Biblical Plagues and the Doors Part Three

Food Mood: Steak Salad, ‘Cause I needs my energy for this b&^lsh*%t

Reno Ridiculouso: Little to Report

It’s now the last week in August and we’re still in limbo. Bull Talker Contractor has come back and said he’ll return to the job but won’t take down the work that he’s done (reminder, beams laid the wrong way, walls to high).  The Architect and The Engineer have come up with a safe way to attach the current structure and stabilize it without taking it down. 

But we aren’t happy.  Bull Talkers random decision making has led to the destruction of our daughters back yard view.  And, frankly, we aren’t sure that we can put up with working with him anymore.  But it’s Toronto and you don’t fire contractors lightly because it took us six months just to find him in the first place.  

Side Rant: Anyone else in the Big Smoke noticing that this lack of contractors and excess of work lets contracting companies get away with the most appalling behaviour?  I can’t count the number of times that we’ve been waiting for a contractor who shows up six, seven, eight hours late with no excuse given.  God damn Toronto!  I mean, I loves ‘ya for all your coolness, but for fuck’s sake!  

Back to the Point: Anyhooo… we are thinking about what we are willing to risk here. 

Meanwhile, in a case of absolute proof that we have somehow pissed off the universe, everything goes wrong at my job.  Like REALLY, REALLY WRONG.

I run a super old (by Canadian standards, for my European friends who are not so subtly laughing into their sleeves) building that houses lots of stuff.  Ya know, art and music and daycare and a restaurant, and, and… 

In the summers we renovate it as that’s down time.  This year we are replacing a sprinkler line out to the street.  The line has been cracked for a few years and we’ve been warned that the crack could split.  So we’re replacing it.  On this particular sunny summer day, the company comes, digs out the trench around it and is getting ready to replace.  I stop and chat with them, point out that the pit is narrow with lots of gas and electrical nearby, so be careful please. I’m going to be ageist for a minute here and say that the crew of two is young, like really young.  Like under 25.  And they’re full of the bluster and blyth reassurances that young men bring.  Which makes me anxious.  

As it should, because they hit the watermain.  THE F’ING WATER MAIN!  Right beside the big hole that they have put in the wall of the basement in order to repair the sprinkler.  And the water pours into our basement where our daycare is.  One foot deep, a foot and a half, one room, two rooms, three, five, seven…   Because, ya know what?  The city’s water shut off (which is right in front of our gd building) fails.  Yep, IT FAILS FOR EIGHT HOURS!    For eight hours the water just runs.  After two we get a strong enough pump to push it out of the building.  And it runs down a main Toronto street like a river, all day, and most of the night.  Biblical. (yes, I’m exaggerating with that biblical comment.  That’s what I do.  Oh.  You didn’t know?  Clearly we haven’t met).   

And this opens eight weeks of pain the likes of which I have never experienced professionally.  More on that later…

So, back to our house.  The doors arrive.  Yeah.  It took 12 weeks from ordering and we’ve already decided that we’re returning the French doors.  But there ya go.  They are here.  So we’re happy about that.  For now.

Steak and Blue Cheese Salad

Steak, cooked however you can make that happen.  In our case the bbq is what we got right now

Romaine lettuce washed (under an outdoor tap) and torn up

Red onion, thin sliced on top

Blue Cheese, crumbled.

Dressing: you have two choices depending on how much you like blue cheese

Choice One:

Mix 1/3 cup olive oil with about 1/8 cup lemon juice and a tbsp. honey and dash of salt.  Shake that shit up and pour it on top

Choice Two:

Mix some blue cheese with some buttermilk (maybe about two cups), a couple of tbsp. mayonnaise and about a tsp lemon juice.  Shake that shit up and pour it on top.

TA DA!