Our painter turned out to be not so trusty after all...
Lorenzo was completely unhappy with the work he was doing and by the third day, realized that it wasn't going to improve. We have a very methodical way of doing things: you fill, you sand, you use an industrial vac to clean up all the dust thoroughly, and then you begin priming. When the priming is done, you look around at any mistakes and you fix them. Only then, do you begin painting. We're Type-A renovators.

Our painter would do some filling, move to a different part of the room and start priming, begin painting some trim work, then Lorenzo would hear the sander. All this, to the soul-numbing strains of his Barry Manilow collection. Lorenzo would stop what he was doing, go upstairs, and explain repeatedly how he wanted it done. We think our painter has breathed into too many fumes; he just didn't get it. It was making Lorenzo frantic and he called home sounding more frustrated than I've ever heard him. On the third day, he was pretty much fired.

Renovating really makes you realize how much incompetence is out there. Lorenzo is convinced that only about 10 to 15 percent of people are conscientious in what they do. Sounds cynical, doesn't it? Maybe we're just becoming very tired of this entire project...anyway. I'm heading over tomorrow, alone, to paint. How I'm dreading it.

Today Ireland was playing Italy in the Euro Cup soccer championships. Being the spawn of an Italian father and an Irish mother, it's hard to know who to root for in these situations...