{"id":4010,"date":"2024-03-21T07:42:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T06:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/?p=4010"},"modified":"2025-10-12T21:48:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T20:48:03","slug":"how-hard-could-it-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2024\/03\/21\/how-hard-could-it-be\/","title":{"rendered":"How hard could it be?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Managing a house renovation project is hard work. We keep rushing from place to place, making phone calls to and meeting tradesmen for cost estimates, and pleading\u2013if not begging\u2013for our work to be started in priority. This back-and-forth has been our bane for the last three months. Yet, I&#8217;m told that we have made good progress, compared to others&#8217; experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps, having the masonry done, and doors and windows installed within a month give that impression. But out of fourteen big items on our project plan, we&#8217;ve marked only four as green. A couple of them (CWA water supply and CEB electricity suppl)are marked amber, given the dependence on other tasks to be completed first. And, we have yet to choose light fixtures and sanitary ware to be able to advance work on electrics and plumbing (the reds).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My brother is convinced that we can complete the renovation within our three-week stay in Mauritius. I am not, given how much remains to be done and the slow pace at which things move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since &#8220;I am not working&#8221; on this trip, I thought I would spend my afternoons  doing more photography. But the activities related to our renovation project are more tiring than I expected, especially combined with the heat, and my motivation remains low. With some encouragement from P, I looked for and found a picture without having to drive anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-attachment-id=\"4011\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2024\/03\/21\/how-hard-could-it-be\/2024-03-20-0003\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003-300x169.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003-1024x576.jpg\" data-id=\"4011\" src=\"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-03-20-0003-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Managing a house renovation project is hard work. We keep rushing from place to place, making phone calls to and meeting tradesmen for cost estimates, and pleading\u2013if not begging\u2013for our work to be started in priority. This back-and-forth has been our bane for the last three months. Yet, I&#8217;m told that we have made good [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1j9q5-12G","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3038,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2022\/05\/09\/changing-habits-is-hard\/","url_meta":{"origin":4010,"position":0},"title":"Changing habits is hard","author":"Eddy Young","date":"9 May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"After using the Dvorak keyboard layout for more than 15 years, I'm returning to the QWERTY layout. The switch seems more difficult than learning to touch-type for the first time, given how arduous it feels. As I write this post, when I think of a word, my fingers immediately hit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2848,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/03\/objects-that-tell-stories\/","url_meta":{"origin":4010,"position":1},"title":"Objects that tell stories","author":"Eddy Young","date":"3 August 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I replaced the batteries of my Photon Micro-Light and gave it a bit of TLC. With some elbow-grease, the little torch was once again clean and shiny. Although it shows wear from being carried on my keychain for 20 years, it still evokes happy memories. Photon Micro-Light I bought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo Micro-Light lamp","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210803_131749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210803_131749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210803_131749.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210803_131749.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20210803_131749.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4611,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/16\/walk-around-minley\/","url_meta":{"origin":4010,"position":2},"title":"Walk around Minley","author":"Eddy Young","date":"16 March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday and today, P and I finally hiked a new trail in Minley. It's less than a ten-minute drive away from home, yet we put off going there for more than a year. It's also now my favourite of all the trails near us. The terrain is quite diverse, changing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-15A-021-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-15A-021-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-15A-021-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-15A-021-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-15A-021-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2025-03-15A-021-150x150.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4268,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/24\/you-win-some-you-lose-some\/","url_meta":{"origin":4010,"position":3},"title":"You win some, you lose some","author":"Eddy Young","date":"24 September 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"These are the \"you lose some\" from a roll of Fomapan 200 exposed with a Nikon FM2. What happened here is that I opened the camera back with the window of the Shirley Wellard film cassette still open. The winding lever was sticking every few frames, and so I rewound\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Graffiti on old concrete structure","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-09-21A-001-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-09-21A-001-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-09-21A-001-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-09-21A-001-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-09-21A-001-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-09-21A-001-150x150.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2919,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/23\/back-from-a-well-deserved-break\/","url_meta":{"origin":4010,"position":4},"title":"Back from a well deserved break","author":"Eddy Young","date":"23 November 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"After taking last week off, I resumed work today. Because I still had 26 days of leave remaining for the year and had to use all of them before it ends, I booked a week of holidays without any planning. The break from work, especially after the recent hectic weeks,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4893,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/06\/making-intentional-photos-when-shooting-digital\/","url_meta":{"origin":4010,"position":5},"title":"Making intentional photos when shooting digital","author":"Eddy Young","date":"6 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"When I bought my Nikon D850, I ordered a 128 GiB CFexpress card to go with it, assuming that the camera's high-resolution output would demand substantial storage. Yet, because of my approach to digital photography, I rarely fill more than a fraction of the card while I'm shooting. I seem\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2025-06-11A-003-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2025-06-11A-003-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2025-06-11A-003-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2025-06-11A-003-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2025-06-11A-003-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2025-06-11A-003-150x150.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4010"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5067,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4010\/revisions\/5067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}