The Waiting Game

I got up a bit earlier than usual on Thursday so I could be at the house by 9.  The garage door guy was supposed to be there between 9 and 10.  I had several tasks to complete while waiting for the job to be finished.  Getting rid of the 'door' that was there, brings me even closer to passing inspection.

The first thing I did while waiting was replace the gate lock.  The lock doesn't keep the gate closed in the wind.  The gates swing out and the bar comes out of the slot.  I got a new one a few days ago.  It works much better - I tested it after installation.

I then attempted to remove a bathroom sink drain from an old sink.  I didn't seem to be doing something correctly and I couldn't get it.  I'll have Dad or Mom get it sometime when they're back.

It's now about 9:30 or so.  I decided to mix up some joint compound and finish off some of the drywall joints and patch some holes.  I finished that up about 10.  I decided to read my book until the guy got there, which should have been any minute.

10:30  Still no garage door guy.  I call the company and let them know about the situation.  They knew he was late - he was supposed to have called me.  His truck had broken down.  The woman called him and he said he would be at my place in about 15-20 minutes.  I kept reading.  Finished the book and decided to sweep up the leaves from the sidewalk.

11:30  Call from garage door guy.  He explained that his transmission went out and he was just now transferring his tools to another truck.  He would be there in about 30 minutes.

12:30 He finally shows up.  I have no problem with his reason for being late - car trouble happens.  What annoys me is his ridiculous times he kept giving.  I would have far preferred if, at the beginning, he said he would be 2-3 hours while he got the truck to a shop.  Then I could have gone to get food.  I hadn't anticipated being there all day and didn't bring food with me.  Luckily, there was a bag of pistachios, which became my lunch.

While he was working, I set about to others tasks on my list.  I removed all the random nails and hooks from the ceiling and walls.  I also removed the outlet and switch covers, which will make retexturing walls easier.  At this point in time, I basically ran out of things on my list - I didn't want to start anything major before taking two days off for Christmas.  But, there wasn't much left to do and I had finished my book.  I decided to tackle the bathroom floor.

This needs to be removed so I can put in my new floor and have it attempt to line up height-wise with the laminate that will be in the hall.  I spent the next couple hours chiseling away with a utility bar and a hammer.  All that metal on metal pounding actually made my ears ring when I was stopped.  Here's the progress I made.

3:30  Garage door guy is finally done. Yay!