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Someone needs to start a business. It’s a simple but necessary one. They’re a scheduler. I know that some would say a general contractor does all of this but from the complaints I have and have heard, I don’t think it’d solve it. I think this plan is perfect. I get to think that. It’s called an opinion.
There is a central scheduling office who works like an answering service- you know, like doctors use when they’re out for lunch and after hours. You call and ask for someone to come out and snake your lines. They have the plumbing scheduling book right there and they know what times are available. You hang up and know when they’ll be at your house. At the end of the day, they fax all businesses with their schedules for the next day and voila. The guy arrives, on time, and does the work.
You call the electrician. You want an estimate to have a ceiling fan installed on your back porch and two new outlets out there too. They schedule an estimate for Friday at 1:30. They schedule a full hour. This gives the guy time to not only get to your house on time, but gives him time to look at the job, decide the price, and immediately go to the truck and write out the estimate which he faxes to the scheduling office at the end of the day with the rest of his estimates. The scheduling office then takes those estimates and calls people back the next day with the estimates and offers to schedule the work. The work is scheduled, the guys arrive on time, the day they’re expected, with contract in hand (or you stopped by in the meantime and signed it if you planned to be away from home while it is done) and the work is done. Finito.
Yes, I know there would still be flubs but they wouldn’t be as often or as severe.
The other option is what we currently have. Take my plumbing experience, for example. You call the plumber and schedule an estimate. Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.. You’re waiting at 1:00. You’re waiting at 1:15. You’re waiting at 1:25. Sometime shortly after 1:30, he shows up.
You show him the work. You tell him what you want. He says it’ll be, 2 guys, most of a day, and approximately 1200-1500 dollars. You say great, how long will it take to get put on the schedule. He says after you go down and sign the contract, anywhere from 24-48 hours usually. You assume approximately 72-96 hours. Contractors can be optimistic. You have NO IDEA how optimistic… and how presumptive. He says to call at the end of the week.
You call on Friday. You call on Monday. You call on Tuesday. On Wednesday you get a call saying that he’s busy but he has an oral estimate of anywhere from 1000-2000 dollars. You say “great” when can it be scheduled. Then the ominous question crashes.
“You are interested in having it done?”
Umm Oh, I don’t know…. I’ve been calling daily… I guess I’m just funny that way. Call to chat with a stranger about my pipes… yeah. Uh huh.
“I’ll try to catch him in the morning to get how many guys and how many hours so I can schedule it.”
Gee. Thanks. How generous of you.
You think about it. You stew for a bit on it, and you finally realize, that this guy didn’t expect you to do the work. He probably took one look at your house in all of its disrepair, your rotting teeth, and decided that you couldn’t afford the work and so he didn’t take you seriousy. You decide it’s time for the big guns. The. Big. Ones.
You call. You tell the receptionist that you understand that they’re busy and that things happen but you are becoming concerned about their ability to do the work once it is scheduled. You’re worried that you’ll have the house torn up for their arrival to no avail. You want the work done, you want it done soon, and if they are too busy, you understand but you will need to call someone else to get the job done.
You’re told that you will get a call by the end of the day for scheduling.
Hardball. It does the plumbing good.
Ok… first, a comparison.
Ceiling before
Ceiling After!
Now I am sitting here staring at my BEAUTIMUS ceiling and just marvelling that we’ve lived in this house for almost 20 years, painted every wall in here at least twice, and yet have NEVER painted the ceiling! It’s so bright and cheerful!
Oh but I am sorry to say, the house renovations are already turning my husband’s hair white.
Fortunately, a good shower is a great stress reliever and the man is now white hair-free! (and he’s getting a haircut in 5 minutes!) Stay tuned for updated pics of my new hubby. I think I’ll call him Shorn like the sheep in Wallace and Gromit!
Can you say Hi Keith Kevin Havig?
The sudden posts about food and what we’re cooking?
Notice the fact that I AM COOKING? This is big. huge. Big. HUGE. Ummmm big???
I’m loving being able to make what our family calls “real food”. It’s our term for anything that includes spices or other flavorings. Most of our meals are “easy” but fake food is easier than real food.
Hey, it makes sense to us.
1- Large London Broil
Pappy’s Seasoning
Dried Onions
Water
Crockpot
Put meat in crock. Sprinkle with onions and Pappy’s. Fold meat over. Repeat sprinkling (Consider it a ‘re-baptism’). Pour a bit of water in the bottom. Turn on high. Leave it alone.
Frozen French Green Beans. Microwave. A bit of water sprinkled over them. (We like ‘godly food’ around here so we baptize it a lot) 7 minutes per 1 lb. bag.
Ranch Style Beans. Open can. Pour in pot. Turn on heat. Stir occasionally until it boils. Turn off
Serve.
Boxed brownies cooked by a happy 10 year old make a great dessert.
Delish.
I’m going for the dark room effect. How do you like it?
Ok, so maybe I just prepped the beams for painting. Well, half of them. Off to do the other half. Oh joy. Kilz, here I come!
2- boneless skinless chicken chests. (Cooked)
2- Stalks celery finely chopped
2- mondo scoops of mayo
2- good dollops of mustard
1/4- onion finely chopped.
1/2- tsp of salt (in other words, shake a bunch out until you like how it tastes)
1/4- tsp of pepper (in other words, pepper to taste)
Dill- sprinkle dill weed around it until it’s pretty. It’ll taste good then.
Mix.
Spread sourdough bread (or whole wheat or a tortilla or an onion bagel or….) with whipped cream cheese. Spoon a lump of salad on the bread (bagel/tortilla) and spread. Cover with other slice, cut in half (cause it tastes better that way, trust me) and ENJOY!
Tastes best with an ice cold coke. Thought you oughtta know.
You didn’t know Jane Wyman had deep and profound thoughts about the internet and its effect on our lives did you? Well that’s ok, she didn’t know it either. It all started with a really fun old black and white movie.
Three Guys Named Mike (complete with Howard Keel and Van Johnson! Swoon)
The movie opens and Marci (Jane Wyman) is packing to go interview with American Airlines as a stewardess. Her father comes upstairs and gives her some fatherly advice. Namely, “don’t try to take over the company on the first day. Just say, ‘Yes sir’ and ‘No sir’.”
So, during her interview, the man hiring her is trying to draw a very quiet Marci (clearly not her normal behavior) out of her shell and finally says that she’s not suited for the job. He informs her that they are looking for girls who love to meet people and make them comfortable. Marci jumps at this and becomes her bubbling vivacious self almost instantly. We’re talking night and day here.
Yes, I’m getting to the part about the internet. Trust me. Have a little faith. So anyway, after coming up with a new slogan for the company, (“Your home in the air”) she says, “Now with air travel, people all over the world are becoming neighbors.”
Let’s rephrase that in today’s technological advanced vernacular. “With the internet, people all over the world are becoming neighbors.”
And it’s true. Strangers flew and drove thousands of miles to be at my daughter’s wedding. Because I met them on the internet. We’ve grieved over the death of parents, siblings, spouses, and children. We’ve collected money to help the financially afflicted and to bless those who work so hard to bless others. We’ve cheered over new jobs and prayed when there was no job. We’re much more inter-connected than we ever could have been before. Phone lines are marvelous things but you have to know who to call! How do you meet a stranger in Dubuque Iowa without going there personally? How do you meet a missionary to Congo unless you’re one of their supporting churches or fly there personally?
I thank God daily for the blessing of the internet. My neighborhood just became limitless.
For posterity and to remind me why I’m going to be without water one day next week…
Kitchen STORAGE. What a concept. WALLS. Painted ones. A WINDOW!!!
A new DOOR…
A dishwasher.
Bliss.
Comfort food if there ever was any. It was lunch time and I was hungry. Our non-stick pan sticks. So, I went nd bought a new one. Just omelet sized. Silverstone. Aaaahhh
I whipped me 3 eggs. (Lorna wanted some too). Added a dab of half and half. (It fluffs nicer with half and half). I put a dab of oil in the pan and wiped it around. Poured the eggs in… They started their fluffing. You know what I mean. That mini-souffle look that they get as they cook.
I added salt. Pepper. Dill. My mouth watered. I added cheese.
I added tomato chunks and crumbled bacon.
It cooked. I flipped it over. It cooked.
Perfect fluffiness. mmmmmmm
Maybe a little more dill next time.
Onions too.
Plumber says it’ll be between 1000-1500 dollars.
He says they usually start within 48 hours of signing the contract.
It will take one day but only about 2 hours will be with all water shut off.
Can they start tomorrow?
