the inconvenience of small living spaces

it was love at first sight the moment i set eyes on my apartment. . . it's a small but beautiful space with amazing closets, a large (for ny) kitchen, nice hard wood floors, and to the ceiling windows. there isn't much i would change- except for more counter space and a bigger fridge.

a small (and i mean mini size) fridge means more frequent trips to the grocery store and eating fresher foods since i only have just enough space for a few days worth of food. this has proven challenging for dinner parties, finding room for leftovers, and stocking up at rare trips to stew leondards, chinatown, or trader joes. overall, i think it encourages a healthy approach to living so i don't mind.

while i have a decent amount of counterspace- i like to keep my kitchen looking as uncluttered as possible. . . for two years i only used a stovetop coffeemaker but eventually switched to a mini coffee maker as a compromise. i don't have a toaster, microwave, or toaster oven, blender, or food processor. while i manage without, some days, i feel a longing for the convenience of a toaster oven or microwave.

today is one of those days. by the time i rolled out of bed and the boy had left to head home, it was 2pm. i was starving and lunch would have to be quick and easy. tuna melt!!

i dumped a can of tuna in a bowl and mixed in some dijon. put the spread on whole wheat toast and covered it with a layer of wasabi cheese. ok, so now i need to warm up the tuna, bread, and melt the cheese. if i was at work, i would heat the tuna in a microwave and toast the bread. i don't have those options. . .so i crank up the oven to broil and pop in the sandwich for a few minutes. . yes, easy, but i feel it's such a waste of energy.

the anti-bachelorette party

it was a bit tough trying to figure out what to do for VK's bachelorette party. the majority (e.g. everyone but me) of the bridesmaids are on the west coast so it would be a small party.

the generic "get wasted and embarass the bride-to-be by forcing her to wear an obnoxious tiari/veil or outfit and carry out mortifying acts to the amusement of the bridesmaids" just didn't seem right. a strip club would be just awkward and not really enjoyable for anyone. . .

the idea of riding mechanical bulls seemed promising. . . perhaps it's because superficially it would be so out of character for VK but at the same time, i would bet money that she'd be good. she's stubborn as hell and don't let her slight frame fool you, she's got crazy upper body strength! but this activity also warranted a bigger crowd.

in the end, i opted for dinner at cube63 and a burlesque show at the slipper room. with the afternoon off, i was the first to head to the LES. i stopped by september on stanton and ludlow to pick up some wine for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by their extensive selection of bourbons/whiskey which included some small distillery stuffs. after getting a couple of recommendations from one of the staff, i was on my way a bottle of sweeter white wine that would please theng and VK and a dry sparkling wine for myself.

cube63 is what you imagine a japanese restaurant in the LES to be: gray walls with minimal decor (ikea-esque?), pumping music, and good- perhaps average- sushi (with small portion sizes). . . sigh, this is what comes from straying from the tried and true. . . nevertheless, we enjoyed the byob-ness of the place although we were unable to finish our wine and giving it to the table of southerners next to us. all in all, a fun spot and no serious regrets.

after a stroll through babeland- afterall, this was a bachelorette party- VK and i headed to the slipper room. unfortunately, my research proved me wrong and the show started at 9:30 rather than the 8:45 that i had previously thought. we chatted away the time and secured a table close to the stage. the 20's style band was great and got us into the vibe. the first act- superb. the performer had a great presence, sultry voice perfectly suited for a breathy, bluesy number, and voluptuous as you would expect. i was sold. but then the second act consisted of a poetry reading by a man dressed in greek/roman influenced garb. unfortunately, i don't remember a word he was saying because the whole thing really focuses on a plastic bag strapped to the man's pelvic area which is filled with wine being quickly emptied by two staged volunteers sucking on straws connected to said bag. i guess effective. it was downhill from there. . . after a completely unimaginative act by a young blond woman with a nice figure but no real pizazz, there was a very. long. break.

we waited. we waited. we waited some more. . then we decided to leave.

altogether, a fun night (hopefully for VK) where we got to try new things without embarassing anyone. the mechanical bull will have to wait for LA. . .

the conclave

this week has been busier than most. twice a year- the company flies in all of our department managers to nyc for 4 days of meetings that include strategy sessions, vendor presentations, internal discussions, etc. like a wedding- it feels like months of preparation slip away into just moments of time. . . although this week has felt far lengthier.

while i consider myself an early riser- being at work before 8AM has been a stretch even for me. so my week has consisted of rushing between the office and the hotel where the majority of meetings are held to catch whichever meeting, trying to get my normal workload done as well as catch up with last week's work since i was on vacation, and meet & greet key people. days end late with company dinners stretching into the evening.

of course- my high maintenance self has been struggling to retain some semblance of a routine but gym outings have been intermitten and sleep too scarce. but, it's almost over and i'm looking forward to easing into a laid back and restful weekend.

the problem with posting

i've been inconsistent of late. i start a post and never finish it. or the urge to blog passes and then days go by and i forget whatever incident spurred my desire to blog.

the boy suggested i use twitter- it's easy and doesn't involve the time committment and energy that writing a full post. best of all, it allows me to do what my initial intent of starting a blog was, to keep my friends who are scattered far and wide, up to date on my life.

so let's see how it goes. . . i have a good feeling.

Just a taste of Miami

“you are so white!!!” exclaimed vern (my big sis) as she greeted me at the baggage claim in Miami with Stretch, her husband, and kids, T and Wes, in tow.

V: yea, I hope to work on that this weekend!

Unfortunately, weather did not cooperate. After finding our hotel, Island Souse located on Collins near 14th st, we suited up and headed to the beach which was conveniently located just a couple blocks away. I laid out my towel and got situated and the kids raced to the water, vern trailing behind. Just as I started to get comfortable, I started to feel a sprinkling of rain.

V: uh oh. This is just my luck. . this doesn’t look too good.

Families and couples nearby started packing up.

Stretch: yea, looks like it may rain. Maybe they know something we don’t know?

V: well, let’s see if it passes.

For the next couple hours, the kids played in the water and sand, I chatted with Stretch, and waited out the weather. Though the clouds looked gloomy, the weather held out enough for us to have a nice little afternoon at the beach. Around 5 we decided to pack up and head back to the hotel so Wes could nap before dinner.

For dinner, we opted for Cuban and headed to Versailles based on my experience at an offshoot in LA and reviews attesting to its authenticity and warning of poor service. It was a huge restaurant with a cafeteria style meets garish décor but all I cared about was the food. We ordered calamari, a sampler of deep fried treats, ropa vieja, Versailles chicken, and a Cuban sandwich. What we got was comfort food at its near best- satisfying and filling! Despite being ready to burst, we indulged in flan and tres con leches. Deliciously decadent and worth the discomfort of an overly full belly.

I never slept so well! Unfortunately, our second day at the beach was not to be. The thunderstorms that started in the early hours continued on and off throughout the day. So instead, we decided to leave Miami early and head to Orlando, check out the Millenium Mall, and get dinner at Pho Hoa. While I was a little disappointed that our time in Miami was cut short, a real Vietnamese dinner all about made up for it!

farewells, impressions, and kielbasa

feeling 49% overwhelmed with work and 49% in need of a night in and relaxing, the chances that i'd make it to nel's going away party in brooklyn were pretty slim. however, i had already made plans with a couple of work friends, the nose and miss honey, to join the festivities and attend an art gallery opening earlier in the week.

by 4pm i was feeling pretty good with my progress for the day and the nose's email reminder about the evening settled the matter. afterall, work would still be there tomorrow and i would regret not saying good bye to nels and k before they left for iowa. so the three of us headed out to willie-b to radegst biergarden.

we easily found the group- mostly anthropology people - who was settled in at a large wooden table. we ordered a round of drinks and pate before testing out the kielbasa and bratwurst. the food was excellent (though the kielbasa was far better than the bratwurst), affordable, hearty, and perfectl complemented drinking. except for the surly barmaid, i think radegst is worth another visit and a fun place to hang out.

the crowd was a mix of familiar but long forgotten faces and mingling involved awkward and half hearted attempts at conversation. i suppose that's not unsurprising, i was never that friendly with any of them except for george. consequently, i found myself spending the majority of the night chatting with the nose and miss honey and at times feeling like the observer/referree. having had a couple of glasses of wine, the nose was loosening up and sharing his impressions of miss honey, our work place, etc.

the nose: you are so contrary to our company and don't fit in the mix. you are very refined. i can see you owning a boutique or working for a lingerie company.

miss honey: (with a look of alarm) what do you mean? i'm too refined? what about her (pointing to me)?

the nose: she will do great. she's got an edge to her. you are really refined. i don't see you wheeling and dealing. you have to be able to be tough and scary.

miss honey: i can be tough. plus, my boss says that is something that is developed with age and confidence.

v: (i watch as it all starts to unravel and miss honey taking it too much to heart, i subtly gain the nose's attention) hey man, be careful with what you say.

the nose: sorry, i've had too much to drink. my words are getting away with me. it's not that you aren't smart or able. i just imagine you marrying some rick european man and living in a chatelet and running a household. you'll be fully capable of managing a staff and firing people. chuckling.

miss honey: that doesn't sound too bad. . but it's not the 21st century.

the conversation eventually veers away, but i can see that miss honey has been unsettled and her confidence ruffled. i remembered a time not too long ago when i was easily swayed and unsure of myself. and so on the trainride back to the city i tried to point out what i believe was the nose's real message- that to succeed you have to find an environment that you can thrive in. if you are a more passive, naive, and laid back person, you will be unlikely to succeed in a more aggressive, corporate environment. if you are more calculating and focused only on individual advancement, you might not do as well in a small company that relies heavily on collaboration and teamwork. better to find an environment that suits your personality, because the happier you are at work, the better your work will actually be, and hence the more successful you will ultimately be.

unfortunately, i could see that my argument did little to encourage miss honey. . . so funny how that is, that you can hear 100 good things about yourself and forget them in a second, but one negative comment will nag you forever.

running on empty

the past week and a half have seen a flurry of activity that has left me a bit drained.

on friday, the boy and i headed out to philly to celebrate my bro's birthday. we had a relaxing 4th of july, take out wings and pizza and a few dvd's. saturday involved an eye exam, cheesesteak excursion, trip to a chinatown grocery store, and bbq/bday party prep. there was plenty of good eats, drinks, and music (btw, kudos to the boy for egging me on to experience beer pong for the first time in my life)!

we woke up around 11 sunday morning and lazed around a bit. big bro made us a yummy breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs, and toast before giving us a lift to the chinatown bus. we made our way back to nyc, stopping to get boba tea before heading back uptown to nap. for dinner, the boy and i met up with taz for 3 recession meals at gray's papaya (two hot dogs with toppings and a drink for less than $4 each). the 100% beef hot dogs were quite good and the snap from the casing gave way to the juicy center. the drink was good but a bit too sweet and smoothy like for my tastes.

after polishing off dinner, we headed to park slope for drinks and bocce. whether the hotdogs were not filling enough or we managed to work up an appetite, the next stop was schillers in the LES for a late night snack. the nachos were delicious as usual.

always the busiest day of the work week, this monday's dreadfulness was compounded by the extra reports and analysis necessitated by the end of the fiscal month and insufficient sleep. i managed to hold out until 6pm and headed downtown to meet taz, his new lady friend S, and VK for dinner at mercadito grill. to my delight, the fish tacos were excellent and better than the previous visit. i tried to stay focused during dinner, but ended up excusing myself around 9pm to head home for a quick workout and good night's rest.

tuesday was feeling back to my normal. the work week has been flying by as i'm trying to cram a week and a half of work into one in preparation for my upcoming trip to florida. had a nice dinner with taz at totoya where we deconstructed my behavioral patterns and various other topics. after dinner, we enjoyed ice cream from sedutto near my apartment.

a sudden change of plans with jpan and xiaopang have resulted in the cancellation of friday's dinner party which left me unexpectedly free tonight and tomorrow night. celestial and i decided to meet up for dinner at kura sushi where we were joined by Q2. the night ended later than expected and i find myself feeling weary from all the week's activity. . . . i think i need a vacation before my vacation!

the rage within

i hate the fact that when i get angry- my physical reaction is to cry. the angrier i get the more tears well up in my eyes. i can't help it and i find it utterly frustrating because the last thing i want to do is give off the impression that someone has hurt my feelings or that i'm weak. so then i get angry (now at myself) which only exacerbates the situation. and the fact that this is a common trait shared among my female friends, colleagues, etc provides me little comfort.

for the first time in a long time, someone pissed me off enough to make me (almost) cry. i calmed myself down before any tears were actually shed. the annoying thing is i have to turn around and deal with this a-hole tomorrow and will have to figure out a way to maintain some type of working relationship with the guy.

thinking about it, even hours later, still makes my blood boil. so let me put it out of my mind for the time being. but if anyone has a solution for dealing with the whole tears of rage thing- i'm all ears.

felice

one of my biggest complaints about the UES is the lack of good, affordable restaurants and cool bars. instead, there is a plethora of restaurants that serve mediocre, overpriced fare, fratty sportsbars, and twilight zoney diners (disclaimer: there are a handful of amazing restaurants on the UES if you are willing to pay a pretty penny such as sushi of gari). for the most part, i've written off the UES and head downtown or to brooklyn for dinners or drinks out. . . .until felice.

felice is a small, italian wine bar on 1st ave and 64th. the ambience is cozy, almost rustic, with an air of refinement. there are a handful of tables outside (love outdoor seating), a nice inviting white bar in the back, a communal table in the center of the room, and smaller tables along the perimeter. the menu is exactly what i like to see at a restaurant- short and sweet. to me this indicates a focus on doing a few things well rather than a lot of things just so-so. on the list was a selection of crostone, an assortment of meat and cheese platters, a handful of salads, pastas, and entrees.

we order two glasses of prosecco to whet the appetite and start the evening of festivities. i order a prosciutto and olive spread crostone and the cheese and meat platter to start until the rest of the group arrives. the prosecco is refreshing with a hint of sweetness and a nice contrast to the salty flavors of the appetizers. the crostone comes out with three pieces and topped with mounds of prosciutto. delicious and i feel captures the essense of italian cooking- uncomplicated, fresh, and comforting. the selection of cheeses and meats were excellent.

two more of our group arrived. fitz ordered a bottle of red wine so i don't recall the label (too much wine that night)- what i do remember is that it was a great red, dry, medium body and very food-friendly.

we ordered more crostone- this time with eggplant, zucchini, and a soft cheese. also delectable.

the last three of our group arrived. another bottle of wine. someone orders a ravioli in a pesto sauce in addition to more crostone. another two bottles of wine.

somehow, three hours passed by and i had a lovely time. the best part, was being able to walk home from the restaurant. . . and felice may very well become my new regular.

unroutine check up

it's been YEARS since i've had a regular physical and for the most part i've done fine without it. however, during a recent bout of coughing that persisted for weeks, i decided it was important to have a primary care physician that i could go to for whatever odd ailments arose.

my appointment day finally came- i was scheduled for 3PM. the office was a shared doctors/optometrist office. the reception room was cramped and a bit dingy. i checked in and after filling out all my paperwork the reception explained that there were two patients ahead of me. i mentally prepared to wait. afterall, it would be abnormal to go to a medical appointment and not have to wait, right?

3:15
3:30
3:45

the medical assistant asked to see my insurance card and asked me to pay for the co-pay. she looked at me apologetically and assured me that the doctor would be ready for me in 15 minutes.

4:00
4:15

my temper began to flare up as i heard the doctor chit chatting with the staff. after she i asked the medical assistant how much longer the wait would be as i had to get back to work. just 15 minutes, she said. sensing my frustration, the assistant took me to the room adjacent to my doctor's office which turned out to be the optometrist's office. she checked my temperature, heart rate, blood presure, and blood oxygen level. next i was lead into the real doctor's office where i was hooked up-all matrix like- to a blood flow tester.

4:30.

finaly, the doctor comes into the room with a chinese man. i pull my shift closed tighter and look around awkwardly. she talks with the chinese man for awhile about checks and bills and he finally leaves the room. i can't help but feel anxious and i mentally picture the piles of emails that are building up at work. she is a very petite woman in her 50's/60's with short, dark brown hair and wearing a full chinese ensemble. she makes conversation- asks me about my family, tells me how she was an activist during the vietnam war, talks about her daughter, etc. all i really want her to do is get to business.

4:45

my phone rings

em: are you ok?

v: oh, hey sorry. i just got into see my doctor. sorry i'm gonna be here for a bit longer.

em: you should just go home afterwards.

v: no no, i have too much work to do. i'll see you in a bit.

i hang up.

dr: oh, i'm sorry we're running so late today. usually we are more organized, but we are in the process of moving, etc. next time just call ahead and see where we are with the appointments.

v: oh ok. urm, isn't that what an appointment is for?

the doctor proceeds to check my heart, pulse, etc. she notes that my heart rate pattern is abnormal and asks me if i ever get heart palpitations or murmurs. finally, she suggests that i take an echocardiogram. she calls the chinese man, who turns out to be a visiting doctor from china, into the room. she explains that he'll be performing the echocardiogram. then she leaves the room.

wtf??? i thought there always had to be another female in the room for medical exams. the whole POINT of choosing a female doctor is so i don't have to deal with male physicians. ugh. i am told to lay down on my side as he uses this probe covered with gel to look at my heart. the procedure takes about 10 minutes but feels like much longer. and i'm not a happy camper.

the appointment is wrapped up. my doctor asks me to go get a series of other tests done in a nearby lab and follow up in a couple weeks. i ask dr li if my heart seems ok. he says it is probably "ok" but my dr will have the final word. so all in all, instead of feeling better, i leave my appointment with 2 more appointments to make and the sensation that something might be wrong with me. this is why i don't go to the doctor.

technologicaly challenged

while i'm sure i'm quite capable of figuring out computer/technology related things- i find it utterly uninteresting. consequently, i've gotten into a habit of relying on my tech-savvy friends to handle whatever ruts i get into.

needless to say, it is unsurprising that the boy was the one to notice that my blog is looking a bit f-ed up. . . the profile is skewed upwards and cut off.

it's about time to get a new "look" anyways- however, with the limited options provided by blogger and my inherent laziness with figuring out how to edit html myself- it will certainly be a challenge.

but stay posted. change is on it's way.

doing the right thing

i was sitting at my cubicle when em came up to me. "don't do anything!"

i looked at her blankly.

"i don't want you to do anything!" my boss proclaimed convincingly.

what she referred to was my division's tradition of celebrating every associate's birthday. basically, there is some pretense of a surprise where everyone goes to the conference room and the birthday boy/girl has to go to the room and pretends to be surprised by the celebration which inevitably involves dessert- whether it be cupcakes from buttercup bakery or carvel icecream cake.

so i find myself in the odd position of trying to decipher my boss's true meaning. . .should i follow her literal direction and insist there be no celebration? would this make her TRULY happy or would the lack of festivities unexpectedly make her sad? or do i go with tradition knowing that it makes her unhappy?

this is my predicament.

we've decided to forego the usual festivities in lieu of a nice bouquet of flowers and a card. . .and just in case, i'm going to bake some birthday cookies.

sweet ling ling

a whole nother side to josh.

death by bus?

while i have a taste for the finer things and am more than willing to shell out for certain things- an amazing meal, a pair of good running shoes, an excellent hair cut and color- i am extremely cheap about others. this is why i almost never take cabs, will never own an "it" bag, and bring my lunch to work every day. my mom once chided me for asking for a cup of hot water which i would use with my own tea bags (why pay $1.50 for a bag that costs a fraction of that?).

this is also why i take the chinatown bus whenever it's time to visit my big brother in philly. it may gag you with it's intense dirty, wet sock odor; overheat during the summertime causing the driver to pull over and stop the car for 10 minutes which turns into 30 minutes because some idiot is taking her time to buy stuff at the convenience store and almost breaks down because the driver turns the AC on intermittenly because the passengers all gripe about the heat even though this will just cause the bus to overheat again and prolong everyone's sweaty misery; and be filled with loud, middle aged chinese people that make it nearly impossible to nap.

. . .BUT it costs a mere $10 each way. and at $4+ a gallon. . . it ain't so bad.

i heart stew

the boy and i have been planning to take a drive out to CT one weekend. on the agenda- a trip to the elephant trunk's country flea market and stew leonards.

we woke up around 5AM and were on the road by 6:30AM, loaded up with coffee, mcdonalds breakfast, and a full tank of gas. the boy was hoping to score some old school tools and i love any type of market. and being the foodie i am, i can't help but find great pleasure in going to gourmet markets or any type of place with fresh produce and intersting food. so of course, it was an amazing day for me.

my best purchases- a basil and mint plant from the flea market. huge fried corn kernels, wasabi flavored cheese, and incredibly fresh produce. and with my two young artichokes, i plan on making this.

The girl who couldn’t stop coughing

We are nearing the end of our fall marketing/strategy meetings with our vendors. This morning the whole team was attending- my boss, her counterpart, the divisional, and my counterparts. We left our office at 20 til 11AM and started trekking to the vendor’s office.

Unfortunately, I did not realize the meeting would be 10 blocks and 3 avenues away- that feels like miles away in heels. We arrived not too late and were whisked away into a nicely decorated conference room. Rounds of introductions were made and the first of a series of presentations began.

About an hour into the presentation, I started to feel a tickle in my throat.

Oough cough.

The presenter continued to talk.

Cough cough

My boss looked at me with a concerned expression and mouthed “Are you ok?” I nodded but for the next two minutes proceeded to cough nonstop. My cheeks flushed red as I realized that all eyes were focusing on me. My boss asked for some water and I excused myself from the room and continued to cough for a solid minute.

I’ve had an ongoing cough- the remnants of a cold for almost two weeks. . and nothing- not sleep, not cough suppressants, were doing anything to relieve it. . . in fact it seems to be getting worse.

I returned to the room feeling a little better but now my throat was so raw from coughing that even the slightest tickle would bring on a new fit of coughing. Over the course of the next two hours I proceeded to down three bottles of water which helped tremendously- though the occasional cough would let itself out. . . part of me was slightly moritifed- and I'm certain that I'll forever be referred to as that girl who couldn't stop coughing.

On the way back to our office, my boss asked if I was okay and suggested I go home early. I protested that I wasn’t feeling horrible. As we made our way back to the office, I started to feel flushed and unwell.

So that’s how I have found myself on a Thursday afternoon in pajamas, laying in bed and blogging. I have a couple magazines and dvd’s by my side and plan to take it easy. . . and hopefully a good night’s sleep will make me all better by tomorrow..

forecasting change

last night Q2, theng, and i met up for dinner. . .it's been such a delight having the 3 of our college foursome, living in new york- we're the SATC without our charlotte (e.g. jpan).

over a deliciously fatty meal of bacon wrapped dates, flash fried calamari, broiled shrimp, spicy chorizo, bacalao in an amazing sauce, and spanish cheese, we gossiped, caught one another up on the past few weeks, and talked about the future. the main topic was jpan's pregnancy and hashing out the logistics of throwing a baby shower in her honor.

times are a changing.

a year from now. jpan will be a mom. theng will most likely be living in CT or white plains, baby on the way. Q2 hopes to be working and living in china. for myself, i hope to be promoted and facing the challenges of a new job and possibly new division. although i occasionally daydream about moving back to brooklyn, i don't really see myself leaving manhattan anytime soon

i suppose only time will tell how things will pan out. regardless, i foresee a lot of exciting things to look forward to.

breaking out the all clad

before leaving my last job, i made one final splurge. a 7 piece all clad copper core cookware set. it came out to a little more than half off. such an amazing deal that i know i'd kick myself if i let the opportunity pass.

so for the past four three and a half months, the box has been sitting in my apartment. in mint condition. untouched. part of me was debating if i should return it. and to be honest, part of me has felt like i don't deserve such a nice cookware set in this stage in my life.

but today, amidst spring cleaning- from the bathroom, to the oven, to loads of laundry- i decided to throw caution and reason to the wind. and just like that, my new dinner ware set was out of the box and resting on hooks in my kitchen.

it all seemed so right. and my home felt a little more. homey.

when silence means just that

time and time again, we are told that one of the keys to a successful relationship, marriage, or friendship is communication. . . of course the fact that men and women speak two different languages makes this a lot easier in theory than in practice.

sometimes, you just have to laugh.

(eulalie, thanks for the laugh)

i hate home depot

after hemming and hawing over the expense and deliberating for weeks on what washing/drying machine, i finally settled on the LG WM3431. i was given a delivery date of may 8th.


V: what time can i expect someone to come?


customer service rep (CSR): someone will give you a call the night before to give you a 4 hour time frame.


V: they can't be more specific than that?


csr: no ma'am.


V: then i'll have to schedule the delivery for another date. i have a big presentation that day. can we reschedule for friday?


csr: ok ma'am. let me contact the delivery people and see what we can do. would you mind holding?


V: no problem.


csr: ma'am. i'm sorry, but they are having a meeting right now. i'll see if we can reschedule the delivery date. if i can't, i'll call you back.


V: ok. so someone will call the night before the delivery to give me a time frame?


csr: yes ma'am.


no call back so i figure we're all set. wednesday night rolls around, no call. . . good, guess they'll definately deliver on friday. so you can imagine my consternation when i get out of my presentation on thursday and find two messages from the delivery guys saying they were at my building but no one was home so i needed to call and set up a new delivery date. argggg. . . so i proceeded to reschedule my delivery to tuesday. i call mondaynight to confirm the delivery window. 10:30-2:30. damn. it. i have an advertising turn-in scheduled at 10 AM that i can't get out of. luckily the boy offers to wait at my apartment for the delivery guys to come and i plan to rush home immediately after my meeting.


timing works out great. i'm on the bus by 10:15 and get a call from the delivery guys who say they are 30 minutes away. i am home by 10:30 and relieve the boy of waiting duties. the delivery guys arrive at 10:45. the installation guy surveys the machine.

installation guy 1(IG1): i'm sorry, i am not allowed to move the cabines. do you still want the machine?

V: i want you to take away the old machine and install the new one. the only reason why i used home depot was because this is their policy.

installation guy 2(IG2): impossible. we can't move the doors.

V: do you have a screw driver? what if we do it?

IG1: sure. we are on a tight timeline though. do you want the new machine?

V: yes, but you have to remove the old one.

IG1: i can't wait around for you to do this.

V: well, i can't take more time off of work to deal with this. you are going to install the new one today while we are all here. i will look for someone to help.

i go outside and luckily the condo maintenance guy (MG) is cleaning the stairwell. i tell him the situation and he agrees to help. within 5 minutes the doors are removed. the new machine is brought up.

IG1: you need a longer hose.

V: what? i don't understand?

by now, i am highly annoyed that these guys don't want to do their job and that the machine which i paid a pretty penny for doesn't come ready for installation. luckily, MG intercedes and instructs the guys to use the old hose and supervises the rest of the installation process. the machine is eventually installed with the only downside being it's a bit too big for the space and juts out past the countertop. but the machine works like a charm and is a beaute!