Contractor Maddness

Distance: 11 miles
Song of the Run: Dragostea din - O-Zone 
Weather: a balmy 51 degrees

Run Notes:
It is always a good day when you see the wild turkeys.  Two of them wandered across my path this morning and it made me smile.  I think of them as my lucky charms.  Granted they are pretty ugly lucky charms but I have good karma with them.  Last year I herded three of them out of the road (they are not the most intelligent of birds).  A mile or two later I hesitated crossing a very busy street, which turned out to be fortuitous since a car ran the red.  I figured it was the gods looking out for me for keeping the turkeys safe from harm.  Not more than a half mile later three more turkeys crossed my path.  I thanked them for keeping me safe and acknowledged that we had just paid it forward for one another.  Since then I have kept an eye out for them and am always pleased to see them.

Muse of the Day:
I have workers replacing my chimney today.  I like getting work done to my house but always feel I am playing mom to a bunch of kids.  Is it just the nature of the guys who do this kind of work or have I not found the right contractors?

Here is my case:
1. They told me they would be here bright and early yesterday at 7AM.  I cut my run short to accommodate their schedule but they did not arrive until 1PM.  There was no call to explain the delay or to say when they might actually arrive.  Then they left at 3PM.  
2. I was told they would finish the job Wednesday morning not Tuesday as originally discussed.  I had already told them they could not come Wednesday morning since I have house guest who are arriving in the wee hours of the morning that day.
3. They stored tools and supplies in our garage, not a big deal.  They arrived this morning promptly at 7AM which was good because my husband leaves at 7:15 and I was going for a run.  We told them to take everything out of the garage so we wouldn't have to leave it open since none of us were going to be home.  When I got back from my run, the guy was sitting in the driveway because he had forgotten to get the quickrete out of the garage.  
4. He has rung the bell to open the garage one more time.


When I contract work on my home I feel that I am the employer.  Therefore, I should have some say about the hours worked and the contractor should be responsible to insure they have all the materials needed available, but not at my inconvenience.  I do not want to feel I need to be on hand for them all day to make sure they have the stuff they need.  It makes me feel more like a babysitter than an employer.



We'll wait to see how the rest of the day plays out and how many more times they ring the doorbell.  So more of a rant than a muse today.  I apologize.

Tricks or Treats

Distance: 5 miles
Song of the Run: Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode

Weather: 46 degrees

Run Notes:
A cool crisp day.  I felt I could run forever but forced myself to limit it to a five mile weight day to stay on schedule for the week.  I hate having to be so scheduled but my family's commitments sometimes have to be taken into consideration.  


Daily Muse:
I ate too many Halloween treats, perhaps that is why I wanted to run so far this morning.  My daughter had a party so the night was filled with little trick or treaters coming up to the door and teenagers slamming down pizza watching "Shaun of the Dead."


The kids did go out to a haunted house and hit up the neighborhood for a  bit of trick or treating.  I felt I should have discouraged this as they are getting too old, but at the same time I was glad they didn't feel so jaded and still wanted to play Halloween make believe. When they came back the house the sat around, opened their candy bags and traded out their favorite pieces.  They sounded like little kids.  Sometime you need reminders that teenagers are indeed still children, even though they would never want you to consider them kids.  All too often, the media depicts teenagers (think Gossip Girl), and we tend to treat them in  a more adult manner then they are and expect them to deal with adult issue for which they are not always equipped.  


So it's okay for teens to step back and enjoy this time in their life.  It is not an easy time.  I know I would never go back to being in high school for anything. However, they do have so many things going for them and there is a lot of fun to be had.  I am just glad with all the pressures they have on them, they can still enjoy simple things like trick or treating.