Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Faucets and fixtures

Good morning! It's still a bit wet here as our work-related visit comes to an end. Tomorrow Tink and I leave before dawn to travel up I 95. We have to be home in time for our Biggest Loser kick off meeting.


That's right. Tink and I are going to work together as a team to lose some weight. Before this happens, I am going to express that each added pound was added on due to my love of cannolis and Christmas cookies.


I am not going to complain because I made the decision to eat. No one forced me to open my mouth, chew, and swallow.



 Often people lose weight when stressed. I am the opposite. I eat. That's it. So now....back to work in the Biggest Loser contest, Hopefully, Tink and I will not kill each other. She had already begun inspecting what I eat and drink. It's like having a electric dog collar on my neck every time I reach for anything but a banana. This should be interesting.



So, how are things in Mayberry?

As you know, we have to select doors yesterday. Yep, we went to a door store. What did we see? uh, doors, right. Every kind of door imaginable. It took an hour to select the doors because we had no clue what to look for except we needed to close off the world from the bathrooms and bedrooms. We chose the doors.

Next, we ran to the faucet and fixture store. That's right. Faucets and fixtures. In other words, how do we want to turn the sinks on when we wash our hands? This turned out to be a major project since we had already been to this store and overspent by $$$$$. We had to whittle the selections down significantly and so we did. Related image


Before that I kept the non negotiables such as the toilet with the night light, tub with the jets and heated back (ahhhhh), and kitchen faucet that you can turn on with the wave of your hand. Everything else could be made of sticks and stone, but who does not want a
magic faucet in the kitchen? Image result for faucets and fixtures gif imagesMind you, I am a bit of a germ phobe which is an understatement. Therefore, the hands free faucet keeps the nasty germs away from the handles and counter tops. Related image

You will thank me  some day for this...I think.....or not....

After faucets and fixtures, we were off to light fixtures. This was a bit tougher since we did not bring the plans with dimensions, So it was a wasted trip. However, I confirmed something that I have known since I was a junior in college....that is, dad and I are two different people with two distinctly if not polar opposite senses of style. He is linear. Image result for light fixtures gif imagesI am all over the place. I like the unique. Image result for light fixtures gif imagesHe is more of a straight line person which can lead to some not-so-heated negotiations on what type of fixture to place over the table of twelve. I generally acquiesce on certain things like faucets and fixtures. However, when it comes to lights and colors,

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I have to be a bit more passionate as I convince him that grey is not brown and silver can be a neutral. He is color blind and will occasionally admit it.



The last errand was to the electronic specialist. Dad wants a smart house. Is that a dig against me? Nope (I don't think so). He wants to control everything through a cell phone or iPad. And so, our techie showed us what is possible. Image result for smart house gif images

That is, television, lights, music, alarm,outside and inside cameras, heat, air conditioning,  window shades, and doors can be controlled with the iPad from anywhere in the world, I kid you not. This is un-bee-lee-vable! Yet, I know, that as we get excited about our iPads, we will pay a hefty price for automation. Maybe the house will be smarter than we are.


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What if it decides not to open to doors? Turn on the fans or television? What sold me was the 24/7 tech support assistance that we could have. This means everything to me since we had a smart television and when I finally tried to watch a movie, the screen went blank.  Image result for frustrating tech support gif images

As I called the former tech support people, I waited, spoke to them, and was treated as if I was a ten year old...I guess technologically speaking, I am. Yet, I do not like the condescension when I am paying someone to tell me how to reboot the not so smart television.
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Today, we visit with the architect and lighting specialist again. This time we will be equipped with the plans. Tomorrow, dad will meet with Barney and techie. he will also speak with the HVAC specialists since the house has never been balanced when it comes to heating and cooling. It is either hot in one room (like where you would want to wear a bathing suit rather than shorts) or freezing like a meat locker in the next room.

Image result for cold and hot house gif images

This has not been an easy process as we are working from miles and miles away. I don't know what is going to happen in the future but something tells me that one of us is going to have lots of frequent flyer miles. Also, dad starts his uber-busy tax season.
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So, it all comes down to setting up the sub contractors with the plans and try to keep an eye on things long distant. What happens next? Who knows.



All I know is that if everything goes according to plans (which it won't), this will be a great place for family and friends to gather. If not, I will have several holes in my gut as the acid gnaws against my stomach lining. Looking ahead, that could hurt!

OK, I gotta get some work done before everyone gets out of bed.


Peace!

PS: I miss the Christmas lights and trees. How did the holiday go by so fast?



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