Pareto's Principle

Most of us call it "the 80/20 rule", the notion that in any endeavor, there's an uneven split between cause and effect. More specifically, the last 20 percent of a project seems to take 80 percent of the effort.

And that's definitely where we are now with The Big Remodel. Oh, we're eating dinner at the kitchen table (even though the vent hood still isn't hooked up). We're watching DVD's on the new plasma panel (even though the cable TV outlet still isn't connected). And we're going to move the dining room furniture in this weekend (even though the dining room lighting fixture, and many others, awaits installation).

There are a zillion nagging final details. We're really enjoying what we can use of the "new" house, but a little frustrated about the parts we can't use.

The "unfinished symphony" may be in my DNA. My dad was sort of famous for doing remodeling jobs that didn't quite get to the finish line. But he always had a great rejoinder to anyone who'd challenge him to complete the job. He'd invoke the spirit of Sarah Winchester, who kept building that house in San Jose because she believed she'd die when the construction stopped.

With that in mind, I'm OK with a few things being left undone.

Whole Lotta TV

A photo does not do this thing justice.

That is one big TV set--at least, it felt that way while Tharon and I were trying to schlep it into place.

It would have been an easier job with another helper or two, but we got antsy and decided to do it as a duet.

Things went pretty smoothly, except for the part when we:

1. hoisted it into place on the wall mount and found it was 6 inches lower than expected
2. did some hair-pulling and teeth-gnashing
3. modified the mounting brackets with a hacksaw to get a few more inches of clearance
4. decided we'll have to live with it being a little closer to the media console beneath than we'd hoped

We may need to do a little camouflage work on the electrical outlet box behind the TV panel; it's barely hidden by the top edge of the panel when the set is pushed back against the wall. Swing the panel out and the outlet box looms into view

Worse, we now realize that swinging the panel out means no room on the media console for either a center-channel speaker or an iPod dock (both of which I'd been planning to place there), so more head-scratching is in order.

On the plus side, we hooked the Blue-Ray player up and watched a movie on the beast. Here's the funny part: I'd been worried that a 58" TV would be too big.

Not even close. We could have gone even bigger.

Even The Food Tastes Better

Well, we've now had dinner twice in the "new house". Went out and got new dinnerware and cookware, stashed the groceries in the new fridge, and cooked on the new stove (after having to pull out a drawer to get to the gas valve because it had been left in the "off" position).

I have to tell you: even though there are still stickers on the windows (must remain until final inspection) and many other signs of incompletion, it feels good to start settling in.

Now, if I can only figure where we stashed everything.

There are also all those "finishing touch" issues. We placed an order for new window coverings (thank goodness for free shipping and the Labor Day sale), scoured several stores for some small rugs to place near the sink, dishwasher, stove, and patio door, and continue to debate the relative merits of different drinking glasses.