Visiting Day

When my sis and bro-in-law (Mr. & Mrs. Q) were out recently, I asked them to guest blog. Well, during the actual visit the sheer glory of the house left them speechless and flat busted each nite. However, they have email'sd along a post. I edited a smidge for ease of reading. And b/c I'm bossy. I also re-posted some pics for reminders. Unfortunately, not enough has changed to post new pics.

My husband and I had the distinct pleasure of being the first overnight visitors with the amazing and unbelievably good looking and smart Notorious and e. Tee hee. Editing is awesome.
 
Ok, for reals, here's their post:
 
My husband and I had the distinct pleasure of being the first overnight visitors at 1512. I am E’s (slightly) older, (significantly) less funny, and (exceptionally) less heat/dirt/ghetto tolerant sister.
 
Here are our bloughts on our getaway at chez E. I’ve prepared them in a point/counter-point style as anyone who has lived through a home renovation can attest to the love/hate relationship the re-doer has with the re-done.
 
Point 1: The bathroom is way worse in real-life than in picture-life.

From Mr. Q:
Seriously, my two requirements are a dumper and a hose. They didn’t have a hose. I longed for a hose. I swear the bathtub/sled was headed straight for the basement every time my cleaner-than-the-tub ass put a foot in there. Oh, door, no front door…I can see you from here.

Counter point 1: I lost at least ½ inch off each of my thighs.

You’d think a shower would be super fast given that you want to spend as little time in there as possible. But it takes a lot of time and effort to undress, shower, and re-dress in a 2 x 3 foot space without making any contact with any surfaces. Try it sometime. The leg strength and balance required to step into your underwear while keeping a flip-flop on your foot without touching said flip-flop to said underwear and NEVER MAKING CONTACT with the walls/doors/fixtures should be the next fitness craze.

Point 2: A liv-itchen is not the same as a kitchen.

Mr. Q: 
Nope. But I tread lightly. The liv-itchen has a fridge with cold beer.
 
Counter point 2: Philly has some of the best restaurants ever!


I’ve had a liv-itchen. Not fun. Not appetizing. Not convenient. While having your food within arms reach of your couch might sound like a dream come true, the novelty wears off fast. Luckily, Philly is blessed with more restaurants per capita than any other city in the good old US of A. And they’re good. Cheesesteak . . . yum. Cool Israeli restaurant with weird waiter . . . yum. Yuengling . . . yum-ling.

(Zahav but not us at Zahav.)

Point 3: There is not a whole lot to do at the house.

Mr. Q: South Philly Tap Room. Didn’t see enough of it.

(Our neighborhood bar. Again, not us.)

Counter point 3: Quizzo and Ikea

Once you get tired of watching a weird lady walk down the street without shoes (FYI, tetanus survives on concrete) and observing the cats take yet another nap, the lack of cable and functional space sets in. Enter Quizzo (the greatest game on the planet) and Ikea (the greatest store on the planet). Oh, what fun!

Point 4: There were boogers all over the walls we cleaned.
 

 ("TV Room")

 ("TV Room", "Superman Room")

 ("TV Room", "Superman Room", "Booger Room")

Mr. Q: Shouldn’t even be a mention. The place is 100+ years old. Things happened in that place that would make you shiver. Better a booger than a diary.
 
Counter point 4: I’ve realized the importance of having a Kleenex talk with my kids.

As you have already read, we were prepping the 2nd floor bedroom for paint when we discovered boogers. ALL over the walls. Hundreds of them. So, somewhere between the monumental discussions of ‘the difference between less and fewer’ and ‘the birds and the bees’, I will schedule a talk about proper booger disposal.

Point 5: The house is really old.
 
Mr. Q: And full of potential. I’d love a place with 12 foot ceilings with a raw canopy to make my own. You certainly have the vision.
 
Counter point 5: The house is really old.

Okay, so the leg of the couch fell through the rotted floorboard while I was sitting on it (embarrassing). And the bathtub did seem like it was about to plunge into the basement (frightening). And sure, there is no AC and many of the windows do not perform the requisite window functions of opening and closing (hot). But, there are 10+ foot ceilings on the first floor. The baseboards are 6” wide. The house is in an up and coming part of a very cool city. 

 (So, not technically "our" part of the city, but still the city.)

And the best part? My sister lives there.

(Actually me.)

 

Thanks soooo much guys. For everything. Again. One complaint though, why'd you have to let me know tetanus survives on concrete? What else does it survive on? Do you think treating for termites also treats for tetanus? They do kinda sound alike and I'm pretty sure that logic flies around here.

We reciprocated with a visit to Indy this week. We'll be back in inaction after the weekend.

e.