The Promised Pictures Providing Perspective and Piecemeal Painting Progress

This first picture is actually the fireplace wall when everything was just getting started, that was shown before, after the painting was done. This is just given as a little bit more perspective for the amount of work being done, and how much the little incremental changes make such a huge difference.

And the next picture is the same wall, with decorations and cleanup relatively complete.

And finally, the aforementioned closet, complete with a small remnant of the sea-foam, aquarium algae green left on the door to give some idea of the wonder that accompanies the incredulity of "why was this color ever used?" Imagine the entire closet covered with that yuck-o color! And, I know its just a closet, but isn't the white so much better to see, like when you first open the door in the morning to start your day with a choice of shirt or something?

Hhmmmmm -

Be Careful???

Can someone please tell me why people say things, as well-intentioned as they may be, without really thinking about what exactly it is that they're saying? While eating lunch at a restaurant today I overheard a conversation between the cashier and a customer. It was all friendly banter while he was paying his bill... you know, just small talk about nothing in particular. I really wasn't listening that closely...really! What did catch my attention, however, was his parting statement... "Have a good day! Be careful!" Be careful? Doing what, standing behind the cash register taking money and sliding credit cards through the machine? Watch out for those paper cuts! Now maybe he knew the young lady and was privy to information about some death-defying adventure that she would be partaking in after work - my guess is, not so much.

I hear statements like this all the time. I know I've been guilty of walking into a hospital room to visit a friend or family member after they've just had some kind of life or death surgery and asking the mindless question, "How are you feeling?" Well, duh! 

There are many reasons these phrases may come flying out of our mouths. Sometimes, I think people just feel like they need to fill dead space with some kind of verbal acknowledgement when maybe a simple smile would do. Other times these things just slip out in awkward situations. And there have been many times when, at least in my experience, these things just fly out and I find myself thinking about how little sense what I just said actually makes! 

Anyone have any stories to share?

Everybody be careful out there in cyberspace!

The Miracle Cleansing Effect of A Fresh Coat of White Paint

And, sorry, no pictures yet to show, but it is absolutely incredible what whitewashing can do for a room. Now, I use the term whitewash pretty loosely, because so far, it has only been trim and door frames and the insides of closets that have gotten that refreshing clean glow. (Isn't whitewashing where one just slathers white paint all over everything in sight? That's definitely not what I'm talking about - in fact, that looks pretty sorry itself.) But what a glow! Take a look at the pictures of the walls that have been painted so far and you can see how wide the door frames are inside the house. Now, imagine getting a close up shot of those frames in sparkling white and you will get an idea of the difference it makes to the big picture.



What really amazes both my blog partner and me is why in the world would 1) people want to paint those places an ugly sea-foam, aquarium algae green color like we found underneath, and 2) why is such a simple step in beautification not taken more often? I will be posting some pictures here soon which will hopefully demonstrate as much as possible this effect. Obviously, the only way to fully appreciate it is to see it "live," so maybe if someone is looking for a way to brighten up an otherwise dull and drab room, this will give you a good starting point.

Moving is Progressing in Pictures

On a lighter note, it is great to be involved in that whole making the home one's castle thing, and a lot of the comments at this site seem to be about that. Well, its just such a fun and positive thing that one is compelled to keep coming back to it. With that said, I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves for now and let my partner comment more on it as she gets a chance. The paint is looking awesome and the other picture is the ROCK AND ROLL PRACTICE ROOM!! Can't wait for that to get all set up -

Is Etiquette Dead?

I know, who has time to write thank-you notes anymore, right? With texting and voice mail, email and stuff, communications have changed drastically in just the last few years. But its actually texting and email and stuff that I'm talking about! I have been discussing this with friends and everyone seems to agree (and admits a little bit of guilt in the matter, also) that nobody ever seems to even have time to acknowledge, much less respond to, emails, texts, and voice mails, even when you, as the sender, would really like to have some dialogue about that subject pretty soon, dangit! (Yes, Mom, I know, I know - ) Anyway, could this be considered an all-out deterioration of the level of interactive etiquette in our society at large? I think it gives the idea credit. Any thoughts out there?

Oh, The Places We Would Go!

If you've had a chance to keep up with Jay's blog, you'll know that he is currently on a business jag in Southeastern Asia, with his work being done in Singapore and Vietnam. What a great opportunity! he must have heard about a thousand times in the weeks leading up to his trip. But isn't it so often the case that some of the most intense work you'll ever do in your job happens to be in the most exotic locations that you can be shipped off to. Regardless of who I've spoken to about these trips - family, friends, colleagues - its almost always the same. It would be such a cool place to visit, even for a fraction of the time, if only you actually had time to enjoy anything!! I think the only people that have been able to enjoy any time in any of the great places, are the directors and the owners. Well, forgive me if my tone sounds a little jaded, but, by then, you would have had all of the opportunities you could have ever wanted to take at that point in your career, ya think?

Now, you have to know that I say the preceeding with all of the envy that I can possibly shroud in innocent cynicism. Shoot yeah, I'd love to take a business trip to Singapore and Vietnam! Even if it was just for the plane ride and the authentic cuisine - I wouldn't pass it up for anything if I had the chance, would you? Even if I had to present some powerpoint piece that I had to fake my way through, and be subjected to the questions afterwards, I'd be there!

I know that Jay misses his family, but I also know Jay; between knowing him and reading his blog, he is most definitely making the most out of his travels. If you haven't checked out his blog yet, now would be a great time to do it.

Still Moving!

Ok, so I finally have a couple of minutes to comment on the whole buying a house and moving thing.  Bottom line... it's incredible! It's also somewhat surreal... I feel like somehow I've taken a step into adulthood - weird! I've always wanted to have a place of my own that I could paint and decorate however I wanted (I used to want to be an interior decorator when I was younger); although, I guess I thought it would happen under different circumstances. I never really pictured myself buying a one-bedroom house... in my head it was more the  3-bedroom house purchased with my husband for a growing family, but life doesn't always happen the way you picture it, ya know?

Back to the decorating thing... it's a slow process with lots of projects that keep popping up unexpectedly. Fortunately, I have friends who are willing to help! They know who they are! Right now I feel like I'm living in a Tetris game... I just kind of shuffle things around, unable to actually put everything in the proper place... because now everything actually has a place!... still, I can't put things where they're supposed to go until I get everything painted because I know I'll just have to move them and dust them off again. AAAARGH! The frustration!

But even as slow as the process may be, there is something to be said for progress.  There is definitely a sense of accomplishment in making the bare room that was there in the beginning become the warm, crisp, swanky living room I've always wanted... seeing the image that was in my head materialize into what I get to walk into every day is pretty cool!

An Entertaining Other Blog

Click on the title and it will take you to my Brother-in-Law Jay's blog, which is a lot of fun. Jay has like 3 masters degrees in English Literature and a great sense of humor, so check him out!

And, at Last, Perhaps a Little Controversy

Although I don't consider it particularly controversial, just a sober examination of recent history. Proper credit is given to the original author with thanks to the kinsmen who made me aware of this -

by: Patrick J. Buchanan

Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America.?
Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White
America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.
This time, the Silent
Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among
them are these:
First, America has been the best country on earth for black
folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave
ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian
salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have
ever known.
Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an
American.
Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than
white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ' 60s on welfare,
food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans,
legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs
designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against
white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to
advance black applicants over white applicants.
Churches, foundations, civic
groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to
support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes
for blacks.
We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude??
Barack
talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks.
Let him go to
Altoona?and Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were
visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving'
white kids.?
Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime
and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white
America? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the
African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from
high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?
Is that the fault of
white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?
As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and
especially interracial cri mes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while
white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals
choose white victims 45 percent of the time?
Is Barack aware that
black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that
black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of
this decade as the reverse?
We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al
about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be
hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we
hear nothing.
Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40
years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.

Now, if I were to provide any rebuttal, I would point out that the majority of the legislative bodies during the last forty years has been white, and it seems that one of the most insidious of the unintended consequences of that long list of minority advancement programs designed to rapidly and artificially raise the socio-economic standards of the members of those groups, is the equally long list of negative characteristics of behaviors that seem to get all the attention, and to be the rallying cry for blame, but for the wrong reasons. This is to say that it is not the continuance of institutionalized racism that is the limiting factor in any attempts at cultural improvement, but the results of racial preferences that has set the foundation for so much cultural lack of driving responsibility. The old proverb regarding the fish says it best. And America has not only given out tons of fish, but tried to teach fishing in every way possible. Unfortunately, having that choice leads way too many to take the delicious fish right now, and, hey, I can just mess with those worms and crickets and stuff tomorrow.

Naturally, when discussing cutural attitudes, it is done in generalities, and I'm not talking about you, or the individuals that truly have had really crappy luck. But as long as there are people who can stir up a crowd by giving them a common grievance and a common fall guy (the white man), then how is there ever going to be a large enough platform for the truth, sensibility, and reason to speak loudly enough to cut though the emotional fervor?

Would anyone care to comment?

Now THIS is Cooperation!

This would fall into the category of "If I only could practice a little while longer:"

You Gotta Move!

I wonder why it is that when you think about moving, its usually with an, "Uggh," somewhere in there. But actually, even if (maybe especially if) its not your move, it really is a cool and exciting thing to do. Oh, sure, you think about the grim stuff like cleaning and packing and actually lugging heavy stuff and being short on time, but when you start getting into it, all the cool stuff starts coming back to you. The stuff like being able to sort through and really throw out all the junk, or at least most of it, and then finding stuff you forgot you had, and now you can really use it! And if you're buying a house, there are all kinds of cool options open to you. Choosing your own paint colors; and, painting is pretty dang fun if its not your real job, ya know? (no offense to any painters out there); visualizing the arrangement of furniture and wall decorations, and just the idea of "a fresh start" rank pretty high as well. Maybe we can get some more elucidating details here if anyone wants to jump in the conversation (hint, hint).

One thing that is really awesome is having so much to do that's fun and can be, has to be, spread out over at least a few weeks for the intense stuff, and then even more for the details to fall into place over a longer term, although those details will pretty much be enjoyed exclusively by my blog partner, the true new homeowner here. But I am truly awed that I am able to enjoy helping her out for as much as I am.

So far, the only things that have been accomplished are the new house cleaning and prep and the beginning of the new interior paint job. As more time is spent in the house doing the type of labor that allows for brainstorming between friends, that visualization component really starts getting energetic. The time consumed also allows for idea refinement, realization of the other stuff that needs to be done and even new things that may have to be aquired. So we'll try to keep you posted as this project proceeds - Such as the painting progress: