Septiheptihan

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THE FLOOR PROJECT
This is why I haven't been posting. All my time and energy have been taken up with laying parquet floor all over my upstairs. I've also been missing my workouts. However, it's still provided plenty of physical effort, so it hasn't been a total loss.

I have no hair on my arms or my legs. The floor glue has taken it all off. But, it's been worth it. It's looking great and I've only got two more rooms to go. Then we attack the bathroom...

Tired and sticky at the end of a weekend. How often has that happened to me?

So, Friday night Sue throws down the gauntlet. She's sick of the upstairs being torn up. Why can't we do something about it?

OK, I say, lets put the parquet down in Patty's room.

Fine.

Fine.

We have now goaded each other into a shared goal -- refloor Patty's room by the end of the weekend.

We spend Saturday driving around arguing and dithering over prices and colors. Finally we make a decision and buy 750 square feet of solid oak parquet. This will cover Patty's room, our room and the hallway. Since it's stock at Home Depot, we should be able to buy enough for Lucy's room later. I drive home with 250 square feet in the trunk, ready to start. It's 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

We dive right in. Sue and Patty box up Patty's crap, we rip up the carpet and pad and spend the next few hours digging tack strip and staples out of the floor. By 11:00 we have a mostly empty room with a mostly clean floor.

Had the house to myself most of the day. The girls went to church with Ma and Pa. Then Sue picked up Lucy and took her to her LYO audition. I picked up Patty and we proceeded on to Frankfort where we retreived another 200 square feet of wood and another jug o' floor glue.

Home by 3:30 and finally ready to start really working again!

Spreading that glue is like spreading pizza dough. Nasty, smell, viscous glop. Then you set the tiles in it and they shift. Push one over here and that one moves. Straighten it out and that entire row shifts. Sigh.

By the end of the night I got 120 square feet set. It looks good. Very good. I did cover my arms (and legs) with glue that is holy hell to remove. My forearms are now hairless and I still have various dusty floor sweepings glued to me. Oh well, 120 down, 630 to go.

Pictures to follow.

So the long weekend is over. Busy, busy, busy.

I bought my camera on Friday. Ended up deciding on the Olympus 765. Based upon all the reviews and comparisions it was the top of its class. Little more than I wanted to spend, but I intend to keep and use this camera for a long time. I'm glad I got what I wanted.

I took some great pictures Saturday morning before we left. Butterflies on the butterfly bush. Then we left for the family reunion. Of course, I was camera happy there too.

The reunion was very nice. Not as big as in years past, but a good turnout of folks in what I'd call my generation, of which I suppose I'm the oldest. (Technically not, of course. I guess Steve and Fred and Don (and Doug and David) are all in my generation, but agewise...)

I was impressed with Muhlenburg County. There's been a lot of development since I'd been around much. Many nice houses, restaurants et al. Lake Malone was especially impressive. Beautiful houses on the lake. It baffles me how people afford these things. I'm not covetous, exactly. More like bewildered.

Home safe last night. Crabby when I got home. Crabby today. I wish I new why I'm so grouchy all the time. Seems like I spend 90% of my life either apathetic or irritated. I don't like feeling that way, but I don't know how to control it.

Did about 3/4's of an arm workout today. Will finish up tomorrow, I suppose. Mowed the yard tonight. Grilled a beer butt chicken. It was decent -- juicy but not flavorful. Tried to make risotto but it came out gummy and greasy.

Tomorrow is another (work) day.

The cash hemorrage continues! WOO HOO! And I haven't even paid the credit cards yet. Lovely. But, that's what a windfall is for.

UPDATE -- The new circuit breaker solved THE DRYER CRISIS. It was an almost painless job, thankfully. I don't feel bad about the somewhat unnecessary dryer purchase. The old dryer was at least 10 years old and I'd taken it apart and made a (admittedly unlikely) sucessfuly repair once already. Also, by some odd trick of cosmetic fate, it matches the washer. They're both Kenmore Series 80's (GASP!). Nice to get a job done -- lately it's been quite the rarity.

Bought my treat today and got it too! It's the Olympus C-765. After a reasonably exhaustive internet research session I became convinced that it was the best in its class. $50 more than the other likely competitor (A Kodak, which was something of a sentimental choice). But it had all the features that I wanted and (according to the admittedly subjective reviews) produced the sharpest, prettiest pictures. So, I bought it. Didn't get it home til' after 10, battery was charged at 12:30 or so. I'll learn its intricate ways on the morrow.

After I picked my baby up at Circuit City (along w/a 256M XD card) I ran into darling wife. It was a semi-amazing stroke of luck. Cingular has given up the ghost today. S says it is due to the weather in Florida. Whatever the cause, I lost all cell phonage on the way home. Amazing how dependant we've become on the little bastards. Our game plan was to hook up in the city after work. This was made exponentially more difficult without our communicators. We got lucky. I'd lingered around the CC parking lot for as long as my patience would tolerate (and demonstrably longer than the girls' patience). I was exiting said lot and heading toward a lovely dinner with my progeny when who should I meet entering just as I was exiting but the Mrs. Life is just confusing and beautiful sometimes, ain't it?

We had us some burgers at Cousins for dinner, then proceeded to Target (but of course). We spent a considerable sum there, mainly because I didn't feel constrained from throwing every low-priced but halfway useful item that caught my eye into the cart. We did get some good stuff.

Tomorrow is a long day. Family reunion in Muhlenberg County (where else?) Life is beautiful all the time.

It's burning a hole in my pocket.

Bought a mower yesterday. The John Deere L-110. Delivered this afternoon. It kicks ass. Mowed my 2.5 acres that hadn't been mowed in 3 weeks of alternating rain and sun in less than 2 hours. Everything works. It has an accelerator pedal. And a cup holder.

When I bought it yesterday, they gave me a John Deere hat. Not one of the traditional bright green ones (unfortunately), but a sedated beige one with the retailer's logo on the front and the John Deere on the side. Pretty low-grade John Deere brand-identity stuff. But I wore it today while I mowed.

Gave me an odd feeling. One of those things I thought I'd never do -- wear a John Deere hat (or own a John Deere tractor for that matter). Not that I had any deep held objection to it per se. Just that I thought it unlikely considering my particular character and situation. Live and learn.

Sue also bought a dryer. The old one was 10 years old, we were due. And she went to the Sears outlet store and got a deal on one. We've been having problems with the dryer not wanting to run. I haven't been able to identify whether it was the dryer or the wiring/circuit breaker. I'd been leaning (strongly) toward it being the dryer which is why I didn't put the kibosh on this purchase. Got it home, got the cord attached, got the vent hose attached and bang! Dryer still doesn't work!

Nothing is ever easy. This is the homeowner/DIY'ers motto. This has been pounded in to me. Longterm by scores of projects that take longer and are vastly more complicated than originally planned. Shortterm by this damn bathroom floor (I'm looking at you, bathtub cold-water pipe!).

So, it ain't the dryer, it's the circuit breaker (that's the theory of the moment). So I've removed the breaker from the panel so's I can purchase a replacement on the morrow. This required shutting the dang power off to the whole dang house. Of course we could not find one of the 74 flashlights we have purchased to expidite this project. So Sue held a lovely decorative candle for me as we huddled in the dark basement while I poked metal things into the high voltage wires.

If it ain't the breaker, I'm going to be PISSED.

Not that that matters to anyone. I seemed to spend somewhere between 60 and 85% of my life pissed.

I'm still researching on my camera. I've also 90% (what the hell is up with all the %'s) resolved to either rent or buy a banjo. I've always wanted one.

Sixteen years ago I married my wife. Since then I don't think I've ever regretted it or doubted that it was the absolutely right thing for me to do. She is my best friend and I believe she always will be. This helps make the marriage work. Sometimes I wonder why she puts up with me. Other times (much much more rarely) I wonder why I put up with her. It must be looooove.

We aren't big on ceremony/hokieness. Nevertheless I have been married long enough to know that I cannot fail to recognize the day with a gift and card. I lucked out this year. I was in Cincinnati yesterday on business. Driving home I decided I stop at the Florence Mall (Y'all?) and look for a gift. After 20 minutes of wandering in vain (such as I usually do in malls (side issue -- malls always depress me. Why is this? Is it because they make obvious the shortcomings of materialism? Dunno.)) I stumbled into Spencer Gifts.

Cheesy as it is, I must peek into every Spencer Gifts I pass. I think it's a remnant of the 13 year old hick in me.

They had a big ol' Clearance sale going on. Amongst the soft-core sex aids, the fart joke novelties and the glorified lava lamps I found a some useful stuff. Heart lights (strings of 10 with heart shaped covers.) $2.50 each. Date cards which will give us pre-planned spontaneously romantic ideas of what to do with each other for the duration of an evening after almost 20 years. I also got some incense that I like (Gonesh, the McDonalds of incense, but damn it, I like this flavor) and some ceiling stars for Patty (fiddy cent).

And Halloo but there's a Hallmark right next door. Stop in, buy suitably sappy card. Rush out to avoid having to take insulin injection. Done and done. Cross fingers and hope quirky gifts are received well.

Cut to this a.m. She's getting home from work, I'm leaving for work. Nicely wrapped presents and card await her. She has JACK for me. HA! 10,000 brownie points for our hero. She loved the lights and was intrigued by the cards. Touched by the sentiments I writ on the card -- although I was not pleased with my romantic prose. First paragraph of this post expresses it better.

So anyway, we go out for a decent dinner tonight -- Mitchell's Seafood. Apparently a chain (what isn't anymore?) B+ food, C- service. I had Cherrystone clams, Grouper and a cup of Lobster Bisque. It was all good but not great. Service was all but poor.

Then we went to Target. This is what we do for recreation. This makes me sad, but still I go. I was able to pick out my present. I got a cool looking bonsai. I've always wanted a cool looking bonsai and now I have one. Nyah.

Back to work on the bathroom floor in the morning.