Productive Saturday
Apr. 18th, 2004 07:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
qosI slept in until 10am yesterday, which gave me back all the energy that had leaked away during my work week. Had breakfast while reading my morning internet cartoons, checked up on LJ, scanned eBay and Amazon, then watched some Disney tv with The Child ("Lizzie McGuire" did a little riff on "The Breakfast Club" which even ended with the music - no lyrics - to "Don't You Forget About Me" as the principal read the note the kids left in the cafeteria. It was completely lost on the Child, but I laughed.)
After this leisurely morning, it was non-stop the rest of the day. First, the Child and I got the clean clothes out of the rocking chair and hung up. Then, I set her to crushing soda cans while I did the dishes (hand-wash because my little kitchen has no dishwasher). She finished the cans, helped me dry the dishes, and then was released to play with the ex's goddaughter's son. I took a shower and asked aforementioned goddaughter to come down and give me advice on what color I should paint the exposed air ducts in my bright yellow 'studio.' She suggested a pinky-orange, and we found the right color on a painting of parrots that hangs in my purple bathroom (my first home improvement project).
I headed out for Home Depot, where I spent considerable time shuffling paint chips, trying to figure out the right color and intensity. I settled on something called "Citrus Hill," which turned out to closely rememble the color of salmon-flavored Philadelphia Cream cheese. I also bought primer, new brushes, and a how-to book on decorative painting. I was assisted by an older gentleman named Rick who gave me great advice on the brushes, drop-clothes, and other painting tips. I wanted to bring him home with me for personal tutoring.
After finishing at Home Depot, I deposited my paycheck at the drive-through ATM, then headed for the Jiffy Lube next to my grocery store. We determined that I should have a fuel filter treatment along with the oil change. It spiked the price (of course) but it was a good pay week, so I said yes. I then stocked up at the grocery store, and the nice young lady who was doing the bagging said she'd be happy to escort me and the load down to the Jiffy Lube and take the cart back for me.
Back at Jiffy Lube I also got a quote on the new windshield I've been needing (they have a chip repair contractor there -- but my long cracks are more than they can take care of). All the guys on the crew there were cheerful, helpful, and one ran to hold my door for me as I was leaving. It was a good day for working with sales people. Everyone I dealt with was friendly and enthusiastically helpful. Whether from genuine good-naturedness or canny awareness of what works to increase the add-on sales, they all left me feeling special. The sun was shining, and I felt great driving home.
Back at home, I washed the air duct with white vinegar (as Rick had advised), taped around it, then primed. Meanwhile, the ex came down and finally (after more than a year, folks) kept his commitment to plaster-tape the crack between the ceiling and the "new" drywall partition he and his former roommate had installed to separate the laundry room from my entry hall.
By the time the primer dried I was beat, so I had some dinner, read two chapters of Taran Wanderer to the Child for bedtime, then relaxed by reading the Oprah magazine I brought home from the grocery store, and went to bed.
It was a very uncharacteristic day for me. No studying. No creative writing. No spiritual stuff. (Well, I did try to do an Augustinian meditation on an assigned passage from Hosea, but was bogged down by the gap between the assigned devotional questions and the overall context of the passage.) Minimal computer stuff. Most of my energy was focused on the material world of home and hearth.
It felt better than I would have expected. I wouldn't want to concentrate here all the time, but it does feel good to apply energy and have immediately visible results. Of course, entropy sets in quickly too. I hate the feeling of putting the first dirty dish in the basin after finishing the previous load, but that's the nature of life -- something I'm finally coming to terms with.
After I finish this entry, I'll do the rest of my morning surf, then put my paint clothes back on and paint the duct-work. Bright white for the trim and the closet doors will be next, then a decision on what color to paint the floor. I'm starting to lean toward a California theme, and might end up doing a light turquoise. . . but I'm going to consult with folks who are better at color than I am before I make up my mind.
The floor is going to be tough. It's painted concrete, and there are still big sticky lines from the carpet adhesive, and rough holes on the edges where the carpet nails came out. Prep-work is going to be a major chore. But it's going to feel so good when I'm done!
* For those not familiar with tarot, "coins" or "pentacles" is the suit that is associated with the earth, the physical world, job, body, and etc. A "page" represents someone beginning to work with the energies of the suit, an apprentice.
After this leisurely morning, it was non-stop the rest of the day. First, the Child and I got the clean clothes out of the rocking chair and hung up. Then, I set her to crushing soda cans while I did the dishes (hand-wash because my little kitchen has no dishwasher). She finished the cans, helped me dry the dishes, and then was released to play with the ex's goddaughter's son. I took a shower and asked aforementioned goddaughter to come down and give me advice on what color I should paint the exposed air ducts in my bright yellow 'studio.' She suggested a pinky-orange, and we found the right color on a painting of parrots that hangs in my purple bathroom (my first home improvement project).
I headed out for Home Depot, where I spent considerable time shuffling paint chips, trying to figure out the right color and intensity. I settled on something called "Citrus Hill," which turned out to closely rememble the color of salmon-flavored Philadelphia Cream cheese. I also bought primer, new brushes, and a how-to book on decorative painting. I was assisted by an older gentleman named Rick who gave me great advice on the brushes, drop-clothes, and other painting tips. I wanted to bring him home with me for personal tutoring.
After finishing at Home Depot, I deposited my paycheck at the drive-through ATM, then headed for the Jiffy Lube next to my grocery store. We determined that I should have a fuel filter treatment along with the oil change. It spiked the price (of course) but it was a good pay week, so I said yes. I then stocked up at the grocery store, and the nice young lady who was doing the bagging said she'd be happy to escort me and the load down to the Jiffy Lube and take the cart back for me.
Back at Jiffy Lube I also got a quote on the new windshield I've been needing (they have a chip repair contractor there -- but my long cracks are more than they can take care of). All the guys on the crew there were cheerful, helpful, and one ran to hold my door for me as I was leaving. It was a good day for working with sales people. Everyone I dealt with was friendly and enthusiastically helpful. Whether from genuine good-naturedness or canny awareness of what works to increase the add-on sales, they all left me feeling special. The sun was shining, and I felt great driving home.
Back at home, I washed the air duct with white vinegar (as Rick had advised), taped around it, then primed. Meanwhile, the ex came down and finally (after more than a year, folks) kept his commitment to plaster-tape the crack between the ceiling and the "new" drywall partition he and his former roommate had installed to separate the laundry room from my entry hall.
By the time the primer dried I was beat, so I had some dinner, read two chapters of Taran Wanderer to the Child for bedtime, then relaxed by reading the Oprah magazine I brought home from the grocery store, and went to bed.
It was a very uncharacteristic day for me. No studying. No creative writing. No spiritual stuff. (Well, I did try to do an Augustinian meditation on an assigned passage from Hosea, but was bogged down by the gap between the assigned devotional questions and the overall context of the passage.) Minimal computer stuff. Most of my energy was focused on the material world of home and hearth.
It felt better than I would have expected. I wouldn't want to concentrate here all the time, but it does feel good to apply energy and have immediately visible results. Of course, entropy sets in quickly too. I hate the feeling of putting the first dirty dish in the basin after finishing the previous load, but that's the nature of life -- something I'm finally coming to terms with.
After I finish this entry, I'll do the rest of my morning surf, then put my paint clothes back on and paint the duct-work. Bright white for the trim and the closet doors will be next, then a decision on what color to paint the floor. I'm starting to lean toward a California theme, and might end up doing a light turquoise. . . but I'm going to consult with folks who are better at color than I am before I make up my mind.
The floor is going to be tough. It's painted concrete, and there are still big sticky lines from the carpet adhesive, and rough holes on the edges where the carpet nails came out. Prep-work is going to be a major chore. But it's going to feel so good when I'm done!
* For those not familiar with tarot, "coins" or "pentacles" is the suit that is associated with the earth, the physical world, job, body, and etc. A "page" represents someone beginning to work with the energies of the suit, an apprentice.
