Connie,
Well the basement is drying out and soon the money will start flowing out to put things back in order. Thus far, my insurance company is denying any coverage. City problem they say. I am bracing for the city to say not our problem either… In the mean time I trying to move on with damage control. First is to move everything out and finish the clean up job. That will be about $5000. Then there will be a move out, storage and later move back to the tune of maybe another $6000, which sounds like a bargain compared to the $20,000 the damage control guys quoted. I called the movers who moved my studio in 2011. Then there will be be building back, maybe $10,000 to $20,000 more depending on finishes. I know it is an old basement, but there is no point in not bringing it up to 2015 standards. So new bathroom and built in bookshelves and obviously new paint and such. But the big unknown is solving the problem that caused the flood in the first place. If it was city sewer back up then we need a shut off valve on our line to the city line. I thought we had one, but Carter says no. At any rate it all needs to be investigated. I also wonder about the little blue patio to the east of the deck. It is hardscape and fills up like a pool in heavy rains. There is a drain that is obviously not clear, but I thought it moved water into the yard away from the house. And besides, any surface water that pools up shouldn’t come up through our toilet. So who knows how to solve that mystery or how much that will cost. I am trying not to think about it too much and positively spin this as a new beginning. Carter is moving upstairs, which he is thrilled about. Better view, that for sure. His office may become a TV room again with maybe a little more storage for me. He is moving his files to the garage, which I wonder about, but he says it is ok, that the current and important stuff will stay inside. I want a new, real laundry room, so the paint will be moved to the garage as well. I know you probably don’t recommend that, but how often will my garage that is insulated and below a heated studio go below freezing? Other things will get tossed and perhaps I will a giant yard art sale…
And with this and all that has happened this summer, I feel a major attitude shift coming about. I had another tit for tat text go around with my real estate client over money. Over all of $200. And I am tired of it. And this on the heels of a photo shoot that I totally nailed and the home owner credited me with selling in a week at $75,000 over asking. I am this close to taking a hike. But we shall talk and see where to go from here.
I also had connected with my client at Google about my Google guy project, hoping to have a meeting with her and dish off this big print. Hoping that might lead to something. With out going into great detail, she politely blew me off, basically saying “don’t call me, I‘ll call you”… So it goes. I have one more contact, and if he blows me off, then it so much for my renewed marketing efforts. I will just do the occasional head shot as they drift in.
One of the scarier moments of the flood was seeing pouring water in the basement, seeing all these prints and things on the floor and wondering which to save first. Then I saw an open binder of negs on the floors, negs from Paris, May 1999. I had pulled them because they had Robbie and Claire photos I wanted to scan. I hadn’t gotten around to scanning nor putting the binder back on the shelf… And there I was, watching a wave of filthy water wash over it. I grabbed it and threw it to higher ground. I couldn’t stop to do anything else until all of the prints were moved up stairs. I later moved the binder to the studio and separated everything to dry. It wasn’t too bad really, so I think I dodged a bullet. Those negs affected now have a patina in the future I shall call “Flood of 15”. In putting things back I found this little gem. Your notes on the back of the contact sheet say May 1999 , Twilight Walk around apt, Paris…alongave de l’Observatoire. I wish all my contact sheets had such poetic notes..
Sisko just called and is all his way with his latest batch of stuff to photograph….gotta go.
My advice…do things that matter and fuck the chicken shit stuff.
M
