Changes

The more things change, the more that they stay the same, goes the old adage. I have spent a good part of my professional career either making messes (or at lest wise planning to make a mess) or cleaning up other peoples past activities. I began my career looking for uranium and ultimately transitioned to cleaning up one of the end products of my earlier life. Which is not to say that any of the uranium that I found actually ended up in a nuclear device (bomb, in non-PC speak).

Currently and through several twists of fate, I am managing a construction project for which I only have the most rudimentary skills. I can manage people and tasks but this project is a mine field laden with all manner of hidden surprises. It is a complete re-model of a 1946, 88,000 sf- art-deco-fixer-upper. The downside is that there is NO contingency or risk money. The margins are fixed at 8% by contract. The interior demolition contractor is 3 months behind schedule due to "unforeseen" conditions like 27-in thick walls, excess asbestos, etc. etc. We are a month and 1/2 into the rebuilding developing work around solutions on a daily basis. I still don't have 100%, Issued For Construction drawings and likely won't until middle of this week.

Am I whining? I guess that I am. Frankly I think that I am in over my head. My manager is less than helpful. He wants my head (actually he would be happy if I moved on) because we aren't able to bill all of the money he has forecast for the month (ya gotta do the work to get paid). So now I am willing to make his life easier, or at least in his mind easier, by moving on. I am looking for work. Reluctantly. I don't want to quit because that is an admission of failure but on the other hand...