Connectivity has been achieved

I think that I belong to the generation that squarely straddles technology. At work, when the deadline looms and the its time to put the "pedal to the metal," I am frustrated when the only answer is more email blasts, more Facebook posts and more tweets. Sometimes you just have to pick up the phone and talk to folks the old fashioned way. It is old fashioned. You don't necessarily get more result, but you know first hand if the message hit. Was heard. Got through. They can politely -- or not so politely -- say no, but they are saying it directly to you.

 But on the other hand... I have been in my apartment for a week and have been struggling with internet connectivity since I've been here. No wireless is even harder. If my computer isn't working, I use my tablet -- oops, can't do that, its wireless. Where's the plug for my phone, have to keep it charged, no wireless... this little handheld device is now my only connection to the outside world. 

Whine, whine, whine. I'm just saying its interesting. I, like so many others, have become completely dependent on my technology. When one link goes down, I am frustrated. I laugh nostalgically like a wise old woman when I hear young people ask, "What did we ever do before we had phones/tablets/computers." I think its funny that the change has come so quickly and in such a comprehensive way. And then when its me asking, "Aaack, what did I do without my internet connection?!" Well I guess the laugh is on me.

 Its Friday morning and I will have been in my new apartment for a week tomorrow. It is growing on me every day. As things get more settled, I'm going to like it here. The commute is about 8 minutes on a good day, 13 if I'm feeling sluggish. I LOVE that!!! I haven't forgotten anything and had to run home yet, though I'm sure that will happen. How cool! Have a great Friday and an even better weekend. Embrace your technology but chat with a human as well. You never know, you might just like it!

Would you believe me if...

Would you believe me if I told you that my boss actually had a meeting in the hair salon while she was having het hair done. "Once they put the dye in, I just have to sit there." Would you believe me if I told you that the same boss' dog, ate the chicken off my colleague's salad when she stepped away from her desk for a minute. Would you believe me if I told you that my whole construction project is hanging in the balance right now because the elevator in the drawings doesn't pass my RACP grant requirements from the state. It's that pesky domestic manufacture that's holding me up. Every day is an adventure. The good news I am actually going to see some theatre by these this week...I was starting wonder if it was all just a ruse.

home sweet home

Two days in and the good news is I could put enough things together to make it to work this morning.  At 7 am, I might add.  Yes, for all of you who are wondering, it is dark at 6 am.  My skylight is my barometer to all things light outside. But there's no complaining about the commute.  I think it took me 8 minutes door to door.

The apartment looks way better with my stuff in it.  Before that it was a little on the character-less side, but its improving.  I might still have it in me to paint a wall some day... but then again, maybe not.  There are only a couple I could handle on my own, anyway.  Some of my walls are very tall.  Which is, of course, cool.

The move itself was pretty seamless.  Three young, strapping guys all with tattoos covering most of their exposed bodies.  They were quick and easygoing and made the whole thing pretty easy. Now if only they would  have stayed and unpacked too!  Tattoos seem to be very popular in my neighborhood.  I pass many people on the street covered with them in all manner of places.  Interesting.  I hope that's not a requirement for Old City living.

Today, I had to be in early to meet a plumber.  I a pawned this job off on someone else last week, but since they were in tech all weekend working 15-18 hour days, it seemed crazy to try and get someone else to do this.  So here I am.  I've already, let the guys in, been to Starbucks and was ready to actually catch up on a bit of work -- when lo and behold my office door is locked.  I share an office and I guess when my mate left on Friday she got security conscious all of a sudden.  That's all well and good, but I don't have a key.  Oy.

The first show of the season starts this week. the show is Next to Normal, a contemporary musical. I saw it in Miami and am curious to see how we do it here.  It will be much different than the production I saw.  the one in Miami was very literal, house with rooms, kitchen, all built out.  This one is far more conceptual.  Just a frame for the house and then a huge 2 story video screen which will really guide the story and the feel of what's going on in the lead characters head as she has some of her manic/bipolar episodes. 1st preview is Wednesday.

One of our donors called to RSVP and said they were excited to be coming to see "Next to Norman."  We thought that was hysterical -- maybe we can find someone on the invite list named Norman and we can make it come true!!

53 degrees now with a high of 75

What a  perfect morning! As I left the house at 7:15 this morning, it was just beautiful outside.  The temperature was divine.  53 degrees according to my NPR station.  The high for the day would get to a delicious 75.  Mmm.  This is the fall I was waiting for!  As I was driving by the lake there was a perfect reflection of the trees along the banks and a barely visible mist hanging just above the water.  Beautiful.  If it wasn't a work morning and I hadn't been late yesterday because of the dreaded traffic on the bridge, I would have stopped and snapped you a picture. But the HVAC guy was waiting for me at the theatre, so duty called.

Speaking of duty.. this week has been crazy.  No sooner did I get the better part of the roof at Actor House taken care of then this place starts to fall apart.  We are scheduled to open the first show next week (yes, its true.  There are rumors there might even be theatre at my new job!!!) and this week alone, I've had plumbers for a leak, electrician for a marquee sign out, HVAC guys, the phone mysteriously stopped working yesterday and then started again and, and, and....  Oh yeah, I had to have a talk with the cleaning folks about quality control, the front doors seemed to lose their mechanisms and started slamming shut, the insurance folks were bugging me about an incident this summer and all that is before I even get to our new construction project of the building down the street.  Which has its own difficulties.  I might have mentioned once before about the requirements of this state grant we got.  They are fairly strict and require anything that includes nonstructural still to meet a requirement of at least 75% of the total product be manufactured within the United States.  This is harder than you can imagine.  Especially when architects and contractors don't seem to paying attention anywhere along the process until now. 

My job is compliance.  This is huge.

An elevator costs $100,000.  Did you know that?  Did you know that there are no "stock" elevators? Not that I thought any schmo would go somewhere and buy and elevator, but I thought there would be stock sizes or products that were out there that if you wanted to design to that size and specification, you would know about and go for it.  That way you might be able to avoid the 10-12 weeks for manufacture time.  But no.  Its seems all elevators are custom made.  Who knew. Back to the point.  The elevator in my project is having a little compliance problem.  More on that saga as it unfolds.

So while all this is happening at work, it is time for me to move   Finally.  It seems like it has taken forever since I found this apartment.  I realized that part of the problem was that in any other circumstance, I would have been packing this whole time.  In this particularly odd situation, I was all packed up in the storage unit and just had to wait.   Tick tock.  Days and weeks, even months. 

Not that I'm complaining about my living arrangements.  It was the perfect B&B.  Company, all the comforts you could want, and some days I came home and dinner was already ready.  Wahoo!  I get why folks opt for staying at home with parents or family.  Who wants to eat alone with a proverbial TV dinner when you can have all the benefits and dinner is cooked for you as well!

I am so lucky that I have family who could and would offer me the opportunity to get settled and transition into this new chapter. I think in many ways I am finally ready to come home to Philadelphia and family in a way I just wasn't in years past.  I had a wonderful time staying with my sister and brother in law.  We talked for hours, laughed ourselves silly,  and basically got a chance to spend some time together that wasn't a whirlwind family visit or emotionally charged family event.  It was generous, it was fun, it was wonderful.  Thank you.  Thank you for being there for me and giving me this opportunity.

An so now I move.  Again. My 4th move in 4 1/2 years.  I sure I hope I stay in this spot for a bit.  But who knows.  there might be a purchase in my future.  If that happens then that's it.  Fin.  Over. Basta. Uncle.  NO MORE MOVING, after that one.  We'll see.  First I get through this weekend.

The apartment I picked was way bigger than almost anything else I looked at.  And yet, its a tiny little thing.  So hopefully my stuff will fit, in.  Will fit in.  Inside.  Oy.  I'm just a little worried.  I will know soon enough.

Think of me on Saturday.  The weather is supposed to be great.  The movers come at 9 am.  Over the river and through the city we go.  Let the next chapter begin.

Things I saw today...

When you're a pedestrian, you see all sorts of things you would never see flying by in a car.  The other day, I was walking down Market Street and I passed the old Lit Brothers department store.  Its been quite some time since this was a department store and its been remodeled and painted more than once, I'm sure.  But its an old building and probably historic.  I noticed that in the molding above the doors, below where it says Lit Brothers etched in stone, its says, "hats trimmed free of charge."  When I asked my mom about it, she assured me that it was true.  Hat trimming was always free.  I'll see if I can't snap a picture for you.

Here's something else I pass everyday,  Its a sculpture outside the federal courthouse.

There are signs everywhere directing you to a Louise Nevelson sculpture and until I walked up to this thing, I totally thought this was it.  But I was wrong.  The Nevelson sculpture is inside the building.  I could only see it through the windows.  Looks, cool, but this is what I saw on my way...

This is a bag of wood.  A bag.  Looks like one of those plastic IKEA bags with handles.  Only FILLED with wood.  Paul Bunyan couldn't  lift this thing. It tickled me. To what end is a bag of wood?  We'll see if its still there tomorrow.

I knew the public radio / tv station was around somewhere... and today I found it!

Finally, this is an old camera they found in the building the theatre recently purchased and that are starting to renovate.  (Another one of my construction projects)...  Its cool.  Its in bad condition and there's not much to the insides, but its definitely cool.

When I was a kid I loved a book called And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss.  Today's and all my pedestrian adventures are to that book.  Enjoy.

Most general managers

Some theatre General Managers sit behind a desk and write contracts and do thinky things.  My job, is not like that.  Last week I had my "pre-construction" meeting for the beginning of the renovation of the new building.  I thought we were just having a meeting but it turns out its a "thing."  An actual thing which is mandated in the contract... agenda and all.  Good to know.

Friday, we started the roof repair on the Actors House.  Its a five story building, four stories of living space and then a full attic.  That is a tall building.  They started with a 50 ft ladder but decided they really needed the 60 fit one.  Yowza.  See for yourself.  Just even watching the ladder and how it moves while guys are climbing gave me the heebies.

After three days, they've made amazing progress.  Especially since everything to go up and down via the front of the building by trashcan or rope pulley.  I should have taken a shot of the huge boards going up tied in a rope.  Sometimes I couldn't even watch lest they punch through a window of the house... or worse, the house next door!

There's an elderly lady who lives next door and she doesn't seem happy with our project.  Truth be told she doesn't seem happy at all, but I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.  Even after she yelled at me to keep everyone and everything off her roof.  Then she called me at work to say that something had dropped on her roof and she wanted it off!  Sheesh.  Then there's the guy on the other side who started off the very first morning, by sending a couple of "goons" to impress on us just how much he didn't want us on his property.  If its my roofers who tell me they were goons, I can only imagine!!

The roofers themselves are a colorful as can be.  Joey, the gofer, supply getter, schmoozer and general man-about-the-job is my new best friend.  He is hilarious!  At first I thought he was the foreman, I'm sure he wants me to think that, but he's really just a funny harmless, fascinating specimen of a Philly neighborhood guy.  I'm still trying to get him to understand that I don't own the house, its owned by a theatre.  A live theatre of theatrical productions, kind of theatre.  Its a process.

Here are the guys working on the back roof.  They've made great progress since yesterday, when all I could see was brown rotted wood.   I love the way the steeple across the street from the house is framed in the picture.

Speaking of steeples, here is the one from Christ Church, located right next door to the theatre.  This is a cool church. Benjamin and Deborah Franklin were parishioners as was Betsy Ross.  George Washington and John Adams both attended here as well.  They created a school to educate slaves and the first black priest, Absalom Jones was ordained here.

Here is a cool picture of the steeple from inside the theatre's lobby.

The Arden has a cool apprenticeship program.  We have seven apprentices this year who work full time and do everything!  They will work in every department and get to do it all -- grunt work, paper work, house work, development, marketing, box office, set construction and strike, lights, sound, Assistant Stage Manage on a show and everything in between!  They start tomorrow which means the whirlwind of activity begins.  The first preview is September 27th.  Getting close.

But wait, I forgot the most important part.  I get my keys to the new apartment on Friday and move on September 22nd.  Its actually happening.  I've been so lucky to be able to stay with my sister that its a bit surreal.  I totally get how folks stay with family and how they never leave.  Its like a cocoon. Instant company, people to talk to and other people make dinner.  Hmmmm.  Maybe this  moving thing is over rated....

Have a great week and start thinking of your next visit to Philadelphia!