BACK HOME -- TEMPORARILY

Since I knew I wouldn't have to deal with a constant parade of workers during the weekend, I decided to come home last night.

Apparently, all of the plumbing work was completed by 3:00PM on Wednesday — but there are still numerous holes cut in various walls and ceilings throughout the apartment:


The worse part is the bathrooms where these holes are essentially open to the two apartments on the second floor (both directly above and against the back wall:


You can hear everything going on in these other apartments (just as they can hear my activities). I've tried to be quiet as a mouse — particularly when using the facilities or taking a shower this morning. I wish the upstairs neighbors were as considerate; it seems like the lady in the back upstairs apartment delights in constantly screaming at her (at least three) young children and they are constantly crying or screaming in return.  Last night, she was using extreme profanity with them (including a number of "F" bombs) and I came close to calling the police.

As I am in general rather shy in certain respects, I tried at first to use the restroom as quietly as I could but soon realized they probably would never hear me doing my business over the screaming.  Still, I don't like the feeling that I could be watched — all the back apartment people would have to do would be to open the cabinet door below their sink and look down; all the directly above people would have to do would look through the hole in their master bedroom wall (I noticed this as I sat on the toilet in my master bathroom last night and noticed I could see their ceiling fan; I started using my office bathroom after that!).

Also, this morning, I contemplated what would happen if the upstairs toilet happened to overflow as I was sitting below:

Gross!

I certainly hope they replace my drywall very SOON!

But worse than all that is that I discovered that one personal item was missing from my home: a wood-carved, brightly-painted toucan bird that my parents bought on one of the islands during a Caribbean sailing trip a few years before Mom passed away. This upset me a great deal as I held great sentimental value in that small object (as indeed I do with anything that connects me to Mom). The bird was kept on a shelf near my front door; I doubt if it was stolen, however — it probably was toppled by vibrations as the workers cut the holes in my drywall or banged on pipes. If it fell onto their dropcloth (to protect the carpets), I imagine it got rolled up inside when they packed up to leave. Perhaps someone will find it and know where to return it, but I highly doubt it. Yes, I was upset initially — but I can accept that such things can happen from time to time.

I'm planning to check with the office tomorrow for a progress report. If the drywall replacement and repainting isn't scheduled until later in the week, I think I'll check back into my hotel so I can "relax" while in the restroom and not listen to a bunch of screaming.