Twenty-fourth posting - drama

Short post today, friends.

First of all, it's a rest day for the Tour, and I really really really wish I was there to ride in the Alps. Here are a few words from a fellow blogger: "The Alps watch over Grenoble like a brooding, malevolent presence. It is up their narrow roads and over their tree-less summits that the race will now travel. The spectator throngs are already in place. Their campers and pup tents line the roads. The smell of grilling sausage from their portable barbecues rivals the relaxing aroma of wild lavender as the prevalent roadside fragrance. So, yeah, it's a day of rest. But it feels a whole lot more like a prelude to some great drama. The stage is set, now all we need is the actors."

Second, the current drama in my life is my condo. Here's the latest: My floor guys can't find a 220 volt/ 40 amp line that runs into my aparment. For those of you who care, that's 8800 watts (or 8.8 kilowatts). Most of the time, they just tap into the circuit breaker, but for some reason, I have a something-they've-never-seen-in-twelve-years-of-sanding-floors kind of circuit breaker that only has 20 amps. I don't even know what this means, but I'm trying to solve for it. The best solution is to bring in a generator (half the size of a VW beetle), park it beneath my window, and run a 4-story cord up to my place. Who knows what the Association will think...? Who cares...?

Third, I've shifted my moving and furniture delivery dates out one week. Gives the floor guys a little breathing room - and lets me linger next to good neighbor-friends (and a neighborhod I'll miss) for one more week.

And finally, the former tenants in my new place cooked a lot of Indian food and "broom-cleaned" (as required) before they left. Just so you know, "broom-cleaning" does not get rid of 1/4" thick grease off of the cabinets and stovetop vent, and it lingers ever so pleasantly in the air. And upon cursory inspection, the cabinets seems like fine wooden kitchen cabinets. Having scrubbed many of them, however, I now recognize them as cheap-Charlie particle board crap that will be the next big thing to go. Ah, yes, the hidden gems keep popping up.

Without a trace of buyer's remorse, NATHAN