We are in the final stages of an office renovation that is going to give us about two-thirds more space than we had before. I have spent the last three weeks watching walls come down and go up. I have made what seems like a zillion decisions about things I knew very little about a few weeks ago --- like faceplates for wiring, transferring data and phone lines, and what colors ducts should be painted. I also have heard my name called over and over again by the various folks on the construction crew until I seriously thought maybe I should say, "You know what? My name is really Susan, not Carol," just to see what they would say.

Week three of construction. Memo to anyone planning a renovation: it's insane to do this if you have any possessions in the space! We have carried every piece of office furniture around the new combined office area at least three times as we stayed a step ahead of the workers at each stage of this project. On Thursday afternoon we had moved everything out of my future office after stacking it ALL in there a mere 36 hours earlier so carpet laying could be facilitated in the rest of the space.

As we are in week two of our office renovation, my days go something like this. I drive to New York. I then work amidst banging, pounding, drilling and grinding until 3:00 with interruptions for questions, phone calls and messengers. Then it becomes so stunningly quiet that I actually find myself spending a half an hour getting used to the silence. The workers and I have gotten into a rhythm where they have learned I am agile enough to make it across the floor without stepping on nails, I have come to appreciate their suggestions and changes, we all seem to like the same music and they are kind enough not to smoke when I am around. I really am tired of sheetrock dust, but the plan is evolving the way I envisioned it, and that keeps me going through the late nights and early mornings when I try to catch up on everything that does not happen for the first half of the day.

We are in week three of an office renovation that is consuming my days, leaving me only the evenings for working. Our entire staff is working from their homes while my older son, Greg, who is with us at the office for the summer, is with me in New York. There have been moments of complete frustration with this project coupled with some hilarious times. We both are tired of carrying furniture from room to room, and I confess that when book shipments arrive we both laugh trying to figure WHERE we can store them until the staff returns and still stay one step ahead of the construction crew. Tonight, in utter frustration, I just stashed a box in my car!