Smelling onions and bacon

The mood at the exit conference was tense. For two days we had three state inspectors going through the upper levels of the building testing the fire alarm, nurse call, and medical gas alarm systems, checking ADA issues, inspecting wall penetrations above ceiling, spot checking the test and balance reports, etc. The full blown fine toothed comb approach to checking out a building for occupancy that only a group of state employees could provide. At the end of the second day we gathered up in our conference room with the architect and engineers and the Owner to hear the inspectors read through their comments from the inspection and deliver the verdict on whether or not the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th floors of the building were approved for occupancy. It was clear during the inspections that the systems were working almost flawlessly, and at different times each of the inspectors commented on the fact that the quality of the work was so good that they weren't finding very much to complain about. I could tell from the looks on our superintendent's faces, however, that they knew from past experience that "almost flawlessly" could be grounds to deny occupancy, and we were all holding our breath as the mechanical / plumbing inspector started off reading his notes and comments.

The way the state hospital inspection system works here, by the way, is that one inspector is responsible for the HVAC, plumbing, and medical gas systems, one inspector handles the electrical and nurse call systems, and one inspector reviews the architectural components. Each inspector is a registered professional engineer or architect, and although they're all very professional each has their own unpredicatable little quirks. Our team and our subs had all worked night and day, seven days a week for the last several several weeks to get the systems completed and tested and the building itself spit-shined and polished for this inspection, so we were all a little on edge waiting for their decisions.

And...they signed off the 4th 5th, and 6th floors completely, and we got the mechanical / plumbing sign-off for the 3rd floor. The old almost flawlessly thing kind of hung us up on 3, but, you know, we'll celebrate the successes we did achieve and make belt and suspenders sure that the things that weren't just so on 3 are tightened up all the way before the team comes back.

Friday night after the inspection I took our folks out for a happy hour at the local watering hole to unwind, and it was really great seeing everyone let loose a little bit after busting their asses so hard to get things finished. We've still got a long way to go to get the rest of the building done, of course, but I can tell that now that everyone has gotten a glimpse of what the complete finished product will look like it will be easier for them to bear down and push through to the end.

I was absolutely exhausted when I got home, and collapsed into a deep sleep as soon as my head hit the bed. In the night I had a dream that I was a dolphin swimming effortlessly through crystal clear water, chasing little fish in and out of coral canyons and across sandy flats, and I remember thinking that although the fish were tasty and the swimming and chasing was being done in gorgeous surroundings it wasn't all that exciting. Breaking the surface of the water, though, and taking in the salty air and peeking at the clouds and the sky, now that....that was a thrill. Just a dream of course, but.....gotta wonder about the symbolism of being engaged in something that comes very natural but being so intently drawn to something so completely out of my element.

Meanwhile, back on earth.....got up Saturday morning to go to work and the car wouldn't start. Got the battery jumped and headed out but the brakes started squealing like a junior high school band at the first halftime of the season. Pulled over at a Napa store and sprayed some fix it all stuff on the pads which quieted the squealing. Stopped and got gas on the way to work, and when I checked the oil the dadgum dipstick tube came apart and I ended up pushing the dipstick, and my knuckles, halfway through the plastic shroud over the engine. I really love my Jetta, but it was clearly time to do something about it. I bailed out on work and poked around on the net for a while researching cars, and decided to bust a move on a new Jetta. Check it out:



It's got the TDI diesel engine, which allegedly gets more than 40 mpg on the highway (my small contribution to reducing our country's dependance on foreign oil, so you'll know), and VW's done some good stuff lately to reduce diesel emissions. Along with the new low-sulfur diesel fuel the overall emissions from this engine aren't much more than a regular gas engine, and it will put about 25% less greenhouse gas in the air than a comparable Jetta with a gas engine. Cool stuff. And it's got rich Corinthinian vinyl leather interior and a jammin' stereo with satellite radio, so, I mean, I just couldn't not make the deal, although it feels a little out of my element to be driving such a shiny clean new car. Hmmmmm......

So, I did get some work done Saturday, and got some good sleep that night. Early Sunday morning, around 4:00 a.m., the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and bacon and onions frying in a skillet wafting in through the open window in my bedroom woke me from an awesome dream where Halle Berry and I were playing backgammon in the rain on a trampoline on a soggy but freshly disked orange grove.....ahhhh, paradise! I guess one of my neighbors was having a stick to your ribs breakfast before heading out to go fishing, and a lucky coincidence of breeze and open windows brought the sumptuous bouquet of fried bean water and sizzling pig across my nose. There was no way I was gonna be able to get back to sleep and onto that trampoline at that point, so I got up and shuffled around the house for a while trying to get the old flywheel turning. I poked around on the computer for a few minutes, half-heartedly flipped through the new issue of the Sun for a little while, and stared at the laundry that I had pulled out of the dryer and piled up on my bed. After making my coffee I could still smell scent of someone's bacon and onions, and as I stood there in the kitchen gazing out the window at the dawn starting to break over the mangroves I thought "you know what, you ignorant shitforbrains, here you've been awakened from slumber by a signal from outside your comfortable little domain, and if you don't do something to act on the inspiration that's been provided to you you're gonna rot in your same old sorry assed rut forever."

So, I snapped out of that little stupor and, grabbing my destiny by it's neck, slapped a half pound of bacon into my old cast iron skillet with a cut up red onion and some garlic and proceeded to have myself a religious breakfasting experience on a folding chair out in the back yard with the birds and lizards. Halelujah, Amen.

Inspiration is out there, brothers and sisters, and even if your response to it isn't epic and life changing, let me tell you it's good for the soul to do something every day to get yourself out of yourself, if you know what I mean.

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others, OK? Till next time, know that I love you and think about each of you more fondly than you'll ever understand.