Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The Last Straw


I think we are losing it. This late into the remodel, we are starting to be crabby with each other and our patience for delays is definitely wearing thin. We think of ourselves as, more or less, the ideal clients for a builder - willing to spend pretty much whatever it takes for a quality outcome, happy to run errands when they need running, cheerfully forgiving of the inevitable mistakes and delays, making a coffee run for the workers each day, and generally being genial at all times. 

I think our geniality is starting to wear thin.

Last week, we decided to pick up some paint that we need for a couple of patches in two different rooms. We had acquired, noted, and marked the perfect colors on the paint chips, consulted with the painter as to what equipment he might need and, on our way to lunch,  marched off to the paint store for the millionteenth time.

That's when we hit the snag - I laid the paint chips down on the counter and went to consult with our salesperson about a technique and, when I returned, no chips. Gone. Vanished. Disparu! I looked everywhere and even searched through the trash buckets in the store (don't ever do that - you don't want to know!) to no avail. So, we couldn't order the paint. Which meant that we had to collect the blankety-blank paint chips again, take them home to consult again, and come back some other day with paint for the patches.

You can see that this represents, at worst, a minor setback, right?

That's why I say our good humor is wearing thin; we were both seething when we left, our reactions far out of scale with the size of the setback. Shoulders tight, teeth clenched, really, really ticked. I will give us credit that we didn't explode at the sales person, but we each knew we were on our last nerve.

So, we went to lunch. And we each had a glass of wine with lunch. We are not normally lunch drinkers but, by golly, we had wine for lunch that day!  And it was a good thing. Between the wine and our excellent meals - My Beloved has mussels and frites, and I had steak and frites - and that blessed glass of wine, we were in a much, much better frame of mind when we left.

Just so you know, the restaurant is a favorite of ours called Rendez-Vous. It's a bistro with inexpensive, standard French fare, nothing fancy but everything cooked just right. They have little awnings over the booths with the names of Paris neighborhoods on them, and fun little French sayings on the walls. And, high above the awnings are "windows" of light with silhouettes, as if apartments were above filled with French folks living their Parisian lives. They even have a scattering of stone pigeons perched for authenticity.

I can recommend it highly when you reach your last straw.

8 Comments:

Blogger Greg said...

Just got to say you have a boatload of patience. I have been involved in several remodels both home and commercial. Considering the size of your project it has gone on forever. Tell those guys to GEt ER DOne!! :)

Wednesday, August 27, 2014  
Blogger Nancy Ewart said...

When you feel like taking a break, come over here and I will treat you to lunch and a museum visit-- Legion, de Young, Asian, CJM...whatever,

Of course, I'm not sure I can top the fantastic places where you eat but you will have another sympathetic ear

Wednesday, August 27, 2014  
Blogger Diane said...

hooray for a good french bistro and wine to save you from the horrors of lost paint chips....oh my, what a project!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Greg, they are doing quality work, so it is hard to complain.

Nancy, thank you for the kind thought but they need us here to answer questions and to run errands. May I have a rain check until it's over?

Diane, we sort of shocked ourselves with how much we needed that glass of wine. :-)

Wednesday, August 27, 2014  
Anonymous jann said...

Some days are definitely wine days, but what a great place to destress. Even the most patient of clients
must lose it in the ?th month of constant decisions,
noise, unrest. One day soon, your house, your bed,
and your sanity will return.

Thursday, August 28, 2014  
Blogger Katie Zeller said...

I know that straw....I actually think we do better without builders. We had them in Andorra (blasting into a mountain side was beyond mon mari) It was.... interesting.

Thursday, August 28, 2014  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Jann, thanks for those kind words of encouragement.

Katie, yes, but your Mari has amazing skills. We love our contractor, even though this is taking so long. He does good, honest work.

Thursday, August 28, 2014  
Anonymous Anderson Drapery said...

Interesting thoughts

Wednesday, August 24, 2022  

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