Jenga

26th August 2007
Most of my knowledge of, and confidence in building comes from being undefeated in all forms of Jenga (including ‘human size’). So it came as no surprise when the builder encouraged me to take out all sorts of huge bricks in important and strategic locations of my wall. I knew it would still stand.

My newest job is to make the holes for the air pipes which go under the floor which, according to him is apparently quite simple, but the walls are about three feet thick and made of solid stone. This is obviously another challenge set to make me realise that he’s the top dog around here, and that his team is making fast progress and I’m not allowed to hold them up. So soon we will have a concrete floor which will look almost exactly like it did before we started, but this one will be flat, damp-free, reinforced and expensive.

Trouble is that when you then have a big empty space there are just too many options and I’ve been spending the sleepless hours between 4 and 7am fretting over how we can divide the space so it works best; where doors should go, where windows should go etc. But most of the fretting is, as usual, about budgets and the bottom line…

The stupid dog is settling into a nice routine of an early morning walk followed by breakfast, a quick play and training session, and then I just sit back, relax and wait for the inevitable, “Daddy! The dog’s done a poo in the house again!”

Anyway, however hard his latest challenge, and despite the fact that he probably thinks I’m an idiot, I know that I could still beat the builder at Jenga.

The stupidest thing I did today;
Rather pleased with myself today - stupid-free.

Comments

[Judith in UmbriaJudith in Umbria]

That's quite a project you have there! Is there an explanation somewhere of what you're doing?

Anyway, here's a clue about the space planning: use tracing paper over the plan and make what is called a bubble diagram allotting space to the various activities with arrows showing how to get in and out, using more arrows for busy entrances, one for dead-ends. When you've done a workable circulation plan, it will be clear what you can accomplish and how to accomplish it. You'll be surprised how simple reality becomes. The best planners have big waste baskets! No one gets it right in one. Good luck.