June 17. 2022
Today was about moving dirt, and moving the needle on accessing my new garage door.
Both quests for today were back-breaking. I spent the bulk of the day loading up wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of topsoil and leveling out my very unlevel yard. I moved bricks, again (and made a fun, but wholly impractical brick 'Jenga' game) and cleared out all the things in the garden to prep for my patio stone-making day, Saturday.
Looking forward to that happening. Like, a lot.
Now, let's talk garage doors. To review the backstory, I ordered the garage door in December of 2021. 5 months later.....it finally arrived. Then the challenge of finding an installer. In short, that was a slough. A number of misfires later, I ended up with Robert's Garage Door Professionals. I won't bother adding the link, because the very last thing I would want is to promote this atrocious company.
The long and short, a classic drama in 4 acts:
>Guy one, Steve with his Oakly wrap glasses circa 1998, came over, and with-in 30 minutes had a hissy fit because the drywall guys were also using the garage (the very large garage) as their home base for the upstairs install. I was also in the space, and offered him a welcomed hand ("sure, that would be great- why would I turn down help?") He tells me "it's my way or the highway", I happily watched him leave, but not before he tried to take the boards that he had installed off of my garage walls. Needless to say, that wasn't going to happen. This was only after I questioned the lack of flush installation of his framing, and suggested that it might not actually be the best approach. I'm guessing that my inquiry contributed to his 'small dick syndrom'.
>Guy two, Javier, came over later that day. Didn't lift a finger, stood there and looked around, and left >Guy three, George, came on a Friday afternoon, on schedule. He didn't bring his tools.....Okay. Not sure what that was about, but clearly he didn't want to work on a Friday afternoon. He offered me a Sunday appointment. At this point I was 5 months and 1 week of install attempts in, so I agreed. Changed my schedule for the day, and waited. And waited, and waited. He was a no-show.
****George also offered an upgrade, if I would be willing to give the company a good review*** Call me ignorant, but I don't think that's how that works.
>Monday, very casually, George shows. He claimed vehemently that he had left messages for me. He did not. He went on to tell me how Guy one, Steve, the one who had the hissy fit, was a total ass kisser at work, and 'actually hangs around at the office after work and sucks up to the management.' so his poor work, which George had to then fix, would land on deaf ears.
Dios Mio! Menards had left a main strut out of the delivery. The garage door was installed, but could not be opened. You have got to be kidding me.
Back to Menards I go, and a week later, the strut was delivered. 4 days after that, George shows up, again on a Friday afternoon. **He has already established that he doesn't like to work on Friday afternoons**.
Fast forward to today.
I am in the throws of moving 20 wheelbarrows of dirt through the passage door of the garage. He shows up and grumbles at me- "You are not working in the garage when I'm here". WOW- Okay, sure. I can take the dirt through the side gate. my only response to 'no fridays George'. "Can you please just speak to me like a human being? Is that possible? " I also told him that I had the 2 x 10s that he had mentioned needing for the exterior. "That's not my job". Okay. I thought it was, but whatever. Well, that's when HIS dick shrinks, and he get into his truck. "Where are you going? You can't leave me without a working garage door again!" . I proceeded to beg, plead, I EVEN busted out my best stage tears and literally dropped down to my knees in the alley, begging him to not leave. He mumbles something about having daughters and tells me that he is going to get a drink. Okay, sure he is. I called the company, AGAIN. They start to imply that I was the issue, that they would send someone to finish the job, but nobody was to be in the garage. Whatever, I don't give a fuck, just show up and finish the fucking job. I turn the tears back on (amazingly effective.) They send out John. A hipster tool that, while telling me I am not allowed in the garage DOES ask me to help him. Okay. Sure, hipster John. Whatever you want. He complains about not being able to find a stud (Ironic, no?) which should be a part of his job, I'm thinking, and finishes the job FINALLLLLLY. After humiliation, spite, laziness, misogyny, cajoling, and staged tears, my garage door works.
I build an entire 2 story structure with a bunch of dudes, and did not experience nearly as much drama and insult as I did with this minuscule aspect of my build.
Epilog: will they get their positive review for their contribution to my project? Ya, I don't think so.