I'm so wired right now!

OK, I'm not wired YET, but I soon will be. Marshall began dismantling the knob and tube wiring yesterday while I was up in Philadelphia for work. He called me after the first two hours of work. I was at Haverford getting ready to go out for breakfast. Here's how our conversation went:

"Hi Marshall, thanks for calling! Have you started?"

[Pause. Marshall's very serious generally so this was not unexpected.]

"Yes, we got started and, well, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but it's bad."

"What do you mean? What's the problem? [Images of explosions running through my head.]"

"Well...[pause] it's pretty much all knob and tube except the kitchen, and we're going to have to rewire pretty much the whole house. I'm really sorry to tell you this. It's pretty much the worst case scenario. I really hate to give you bad news."

"OK! No problem. Just let me know if there's anything you can do to make it cheaper but still safe."

"Yeah, I'll see if there's anything I can think of. I'm really sorry." [third time he's apologized.]

"Hey, nothing to worry about. It's an old house, and it's going to have fabulous new wiring when you're done."

"I'm so sorry to have to call and tell you this."

Etc, including various specifics, a couple of good cost-saving ideas, peppered with repeated apologies. I think I eventually convinced him that I am not, in fact, shocked by this news, and that I am not suicidal. After all, we dodged the oil tank bullet, so why on earth should we expect to dodge this bullet? What it comes down to is this picture. Here's why I'm so weirdly cheery:

 See all that horrid cloth-covered wire? This morning I got to the house early and wandered through, looking at all the outlets and switches that Marshall and his guys exposed yesterday.After this is all done, I'll be free of probably the single most important source of anxiety with an old house. And I'll have so many circuits. The house currently only has THREE. Not good.

So, the only thing I need to decide now is when to deliver these guys my first batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, since they'll be working on the house for about two weeks. Talk to you later!