Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Partial FUNemployment

Oh wow, what an interesting week this is shaping up to be.

As of yesterday, I have received a cut in work hours and pay to a new as of yet undetermined amount.

And hey, guess what? I am sort of not so secretly excited about it.

I have no debt to speak of. I can pay my bills with unemployment checks, so really anything above that (plus health insurance!) is pretty darn spiffy. And it gives me more time to make messes in the kitchen!

So even though I am ever so slightly freaked out, the idea of having more time off during the holidays to really enjoy them is sort of tempting to me. The idea of looking for a really fun part time job to maybe make some extra cash is sort of interesting too. Or maybe an internship in a field I have only dreamed of before? Or maybe just a temporary yet mandatory slow down of life and a recharging of my internal batteries? I am all fluttery with the possibilities that I have been given. I want to make this into a blessing.

I suppose that now I will have no excuse not to update this blog more often. With pictures, even.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

TMI Tuesday

--Lilly is just fine. She is healing well, and is being super annoying as usual. She stays inside while we are at work, since playing with her sister is prohibited, and unavoidable when they are alone for even 5 minutes. She also ate a bunch of Halloween candy today, and Hershey's pumpkin pie spice kisses have not done anything to her but give her bad farts. Thusly, I conclude the obvious: American chocolate is total shit.

--the ductwork was replaced without a hitch. We did a great job just patching a new length of it in after cutting a destroyed section out. I feel like this could be a great fallback career in These Trying Times. the ease of replacing it, and building a trap door to keep her out has resulted in Maya resuming her place on the Good Girl List. She is not on the list with anyone else. See above.

--I am a cooking machine lately. I have been making all sorts of ethnic cuisines and baked this and thats. Perhaps it's my huge new kitchen. Perhaps it's the cooler weather. Perhaps it's my new healthier habits in an effort to look good for the Sisterly Wedding Extravaganza taking place in March. Perhaps I should start taking pics and sharing recipes? Tonight I am making low fat chicken and dumplings. The dumplings are made with corn meal, which is different, and the Chicken soupy part is made with apple juice and thyme. Strange, but so, so good.

--I've also gone and done something crazy. I have hauled off and joined a gym. I am going about 5 nights a week and LOVING it. Loving. Oh man, loving it. I am having lots of fun and really look forward to it most days. I am even getting over my hatred of sweating. However, I have a giant red zit on my back. I can't really see it, but I am told it's totally Unhot. Hey, TMI is right up there in the title. I didn't make you read this.

--I'm also feeling smug what with my Christmas Plan of Action. I have a list of who is a knitting recipient, a pattern picked out, and a tentative knitting schedule. If I can finish one thing a week (most are small projects- cowls and mitts and such) then I should be able to get it all done by christmas with a week to spare. That leaves the week days to knit for myself. Since I am so smug and prepared, it is just a matter of time till this blows up in my face.

--the house is coming along nicely. I am still on the $60 a week trip to Lowe's kick, and the yardwork on our tiny lot-- oh the yard work. I hate picking up crap. But hey, it's gotta be done. This weekend I have big plans for a few bits of furniture, stopping only to go see Zombieland and crank out a cowl. See above.

That's all that's fit to print. Soon, very soon, I should be showing finished things, for a change. I have my very own computer up and running after a long hiatus. Now I should be able to post pics more frequently since it isn't such a collossal pain in the ass. I hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Frankenloo & HVAC Girl

Let's talk about the past 24 hours. then let's talk about an epiphany of sorts, and we will conclude with why animals are horrid and merciless with the way they harangue you into loving them.

And so it begins...

Lilly came home from surgery disturbingly out of it. Moving around was such an effort. She was in so much pain. She got a pain pill, she went to sleep. BF is racked with guilt and is angry with me for putting her through this. I begin to doubt whether or not it is right, despite my fervent conviction that unless we are willing to keep every single offspring of our animals, they should be Spayed.

Well then, it occurs to us that Maya is outside in the rain. Except she's not. Turns out that she moved a mound of bricks and got under the house via the crawlspace. So BF decides to go in after her, so he can start repairing the damage to the deck. And then he sees it:

she has destroyed a roughly 25 foot length of AC duct silvery tubey stuff. Destroyed. And shat upon. Seriously, there are tons of dumps under there. I could have killed her on the spot, had I not had to sit there and wait for her to be dragged out from under the house. I felt my knees get all wobbly, my blood ran cold, and in my mind, mentally thousands of dollars would have to be put forth RIGHT FECKING NOW to make this right. It did not help that BF was ranting and speculating that we would be sued over this.

so I did what any sane person would do, and that's throw on their shoes and speed to Lowe's as fast as they could to see what sort of DIY duct job they can do. Turns out, for about $50, they can make it like it never happened. I have spoken to a few people who have done this before, and it is simply a matter of taking down the shredded duct, and taping up the new one. Crawling around and cleaning up dog shit- not so glamorous, but can be done at the same time. Oh and here's something fun" Turns out, no one uses duct tape for ducts anymore. They use this metal foil tape. Guess who has a whole roll of it from her Mixed Media Days? Me!!! This is twice in the last month that Craft Supply Hoarding has paid off, folks. Twice.

So the Duct Panic wore off, and I got to thinking. I thought about how competent I will feel when I can say that I replaced that stuff, and did it On My Own, and how I was almost getting excited about it. And then I realized that it was the same feeling I get when I say "I need a hat; I will make one. I need a pillow that looks good in the living room; I will make one." And I think that I figured out the root of why I am a Habitual Tryer. Because I need to do things so that I know that I can do them. Some things I really like to do, and so I will do them again. Some things, once is enough (I believe duct repairs will fall in that category.) But that's okay. I think that the motivations don't really matter; the outcome, the joy that comes from Making Something- it's always the same.

so there's that, and it should be where the story ends, but it isn't.

So Lilly gets worse. she starts some wheezing; she doesn't eat or drink. she wheezes and moans her way through the night, and I wake up ragged this morning. Then we head to the vet after they say that they want to check out her wheezing. so I come home from work, and she is like all Doom and Gloom, woe is Lilly. We ride in the car, where she shivers, moans, and cries the whole way. At this point I am scared, and just wracked with guilt that I have done this to this poor dog. Yeah, she pisses me off, but are ovaries a fair trade for stepping on my feet all the time? I dunno. So anyway, have you ever had a car that made a funny noise, and you took it to a Mechanic, and it ran beautifully for the Mechanic? Lilly is that car.

She hopped out of the car, tail wagging, and marched right into the vet's, demanding to be loved upon. She tried to make out with the vet. The vet listened and listened to her, endured being kissed on the mouth (YUCK!) and said that she had a bit of an upper respiratory thing going on, and good thing we brought her in- it could have become pneumonia. So, after devouring an entire can of dog food, and then trying to dig in the trash, Lilly succeeded in almost making me look like a total idiot.

And since then we have been home, where all appears to be back on track. And then I lay down in the guest bed with this
and get up after a while, when i hear lilly heave a big sigh and see this
Lilly resting, and Maya snuggled in very close, and watching to make sure no one bothers her.

and that, my dears, is how they both avoided being shipped to Nicaragua in a box with no air holes.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Think Good Thoughts

As I type this, Lilly, The Resident Dodo Bird, is under the knife.

She is being spayed today. I have nothing but confidence in our vet, but the BF- he is a mess. This morning before she and I left for the vet's, he demanded that I bring her into the bathroom (while he was showering) so he could give her a kiss goodbye.

Please think good thoughts, while I am overcome with relief that this will be over and done with, and all without having to deal with another Doggie Period (oh my god SO GROSS) or worse- a litter of unwanted puppies.

Is now a good time to mention that she showed up at the doctor's in her Bee Costume? BF said it would make her feel brave. I don't know who is cuter, him or her.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Finally!

I have found the USB cord! Hooray! (In case you are curious, it was in a laundry basket full of random bits of electronic gadgetry. Thank goodness that as i was packing, I would take cords and wind them up neatly, then put a rubber band around them. That saved me an extra 6 weeks of pretending I didn't see a basket full of scary tangled cords.)

So anyway. Let's look at my new house. I did not clean for this house tour. I didn't even try. It's like you've stopped by unannounced, and I answered the door in my underpants. Bet you'll call next time, won't you?

Okay. So:

Living Room, view from the hallway. I didn't try very hard, so while you are seeing the entry way, and the nice open kitchen, you are missing out on the gas fireplace (fireplaces are really just for show here) and the vaulted ceilings, and also- the New TV. BF bought it last weekend, and I hate to admit how much I am enjoying all the HD-ness of it all. Right now Planet Earth is playing on the Planet Green channel, and it's breathtaking to watch. And nice to see stuff like that on while I work in the kitchen. Also, remind me to tell you about the Couch Situation. That's a story for another post. But right now since I have no idea what works with this oddball brown color, I have just brought in all sorts of things, and am living among them- trying to decide what I like. I think the red curtains will stay, and so will the main blue color in the couch.
Here is the sunroom, which you enter from way off to the right of the above shot- near the fireplace you can't see. That sofa in the living room is moving out to the sunroom once the Couch Situation is cleared up. You can see our deck outside the french doors.

Part of the guest bath. The interesting part. You didn't really want to see a toilet, did you? I am so happy that the buddha is inside now. He's always been a garden buddha, but I smile everytime I pass by the bathroom and see him sitting there. I bought that Paris drawing the first time I went there. I love it in this ridiculous pink bathroom.


Okay so in the bedroom you get a bit of the vaulted ceilings and the fun lighting (I seriously love it- both the recessed lights and the lights on the fan are on dimmers, so we can have the room as bright or dark as we like. But just look at this crazy green! I am sort of loving it. Turns out the stuff I already have looks great in there, but I think that we might be replacing it soon anyway. The duvet is falling apart, and we need king bedding for a queen bed- it's the only way to please two cover hogs. Also, fun side note- the bed is still on wheels, and we have hardwoods throughout. The dogs like to wrestle on our bed for some reason, and after a loud BANG! and lots of little toenails clicking on the floor, i ran in to see the bed halfway across the room (not exaggerating for once) and the headboard laying on the ground. Ugh.
And finally, the master bath. I love it. It's got a dual sink counter, and the white beadboard and bright blue just make it feel so clean and cheerful. i like that in a bathroom.


Well, that's all the tour we have today. There are still two more bedrooms and a dining room, but I will save that for when they are more presentable. But! I am loving this place. We still have a ways to go, but I already feel at home here. It's been just a week and a half but I consider it home. Cute side story: I have been trying to get BF involved in decor decisions. I want him to love it here, and I want him to feel pride in his home, even if he doesn't care about things like throw pillows and stuff. But we were talking about all the wacky colors in the house, and he said "I like all the colors. It's like I have a different feeling in each room." YES! The light, it's coming on in his head! I am fine with the fact that he will NEVER care about some of the things that make me dizzy with delight, but knowing that he feels calm in our green room, and happy in the yellow sunroom- it's so fun.

More pics soon- for now I have to get back to my baking project, and see what sort of progress I can make on the Final Frontier- my office.

Have a great rest of the weekend! Since the goal is to have the office up and semi-functional today, I hope to be back more regularly with updates and such.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Monday Randomness

and a pic free post, sadly.

As with all things, of course the cable/internet hookup situation didn't go as well as hoped. So there are no pics this time, but hopefully tonight there will be. Keep your fingers crossed.

The final frontier is my room, the girl cave. It's untouched, and totally daunting and frightening to me. But it's my goal for the week. That, and not killing any of my animals.

Speaking of, this weekend, BF secured his place in my heart for always. As if he hadn't already done that- he did a very wonderful thing. After we sort of forgot that we had an indoor only cat, we opened the french doors in the back and enjoyed the nice hint of fall we had going on(soon to be back in the upper 80's again, hmph). Then I was on the deck and noticed Charlie in the bushes! I went to go scoop him up and he crawled through a hole Maya made in the lattice on the deck (double hmph) and straight under the house! All it took was a little chin quivering, and BF was under the house with a flashlight, and then crawled on his belly out from under the house, along with a very dirty little cat. Victory! I do love that man.

Today I have a meeting. At a gym. Where I will likely be joining. I am excited and nervous. I know that I need exercise, and way more than I currently get. But I am scared! I am SO out of shape I am afraid I won't be able to keep up in the classes. What if I fart in yoga class?

And lastly, some sad news. I won't be making it to see Regina Spektor in Atlanta. Sigh. I'm so sad about that.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

So, that actually worked

We moved.

It's all over, and now I can unpack. Or rather, keep unpacking. So very, very, very much to unpack.

It's funny, unpacking a house. You see where your priorities are. The kitchen is completely done, and the sunroom is as done as it will get for a while. The rest? Eh...I'm trying.

I am so very very sore, and very tired. But, for the first time in my adult life, I love where I live. I love my home. This is such a nice feeling. I can't imagine what it will be like, knowing where all my stuff is in a house I love. And if I could just hurry up and make up my mind on some new furniture...This will just be great.

The animals made it okay. I thought that we lost Charlie yesterday, and Maya got out of the yard twice, but all in all we are settling in and getting used to the sounds of toenails click clicking on the wood floors.

And another thing, and hopefully this will make for good blog fodder- we have made a commitment, he and I. Well, I have. I have decided that we are buying a few things Brand New- just a few. All the rest, all the furniture in the house, will be second hand. I have already done some yard sales, and soon plan to hit the Habitat resale store. It should be fun- I am looking forward to this little project.

Back tomorrow with pics, hopefully. I remember putting the camera bag somewhere and thinking "this is a great place for this. I will know where it is all the time." Not so sure where that is now. Oopsie.