Swimming Upstream

Photo by myself looking up Fifth Avenue, around 40th Street.

It's been gorgeous out, cool and sunny. New Yorkers suffer through the humid summer and brutal winter for days like this.

The city is overrun with visitors, while many people are out on vacation. It's the last gasp of summer.

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One of the projects I've been working on has been ramping up.

It's a medium-sized apartment on Central Park West, with a couple bedrooms, a study, library, kitchen, living and dining rooms. There are his and her dressing rooms and several bathrooms.

Anyway, the schedule is ambitious, as always. Every client wants their home done right away.

I don't blame them. The design process is involved and emotional. It's a commitment on many levels. You're giving a big heap of money to someone and trusting that it will all turn out all right. Then the first thing they do is demolish your apartment.

The project manager on the construction side, Roger, is the son of the owner of the construction company. All this time we've been waiting for approvals and a permit, so I've been talking to him on the phone.

On several occasions I asked, 'How do you think we're doing with the schedule? If we get all the paperwork next week, will we still make the deadline?'

Roger was repeatedly vague, but expressed 'cautious optimism' that we were still on time. I wrote emails to the client - Roger says this, Roger says that. In Roger's opinion, we'll just make it.

Finally this week I met Roger on site. Roger turns out to be 16 years old! Well, he looks 16. Perhaps he's a youthful looking 17?

Ahhhh!

Related posts: Lower Fifth Avenue, On Eating Chicken Sandwiches in Montreal and Blah Blah Blah Work Blah Blah Blah.