I was in such a good mood when I left work yesterday. I still don’t understand how I could go from a high and sink to an all-time low.

My evening started when one of the managers here pulled me aside. “Drac0! I just heard from the client. They reviewed the manual you sent out. He said he can’t approve it (engineering has final say) but he really loves it and is strongly recommending that their engineering department approves it.”

This is a HUGE deal for us as this particular client has been extremely picky and extremely demanding. So this was a feather in my cap and I left work with a skip in my step.

And then I arrived home.

SS was outside playing again. Okay that’s fine, but the last few days he’s been going to be late because he plays all evening and only “remembers” he has homework when it is time to go to bed.

DW greets me and I tell her the good news. She doesn’t say anything other than “that’s nice.”

I proceed to the kitchen to fix supper…”Oh could you tell SS since he is outside that the garbage needs to go out in front.” I ask

Now due to the home renovation projects going on, we have a ton of garbage. I’m cooking supper and every now and then I catch a glimpse of SS outside. One moment he is climbing the tree. The next moment he is tossing the ball with the neighbor’s kid. Garbage still hasn’t moved.

“DW? Did you tell SS to take the garbage to the front?” I ask again.

DW says she did.

I serve supper. I call the kids but I tell SS he is to put all the garbage out before coming inside.

SS stays outside for a few minutes. I don’t what he is doing but he is not touching the garbage.

The good feeling I had before is now gone. I am agitated. I mean….What is the big deal? Ten minutes and it is done.

SS walks inside and just goes straight to his room. He doesn't want supper. He says he doesn’t feel well.

Right away, my bullsh*t sensors are going off. DW goes to check on him “He says he has a headache.”

Great! I guess this means I am taking out the garbage.

Before I do so, I want to take advantage of what little daylight we have left and give BS’s room a second coat of paint. DW is busy with the kids, getting them ready for bed. After I finish my paint job, I go outside and take the garbage out to the front.

I come inside, and I hear the whirling sound of my mouse sander. I run towards the noise. DW is sanding a portion of the wall.

“What are you doing?!?” I screech.

DW jumps and says she is sanding a section of the wall in BS’s room because it was “bumpy”.

“DW! I just painted in here!!!!”

In the space of a few minutes, DW just flushed an hour of work I did in the room. There is gyprock dust all over the freshly painted walls.

Great! Now I’m pissed!

I did not yell at DW, but I was absolutely furious. At this rate, renovating the kids rooms will be complete when kids are off to college!

“But the wall was bumpy!” DW says. “I didn’t know you just painted in here.”

I waited until all the kids were asleep and then I told DW that this evening has been nothing but an exercise in frustration for me. I was in such a good mood when I came home and now I am angry.

This is the third time now DW has caused a major setback in what is supposed to be a simple and fun DIY project. The first time was when we tried to clear out SS’s room and DW forced me to put on the brakes because I was throwing out Tall-boy’s precious toys (which he hasn’t touched in 10 years). The second time was over the mouldings. I wanted to reuse the existing mouldings but DW just tore them all up without asking.

“It’s okay, we’ll just get new ones….”

Who does she think I am!?!? Bob Villa with deep pockets!?!?

I told her, without sugarcoating anything, that if she pulls another stunt like that, I am throwing in the towel on this project. I’m done! I told her that I will become EXACTLY like her brother-in-law (who she is constantly criticising). His version of home renovation is buying chickens and pigs for the backyard and drinking a Bud on some furniture made from milk crates (I’m not kidding).

"You have so far added on several hours (if not days) of extra work for me DW without even consulting me. I don't appreciate that. You do that again, you are on your own."

I mean for crying out loud, it’s a kid’s room! We’re going to have to change it in few years anyway. DW is treating this project like we are about to show it off to a real estate agent.

But the wall was bumpy What do she mean the wall was “bumpy”? Is she planing driving on the wall!?!? Is she scared some wayward spider is going to trip on the wall and sue us!?!? WTF!?!?