The Aerie
Oy. Well here it is, a particularly busy Friday at the end of a particularly busy week. Let's recap...
Monday I started by visiting my contractor's office space, a former grocery store that she is ambitiously converting into a restaurant, an office for her company, and a residence for her and her son. And I think I've undertaken a big project when I resolve to sweep out the garage.
I also spoke on Monday to a strange person from a strange company that seems to want me to pay $250,000 for the privilege of working for some company somewhere. I don't know who they expect to sell this idea to, but they'll probably have better luck if they talk to people who have about $249,900 more than I do. Why would someone pay money to work for a company? I mean, even if they gave you a $250,000 salary, you'd basically be working for nothing and giving them an interest-free one-year loan of your own money.
My willingness to talk to these weird people is part of my current life-mode of "I'll talk to anybody about anything," regarding my career, seeing as I'm not sure what it is I'm doing with my life or why. Aside from earning money to pay the bills of course, and even that's optional if someone can offer me an alternative.
Monday I also set up my own Xbox-live account, rather than using the one that came with the Xbox when I bought it. That one could disappear any time. So I am a confirmed addict, at least for a year.
And Monday ended with one of my contractor colleagues being told that his contract was wrapped up a few months early. Scuttlebutt is that his suggestions that our client actually take effective steps to increase security were not well received by a corporate culture that specializes in dodging responsibility and ownership. Honestly you wonder how anything ever gets done around this place.
Tuesday I did NOT go to the "Gay Marriage Amendment" protest at the State Capitol, although I ought to have. But I had to be at work at 9:00 etc. etc., the usual excuses. I also had a 90-minute conference seminar at work. As a contractor, I'll take all the paid seminar attendance that any employer is willing to offer me - it's BETTER than a free class, it's a class where I'm getting paid! Usually these are dreadful bores or, in my case, often restatements of things I already know. This one, however, was exceptionally useful - it was information which I was actively researching for my client, so it was timely, interesting and engaging. Nice!
On Tuesday the contractor sent some guys to our house who excavated some space in our attic by cutting away portions of the old roof. I would have done this myself at some point over the last five years, but I was afraid all those studs and beams were holding something up. Apparently not! So now we have the space hacked out into which our new bathroom will be installed.
And on Tuesday we learned that the guy who totaled our car is an idiot of the first water. Apparently he's invented a whole series of fictional events regarding the accident, involving my wife fleeing the scene, calling a friend on her cellphone to be a witness, and being chased down by him. And he's calling our insurance company asking when they're going to cover his insurance deductible. The man is a solid fruitloop, particularly since my wife called the 911 operators and received assurances that their records showed that both he and the witness called 911 at the same time. And my spouse had no cell phone with her during the accident. Really what is with these people?
Wednesday I had a very unusual meeting with someone at work regarding the aforementioned cultural resistance to doing or accomplishing anything at the workplace. We agreed that sometimes the best thing you can do is stop trying and wait for more favorable circumstances to effect change - like right after a massive reorganization. Additionally the replacement moved in for my colleague who was sent home. Turns out to be a guy I know from a few years back, when he screwed over his business partner by secretly taking clients and employees away to start his own company. I don't think he remembers me, but I am not sure, he hasn't tried to talk to me yet.
I also met with my accountant who informed me that she had done HER job perfectly - what else can you say to a federal tax bill of exactly one dollar? - but that I had screwed up and underpaid about six months of my taxes. So I have to get that paid before the end of next week to avoid penalties, and then I get to reorganize my budget.
Thursday we met the contractor in the early morning to review the excavated space, and she informed us that we needed to order a bathtub ASAP in order that it be available for the start of the construction. So my wife and I hopped in the rental van (the insurance companies are still fighting over the accident) and zoomed around the Twin Cities. First in Plymouth, then Mendota Heights, we pursued a bathtub showroom with some semblance of variety.
In Plymouth we were - I can't say "served," more like "tolerated" - by a skinny little receptionist with a perfect complexion and a piercing nasal voice who informed us that we needed an appointment in order to shop in their store. She informed us that the store had no staff available to sell us anything in the kind of "you're so old and stupid" tone that suggested that the idea of a store that just sold things to old fat people who just wandered in off the street was as unwelcome a heresy as the idea that she herself might someday get old and fat. As if!
Fortunately the Mendota Heights store was very good and even had good service, so we were able to narrow down our selections to two or three candidates to place before our contractor's plumber. He'll help us select the best one for features and price.
I got to work hilariously late and stayed until about 7:00 p.m. trying to catch up. Then I went home, comforted my spouse who was feeling stressed, stirred the soup for dinner. chatted with a friend who's having some trouble in Canada. Then I headed over to Prof. Barker's, only to spend the entire night trying to "fix" his computer for him. Got to bed at 1:00 a.m.
Oh, and the other thing was, I am considering returning to college to complete my degree. To that end I procrastinated very hard all week in putting together my application for the fall term. Fortunately I had set myself a meeting today in order to have a deadline, and with that in mind I started writing my six-page application essay last night around 8:30 p.m. So I squeezed that document out in about half an hour.
Got up this morning, stumbled through dressing and biked into work with the intention of being wildly productive. Instead I edited down my application to the appropriate number of pages, introducing a slew of typos along the way, then headed over top the U for the lunchtime meeting. Afterwards I stopped by the bank in order to pay my credit card bill, and then back to the desk.
This weekend we're going to see So Kiss Me Already Herschel Gertz by Amy Salloway, a sometime member of our church. My wife and I tried to see it during the Fringe Fest last year but were turned away because it was sold out. So it should be fun to finally see it.
And of course I'm planning on playing a little Xbox! In between writing my book of course. Oy.
Posted by Albatross at March 24, 2006 3:12 PM | TrackBack