Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Update

We've been having ridiculously gorgeous weather lately for Washington, DC. It feels and looks more like late September these days than August, with clear skies, all the way down to the low 60s at night and the very mild low 80s during the day, with comfortable humidity. I'm looking for jobs to do outside just for the sake of being there. And sitting in the deck with the paper or my audio book is certainly something I wouldn't usually be doing at this time of year.

The bathroom project has been stalled since we decided to re-glaze the tiles. It's taking forever to find enough people who do the work to get an array of estimates. So far I've had only two guys come. The first seemed very good, easy to work with, and offered what we thought was a reasonable rate. The other guy took one look at the scope of the job and shook his head. He was the polar opposite of the first, full of reasons why the project would be difficult and time-consuming. He wouldn't even give me a tentative price while he was here--said he had to run it all by his boss. That was last week and I've heard nothing back since. I'll not go chasing after this company's business!

We finally found another contractor this past weekend at the Arlington County Fair. (Aside from guaranteed great food from all the ethnic vendors who set up there, the county fair here is like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. You never know what you might turn up.) A friendly young woman with a couple of kids had a table with brochures about the family business: tub and tile re-coloring! Right here in Arlington! Her husband is coming at 10 this morning to give me an estimate. If he's reasonable and doesn't do a number like the second guy, at least we'll feel we've done due diligence and can make a choice. (And if not, we'll just go with the first guy, whom I liked anyway.) It's been nice for us to have some time not completely dominated by some house project, but time's a-wasting if we want to have this painting work done by the fall. There will be plenty more to do during the winter.

No news on the employment situation--we're just waiting to see what Steve's company and TSA decide to do about the transition to the successor on the contract. We do know that the project's landlord requires two months' notice for the space to be vacated, so there would have to be that much of a grace period if and when the company finally pulls the plug. Steve's circulating his resumé but is not taking any concrete steps until he knows for sure that he will not be able to stay long enough for vestment, that is, until the end of March 2009. At this point anything is possible, and we continue with our plans.

10 comments:

nan said...

feels like September here too . . . and country fairs -- fun! I hope you get a contracter soon. Always nice to visit Days of Transition.

Ralph said...

We got the contractor, Nan. I'm going with the guy who came today. He's going to do everything the first guy said he could do and more--for $200 less! I'll be posting b&a pics. We're really excited about this hitherto unimagined transformation.

And this was the Arlington County fair, without the "r." County. Arlington is just about the most urbanized 26 square miles you'll ever see, but it still has its annual fair, complete with prize veggies and canning projects. So funny. It's something we'll miss.

Anonymous said...

So where is the fair held? I remember the fair at Rock Creek Park which was huge; the fair south of Woodbridge, can't recall the County name but it was probably the best. Maybe I did go to one in Arlington when I lived there but can't recall. Friends of mine looking for a job are very frustrated. I think things will ease up in the job market when Mr Bozo leaves the White House.

Ralph said...

Z&M, Woodbridge is Prince William County. Arlington's fair is held on the grounds of what used to be Thomas Jefferson High School, basically Glebe Road and South 2nd Street. It's near us, and judging from that long thread we had a while back about Columbia Pike,I think this little pocket of South Arlington is a blind spot for you. I don't know where they may have held the fair back when you were here.

Anonymous said...

It is a blind spot. But it isn't Prince Williams County, did our boy scout camps down there, I'm thinking now west of Woodbridge, almost to Culpeper, there's a famous old courthouse I remember. Would it be Smith County?? WE could buy Beale's Hams there, fresh picked white corn, we had so much going on there we pigged out. I loved it.

Ralph said...

Well, Culpeper is in Culpeper County, and then there's Loudoun County (Leesburg) and Fauquier County (Warrenton).

Anonymous said...

I gotta find a map. . . South of Culpeper?? What's that?

Ralph said...

Then you're getting down to Charlottesville (SW) and Richmond (straight south).

Anonymous said...

I'll have to find it on a map. The County is below Culpeper but 18 to 20 miles ne of Charlottesville. Lotta fishing camps and big areas for fairs of all kind. As kids we loved to play at the old courthouse, I wished I could have stopped when I drove the back roads last year as I came upon it and was desparately trying to get back to I-95 trying that morning to make a flight. But it's not culpeper or culpeper county.

Mim said...

Ralph,
I am with you on this incredible weather since Friday. It's so much more motivating and enjoyable.
Glad you got a better price on your contractor to do you bathroom. Sounds wonderful.
Mim