Home Work

I've been busy of late, so it's taken me a while to get an update together. So here it is.

I've been painting the house, I started and finished the living room as well as the dining room. which is a little bit darker of a gray then in this pic, I added the cove molding too. Now I just need to do the ceiling , but thats going to wait till the whole first floor is painted.

I still haven't fixed the hole in the kitchen ceiling and to be honest I may pay to have it done. I tried twice now and had to remove both attempts due to it looking like a drunken 3 year old did it, I have a real joint compound abuse problem... Besides it's nice looking right there above our stove. And yes, that IS a sewer pipe.




Today I woke up at 2 p.m. because I wanted to get a jump on the stairway before going to work. So I woke up let out the animals and started taping off the stairs. It takes a while to tape off stairs. It takes two hours... Mainly for the banisters....

Tomorrow I am planning on priming the trim, or at least starting to, one of the problems I keep running into is the crappy painting skills of the last owner. I am assuming the stage painted the house in a hurry and in doing so they managed to splatter, drip and drop paint on every hardwood surface in the house. So as I paint I need to carry a scrapper around with me to lightly scratch off the old drips, trying not to remove the woods finish. Not an easy or fast chore. But it's getting better, slowly... I discovered that he didn't even bother to tape off the bottom of the banisters so I need to scrape the entire length, I'm going to have to refinish those I just know it... I REALLY don't want to have to do the floors anytime soon, it runs about 900$ a room to have them done, thats a lot.

So thats the update. Not a lot going on, well not a lot thats exciting to anyone but me I guess.

Cheers!

A Plan

After my last rant about impatience and lack of control over the money in my life, I've been doing a little introspective analysis. I do believe that I lack control over more then just the purse strings, but I also am beginning to see just how much stress is generated by that gaping hole in my wallet and how that influences my stress level and therefore all my other decisions.

So in an effort to regain some composure I've been trying to come up with a few simple and effective rules to enhance my will power, save money and reduce my nail biting levels of stress.

After a week of perusing the internet and contemplating, I've come up with these ideas:

Make my debt visual, put it out in a bar graph or in monetary denominations so it scares me into not spending more on things like a fancy wine opener.

Start using the 20/30 rule. in other words, when in a store (most likely a grocer) and I've picked up a super fancy block of 4 year old Parmesan, give myself at least 20 seconds to think over if I really need that 10$ block of cheese and maybe I can make do with the cheepo pre-grated type. And for those larger purchases? That’s the 30, take about 30 days to think it over and then at the end of that 30 if it really REALLY makes sense and is affordable then reconsider. That is if I haven’t forgot all about it by then.

Always ALWAYS make and take a grocery list.

Get rechargeable batteries and keep replacing old light bulbs with energy efficient ones.

Coupons, coupons and more COUPONS!

Eat out no more then once every two weeks.

Completely stop using those evil credit cards.

These two are the really tough ones...

Less wine, though I am hard pressed to see any benefits in this one.

Stop smoking. Yes I know all about smoking but you try to get rid of an invisible monkey that’s only made stronger by resistance!

I've noticed that there are a lot of books and such out there on the subject but I think that most of us are smart enough to know what needs to be done, it's just will power folks, so why have to work the cost of a book into my new budget. Besides this is just the start, I'm sure I'll come up with more crap'ola to add to the plan over time, maybe even some things to make it more... Diabolical. I've always wanted a diabolical plan.

The hard part is putting a well developed and intelligent (or so I think) plan into action. I am beginning to see the worth of perspective, though it's still hard to change it to see not going to my favorite pub (The Royal Mile is awesome!) as saving cash for things I need (like not having debt) as opposed to just missing out on the best Ruben in town. But I also think it is time I paid off that dinner out I put on credit 5 years ago before I add another.

On that order I need to prioritize the holes my wallet pukes into.
Mortgage
Food
Monthly Bills
Credit
Savings
and then and ONLY after this savings step can I even consider something that is "fun" like dinner out.

As boring as all that is it feels good to read over it and try (try being the operative word there) to be excited at the challenge and prospect of being debit free! well not all the way, I don't see the mortgage going anywhere fast.

More boring crap to come.

cheers

I guess...

Instant Gratification

For the last week I've been doing as little as possible and getting away with it, until today. I've come to realize that doing very little to nothing just doesn't agree with me all that much, it makes me fell much worse then when I keep fairly busy. So today, in an effort to get back on track with the things I need to get back on track with, I woke at 2pm (early for us night workers) and got busy. Got busy prepping the dining room to be painted, cleaning and doing some much needed maintenance to the fish tank. Not that I was really behind with the fish, I would feel too bad for them, but they were due for a water change.

As I sanded the walls, spackled the divots, and caulked the trim I got to thinking. Mainly I was thinking about time, the time it takes to paint a room. The living room took me about a week from start to finish with the prep, trim and paint. I suspect the dining room which has been at midpoint now for about a week will take another 4 or 5 solid day’s work being that there is more trim and 2 tones of paint to deal with. But all that time invested just makes me feel better about doing it actually. It's far from the instant gratification that seems to me to be pervasive in the world these days. And that's what I dwelled on for quite some time.

It seems to me that good has become a little too synonymous with instant. Unfortunately everything is being affected by this desire for instantaneousness. The polls are saying that Obama's popularity is down 19% already, did anyone really expect an instant fix to our countries problems? Come on folks, it's been like three weeks! Give the man at least three months before the whining commences.

Then there is the economic pickle we're in. Seems to me that a lot of the problem was brought on, yet again, by the need for instantness. Can’t afford that 72 inch plasma tv? CHARGE IT! Can’t afford that 8 bedroom 4 bath house? No problem will give you a 4% ARM that will be 85% in 5 years! and who cares that you don't make enough, we'll give it to you anyway! All about being instantly satisfied. Now, a couple of years down the road after the cost of a house was blown way out of proportion and everyone was issued multiple "free" credit cards and bought themselves into happiness, here we are... Unhappy.

Why? Well I think that the old adage "good things come to those who wait" we need to relearn how to hold off that desire for instant happiness and work and save for the things we want. I know I need to re-ingrain this into my noggin, because like the rest of the world I seem to have gotten myself into this big pickle too. It's hard to save and focus on paying off those things you already have. Come to think of it I bet I'm still paying off things I bought years ago on those damnedable credit cards. So I've decided to save a little less in order to save a little more, put less in the retirement plan in favor of dumping into that credit abyss, before they decide that interest rates are more acceptable to them at 99%.

And it's not easy with the good old gov now telling us that the only way to get out of debt is to spend more. Come on? Really? So you WANT me to go out and buy buy buy? Sounds a little fishy to me... Unless I get a signed letter from the Treasury stating that I am promised a federal bailout once I get in so far that it would be impossible for me to pay off what I owe, then I'm not buying it. Besides it will feel better buying it when I don't have to let visa pay for it and then I pay them twice as much as it actually cost them, for crying out loud I am betting that charleston chew I bought back in 99 cost me about 150 bucks by now!

And that’s that, now if I could gust hold back my inexplicable need to buy the inexplicable.

And after all that thought I decided to look and see where exactly I do spend all of that extra cashola. What did I learn? I was quite surprised to see that I don't actually spend all that much on stuff. I have no iphone, no 50 inch tv, no designer fancy pants (all outlet mall stuff really, in fact the shoes I'm wearing now are 13 years old!). No where I go a little too far is food, well food and wine, well food and wine and eating out (a double whammy). I need to drop the fancy wine (come on I can do better the 16$ a bottle!) drop the fancy cheeses (damn you whole foods! damn you!), drop the organic tomatoes (last seen for 3$ each... really 3$ for one tomato... and no I did NOT buy it I bought the red but yet still rock hard and covered in whatever chemical they had on hand kind). I've really stepped up the coupon clipping too, in fact I actually really enjoy clipping them on Sunday mornings with my coffee and raisin bread (good lord I need a life... No wait that’s too expensive).

So now I just need to deal with the fact that going out to the pub has to be a once or twice a month event and deal with it.

It may not stimulate the economy but I know it will alleviate my stress level, at least it will eventually just not instantly....... only a good steak and beer at the pub does that.

DAMN IT!

cheers

Of Plumbing and Driving

Just a quick update concerning the plumbing situation I mentioned before. You know the one where the toilet decided to go bust and leak nice clean toilet water down through the floor into our kitchen right above the stove... Ya that one.

It turns out that I am not only very very bad at drywall repairs but I should not have closed it up to begin with. So, on the advice of at least two reputable sources (a plumber and my father who just knows a lot about anything to do with houses) I spent and hour cutting out all of the drywall and joint compound that I jammed into the hole (and trust me, it was just jammed in there, I wish I took a picture) as well as an bit extra, slathered the whole area with mold retardant paint and left it to dry.

So now we're left with a lovely hole gaping above our stove for as long as it takes to save enough cash to hire a professional to fix it (I am no professional, in fact I am the exact opposite of a professional).

On another note, we should expect a great ice and snow storm! We're due me thinks. I for one absolutely love snow in all its forms! Though ice does make for a perilous commute here in DC due to the absolute panic that seems to set in the minute the first flake falls. Though, the more I think about it, that panic also seems to set in during any and all adverse driving conditions. Actually I think that their is a constant state of panic that over takes DC drivers the minute they get behind the wheel. I would guess that it may be due to the realization that there is, what seems to be, an overwhelming number of bad drivers out there. Due to that number, panic sets in out of fear of bad drivers, thus making you a bad driver because your in a panicked state...

Well, now on to good things...

K is back for the untimely business trip! That makes me happy. Especially because I no longer have to resort to lecturing the animals on my take of Quine's theory of logic or the pros and cons of latex versus oil paints or why I so desperately need a hobby....

Also I'll be going home from work shortly and will get to brush my teeth! I forgot to last night before leaving and I hate the fuzziness that my mouth develops over a ten hour shift if I don't brush beforehand...

Please excuse the ramblings, I am always a little overtired on the first night shift of the week.

Cheers!

Some Time To...

Nothing like a mental hiatus to make you wish you could take a real hiatus. Over the last week or so I've been doing as little as the world will allow, which is a lot more then I would like to be doing. Due to some situational situation-ness I had a wonderful 6 days off, just me and the animals. It seemed like a great time to catch up on some personal tasks I wanted to do and maybe finish the book I started reading about 6 months ago, didn't happen (well partly).

Last Friday I was talking on the phone to the folks when the panicked voice of K came from the kitchen saying that there was something I should see. So I said a quick goodbye and went to take a look. And there, above the stove, dangling from the ceiling was a giant bubble of paint. Yes, the kind of bubble you get when there is a rather large water leek in the ceiling above. After uttering about 30 to 100 rather course words we scrambled for a bucket and placed it under and gave it a poke.

I'd say about a gallon or 3 came gushing out, nice, brown, slightly off smelling water. As well as about a square foot of drywall.

Due to the excessive amount of foul language that was used at this point I think I should move on with the story.

After dropping K off at the airport on Saturday I was off to the hardware store for, well at this point I was only guessing would be a long list of things that are needed to fix gaping holes in drywall. I was right, putty knives, joint compound, joint tape, sandpaper, sand screens, oh and not to mention drywall. Since my original plan for this mini vacation was repainting the living room I picked up some paint too.

To make a long, involved, aggravating story that is filled with swears and the realization that I am about as good at drywall repair as a drunken 9 year old, the ceiling looks like a drunken 9 year old tried to fix it and we will need to hire a professional to fix it in the future when we can afford it.

I say when we could afford it because I omitted a portion of this story. You see after draining the bubble and cleaning up all of the mess that came with it, we realized that there was no more water coming down. This was good but odd news. Where had this water come from and why had it stopped? So I want on up stairs to see what could be seen in the bathroom (which is above the kitchen), nothing. No toilet overflow, no shower leek which I had been hoping for.

WHERE THE HELL DID THIS WATER COME FROM!

So a plumber was called and thank the lord he could come today.

After close inspection it was determined that the leek WAS from our incorrectly installed toilet (and yes it was post flush water... yum) and it would have to be removed to be fixed. It was also brought to our attention that the reason that our toilet was flushing so poorly prior to this is that it was no good, something about build up of calcium making the pipes about half the size they needed to be. The fix? New toilet, new gaskets and a through cleaning of rust from the fittings. The price? About 900 duckets.

Thank you O' prior owner who thought you were the handiest handy man to grace this earth. The list of crap you have screwed us on by not knowing what you are doing is growing at a geometric rate! Form the pipes filled with grout in the basement floor that will have to be jack hammered out to the incredibly bad "finished" basement construction. From the jimmied electrical systems that have outlets housed OUTSIDE of the baseboard to the paint you splattered all over the floor (conveniently covered with rugs and furniture when we looked at the place). And now this incorrectly installed toilet...

I'm not saying that the house is bad or a lemon, but there are a few things that are really just killing me.

Plumbing will put me in an early grave.

On the up side, I managed to trim out the living room and paint it a wonderful earthy gray with white trim and one red wall. Of course I've stayed up till 2am every day for the last week working, trying to complete this project before Saturday when K returns. I now have just one stretch of trim to finish painting and one more coat of red to apply for this FIRST room to be done. Then? Then on to the rest of the house....


Who needs a drink.......


Cheers

More Time, Less To Do

So apparently next week the entire country is coming to DC. I can't blame folks for wanting to be here for what every one seems to be calling the "OBAMAPOCALYPSE" or, in other words, the inauguration ceremony. At first I entertained the idea of trying to get tickets but I found out that the average senator or rep was getting about 100K requests for the less then 1000 tickets they had each. Then I entertained the idea of just going to the mall to see what I could see, after all I am off work for most of the week due to circumstances out of my control (namely a bunch of idiots that can't seem to do a very simple task so I must suffer their incompetence) but after the thousands of news reports about the overwhelming number of folks coming to town and the complete gridlock that is expected, I decided against it. So now I am left with the unfortunate situation of being off work, house bound and alone (if you don't consider the company of two wild and crazy dogs, a cat that loves to pee and a tank full of fishys actual company) due to the untimely business trip of my K.

I had considered taking the opportunity to try and best my drinking alone marathon record (set back in the late 90's) of incomprehensible drunkenness (three days) but due to the realization that I am NOT invincible (I think that set in in around 05) and that I detest hangovers unless they are for a really good reason (by good reason I mean someone put a bottle in front of me). So I decided against that as well. So what will I do with my long house bound weekend, 5 days of BLANK.

And that may be just what it is, I'm sure some of the time will be filled with admirable activities like scooping up dog poo or cleaning up cat pee or maybe if I am really lucky a tv overdose!

That all just sounds so depressing, but unfortunately true, though I am intrigued by the possibility of painting my living room, now if only we could agree on a color... maybe I'll just do it anyway................................... and see what happens (if I'm never heard from again after next week you can guess why).

So as it comes, tomorrows Friday (well today is Friday actually for me because I am working Thursday night making Thursday Friday until it's actually Friday and then Friday is Friday) and I have no solid plans beyond sleeping till noon and cooking a Friday dinner. It's an unfortunate truth that having more then one day off without any solid plans makes me a little uneasy (uneasy like I'm wasting a good opportunity, not uneasy like theres an ice-cream truck driving by and that weird driver is staring at you again...) but I'll have to make due.

Or maybe I'll just help out with national security by as El (soon to be not) Señor Presidente suggested...

"People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."-Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

Now that sounds about right! know any shut-in's I can go harass with love???????

Mental Haze

That’s about it.

My brain has been on vacation for the last week, of course I have too but I had to come back to work yesterday and unfortunately my brain decided to stay on vacation. It's making it difficult to do some pretty menial tasks. Talking for instance or writing or just making it to work on time (something I have not done yet this week). To be honest the freezing rain was the cause of my ten minute delay tonight but the lack of a functioning noggin has not helped either.

Perhaps it was the week off or the 100's of hours logged in front of a TV or the bottles and bottles of wine and beer consumed or the complete lack of doing, well anything really. I must have lulled the thinking parts of my brain into a coma, now I just need a weekend to wake them up again...

I had planned on talking about one or two of the wonderful bottles of wine I drank last week or the plans for repainting the complete interior of my house (which I did NOT start on last week as I had thought I would) or even maybe come up with some poignant political commentary on some political person (of who's names I can remember none of which) or the lack of a really really good pizza anywhere near anywhere around here.

Alas I cannot put together a complete sentence or pertinent thought on any of the above subjects. So perhaps tomorrow or the next day I'll revive some of that gray matter into a cognitive state, at least enough so as that I can regale you with some witty remarks about a fine red wine from somewhere in Europe or the very strange incident that keeps occurring with my old neighbor and his odd excitement about doors and giant warehouses filled with them...

So until I am coherent enough to explain myself,

Cheers

Working Christmas Night Away! (just like Santa)

It's Christmas day. It's 1 am. I'm at work.

Not what I would call the best case scenario but it will have to do. Tomorrow, after a long night of work tonight, is our first (and maybe last depending on how it goes) annual "Day After Christmas" party. I think we sent out about 40 invites and so far about 20 "sorry we can't make it because (Insert generic excuse such as the in-laws are going to be in, the weather is supposed to be bad, I'll be to hungover, I may have to poop that day)" so it may be just us and about 300 dollars of wine and food, mostly wine.

But I remain optimistic, not about the party but about the wine and besides Saturday I'll be off to get some fish for my new aquarium! and all that wine...

So apparently it seems Friday will end up being about 7 or so gusts and one over tired and rapidly drunk Draffish. Is it really that tacky to get sloshed at your own party? what about just one of the hosts? is that even more tacky? Probably... but then again I've never really paid too much attention to my state of tackiness, besides I usually can't avoid getting a little tipsy after only four hours sleep.

To be honest, anyway it goes it should be fun, at least I won't be at work!

and on that note Merry Freaking Christmas! NORAD says Santa will be here soon!!!!!!!

Cheers!

Of News and Things

Have I been absent?

No not really. More just not having done anything that anyone (including myself) would find interesting enough to read.
I am in the process of setting up my first aquarium in a long time. Exciting I know. This is the first one for about 13 years, when I was a bit younger I had five going at once, with all types of fish and a turtle and crabs and crayfish.... So I was lucky enough to get one for Christmas! (we did our gift giving early because I'm working through the holiday) which was just perfect, I really needed a hobby so here I go again! we'll see if I get the bug and end up with another 50 or 100 gallon tank...

Other then that, I am thinking about painting the interior of the house, or at least portions of it, though probably not until mid January (I need to find something to do during the Inauguration that will keep me IN the house)

As far as crazy news for today, we have a few points of interest;
The Bethesda flood
Shooting at the Wheaton mall

Other crap

I'm sure if you live in the area you have seen the pictures of cars being washed down the street by a massive flood caused by a 60 inch water main bursting in Bethesda. Crazy! What a mess, that will take a while to clean up!

A gang related shooting at the Wheaton mall (nicely located close to home...). Apparently a group of four or so respectable young gang members decided to dual with another group of four or so highly regarded individuals. As these young ruffians beat each other about the head and whipped out their pistolas an undercover cop got involved and chased one down shooting him (or so I heard). All this occurred right outside (and INSIDE) of Macy's which was subsequently locked down for an hour or two. Gotta love you local gang members during the holiday rush! I love being alerted to things like this by seeing 6 or so helicopters hovering in the sky all facing the same direction, makes one a little nervous....

To keep on the crazy crimes topic, has any else noticed that there have been a lot of bank robberies of late, 6 that I have noticed, one occurred moments before we walked on by a Bank of America on University about 3 months ago. Is this a sign of the economy or just that I live in a bad neighborhood?
I also read a good piece in the Gazette about some hotels in Silver Spring on 13th st that have had multiple arrests for prostitution and drugs and even some bodies found in rooms. I wouldn't mention it but I think my folks stayed there last time they came to town... Won't be staying there again...

Lastly The Post had a wonderful article about an Iraqi spy under Hussein that lived in MD and was arrested and charged recently. That’s also very nice...

Cheers

and lastly they have arrested a

Another Italian

So here it is getting on in the evening, waiting for my folks to arrive from MA and my wife from work. Naturally I decided what better time then now to pop a cork on a new bottle of vino and see what we have. Tonight it's Arceno, PrimaVoce, 2004 - Italy, on sale for 12 buckaroos.

After a slight mishap, lucky I had a backup.

As I first took out the cork the nostrils detected a fruity but acidic alcohol smell... better let it breath for a bit while I go breathe somewhere else....

Back for the first little sip, little sip because the folks are en-route and I am on 3 hours sleep in the last 24 so I don't want to be passed out on the floor when the get here. Though the evening may go smoother if I am (parents are fun).

Too my surprise, though still a little bit of a dry bite, very tasty indeed, maybe two sips...

My nose was not crazy about it at first but upon return I have decided that I could be enticed by the mocha and fruit aroma, though it was still a bit acidic. I wouldn't go calling it extravagantly delicious but I didn't want to vomit so that's good.

As for the first taste, I think I detected fruit like prunes and cherries in there as well as chocolate and spices that lead into a peppery woody finish. I'd also say that it most assuredly has a better body then I do.

The acidic and boozeyness of it was a bit Strong right out of the bottle but giving it a good half hour to take a breath fixed that and the balance of tannins and fruit helped greatly. Besides, who would want to drink a wine that wasn't a little bit boozy? All in all I'm not too disappointed (who could be for that price!). Tentatively I'll rate this a +4 for good taste and an easy finish though I'll refrain from solidifying this until tomorrow. Time to wait and see how I feel the morning after...

Well it's not the morning after but I can most assuredly remember waking up that fateful Saturday morning knowing only two things. One; I must get out of bed, take a shower and spend the day "touring" DC with the folks. Two; My brain hurts.
Yes indeed, Arceno may make a good companion for the evening, but this Italian is not fun to wake up with. This fact MAY have been compounded by my staying up late (after 11, remember I worked all the night before and only slept for 3 hours) and the fact that the bottle is now empty along with some (or all) of another....

As for an officially unofficial rating wholly decided and bestowed by myself, +3 (The I might be nice tonight but in the morning I'll make you feel like I killed your cat award). As a disclaimer I am only lowering it by one point because it was tasty and these painful and bitterly remembered after effects were probably brought upon by my own foolishness as well as exasperated by the fact that my folks expected a chipper chauffeur and tour guide during the 4 hours we were at the American History museum. As for the museum I actually do recommend it. The remodel is not too bad and the "America at War" display was stimulating. Just don't go on a very hungover Saturday, the screaming children everywhere will in no way make your brain feel any better.

Cheers!