Remembering

So today is the memorial of the September 11 attacks. I remember very clearly that I was getting ready for work as I heard the news. It reminds me that there is more to life than work. Lately, I have been working a lot. It's probably not the best thing for me or the baby, but it's just been really busy and very stressful.

In addition to work, there's also the stress of another remodel. We started finishing the basement right before Labor Day. I thought that the kitchen was stressful, but I feel like this one has been tougher. We had different stressors for the kitchen such as the language barrier since the contractor spoke mostly Chinese. For the basement, things seem to keep expanding in terms of cost, time, and scope. Not things I like to hear. I think that we might have been spoiled with the kitchen remodel because we did finish on-time though we did spend a little more than we had anticipated. We didn't have the typical contractor experience where they were late or found something bad which expanded the scope. So you already know about the water heater. This week, we heard that it was probably going to take them another week to complete the job. I still haven't figured out why. The material costs are definitely going to exceed the estimate, so it's all a bit frustrating. I am so relieved that this will probably be our last remodel project for a while. I can't wait until it will be finished. I don't like bad surprises. Being in strategy and analytics, I like to know about things ahead of time and plan for them. Probably another reason we want to know the sex of the baby when the time comes.

I'm sure that I'll be happy in the end, but it's just nervousness until we get there. I think that when I compare it to the kitchen remodel, I forget about the anxiety we had with that project and just remember the relief when it was complete.

I'm told that pregnant women also are very forgetful. I wonder if that is a factor as well. I feel like my memory lately has been suspect. This week, I forgot my laptop at a restaurant which I have never done before. Last week, I forgot to write an important check. I might have to start relying on Edwin to remember things for me for a while. Scary.