff before I go to bed lest Loca feast on it all at night.

I jammed what clutter I had before in the bedroom... since I know the installers were coming today. That needs fixed.

What else... what else? Oh yes, and I did something I swore I wouldn't do. But... you see, it was for a good reason. I was in semi-crisis mode. I'll chastise myself for it later -- mebbe. I might just caulk it up a bit of selfishness and shrug.

What I need to do now... is gather up all the junk and hide it.. and then go to bed.

Tomorrow shall be laundry, sweeping... and probably building day.

It shall also be refusing to look at the financial status day. Wtf I was thinking with this little spree... I dunno.

Just being a good American I suppose.