Sunday, June 1, 2008

F-U, D.I.Y.

When I got home from work on Saturday, my Dad opened the door holding a flyswatter, sweating, and babbling on about how "No project is ever a 10 minute project."
I head upstairs to find my room ashambles. Turns out, Dad was installing an exhaust fan in the bathroom and had been in the attic all day [the only way to get into the attic is through my closet]. He had started the project much earlier in the day and was nowhere near to finished due to several complications that would have been avoided had he paid someone -say, the professional that was hired to renovate the kitchen/front windows/roof- to do it.
I took a shower in my parents' bathroom and left the craziness to do dinner and see Sex and the City with a friend who I hadn't seen since last summer. It was a fun night, but when I got home there was still a ladder in my tub and extension cords spilling out of my closet. And did I mention that Dad cut the power to my room, my Bro's room, and the bathroom?

Dad started messing around in the attic at about 10 this morning; other than telling me that the attic is full of fiberglass and that it's "110 degrees up there," he's kept me in the dark so I'm unclear as to the doneness of the project. He's been watching some sports thing for a couple of hours, but that ladder is still in the tub, I'm pretty sure there's fiberglass on my toothbrush, and the contents of my eviscerated closet are still on my already too-small floor along with a hand-held spotlight and a hardhat. Luckily the power is back on, but it'd be nice to be able to use my bathroom.

The whole project was really not necessary. We've never had issues in the bathroom caused by an excess of steam, and he took out the ceiling light to install the exhaust fan.So now it's going to be dark when we shower as the only remaining light source is 3 vanity bulbs. Not like Dad uses that shower, though, so it would have been useless to try and get him to cancel his project.
Dad's: can't live with them, wouldn't be alive without them.

7 comments:

Trixie Firecracker said...

This reminds of all the DIY landscaping projects that my parents made me do with them. Seven years later, and I still think they should have hired a professional for the backyard.

thisdayandage said...

you remind me of me. or your house reminds me of my house. or something. the only way to get to the attic at my house is through my closet. and when I was little, one of the lights was replaced by a fan, and all that remains in the bathroom? three vanity lights. weird weird weird. I also saw SATC tonight...thoughts?

I miss you. I wanna come to jersey really soon. or please come up here. now.

oh and I start waiting tables again on tuesday...hooray?

Anonymous said...

Well that is one Daddy trap I dont fall into.
I dont DIY I do HIO, that'd be hire it out.

villageidiot said...

The glass half full approach is: hey, I'm living rent free, and the landlords are trying to make improvements. But I understand - its a bummer to live through the upheaval.

So maybe it can be a motivator too: that is, to make this the last (or second to last?) time you live at home. Age 19 was the last time I ever did, and it can be liberating...

Sean C said...

I'm concerned for your toothbrush. Was it fiberglass? What about your clothes? Tiny shards of fiberglass in them? Ouch!

DnWormer said...

Never underestimate the need for some men to exert control over their domain through home improvement.

JerseySjov said...

tf: damn, at least my dad keeps me out of his projects

ta: i'll discuss s&tc with you on aim? that's so bizarre that our bathrooms are the same. boo waitressing, yay tips!

blackdog: sure, the rent's free, but i don't know any landlords that would set up shop in their lessee's bedroom while they were still sleeping!

sage: you're not yet a crazy old dad, that's why

sean c: that was mostly me being dramatic; i'm pretty sure there's not actually fiberglass on my stuff.

mnwhr: i wouldn't mind it nearly as much if he would finish and get his equipment out of my room!