second saturday

I got home around noon and it was chilly in the house. The pilot light for the heater was out -- Ariel had to cut off the gas when he was moving the water heater. Gas makes me nervous -- I am half-convinced that I'll blow myself up whenever I interact with it in any way. I tell myself that nobody would make or sell or install a heater that dangerous.

On Wednesday morning, after Abel took the plywood panels off the kitchen doorway, I went out back to take a picture of the house without the laundry room. Cute, isn't it? After they got the water heater reinstalled in the kitchen, they blasted out more concrete (about a third, all in all), removed the siding on the back wall, and started digging a trench for the foundation.

I had to go to the post office, which does not open until 9:00. To kill a little time, I walked up Bayview hill. On the way up I said hello to an elderly trio (Chinese) on their way down, and on the way down I chatted briefly with a trio of white men (a father and two adult sons) and their little dogs. At the post office I picked up a certified letter from Golden State Lumber (notifying me that materials are being sold to a third party -- Ariel -- on my behalf and that I am responsible for the cost) and retrieved mail from Jonathan's post office box. I also bought bread from Xan and orange juice (for Ariel's crew) at the Walgreens. Then went home, got in the car, and bought wine at BevMo and All Good pizza and salad for Ariel's crew. While I was waiting for the pizza I did a rush edit on some testimony that Mark was asked to give -- I sat on one of the pricey garden benches at Flora Grubb with my laptop, while people browsed past.

Scott came at noon, took measurements for the cabinets, and ran through the plan and the process with me. Then Ariel drove me to Golden State to look at window and door options. On the way I learned that he is Nicaraguan -- he came to SF when he was 14, with his dad, but did not stay very long -- he didn't like spending so much time indoors. He came back a few years later, though, and I suppose he is OK with the indoor life now that he makes a living facilitating it. I didn't find out much more than that -- I wish I'd asked more questions. Anyway, I think the Marvin windows and the door will be OK. But I do not like the handle that comes with the sliding door and am hoping I can switch it out.

Yesterday no work got done because it was raining. I went straight from work to LEN's to help celebrate her birthday -- I took the transbay bus, which was surprisingly quick. I had a good time talking to various friends of LEN and sampling the array of desserts (pecan pie, brownies, ginger cakes topped with blueberries and raspberries . . . ). N+T showed up late-ish, and after they'd been there an hour or so they chauffeured me to Valley Street, where my guest bed awaited. We had a leisurely breakfast -- T makes a great omelette. N and I were hoping to do a hike in the hills this morning but it was raining a little too hard. So instead I went with her to the Cheeseboard, where I bought a block of cheddar and half a dozen English muffins. I also scored an electric fry pan and some white tea.