Tuesday, August 24, 2010

M.V.P. day, not the M.V.P.A. day

Hello friends! We have returned from a trip to the fabulous Jersey shore.  

Which is apparently what one does during the summer months on the east coast. Assimilation complete. We went with some seriously awesome people.  
 
(Yes, that is us standing in front of the letters. )

Which made the trip seriously awesome. But East coasters will never understand a Midwesterners distrust of the ocean.  


Seriously. 

The Notorious tried to explain, it’s not a lake, a creek or a crick. And the water’s not green enough. You feel me Hoosiers?  

We returned to the Villa in South Philla (a boozy gem from the trip) on Saturday. And would you believe nothing had changed. WTF. Why don’t things get done in our absence? I thought surely if they don't get done in our presence....

I did finish the floors before vacating for the vacation. Get ready for my fancy aerial shot.
I think they turned out well. I had originally intended to complete 3 rows but, well, I just didn’t want to.
 

I am glad I left the creepy pictures on the wall. Given they are the only decorations on the wall. Me + Plaster + Drill = Fail.  

We condensed the livitchen to make better use of the room. I have actually sat down here and ate, read, composed this very blog post, etc.  
 

I have no idea how both of the next pics are of the same room. One makes it look super short and the other more accurately represents how loooong the house really is. (Ok, I do have an idea of how this effect is effected, but still I marvel).  
 

Since being back, big, big, news. I’m in love. I’m in love. And I don’t care who knows it.  

I LUV THE HEAT GUN. I am prepared to say it is the most awesome tool ever. Removing paint is soooo much better than applying paint. 

Well, when you’re packing a heat gun. 

Is like a ray gun. 

If I were in space, it would totally be my weapon of choice. 

Well, space in the future of course.  

It’s a Wagner. Each time I see its’ name on the side I think it reads “Danger”, not "Wagner". And really, it should.

I’m working on de-redding the stairs.
 
We’ll be lucky to make it out of this without me starting a fire. I finished for the day and my face is hot and smells of burnt paint. 

I did watch an e-how video before starting. The gentlemen noted the heat gun’s similarity in shape to a hair dryer. He explicitly warned against using it as a hair dryer tho. God bless the Internet, right? That could have been embarrassing.  

I only got to the landing and the first step. 
 
 Angry red paint is angry.  


*Sorry if my pictures are all super flash-y. The Notorious fancied up the camera settings over the trip. He’s all “aperture” and "other fancy camera words". Despite spending several years developing actual software, used TO FLY AIRPLANES, I cannot de-Notorious the camera. Auto was my only move. Look what the fancy did to my beloved heat gun.  


While I appreciate the suggestion of an impending blast off, the heat gun commands respect. 

I even considered composing a haiku about/for the HG. I kept repeating "I love you heat gun" in my head. Then I realized it was a 5-syllable repeat. Now that I've stepped away, I realize I should have protected myself better from the fumes. But at least no fire. Super bonus given I just ordered smoke detectors from Amazon yesterday. Don't tell my Mom.



But should she find out. Mom, we do have the fire ladder you so kindly purchased for us.



Don't tell her I sold it to buy the smoke detectors. 

Ah, I jest.



e.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Up day/ Down day


So, they say there’s an upside to everything. Seems to mean there’s also a downside to everything. I’ve really been playing the spread this week.  
The past two weeks I’ve had two 3-day stretches off from work. The only upside to being a nurse. So, I’ve been working on house stuff alone. Sometimes it’s really nice to work alone.  

I can listen to whatever I want on Pandora. So I listen to pop music. Really loudly. Don’t tell the Notorious but right now my station is set to Ashlee Simpson. It’s awful and wonderful. Upside.  

But then stupid Pandora thinks I’ve stopped listening and stops. Sans Notorious I can’t bring myself to trudge upstairs each time so the house falls silent. Surprisingly silent. Downside. Today the dryer buzzer went off 11 times. Like consecutively. That got me to trudge downstairs thinking there was surely some kind of laundry emergency. The emergency was dry towels.  

I finished off the living room walls. And I made the executive decision to leave this gem intact for now. Upside.  
 

And then there’s the floors. I was all gung ho to start over the weekend. And then I fell in a hole.
 
 Not this one. She drops her toys thru to the basement and then stares at them. I just think it’s cute.  

This nasty one.  
 

Right leg in the basement, rest of my body upstairs. Thankfully. The saw is there in the pics b/c Notorious was bringin’ the fix.

The holes have been there since move in, covered in some manner. Me falling thru really lit the fire. And yes, my leg really hurts. I had just switched from shorts to pants when I dropped. Thankfully.  

I have started now tho.  


So, if you recall the previous post….  



…I think I’m well on my way.  

I would however totally trade my cats for the ones in the above pic. Mine “help” by sitting right where I’m trying to work, batting my supplies around, and shedding at will on wet paint.
 

It’s a shocking amount of work to do alone. And crazy physically abusive. Like everything hurts. Downside. Granted the hole incident meant I was starting physically, well, in the hole.  

Hands on hardwood also means I compressed my ulnar nerve in my left palm. My pinky and ring finger are all numb and tingly. Plus, I can’t bring all of my fingers together. I can make a fist but I can’t cup my hand. Imagine being in the shower, shaking down your shampoo, making a little cup out of your left hand to squeeze into and then the shampoo running right out between your last two fingers cuz they’re not touching the others. Downside. Serious downside if it doesn't resolve. 


Man. I really miss my main squeeze. For all of the reasons above, but most of all b/c what the eff is the deal with square pencils? They’re so impractical. First off, they’re square. And second, being square they are really hard to sharpen. You have to use a knife. And I really can’t take any more injury this week. 

A meek left-handed wave and I limp away, 
e.