Tag: cleanup on aisle 5

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Deal with the Internet Devil

I had a really hard time getting started this morning. I was sleeping heavily, and had no energy at all. Kim was out, so I spent all day locked up in my office again. It was nice and quiet, I had some good coffee, and I spent nearly the entire day trying to re-adopt the USG-Pro-4 into our network. I was not successful, but to be fair the documentation was absolutely nonexistent.

Paul from TCW called to sell me some internet service. When I talked to him before, he said it would be ready last week. Today he scheduled an install for two weeks later. I didn’t love the idea of a two year contract, especially after all of the buyer’s remorse I’ve had with the new house, so I agreed to pay $10 per month to stay out of a contract. I figured $65 per month for 500 megabits was worth it just to leave Optimum, but then things got weird.

He collected a $50 deposit that would go toward my first bill. Then I got a contract by email that they wanted me to e-sign. The contract had a link to their terms of service, which outlined a whole bunch of things that I like to do that were prohibited. They also offloaded all liability for their own equipment onto the customers, and even threatened to cancel service without notice if you promote a competing internet provider. I decided not to sign the contract, and instead called to haggle with Optimum. They gave me gigabit service for $70 per month and a $200 gift card for signing up. In retrospect, that’s their normal pricing for new customers, so I wish I had haggled harder.

The Optimum service would also be set up before the end of the week, which was nice. I called TCW back and was transferred right back to Paul, which made me appreciate them as a small company. However, after a friendly conversation to cancel my installation appointment, he told me that the deposit couldn’t be refunded. No service had been rendered, and in fact, I called to cancel just 45 minutes after he had called me to solicit their service. He refused to budge, so I’ll just have to dispute the charge as soon as it clears my Discover Card.

I didn’t take a break for lunch, and then left a little bit late. I made it home to change, and then immediately took off to my parents’ house for a quick dinner before going to the new house to clean carpets. Eaddie showed up with a couple of friends and some boxes from the old house, but then acted like she was embarrassed to live in a no-shoe household. Nearly all of the houses I ever visited growing up didn’t allow shoes past the front door, so I don’t know what her issue was. These girls act like they were raised by wolves.

Once I finished shampooing the carpet in the final closet, I stripped caulk from around the tub. There was quite a lot of it under the seam in some areas, so hopefully pulling that all out won’t mess with anything. I’ll just have to re-apply it with a heavy hand.

The girls were pretty well settled in by the time I got to the old house. Summer had a few more things boxed up and ready to go, and everyone was ready for bed. I wrote a pretty scathing review of TCW, and then headed for bed myself, later than I wanted, as usual.

What kind of shady crap is this? And who still uses Usenet, anyway?

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Che Cazzo è Una Carbonara

I woke up pretty early this morning for how late I went to sleep, and sat on the couch for a while before going home to clean up. Once everyone was ready for productivity, I suggested lunch before starting on the house. Summer wanted calamari at La Villa, but that sounded awful to me. I tried to let them go themselves so I could get something quicker and get to work on the house, but Summer said they wanted me along, so I came up with some other options, compromising with Pasta Grill as a last option.

I should have just completely passed on the pasta, because just the idea of Italian threw me into a whole mood. I didn’t want a $60 lunch bill. I wanted something quick so we could get to work on the house. Time is running out, and I feel like I’m the only one that’s actually concerned about cleaning anything at that house. The girls are happy to pile their filth on top of the existing filth, and nobody is receptive to the idea of how to keep things tidy.

I made it to the house first, even after stopping by my parents’ house, because for some reason they had to go back to their old house to get the other car. Wasteful. Dad helped me place some wood in the driveway so Summer’s car wouldn’t scrape coming into the garage. Then I went inside to start cleaning carpets.

I had to empty the closet because Summer’s things were in my way. Then I had to take my vacuum home to clean it out, because Summer hadn’t noticed the inch-wide band of hair in the brush, or the fact that the cyclone chamber was completely caked with dust. I took it home and cleaned it thoroughly before coming back to the new house to vacuum. Afterward I shampooed the carpet in the dark because the light was blocked for over half of the area I was working.

The girls made a trip or two for things, and Summer started filling cabinets, which was something I specifically asked them not to do. I also asked them to sweep and Swiffer the hard surfaces when they got back, because they kept tracking dirt into the carpeted areas. For some reason, Summer did that last, after carrying things into the spare bedrooms. I’m constantly at wit’s end, and I don’t know how much more specific I can be when I ask them to do things. All I get is reflected frustration from them when I get upset that they did something wrong, and it just spirals downward every single time.

I guess Eaddie went home to do homework after dropping off some stuff. Summer finally cleaned the floors and then left. I went to my parents’ house for some mango soup for dinner before going to Walmart for some new silicone caulk. Then I stopped to get an air purifier that I forgot to get from Dad before going back to the house to re-caulk the shower again. The last stuff just never dried, but even the new stuff started to skin over and get lumpy while I was working it.

By the end of it all, I was tired, aggravated, frustrated, angry, sad, and alone. I locked up and went home, because that’s where I wanted to be.

I hate that Italian restaurant menus all just assume you know what the fuck they’re talking about.

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Sweatin’ to the Moldies

Today went by super fast, and I just kept feeling like I was running out of time at work. The sense of urgency around all the different tasks I have to juggle has been really annoying, and it just makes work unenjoyable. It’s difficult to get into anything fun when my attention is constantly being yanked violently in different directions. I can never complete a task.

They basically had Thanksgiving dinner for lunch, and that was alright. Then Kim and I went to the elementary to try and swap out or organize Chromebooks that had been shuffled at the start of school. Every time I go down there, I think I’m organized and have a good idea about what I’m doing, but then I get there and choke. It’s like I’m just afraid to go into classrooms because I don’t really have any rapport with anyone down there, and it’s impossible to get when I’m stuck in my office running in circles.

I left work a little late and stopped at Casey’s for a cookie on the way home. I tried charging for a while, but I tripped the breaker again. Then I went to my parents’ house to get some silicone to caulk the shower. The first tube I got was brand new, but completely dried up so I had to go back. Mom made bánh xèo again, so I quickly ate and then went back with a nearly-empty tube of caulk that was still usable.

I got Eaddie’s shower done, and then cleaned the master shower so I could caulk it. That time I used an old tube of white silicone that had bits of hard, dried pieces mixed in the middle of the tube. That made things difficult, but I think after some time I got decent results. Hopefully it worked, but I won’t be upset if we have to rip out the doors and get new ones in the future. The whole shower seems small, and seems kind of stinky, so I don’t know what’s up with the drains. It could probably use some work.

Eaddie and I finally headed up to Summer’s, where she was in bed and nearly asleep. I stayed up for a while to plan a return trip to Tulsa before bed.

No fun at all.

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Moving Right Along

I made a quick rice and egg breakfast for everyone this morning, and then headed to the new house to start on carpets. The girls came along a little while later and started moving Eaddie’s stuff over. The afternoon went by quite a bit slower than it felt, which was good on account of how much carpet there is left to clean.

Eaddie’s friend from down the block came over at some point and helped the girls bring some stuff over. Once I was at a stopping point and Eaddie was satisfied with what she had brought, the three of us went to La Huerta for dinner. The food was good, but the service and what we were served was a bit inconsistent.

When we got back to the house, Summer went home while Eaddie and I cleaned up at the new house. Once I was ready for bed, we went back to the house where Eaddie loaded up one last trip so she could stay the night. I dug a bunch of stuff out of the trash that was thrown out by accident, and then wound down pretty quickly after that. There’s not a ton of stuff left to move from Summer’s, and we’re getting close to needing a truck. Hopefully the rest won’t be too terribly difficult, because after that I’ll have all of my belongings to move.

We’re getting there.

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Crispy Carpets

I was super sore all night, so I didn’t sleep very well. Everyone else was fast asleep when I got out of bed, so I headed home to clean up before heading to the new house. Summer ended up waking up and beating me there, and started vacuuming carpets some more. When I finally got there with the kids, the room I finished last night felt really stiff and crispy.

Eaddie and Noah decided to start bringing some things over from their house while Summer and I got Subway for lunch. Then we went right back to cleaning floors. We worked on that until Summer left to do some laundry, and then I eventually went to my parents’ house for dinner.

By that time it was pretty late and I still needed to wash a load of laundry, so I ran home and did that. I didn’t get up to Summer’s too terribly late, but it’s back to work in the morning and I just hope I rest well.

We require more parking.

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Fury Carpets

I stopped at Hardee’s for a biscuit this morning before going to Harbor Freight to get a pump sprayer. Then I met Summer at the new house to start cleaning. I was a little later than I was planning, so she was hungry by the time I got there. We took the Murano back to her house since we had left the Model Y at the new house, and then we went to New China for lunch. Eaddie had homework to do, so she stayed home.

The restaurant was packed from the church crowd, and we barely found parking. We ran into Allen and Charlotte in the restaurant and I talked to them briefly. After we ate, we headed straight back to the house so I could work on carpets.

Eaddie eventually came over, and the girls cleaned cabinets, bathrooms, and basically any other hard surfaces while I focused on carpets. At one point, I had to run home briefly, but then I came back and continued shampooing carpets late into the evening.

Noah was going to come over, but went to Summer’s house instead since Eaddie had gone home earlier. They watched scary movies until late. Summer went to sleep as soon as she got home, and I followed as soon as I finished my other chores.

It’ll be a miracle if we make it.

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Home Sweat Home

The girls went to Tulsa for a Conquer the Gauntlet run today, so I was on my own to start cleaning the new house. I loaded up some supplies and stopped at Wendy’s for breakfast. Then I went home to get a few more things before heading to the new house. I started going through cabinets and drawers and found quite a bit of stuff that had been left. Jeremy had mentioned a few things, but some of the things that were left seemed like things they would have wanted to keep.

Dad came over to help vacuum the house, and then we went back to their house for some lunch. Afterward, I went straight back to work on the carpets, and started shampooing Eaddie’s room. Shasta came by to pick up a bunch of stuff, but there’s still more that I’m not sure they intended to leave.

The girls eventually made it home, and we learned that Summer’s car scrapes the ground pretty badly on her side of the garage. I never would have made it, but we kind of assumed she would. We’ll definitely have hire someone to run a drainage channel with a grate that we can drive over.

I wore myself completely out trying to clean carpets. I didn’t even really finish Eaddie’s room, because I needed a better sprayer for the cleaner. We’ll do more tomorrow, and I’ll make sure I have a better plan.

Late in the evening, we went to my parents’ house for some spaghetti for dinner. I took a quick dip in the pool to rinse off the day, and then we lumbered back to Summer’s for the night.

This is going to be expensive.

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Going In on a Saturday

I didn’t let myself sleep in very late in spite of staying up until nearly three this morning. Summer had to go to work for most of the day, so I just hung out at the house all morning. I made a breakfast biscuit and watched some YouTube videos on coffee making technique. Eaddie went out to mow some more, and then left for the Cyclone Extravaganza stuff the school had going on.

I made it home and started some laundry. I got my last three loads done before taking a shower late in the afternoon. Then I went to my parents’ house in the evening for some leftovers. When I finished, I headed back up to Summer’s for the evening and made it to bed relatively early. Eaddie was out late getting food with friends, so I didn’t see her again until after I went to bed.

It’s a lot like going in on a Sunday.

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Rugs, Not Drugs

I woke up about 15 minutes before my alarm and headed home this morning. I was still exhausted, but I just wake up early like that now, without enough time to go back to sleep. I took a bit of a long shower though, and made it to work at what I would consider “just on time.” I tried cleaning up some old emails and tasks, which at one point included going down to the Elementary to collect copier serial numbers.

I had taco soup for lunch from the cafeteria, and spent some time in the afternoon placing stickers, and even went out to Plainview by myself. It was really the first time I went out into the buildings alone, and it was an even mix of people recognizing who I was, and others that had no clue.

Dad met the restoration guys at my house again, and they cut some drywall out and found a termite nest, along with a bunch of wet insulation in the wall under the window. I never recognized any leakage, but I guess that’s what they were going with. I’d almost suspect the outside water faucet. I overheard one of the guys on the security camera while he was talking to someone on the phone, and he kept repeating that I had a Tesla, and said he was pretty sure I was a drug dealer.

When I made it home, I changed and went to my parents’ house to discuss plans for the house. Mom made a great point that insurance may pay to re-carpet the entire area since it was all one solid style that wouldn’t match otherwise. That made enough sense to me that I felt a little better about it.

I headed back home, looping around to try and see any tree damage on Brody’s new, old house. There wasn’t anything broken that I could see from the road. I made it home to swap vehicles, and headed up to Summer’s for the evening. There, I scrubbed through camera footage to find clips of the restoration guys taking pictures of my motorcycles, the Tesla Wall Connector, and even telling another guy to come take a look at the hoarder house, but to carry a fan in so it wouldn’t look suspicious. I did not at all feel good about them being in my home, but it’s blue collar work. All I could do was hope they were only looky-loos.

Seriously, they start at less than $35,000 if you get the tax credit.

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Carpets to Match

I tried going to Taco Bell for a free Breakfast Crunchwrap this morning, but learned as I pulled in that they don’t actually open until eight. Resigned being late, I stopped at McDonald’s for a coffee on the way, and was pleased with how much I liked the caramel. I wasn’t actually that late, and nobody would have noticed anyway. I spent most of the day in my office alone again. The first couple hours were burned talking to Google Admin support. Todd came through for the first time in forever and chatted for a bit, and I had a couple students return four Chromebooks, but otherwise there wasn’t a whole lot going on. I did at least get lunch today.

Near the end of the day, I tracked down a bunch of copy machines, and even went out to the agri building where the outside doors appeared to have been left unlocked by mistake. As I finished up and printed some asset tags, I saw Dad had gone to the house and met with some guys from a restoration service. I thought they’d just be there to look things over, but then I got a picture of a half-empty room with the carpet ripped out.

I headed home at the end of the day, long after everyone else had gone, both from the school and from my home. I had to clean everything out of the other corner of the room, which was the harder part. Summer got back into town and mentioned going home to cry about her day at work, which was frustrating because I had mentioned having to move things at home in order to fix the gaping holes in my roof, ceiling, and bedroom wall.

She turned around and came over, where we shuffled things around the best we could. We took a break for dinner and got Taco John’s to eat at her house where I still had some hot sauce from Taco Villa. Then it was back to my house to finish pulling everything out of the room and two closets. We left things that weren’t touching the floor, so hopefully they have enough room to work. I was really surprised to see that they had ripped carpet out of the hallway. They should have been able to complete the job in just the one room.

Exhausted, frustrated, and still mildly infuriated, we loaded up the twin mattress and box spring to take to the dumpster at Superfast. I drove with the Murano’s hatch open, and we appeared to make it without any damage. Nearly everything has been moved out of one room of the house, and a path has been made to that side of the house. It’s a good of a time as any to get some remodeling done, if I can find anyone to do the work.

I’m really sorry work was hard today, but I have a hole in my roof, and strangers are ripping out my carpet.