Jorge Redux

Our tiler Jorge, with wife and young child, has gone to VeraCruz to live for a few months. I met his wife whle returning his tiling equipment to her. Jorge was dumped off in Mexico by the INS and they decided to make the most of it and go to VC where they own a couple of houses. They're going to fix them up and iin the interim, get Jorge's papers in order so that he can come back in the country with a better status. His wife is American.

The tile aspect of the house is surely cursed. First there was Jorge and his disaster. Ours too as 1000 dollars worth of tile disappeared. Then we started having problem after problem with UGMC. I've made at least 20 trips there picking up tiles in dribs and drabs. Each time it's been a hassle. I made 8 or 9 trips regarding one tile and when they finally got it in, it was the wrong stuff. I gave up and substituted something I could buy at HD.

Happily we have a good tile setter now who seems to be competent and is completing the job and doing it well.

We are terribly unhappy with our plumber too. He never returns phone calls. A nice enough guy but the lousiest business man I've ever seen. I'd never recommend him to anyone.

Enough carping.

Painting Glitch

The "bargain" painter we hired turned out to be anything but. He came recommended but did sloppy and incompetent work. He did manage to get a coat of paint on the walls but had thinned the paint down so much, it didn't cover much. When he pulled the masking tape off, he took the paint along with it. The place is a mess and it will require quite an effort to get it straightened out. I should know better having once before been shellacked (ha) by a painter.

We are also having problems with the outside sprinklers. Installation is not going as Richard had hoped.

So what are we doing about all of this? We're taking off on a trip. Last time we were overwhelmed, Richard insisted we take off and once again this is his rx. I'm reluctant to go as I'd like to get this whole ordeal over with, but I guess we'll drag it out another couple of months. Now, I'm looking at Christmas as a deadline for moving..but how do you rent a house that time of year??