My foolish yesterday continued on. Before the day was over, I watched four more SVUs. You're wondering where I found the time to fit those in.You remember the saga of the carpeting installers who were due to arrive any time between 8 am and 6 pm. When I posted yesterday, about 5:20, they had just called and said they would arrive at 6:30. Yes, I had the option of re-scheduling for another day. (Let me say that according to the contract, if I had called them that same day to reschedule, there would have been a penalty.) But I wanted it done yesterday; I didn't want to have to board the cats yet again, and I wasn't going to take off another day from work for this.
The installers arrived at 7:45. P - freaking - M.
They were pleasant and worked well, although communication was sketchy, because the one who spoke -- why is it that when workers come in teams, only one of them speaks? -- had a very heavy accent. But really, how much did I need to communicate with them? After the initial paperwork, they started in at 8:00.
Cut to the chase. They were done, more or less, at 12:30. I went upstairs to look, and the carpeting was nice and properly installed, but they hadn't moved any of the furniture back. The mattress and box spring were lying on their sides, and the bedframe had been dismantled. The closet door was leaning against a nearby wall. Uh ...
Well, they said they couldn't put the door back because it needed to be shaved on the bottom. No shit, sherlock; isn't that part of the carpet installation? No. But putting back the furniture is, it's in the contract. I told them to put the bed back together, which they did. And then, a few minutes before 1:00, they pulled out.
Well, I'm pissed off. I called this morning, but I have to call back Monday and speak to a supervisor. The woman I spoke to this morning offered to send me back $50. I told her I was insulted by the offer. My time, I explained, is worth something, too. $50 doesn't even cover the cost of the cats' boarding. And of course, I have to hire someone to fix the door, although in truth, I was going to get it replaced anyway, just probably not as soon as I have to now.
So the upshot is, Don't call Empire Today. I'm no longer their biggest fan.
But the carpet is very nice. It took me a couple of hours this morning to get the room back together, and then I did a zillion things that I couldn't do when I was stuck in yesterday: go to the cleaners, drop off a clothing donation, shop for food, get the cats. I went to Kohl's and picked up a couple of pairs of real slacks (as opposed to jeans), since I need to dress like a human for the next two days in a row.
My Wonderful Niece is graduating from law school tomorrow morning -- there's a tale I'll tell someday -- and R and I are going to a dinner in the afternoon that her husband is hosting for the family. (The Hubs is flying out to the heartland on business tomorrow morning.) On Monday, I need to accompany a group of kids on a field trip in the morning until their teacher arrives mid-day. (Their teacher, The Other Chai, will be coming back from her own son's law school graduation, it so happens.)
Anyway, the trip is the culmination of a year-long Model Congress project, and apparently a few real-life Congressmen will be there, and possibly Senator Menendez. (Is that really our senator's name? He's only been in office since January, when Senator Corzine became our governor, so I'm not all that sure. Might be Melendez. I'll look it up.) So, no jeans when meeting the actual lawmakers. Maybe I'll get a nice shot of them with some of our kids to put on the website. I expect to be back at school by early afternoon -- hey, I've got to be there once in a while -- and I have to speak at the faculty meeting at 2:45; no one will recognize me, I'm sure, not in jeans, but fine. If I get back early, I'll stop at home and change on the way, to be comfortable.
I was exhausted this afternoon, and dozed off and on for a couple of hours, but I'm semi-alert now. It's going to be so weird having the Hubs gone for two nights. I'm just saying.
