did you know that you can hang this mirror vertically or horizontally?

amazing, those geniuses at ikea.

yar.

remodeling update:

korean moms & power tools. much fun.

paint, paint, paint, paint.

i’ve been painting virtually every day since august 22nd. except for tuesdays when i go to class. and about 4-5 days here and there when i just couldn’t bear to be in the semi-painted condo for fear i’d go crazy and turn a wet roller on myself.

my hands are covered in dried paint, there’s paint in my hair, and i’m going to have to replace my favorite jeans. the cats aren’t happy at all, and they’re very good at letting me know. and, i’m convinced i’m doing some irreversible harm to my brain from all the various paint-related chemicals floating in the air. last week, i heard some buzzing and saw a huge bee in the window. flying insects with stingers are not my friends, and as far as i’m concerned, every one of them is a murderous, vicious, evil creature out to kill me. anything with more than four legs crosses the furry-friendly-creature boundary. yes, butterflies are pretty, but i’m sure they’d pump me full of poison if they could.

anyways, (see, the paint fumes are making me lose my train of thought), the bee. i ran to get a really big heavy object to smush the murderous bee, and snuck over to the window. i didn’t hear the buzzing anymore, and i was worried that the bee was in hiding, waiting to ambush me. but, no. the bee was lying on the recently painted window sill, twitching and convulsing. then it was completely still. so, less than 2 minutes passed between the bee being healthy and flying around, to lying on the window sill having seizures. seriously, it must be the paint fumes. that’s some scary shit.

but, the painting is progressing nicely, and the end is finally in sight. and thank fucking god for that. mom dropped by, and lent a hand, surprisingly. damn, that woman can work it. never again will i underestimate the power of a korean mom with a paint roller.

also, the disposal died. and the icemaker. and the washer. and home warranty policies are worthless.

so.

consumer reports
consumersearch.com
sears
conn’s, home of the most aggressive salesmen on earth
behr
glidden
my cat hates you

ok, busy, busy, busy.

i’ve started school again. i’m taking a seminar class on International Health, and a course on Health Disparities. the Health Disparities class is at Rice University, and has some undergrads in it. the undergrads, for the most part, are the ones that travel in packs and occupy the first 2-3 rows, and take really, really, really detailed notes. last week, after the end of the lecture, i watched two girls in front of me wiggling nervously in their seats. they turned around, rather anxiously, and asked

“what was the last word he said?? did you hear the last word?? i got everything he said but the last word!!”

well, it’s funny to watch because i too used to be that really nervous, anxious undergrad scared that unless i took perfect notes, i wouldn’t pass the midterm, which meant i wouldn’t pass the class, which meant i wouldn’t graduate, which meant i wouldn’t get a job, which meant my life would be over.

then, sophmore year came and the thing that got me really nervous was getting stuck with a schedule that meant i couldn’t sleep in until noon.

i’m also a homeowner now. closed right before labor day, and have been painting ever since. basically throwing primer on anything that sticks. apparently, the previous owners thought that light peachy-pastelly-orange was a good color for….everything. they also though beige carpet was a good choice for the bathrooms. eww. carpet in the bathroom? that’s just wrong. it just seems gross to step out of the shower onto….carpet. and what if the toilet overflows? yuck. so, i’ll be ripping up the carpet and installing ceramic tile. and whoever thought putting texture on celings was an idiot. what the hell? why take a perfectly good ceiling and splatter wet globs of plaster all over it? what i would give for a queer eye right now.

frustration is painting a popcorn ceiling. hell is painting a vaulted popcorn ceiling. i will never, ever paint one again. ever. but, i learned a few lessons:
- wear a hat or bandana. it will rain paint droplets and wet globs of plaster mush.
- wear goggles. see above.
- keep your mouth closed when painting a popcorn ceiling. for example, don’t yak away while painting, look up, and throw your mouth open as you cackle at some joke your sister made. wet plaster mush does not taste good.
- although supplies at lowe’s are cheaper, there are prettier people at home depot. this is a very important.
- painter’s tape - one big sham. a lie. however, very useful if your goal is to peel off the layer of paint you just applied painstakingly for the past 45 minutes. and if you really like the look of blue shreds in those hard-to-reach corners. then, it’s a godsend.

ironically, work is the most relaxing thing these days. it’s basically the place i go to hang out and wait till i can paint again. ah, the joys of being a non-essential state employee.

so, things in my head these days:

home depot
lowe’s
queer eye for the straight guy
marth stewart living
marth stewart signature colors
ikea
pottery barn
catnip (don’t ask)
Home & Garden Television
Do It Yourself Network
designer’s challenge
air conditioner units
solving plumbing problems
installing ceramic tile
laminate wood floors
drouby’s
ebay