Some Before, Some In Between, and Some After

So, as you may have noticed, we started a major project this weekend. It seems that the people who built this house decided not to seal the faucets in the shower before tiling the wall. This laziness resulted in rotten drywall halfway up and all the way around the shower. We ripped out the tile and drywall. I wanted to do tile again. Lowes didn't have the matching tile in stock (350 of them!). I absolutely did not want a vinyl shower insert. I just don't like them. Well, turns out, I don't mind the textured ones so much. Especially when they've been discontinued and they cost $10! Yep, $10 vs. $300+. Guess what won that battle?

We're not quite done. We have to still sand down the walls where the old tile used to be, but the new insert doesn't cover. Then I'm going to paint, then put up the towel racks, toilet paper holder, and curtains. Oh, and a new light fixture. So, there are no after pictures. Those are a while out still. But there are "in between" pictures of the new tub fixtures, insert, and sink fixture.
Drywall going in.
New tub fixtures going in. Or maybe old ones coming out. I'm really not sure.
Look at that lovely new shower!
And those fixtures!
Yep, they're sealed this time.

Dave also tackled the new sink fixtures tonight.
Notice there's not even a plug.


And now ...



And the fun part of owning a home, is that this is just the beginning. We also have a new back door to install.



And kitchen cabinets to paint. Doors now. Cabinet faces later. Then walls, then new tile floor, then new countertops and sink.


And a new bannister.

And a new upstairs back door.

And then we turn the enclosed garage into a real garage.

And we need a new lawnmower.

I could go on all night. I practically have, so I'll stop here. I know why people decide on townhomes and apartments, though. Or build new houses out in the sticks.

Working for the weekend

Kids, this is what becomes necessary when you those who came before you don't seal the wall behind the faucets in a shower...

Good for them

So, there are a couple of recent columns, articles, whatever that put me in the "it's about time somebody on their side said it" state of mind.

Many liberals, in their blind hatred of George W. Bush (not reasoned disagreement with his policies or actions, but blind hatred), do indeed have their heads in the sand about the threat of Muslim extremism. They'll bitch over here in the US (rightfully) about the ridiculous prudishness of the FCC, but the equivocate when extremists murder and kidnap in the name of Islam. Well, Sam Harris, a professed liberal, has said it in the LA Times. Maybe some people are listening. But I doubt it.

And then there are faculty members of the Al Qasemi College, and "institute of Islamic higher education in Israel." Some of the faculty have come to the US to discuss the need for openness and liberalism in the Islamic world. There are a couple of interesting things at play here, in my mind. 1) There is an Islamic College in Israel, and 2) They have come to the US to discuss the need for the greater Islamic world to come into the 21st century with the rest of us. Imagine a Jewish University in an Islamic country. Imagine these Muslim faculty voicing these ideas in an Islamic country such as Syria, Lebanon, or Iran. I'm glad they're spreading these ideas, though. It has to start somewhere, and hopefully their ideas will grow within their own culture.

Both stories are courtesy of the Wall Street Journal Best of the Web.

And, by the way, there is a lot that I want to blog, and there's a lot going on in my little corner of the world. But it just takes forever to formulate the thoughts, and usually Blogger eats them (as The Big C would say) a couple of times, first.

SUVs 14 million years ago?

"SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A 30-mile maze canyons in Antarctica was carved out of bedrock by the catastrophic draining of subglacial lakes during global warming between 12 million and 14 million years ago, according to university researchers who warn a similar event today could have serious environmental consequences."

Heck, I didn't even know people were burning fossil fuels back then, much less driving Expeditions.

Hodgson, who has written extensively about global warming and its impact on Antarctica, said some lake water discharges are contemporary. One such rapid discharge occurred in 1997-1998 when a one-mile-square lake emptied into two other downstream lakes under the ice sheet over a period of 16 months.

"It is very unlikely that the volume of these discharges would equal those of the Miocene (epoch), when the Labyrinth formed, because the ice sheet then was much more dynamic and temperate and therefore likely contained — and discharged — substantially greater volumes of subglacial meltwater," Hodgson said.

The British scientist said that present day global warming has not had any measured effects on the volume or movement of subglacial meltwater beneath the Antarctic ice sheet 'so it is premature to predict a new era of flooding as a result of global warming."

Wow

Great column on the "reasons" behind anti-semitism.

Obligatory post

I know it's been a while. Work is hell. Have time to read and comment in the mornings, but not enough to think about a real post. Sorry. Will catch up someday.

Not much relaxing

going on this weekend.

Two Funkle shows, then back home to do some major work.

That swing I said was going in last weekend didn't. But it did today. Not all by its magical self, of course, but with the unbelievably hard work of Dave and his dad.

Before...


That's where we were going to put it. But that was before Dave so handily found these lovely chunks of concrete with the post hole digger.


So, we decided to put it here


instead. Turns out, that was a much better idea. It's a shady spot with a view of the back of the house, not the side. And it seems to really bring the yard in somehow. We'll put up some laticework, and plant a flowering vine to finish it off. There's obviously some landscaping to do, but I absolutely LOVE our new swing.


Did I mention that Dave's dad built this? Happy early birthdays to us!

(Oh, and please ignore those lovely orange paintball spots. Those will also be dealt with shortly).

Comments Update

Thank you to Beer Pong for letting me know that I managed to turn on comment moderation in my last round of what I thought were minor changes. Not realizing I had turned that on, I didn't include an email address for blogger to send the messages, so I never knew anyone was commenting. Anyway, should be all fixed now.

Having a strange day today.

That's all.

Thanks for reading.

Comments

So do I need to pour my heart out or insult someone to get a comment on this blog? What about insulting people in the process of pouring my heart out?

New Bike

I meant to blog this before. Because I got totally burned out on mountain biking after riding this trail a couple years ago, I finally decided to take a little bonus money and get a road bike.

I picked this



up last Friday, and put 10 miles on it at Hilton Head. I love it! Hopefully, I'll be entering some triathlons with Dave and Brian as the bike rider of a relay team. Triathlon season is apparently coming to a close, but maybe we'll find one.

Online Gambling

I know that many of the bloggers on the roll here are fond of poker. You may be interested in this post from The Agitator about congressional efforts to outlaw (more stringently, I guess, since it's already "outlawed") internet gambling, and then in calling your senator and congressman.

Ah, the weekend

So this weekend will be pretty interesting, and hopefully we'll get some stuff done. Dave's out of town until late tomorrow night, so tonight and tomorrow, I'll be watching movies that I'd never watch with Dave. These movies include, but may not be limited to: Little Fish, The Castle, and In Her Shoes. What I will not be seeing is Pirates, since I've promised, of course, to wait and watch it with my dear husband (hopefully Sunday night).

I will also be going to the gym tonight for a swim, then a lovely dinner of leftover spaghetti. Yum!

Tomorrow will be cleaning the house, among other chores and duties. Then to see Fishtank with Stacy before heading off to the airport.

Sunday should be fantastic because Dave's dad is coming over to put up the incredible swing he made us as a birthday gift. And if that doesn't take too long, he may also help us fix our downstairs shower that hasn't worked since we bought the house.

I know it sounds pitiful, but I'm really excited about this weekend. Maybe I'll have pictures of the swing and fabulous bathroom soon.

Well

We're back from Hilton Head, which was nice, but too short. England lost on penalties after holding Portugal off with only 10 players - how depressing. Then the team that beat them lost to France. So it's France and Italy in the final game. Who would have picked that?!

Now it's time to catch up at work, and get some stuff done around the house this weekend.

Yippee.

Hopefully, I'll have something fun and interesting to post soon.

Weird mood

Not sure exactly why I haven't felt like blogging lately. There just hasn't been much to say, I guess. There's a lot going on, but at the same time, there's really not much going on. Does that make sense?

I'm starting to want to become much more of a homebody. There's a lot I want to do to our house, and for the first time, it's that I want to, not that I feel like we have to. So that's kind of cool. But it's also frustrating because I look at our calendar and in the next couple months, there are only a couple of weekends with nothing scheduled. Luckily, one of those is soon, so we're not likely to schedule anything else over it and can get some stuff done.

I don't know. It's just been strange lately.

Sorry for the lame post. Enjoy your holiday weekend. If you're in Hilton Head, come to the Wild Wing and watch the England game with us!

Blog Themes, Inspiration, and Great Songwriters

While Funkle Ester was busy winning the Flagpole Award for Best Cover Band (YAY!), Dave and I were at Eddie’s Attic watching one of my favorite songwriters perform. I must thank Dave publicly for being so sweet, patient, and understanding to go with me and sit four feet from the stage next to me while I swooned over Radney Foster. He’s a wonderful man, who puts up with a lot from me (Dave, not Radney) in the way of forced screenings of girly movies and country music, for instance.

I’m happy to say that Dave appreciates good music, even if it’s country. This is great for our relationship, because, though I pretty much have to introduce it to him, he’s open to listening. And he seems to have truly enjoyed the show last night.

This time around it was Radney and his acoustic, with another guitarist (Eric Borash) with an electric guitar.

What’s interesting is that I’ve noticed a few themes in Radney’s music as I’ve listened to it more and more. A big theme of his is taking chances. And in his most recent albums, he’s written a lot of songs about love and happy relationships. I know you’re thinking, but wait, didn’t you say he’s a country singer? Yes. I have to say, I’m impressed with his ability to write songs about great love and when things go right, or even sticking it out when things in life go wrong. He’s got plenty of love-gone-wrong songs, too, but so many love-is-great songs. It seems that most songwriters can only write when they’re miserable, so it’s nice to hear one that can write no matter what.

Good grief, I’m rambling here.

Favorite lyrics? Well I could probably quote from 40 different songs and count them as favorites. I’ll spare you and only include a few here:

If You Can’t Be Good (Be Lucky)(Foster/Morrou)
The title pretty much says it all

There are nights I own this town
Most nights it owns me
Play my guitar till it draws blood
It still won’t let me be
People think you know what you’re talking about
All because you wrote some song
I ain’t no smarter than the rest of these clowns
I’m just making it up as I go along
Making It Up As I Go Along (Foster)

Built that wall around your heart
So that no one could get through it
You must have missed a spot, baby
I walked right through it
Love Had Something to Say About It (Foster)

Now romance is just like money
You can always get more if you got it
And let me tell you friends
I’m a lot more handsome with a c-note in my pocket
Folding Money (Foster)

That kiss that you just hammered me with girl,
Is a staggering revelation
Drunk on Love (Foster/Brown)


And really, when it comes down to it, song lyrics are as much about the delivery and music behind them as they are about the words. So if you like country music (Texas country, storyteller stuff), get some Radney Foster. See What You Want to See (a little more pop/Americana, actually) and And Then There’s Me are both good albums to start with.

Yes indeedy

The English boys did it again today. They beat Trinidad & Tobago 2-0 today. They played a bit sloppy but closed the deal in the last 10 minutes of the game. Even better, both goal scorers play for Liverpool - with Beckham serving up a beautiful cross for Crouch to head in at the 83rd minute, and Gerrard scoring a blazing left-footed shot into the top left corner of the net at the beginning of stoppage time.

Good on ya!

Key West Pictures ... Finally

I'm sorry there are no captions, but I had captions and about 10 pictures loaded into Blogger earlier, and all was lost when I tried to save the draft and work on something else for a while. Grrr.

So, without further ado (or any real info), here are some pics.

Bringing a knife to a gun fight?

Not a problem if you are a Marine.

Stephens says one of the attackers had a shotgun and another had a pistol.

The suspects eventually caught up with Autry. But Autry — who managed to pull a knife out of his backpack — kicked the shotgun out of one of the attacker's hands. He stabbed a teenage girl who jumped on him and a man who attacked him.

I'm sure glad I didn't cancel

the comprehensive coverage on our 11 year-old Accord a couple of weeks ago...

Looks normal from here, right?


But take a closer look at the window...


Closer...


And then, the ignition...




What was in the driver side floorboard? Well, that would be what's left of the external bits of the ignition (now on the bed for photographic purposes).


It sure looks like someone tried to steal our car last night. Here are the keys we found in the front passenger seat. Odd, huh? All class with the Playboy symbol and the "support my habit" (those are little marijuana leaves) key chains.


And, yeah, this happened in our driveway overnight.