06.02.09

WordPress’s Hello Dolly doesn’t work with the latest version, and this makes me infinitely sad

Posted in Personal at 7:16 pm by JC

My grandmother used to sing me that song whenever I came to visit, and having it sing print out lyrics to me whenever I logged on was like a little hello from the beyond. 

Updates On Life:

1. I am MHS’s Teacher of the Year. This is really cool to me. I’ve never even been nominated before, and the fact that I won both the staff and the student vote means more to me than I can express.

2. Beanette is due on Thursday, and I’m ridiculously excited about meeting her. I think that even surpasses the terror that I’ll somehow not be an intrinisic part of Kat’s life anymore after she has a baby.  Stupid? Yes. But it’s still there. I’m like the only baby-less person – other than my little sister, who isn’t married (yet) and therefore doesn’t quite count -that’s still plan on having one. 

3. Speaking of my sister, we’re on the countdown to her being married and therefore not in town anymore. *tear* In celebration/mourning of her departure, we’re planning a Ju ne chock full of doing all those cool things that your city has to offer than you never do because you live there. Maybe I’ll blog about the coolest bits.

4. I still haven’t written the last chapter of my dern second book.  *sigh* If this is going to be the breakthrough novel that changes EVERYTHING, I have to, you know, actually finish it. I got feedback on the first 35-40 pages, though, and it was really good, which is, well, good. And I’m going through the whole dang thing (all 200 pages) and making a few changes based on the critique and it’s logical conclusions and a few cool writing things I’ve learned since writing it the first time. I even have the website planned out and large chunks of the advertising campaign ready to go, I just need to, you know, finish writing it.

5. Scott got a Wii for his birthday. I’m going to partially blame it for my lack of finishing. I’m also going to blame the end of the school year sucking my brains out, as well as spending copious amounts of time working on our house’s addition (Operation Munchkin requiring, in our American, over-bearing and space conscious attitudes, more room). 

6. Speaking of the addition, I’m not looking for another job until the house is finished, as Scott and I have declare me the offical contractor. This is exciting, and makes me feel all in charge. On the other hand, theren’s this nagging feeling that the harder I work, the sooner I’ll have to find paying employment. Hmm…. I have this secret (OK, no longer so secret) vision that Scott will be SO thrilled with my working finishing the addition and keeping the house clean and grocery shopping done that he’ll decide having me stay home is the best thing. Otherwise I’m feeling sorta nostalgic about teaching (even though I haven’t stopped yet) and might end up applying back at Manor as like a tutor or secretary or something. Something with not ten hour days and lots of grading and lesson plans on the J drive.

OK, so, I’m not getting taht dern novel finished if I’m typing on my blog, so I should get typing on Open Office instead. Wish me luck!

07.08.08

Floor Tiling

Posted in Personal at 10:16 am by JC

Yesterday I learned how to tile a floor. It wasn’t bad; no breathing breathing strange dust and I could sit and work at my own pace, and at the end, I had end-product progress I could see.

We’re adding an addition onto our house and we’re doing the finish out (i.e. everything after the drywall) ourselves. Scott’s currently working on the staircase, building the railing, making the treads, etc, and I’m tiling the bathroom. We’ve been working on the addition for about a year and nine months, and living in it for a year of that (or it will be a year next week). Scott’s a real trooper about working; I must admit I’m less enthusiastic. Now that it’s summer vacation, though I’m trying to be more helpful. Hence, I’m tiling the bathroom. My in-laws, who LOVE house renovation so much that they own several rental houses so they can spend their lives knee deep in sawdust, seemed very pleased with my tiling. I love them dearly, but I think they’re crazy.

There are several things I have learned from this experience.

  1. Painting the exterior of an all wooden house is approximately as painful as paying for a college education. Is it then coincidence that the likely next time the house will need painting is about when our not-yet-conceived children will be wanting to attend college? I think not.
  2. If painting an interior wall is excrutiatingly painful, you’re painting it the wrong color. Stop, get your color chips, and refigure before you waste more time.
  3. Avoid your husband when he thinks he’s made a mistake that costs money. It doesn’t matter if it’s $500 or $0.05. Your marriage will be better for an hour long wide berth.
  4. If somebody says it’ll take four months, they mean something closer to four years.
  5. Sawdust does come out of carpet, but if you vacuum it up every time you see it, you will spend your life with a nozzle attached to your hand and mental cats. Just deal.
  6. Cement does come off your kneecaps. With enough scrubbing.