plumbing

hello again, it's matt

it's friday am, january 26.

we had our plumbing inspection an hour or so ago & came out just fine. another couple of days of finishing up the plumbing & electrical, and then we can start putting things back instead of cutting them away. right now most of the floor is gone, but jim is starting to replace it as i write this. soon we will get the painters in here to seal the ceiling and the concrete walls by the windows. then we can build up.

so -- what else?

if you're looking for a matt's fix but without matt, most of my staff can be found at bizarro, la spiga or moxie. be sure to say hello.


that's all there is for now. i'll be around.


matt

Capturing the chaos

Click on the photos for larger views

The corner windows......South (above) .......West (below)

COUNTER INTELLIGENCE

january 13

well, let me tell you -- i have adjusted to my new schedule!

i leave here whatever time i want on friday, turn off my phone & don't turn it back on until sometime monday -- i stick around at home mornings to walk the dog, i come home while it's still light out to make dinner for my wife. i just wish it would snow some more, since i don't really have to be anywhere right now.

this is cool. is this how you guys have been doing it all along, & didn't tell me?


things are happening -- it may be hard to see from these photos, but the plumbing & electrical are well underway. we've been struggling to get some response regarding our gas hookup -- what's here isn't at all up to code & we may have to pay to make it that way, but we're still moving forward. the recent massive power outage hasn't made the utility companies exactly awash in free time to come talk to us about it, but we'll get it settled.

it's really uplifting to me, after a decade of making do with the way things were in the space, to
be actually putting in the correct plumbing & fixtures that should have been here from the start. all the rotted wood is gone, all of the surfaces are now cleanable, sealable & sanitary.


we had an employee meeting yesterday -- there were one or two things to go over, but mainly i was lonely & wanted to see my good friends again, & i think the feeling may have been kind of mutual. everyone was pleased with the look of the space. a lot of the final issues of bar design, decor & layout are coming together, as well. we may even have a few surprises for you.


ok, that's all for now. check out tom's photos -- click on the pictures so you can really see them up close, & keep your fingers crossed for march. february 15 will be our guest chef night at the (also new) farestart - that's a thursday - there may still be some reservation space left if you call soon. if you're downtown & promise not to interfere with the work that's going on, you can always stick your head into the new door, or come around the corner to see me in the office -- that is, if i haven't already gone home for the day.

hi ho,

matt


oh, ps - i haven't forgotten to update you on jeff's sex life like i promised, i just don't think there's been anything to tell.
see ya, mj

a sunny winter afternoon

The mountains are thiiiiiiiiis big!

the new year

january 5, 2007

as you can see from tom's photo, the wall has come down -- the wall is missing, the counter is gone, the old floor is being cut away. the mirror is down for now, but it'll get put back up.

yesterday when i came through what will be our new front door i had the strangest feeling walking across the room -- my reflexes tried to stop me from going through open space -- after 10 years of being able to move around only in certain areas, my body was unwilling to let me simply walk right through what used to be the counter or a wall -- like moving the furniture around in a blind guy's house. when you are eventually able to come in & check it out, i believe you'll be happy to see that it's really not going to be a large space at all -- it's still close & intimate. it just gives us the room to have the stuff we need to keep doing what we do. the bar is really cool, too, & so is the general feeling in the room now that you can see out all around.

in case you hadn't noticed, the weather sucks. whenever there's some sunshine & i'm down here with my camera, i'll try to get some better pictures, so you can kind of see what we're seeing.


the construction guys tell me we'll be wiring things & putting in plumbing for about a week or so,
soda-blasting away all the old paint on the bricks & pillars, working to get the old, outmoded gas setup downstairs plumbed in according to code, & then we start building up. lights get hung, counters, bars & cabinets get brought in, then some unlucky guys get to haul the new burners & grill up the stairs so we can get underway.

i still say mid-march. we've hit a couple of snags that are slowing us down, but there was one nice gain that's helping to make it up. so it goes. i'm going home to cook for my wife.


matt

clearing the way

-two photos stiched together (CLICK on the photo for a LARGER image!)