...And We're Back: Part V(ictory)

After Mardi Gras, I was emotionally, financially, spiritually, liver-ly, and utterly spent. Ash Wednesday is there as the day when you assess yourself and say, "Yeah, let's try to work on that a little." or "Let's finally get around to doing that." For Lent, or for life, people give up things as a way to better themselves or turn a corner on something. But I gave up something that I wasn't sure would better myself, or which I wasn't sure would have a good outcome. It was something I thought was essential to my being, and maybe it is, but at this point, I felt I had to stop it. What is it? Figure it out.

On Ash Wednesday, I called the survey company and asked them what the status of the survey was. I was very understanding of them, even though they said the survey would be done on Monday.

Me: "So, when is this survey going to be done?"

Surveyor: "Well, it's already done. You can come pick it up."

Me: "Wait, I asked you guys to call me when you were going out there. I wanted to make sure that things were going right. How did the survey come out?"

Surveyor: "Oh, well, you had 3 ft. on that left side...

Me: "Wait, so you're telling me that the left side--North Side--of the house has a 3 ft. setback?"

Surveyor: "Yessir."

Me: "Sir, I can't thank you enough."

Surveyor: "Not a problem, buddy."

The surveyor had confirmed my assertion, and we could have our windows back in the plans. I was giddy again. I had Colin and Tony re-organize and put the windows back in the plans. On Friday, late in the day, we were able to get a final set together. I raced down to City Hall at 3:30pm, hoping to put the plans in the reviewer's hands.

When I got there, the plan reviewer had left for the day. I left them in his mailbox, and I would have to wait until next week to hear back about them.

It was after this that I then had to go meet up with the clients: My parents. They had planned this trip down to NOLA to check on the progress of the house way before the permitting problems, and they had hoped that the house would be further along by this time. Over the last 6 weeks, they had listened to me gripe about the city, the inanity of absolutely everything, and taken everything with a grain of salt. On a side note, the day I turned the last draft of the plans in, an article detailing the absolute dysfunction within City Hall was published in the Times-Picayune, our local paper. It was remarkably timely and I felt like they should have interviewed me for it.

New Orleans' City Hall Dysfunction Leaves Specialist "Shocked" by Michelle Krupa

However, with my parents in town, it was also the weekend for St. Patrick's Day celebration in New Orleans. What does that mean? As if Mardi Gras didn't tire everyone out enough, more parades and more booze. And, it means you get to show your dad what a little slice of life in New Orleans is all about.

After a rather tumultuous weekend, Monday arrived and my parents had gone back up to Illinois, confident that progress had been, and could be, made. I started my day doing schoolwork (I go to grad school too), and at around 10am I got a call.

Me: "Hello?"

Plan Reviewer: "Hey...Listen, we've got your plans and your permit ready, you just need to come pick them up."

(Angels and Choir Sing)

Me: "Thank you so much for your help!"

Plan Reviewer: "Hey, I spoke with the inspector and everything's fine, and if you have any problems, I'm on your side now."

I picked up the plans a half-hour later. It was March 14, six weeks after the work stoppage had started. This day also had other significance and tumult in its own right, but it was time to get geared up and start (re)building again.