Our weekend got off to a really rough start on Friday. As we were trying to pack up our things for our trip to Bismarck, Jacob got a call from our home builder, Eddy. To say it was a terrible phone call would be like saying "This dirty poopy diaper smells kinda bad". And that's exactly what the conversation turned out to be--a dirty, poopy diaper. The conversation came about because Jacob had called Eddy last weekend to figure out when the rough landscaping would be done on our house. They need to level our lot off and remove some dirt. This is holding us up from from putting up a fence, putting in sprinklers, laying sod, and building our deck (which is the only way our backdoor is functional). When Jacob spoke to Eddy last weekend, Eddy claimed the work couldn't be done because there was still frost in the ground and it would be too tough to dig. Knowing we had plenty of warm weather to thaw the ground, once Jacob got off the phone, he went into the backyard and was able to dig the depth the machines would need to go in 5 minutes with no frost. He called Eddy back and left a voicemail saying he had no problems digging and could Eddy call him back. So when Eddy hadn't called us back by Friday, Jacob called him on his way home from work. Eddy didn't answer, but called Jacob right back. Within minutes, the conversation escalated into Eddy swearing at Jacob, calling him an "f-ing nightmare" and saying repeatedly that we "bug the s- out of him". He refused to give Jacob information on the landscaping situation, only saying that "it could be done in a day, it could be six weeks." Jacob said he needed a better idea of when it would get done. We didn't need a specific date, but we needed a better idea of where we stood on the contractors list so that we could be contacting companies for sod, and planning trips to Bismarck to buy the supplies for the deck, fence, and sprinklers. All Eddy would say when Jacob asked for a better idea was that he wouldn't give it to him. He just kept saying that Jacob was "bugging the s- out of him." I won't even go into all the reasons why I think that's crappy, but come on. You can't run a business by basically withholding information that your clients have every right to ask/know just because you don't like them. He also admitted to Jacob that if we kept calling and asking questions, he would basically push our job further and further down the contractor's list and they'd just keep putting it off because we're so annoying. Honestly, I have no doubt he'd do it because it's spiteful and petty and that's exactly how he was acting, but I'm shocked he admitted that to Jacob. I only wish we could have recorded the conversation to present to a lawyer if and when all the work doesn't get finished on the house within a year of closing. The whole thing just makes me sick to my stomach. I hate that we paid him the money we did to build our house and now he's treating us like garbage. I hate that he's basically accusing Jacob of being a bad person, when he's one of the best, nicest, and most understanding people I know. And I hate that he feels like he can treat his customers like this. In what world are your clients a-holes if they're just trying to be informed and aware of how the process of building their home works? It blows my mind that he basically said we're not allowed to ask him questions anymore. We just shouldn't contact him. So if something comes up with the house, he'll see we called, and he'll purposefully ignore the voicemail and the concern because he's sick of us. That just honestly makes my stomach churn. And you know what, I hope someone googles the company and comes across this blog. Maybe even Eddy himself, because I'd like to think maybe he could read this and see objectively how insane and immature the situation has become. We are not the kind of people that are just going to sit idly by and hope things get done on our house; we'd like to keep up with everything and have a good idea of what needs to happen and when. I don't believe that makes us bad people. It makes us thorough. If you're reading this and you'd feel the same way, I wouldn't buy a Mitzel home, because you may be sworn at for trying to get information on your own home. Thank goodness for our realtor, Susie, who stepped in after I called her. Even though she's good friends with Eddy, she's been really great about trying to get information to us and very apologetic about the whole thing. I honestly don't know what we wouldn't done if she hadn't gotten involved.
On to things that DON'T make my blood boil........
Once Jacob and I stopped shaking from anger, our trip to Bismarck actually ended up being pretty fun. Even though it was only a night out of town, it was a nice little getaway. Jacob and I went out to dinner after his game, then we went to the frozen yogurt place (!!) across from our hotel, which was delicious. After his game the next morning, we went to the mall (forgettable), then Target, then Hobby Lobby, then Lowes. Lowes was of course super boring, but Target and Hobby Lobby were awesome. I got these INCREDIBLE owls from Hobby Lobby that I'm obsessed with. I'll have to take a picture of them later and put them on here so you can see. Literally every time I look at them, I laugh. That's EXACTLY what I look for in home decor. Here are some of the things we got from Target. The curtains look a bit busy on the computer, but I really love how they look in person. They'll get hung in our living room. We bought two of the rugs for our entryway--one for the front door, the other for the door to the garage.
- Don't know the names of any of Jacob's teammates, but I've nicknamed one "Brain". He does not seem smart.
- Brain just tried to rebound by letting the ball fall in front of him, bounce up to his waist, then swatted it away like a kitten. he's cute
- Brain just yelled something in excitement, shaking his fist, but accidentally hit himself in the chin. He's my favorite.
- I think Brain just yelled "I'll take the old meth head" about who he'd cover on D. You may be smarter than I thought, Brain!
- Brain just got called for two bogus fouls. STOP PICKING ON HIM, REFS! I will defend him, if need be.
- Game over, we win. Excuse me, BRAIN wins, Nip (guy on opposing team who was scratching his nipples) loses. Just the way God intended.
- Poor Brain lost his phone in the bleachers. This guy can't catch a break.
- False Alarm! He found it in his backpack!
During the game the next morning, I lost interest in Brain because he was tired (hungover) and provided little entertainment. All I had to say about him was:
- Game 2 starts in half an hour. Brain has already tried to find girls to pick up.
- Warm ups. Brain just bricked a layup off the top left corner of the backboard.
- First play of the game, Jacob's teammate gets the rebound and brain runs up to him and yells "BEEBONG!" in his face. They are teammates.
- Brain just missed two layups and then yelled "I'm just so frickin tired". It's okay, buddy, no one blames you.
- One ref is wearing designer glasses, grey cargo shorts, and asics with orange laces. This is a city league bball tourney, not a Trader Joes
- Cool ref is originally from California. Drives a Subaru and bottles his own wine.
- Cool ref has 2 kids Cameron(girl) and Trey, and a yellow lab he takes when he paddle boards
- Cool ref went to school for accounting, but owns his own marketing firm now.
- Cool refs favorite pizza has basil and sun-dried tomatoes
- Cool ref studied abroad in Spain during college. He was still a Lit major at the time
- Cool ref's wife is a stay at home mom, but as a side business she sells homemade organic candles
- Down 13, 7 minutes left. Cool ref just wants the game to end. He and his wife are planning out their garden today.
- Cool ref only buys organic peanut butter.
- Cool ref can't stop thinking about the salmon and quinoa his wife made for dinner last night
- Cool ref and his wife joined a running club, but only so they could meet other active couples
- Cool ref ends the game with 1:30 left, us down by 10. He really wants to figure out his rhubarb location
- Cool ref just changed out of reffing gear. Put on dry-weave tee and socks with Tevas.
- Cool ref is talking to other refs. They're discussing basketball, he is talking about his compost machine in his backyard
This week work is going to be CRAZY. We have a huge event on Thursday, and I have a big deadline for our newsletter the next day, not to mention other crap I'm supposed to be putting together for the departments and the web pages I'm putting together. The good news is that the week will fly by because I'll be so busy. The bad news is I probably won't be able to get a lot of naps in, which is a bad week, in my book.
Today at work I had to talk to a bunch of our volunteers to confirm their help with our big event this week. One lady was actually at the hospital, so I just ran upstairs to make sure she could be there when we had her down for. Somehow this 2 minute conversation turned into a forty minute one where this lady told me basically everything I could possibly need to know about her life--her response to her youngest sibling being born, her grand kid's work schedule, what kind of car her brothers drove, the level of her father's education, what one of her sons teaches at his school, how much that son makes in his side landscaping business (about $14,000), and on and on and on. I know she just enjoyed the company and the ability to tell stories all her friends have heard a million times to someone who hadn't heard them, but I had A LOT to get done before I was supposed to leave at 3, and I wasn't able to get away from her until about 3:10....During this conversation, she repeated what I've heard from lots of locals: "never go to Walmart after dark." She said she's really stopped going all together because it's so dangerous now. I asked if there had been a lot of things that had happened (there haven't been) and her response for her complete terror was that every time she's gone for the last six months, she hasn't seen a single person she knows. That was one of the most bizarre things I'd ever heard. If you operate on that mentality, you'd never travel, move, or live in a city with a population greater than 5000. I genuinely don't understand her concern there. She didn't know me before this 40 minute conversation began, and she didn't have any problems telling me her life story. And I didn't try to stab her, so I'm guessing everything turned out fine. She also said she's scared to go to Walmart because "everyone there speaks Spanish...or worse." If that's not just about the best example of a North Dakota racist, I don't know what is. What about Spanish (or any other language for that matter) makes you scary or criminal? If she hadn't been an old lady, I probably would have stopped her and said how offensive/stupid that is. Or I would have just said "Tengo mucho lechuga!" " I have much lettuce" doesn't really mean anything, but my Spanish speaking abilities have slipped away. Anyway, the whole thing was just so ridiculous. I know people up here aren't used to a lot of diversity
Another reason this weekend wasn't the best is because I wasn't able to watch the Mad Men season premiere.
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