Sex Club

We've been thrilled at the positive response we've received from restaurants and hotels (and we're not even open yet!) - corporate clients - especially since we've encountered a few stumbling blocks with opening, and haven't had any time to market Bubbles how we planned.
Yesterday a "private cafe" owner approached us, and asked if they could sign a wash contract - they even volunteered to pay double our asking rates for next-day service, and they only wanted a three day turn-around time. As we asked more questions trying to find out about the "cafe" we learned it's only open a few nights a week, from 10pm to 6am ... and you have to have an appointment.
If you know us, you'll know this conversation was about as strained as the Nudist Laundromat conversation .;. or the time we valued several wineries in Napa Valley (we don't drink alcohol) ... and of course this conversation is happening entirely in Ukrainian.
Needless to say, we passed up the offer.
We prefer to keep our machines as Hepatitis free as possible, thank you very much.

Smile! You're on Camera.

Our video surveillance is up and running ... which means we can (and do) check in on Bubbles at all hours ... and (eventually) from anywhere!

Uh-Oh

We could sure use a laundromat right about now.

Construction Quirks

Turns out, there are just different standards for construction in Ukraine than we're used to in America. First, we'll show you some of the poor building choices that we live with in our flat - a flat that was renovated this spring with the intent of being leased to an ex-pat family.

We have a great gas stove - better than our our SF rental - except for the fact that plastic molding was used on the wall behind and the heat has since melted and warped the molding.  Then there are the electrical outlets that occasionally 'pop' off the wall - and the builder actually used cardboard pieces to help stabilize the plugs and keep them in place. Whatever. 

Next, the bathroom. The tub water faucet is about two inches misplaced. How the water runs now actually hits the inner ledge of the tub ... if someone had thought through what they were doing, they would have moved the faucet over a couple of inches so it runs directly into the tub. But, the problem is, construction things are often not thought through. We've found the mentality is, "drill now, patch later." And we'd prefer it to just be right the first time. Finally, the sink leaks constantly - and it's only been used for 3 1/2 months.

Similar issues already plague us at Bubbles - why can you see this bathroom light cord? There is no reason that the hole should be visible. Why is this heater plug exposed two inches into the office? Why didn't they cut it so it ended behind the drywall? Why is the plumbing and piping ABOVE ground on the toilet? Why didn't they take an extra hour and dig down six more inches so the toilet could sit directly on the piping instead of exposing everything? Finally, why did they drill these extra ventilation holes in all the work rooms before they realized that there was a steal beam at one end that would prevent the pipe from going all the way through?

True, none of these issues on their own are earth shattering, and they aren't the reason we're 6 weeks+ behind schedule ... but when you are paying a decent amount for construction time and materials, you'd expect a decent completed job. We guess it's all a part of the crash course in Ukrainian business we're taking - and we're learning to work with it, through it, around it, and beyond it!

Two Steps Forward ...

One step back.
That pretty much describes the last three months of construction and permissions as we prepare to open Bubbles.

While explaining this concept to the kids using the tile floor, it became apparent that even though destination progress is slowed by this type of "forward-backward" movement ... three steps are still taken.
So, at the end of walking a mile in this way (two steps forward, one step backward) you've technically walked three miles ... and if you are on track, you weren't headed for a real destination anyway, just the exercise!
Translation = by the time this first store is said and done ... we'll have the "exercise" (or experience) of three stores ... even if we only have the income from one. And we'll be that much more "fit" to keep going.

LIGHTS, camera, action!

We have power and the lights are on! While we've had governmental power permission for weeks, it wasn't until Monday that the electricians were willing to connect our power. Then, of course, when the wires were to be connected on Monday, issues came up, and it wasn't until Thursday that everything was up and running ... but it is up and running! One of the hold-ups was that the little beady things on either side of this meter can only be removed by a city electrician - and if it's tampered with, there are fines, and fees. However, it takes weeks to get a city electrician during working hours, so we hired one to come by after working hours and get the job done - "When in Rome," right?

Another problem was the way Abilit (our main construction firm) wrote up our electrical project - suggesting we need 3 x's the amount of power that we really do need (an absurd amount!) so as to stall government approval, and have us pay them more, so they could use their "contacts" to get the project through ... see the corruption here? Anyway, problem averted, we have our own "contacts" and Bubbles will triumph. This is the folding room for hotel contract orders - lights, lights, beautiful lights in every room!


As far as other construction progress goes - the door frames are in, doors painted, and waiting to be hung.

 

The metal baseboards are mostly up and we'll remove the protective cover soon. The lip connecting the windowsill and drywall is installed. And the outside facade is coming along - more of a sky-blue than dark. So far the Ukrainian response to the blue has been overwhelmingly positive.

Update

We are now a month and a day past opening ... and getting closer.
The fire department installed the emergency exit signs and detectors.
Interior painting is finished.
The lights are getting closer to being complete.
We've re-plastered the outside facade because it was not done correctly the first time.

Our honest bush thief has returned yet another bush.
And we continue to try to navigate with and around the web of complications Abilit has created.
Power should be turned on today (fingers crosses) and we are getting closer with gas permissions.

On a final note, we had a dream last night ... we were on a balcony of a home on a mountain. We tried to get off the balcony, walked around and around as it winded down the mountain ... until we realized there was a tiger at the end. So we went back the way we came only to discover there was a bear on the other side. As they both approached we realized there was no way off ... except to wake-up. So, that's what we did - we woke up. Any interpretations?