If it weren't for the last minute . . . .

Greetings from the wee hours,

Yesterday was one of those days when you have to laugh, because laughing was the only option. As I've been writing about, the 2008 Dining by Design installation project has been going on this week. Monday was set aside for the "national sponsor tables" to install . . . and Tuesday morning is when the "rank and file" local designers get access to our spaces. The good news was . . . the contractor was arriving at 9:30 am to install the marvelous set that I'd designed, the wallpaper installer was scheduled for 2:00 pm, lighting tech was on for 3:30, and furniture was moving in at 4:00 pm. Sounds like a good plan, huh?

Well, the contractor was delayed and wouldn't be in until around noon. (Not what I'd hoped for, but clearly, I could work around it.) So headed to lunch and to run a few other errands.

12:30 pm, no contractor. 1:00 pm, no contractor. 1:45, no contractor and his cell phone went straight to voice mail. 2:00, I called and delayed wallpaper install, and still no contractor.

Well, around 3:00pm, the panic began to set in. What if the contractor wasn't coming? What if there had been some sort of accident? What was the grand, elegant space going to look like without the grand, elegant set to surround it? What the "f" was I going to do?

So, I started planning another version of the design that DIDN'T have a set around it. I could always go and buy ten or fifteen trees to make some kinda "enchanted forest" for the space. So, we started moving furniture in. I let the lighting tech guys install the huge light fixture. I canceled the wallpaper (since, clearly, there were no walls to install it on . . . lol)

THEN, my contractor arrive. (He explained the he had been delayed and forgot to turn his phone on. This was followed by several moment of swearing) But, now we were able to work around the placed furniture. We were able to work around the installed lighting fixtures. We were able to re-schedule the wallpaper install for 8:00 am the following morning. We were able to keep my heart from exploding from the stress of the day.

So today was a full, dead sprint to the finish line. Instead to the 12 to 15 hours, over two days, the I had planned to install this huge project . . . we had 5.5 hours to whip together before the photographer arrived to shoot for a national magazine. Luckily, I had great friends to help out. Luckily, there were few if any problems to overcome as the project evolved before my eyes.

More later . . . . first there must be sleep.


Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz,
tartanscot