by Steven D. Johnson
Racine, Wisconsin

This month:

• When Is "Done" Really Done?

• Floored By The Questions

• Another Enlightening Question

• Goodbye Drafty Garage Door

When Is "Done" Really Done?

The storage pod is going to be removed less than a week from now. It has been said that nothing sharpens one’s focus and mind like a deadline, so the question now becomes, when is "done" really "done enough?"

Major construction in the garage-to-shop conversion is done. The walls have been wired, insulated, and covered. Stairs to the second level are built, lights are installed, and the garage door is long gone. The front of the shop is finished, with a new door and window. The floor is installed, and no less than twenty-one electrical outlets on four different circuits are wired up and ready to go. A couple of 220-volt circuits are installed, three of the four heaters are installed, and the cable for the television is ready for connection. Still, there is much to do.

Figure 1 - Even trimming out the windows before moving in is faster and easier.

The window and door frames need to be trimmed. The floor is yearning to be painted with "porch and floor" paint. Several spots on walls need French cleats installed. There is some touch-up painting to do. Baseboards, corner trim, and by the way, where will I hook up my iPod player? The upstairs has hardly been touched. Railings need to be installed on the stairs. There is probably more.

After several months of struggling to work in a crowded area, moving things to one side to work on something, then moving things again to work on another area, the now relatively wide open space in the shop is so welcoming and comfortable that there is an overwhelming compulsion to get as much done as possible before moving in all the woodworking equipment.

Floating above all that, though, is the monthly cost of the storage pod and the inconvenience of its placement in the driveway...not to mention the thinning patience of neighbors who are tiring of the eyesore.

He’s a real speed demon.
He’s one of a kind.
Watching, waiting, winking over his shoulder.
He’s running out of time.

Rush rush to the yeyo.
Buzz buzz, gimme yeyo.

-Deborah Harry, "Rush, Rush" from her album "Blondie: Once More Into The Bleach" – also a tune from the movie "The Money Pit" which makes it all the more disturbing that I find myself listening to this song right now!

Perhaps I am "done enough" to move in. After all, we all tweak and perfect our shops constantly. Still, if I could just get one more thing done, it sure would save moving a lot of stuff around later. I’m in a rush.

 

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