The Stupid Painters

It’s been raining nearly every day for the past three weeks and I can’t help feeling that I’ve moved without really moving. Since when does Utah get this much rain – especially in June? I suppose I should just be grateful it’s not in the nineties and above, where death is imminent for a little oven like me, but honestly – where did the sun go?? It was sunny the other day (probably mid seventies possibly eighties) and we nearly died, although I think it had something to do with the stupid painters. Have I not told you about the stupid painters? Well, as stated, they really are quite stupid and if they didn’t have loads of earrings, weren’t unnervingly bald, and didn’t blast scary metallica music I might give them a piece of my mind. But unfortunately they intimidate me quite completely so all I can do is complain with Kyle and write about it. They’ve been working on painting the outside of the house – just the windows and doors for all I can see – and it has taken them three weeks in counting. Oh yes, I don’t think they’re done just yet because there are window screens littering the front step. Anyway, every time they come, they paint but they’re such lazy things that they paint right into every crevice possible so that nothing will budge once it dries. This is especially frustrating when:

1. you have a stuffy house because the oven’s on

2. your neighbors are brand new parents and thus feel it necessary to see that the heater is pumping out sickeningly hot air even on a beautiful sunny day (you guessed it, only one thermastat in a house with four separate apts.), and

3. you can’t get any of your windows open because they’ve been painted shut.

Kyle took his pocket knife to it and though it took us a good fifteen minutes to unjam the thing – it did eventually become unjammed, and the panic of being locked in a hot stuffy house ebbed generously. It seems that with almost every labor group this woman (the owner of the house) hires comes a certain amount of frustration (the landscapers weren't much better). I honestly think the only reason there haven’t been loads of firings is because she’s never around to see all of the time that gets wasted and the crappy work that’s produced.

Apparently though, she came by the other day just after Kyle had cleaned up our house (bless him, and thank heavens) wondering if she could show our apt. to a couple that was looking into renting the vacant apt. upstairs – at least that’s what we think. This is the first time the mysterious woman has set foot in our house since we’ve been here (which has almost been a year). It sounded like an awkward encounter and who knows why she has suddenly decided to take an interest in this money box she’s had for years (bad economy, I’m sure – it’s turned perfectly negligent people into crazed hawks with beady little eyes).

But that's besides the point - ahem, the painters apparently came back today for another jolly day of half hearted work and have only begun to start on the second story level. All I can say is I sure hope they're not planning on giving our windows yet another coat because honestly - it's getting old and Kyle's pocket knife is getting dull.