Damn it feels good to be a gangster

My science gangster shirt arrived friday...heh heh. I'm wearing it right now. :) Mee hee.

This weekend was a workfest.

I have sanded and primed my cupboards and the tiles are grouted-that stressed me out, as I'd never done it before, but it worked pretty well. I sanded, primed and painted all the holes in the walls from the wiring so they look normal again...I did well, you can't tell there were ever holes! The best part was when I put the first coat of blue paint on the cupboards yesterday...it looks GOOD. Oh and did I mention I also spent most of saturday helping J's brother & family move into their new house? Then, in a moment of insanity I invited my brother and his wife over for supper yesterday. I used George in my nearly nonfunctional house to make a big supper of roast and such, along with 2 kinds of pie. Lime for us and raisin for Dad (thanks Grapecat-Dad said it was good and to say thanks for the recipe). I had the whole crowd over because I wanted to get together one last time - Dad has decided to head home today. He's done every possible repair to the house we could think up (seriously....everything we can think of...we've never had such a functional house...) and he says he wants to head home for a few days. He has some things to do there for his brother and he is doing better than he was. Although he'll be lonely, I know it's the next step. He didn't want to put it off too long. I'll miss him - it's been nice to have him here and be able to help him adjust and look after him. I know it'll be hard for him, but I think he'll be OK...just lonely. That will be the hardest part I think.

It was a bit of a nuthouse yesterday (OK all weekend really) and things are still largely in disarray, but it's' coming along. I can see the end. One more coat of paint on the cupboards and I have to seal the grout and then I can put things back in the kitchen. This weekend I can finish the doors and then we can put them back on too. Luckily you can buy new nice hinges that are the same size as the old ones (and don't suck) so they should go back on quite simply. Then the handles. Then I can stop and just come home and do my Master's like I'm supposed to be doing.

Heh.

The end is in sight.

And I have mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch.

Damn it feels good to be a gangster...

Living in the DMZ

The renos are going well, but our house is a gong show. The kitchen is in the living room...on and under the table. So I have set up another table in the middle of the living room to eat at, which is rather cluttered.
Sure George is now in the kitchen where he belongs (so...cool...), but after today the old stove will be in the corner of the living room until it's' picked up. Then there's the trail of sawdust and dust (that I can't ever get rid of and vacuum up...out out damned spot) going downstairs to where Dad has his tools and saw set up...and the laundry area that until tomorrow I haven't been able to do laundry in, and all the drywall patched areas that are dusty...

So no clothes, a gong show of a house...it's driving me slowly batty. If things aren't put back exactly where they were (ahem J) they disappear into the "stuff" apocalypse slowly taking over the house. Like our one cordless phone. And my glasses. Heh.

Don't get me wrong...the kitchen is maybe a week from being done. After the weekend it will be down to painting cupboards and putting the doors and handles on them. It looks better than I had imagined - and is exactly what I wanted. It's great. I'm grateful...just going a bit batty.

I do feel slightly like tossing a match in the living room and going out for coffee for a while though. Knowing the whole main level is covered in a fine layer of dust and that I will have to clean it ALL (even the damn blinds) is making me somewhat tetchy.

I will persevere though. Hopefully by the end of February I will have my house back.
AND I went to bed early last night and got 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. LOVE that.
I just keep reminding myself - soon it will be AWESOME :)

Beaker has coffee.

Like Beaker...I have had too much cofffee...
So tired...but still so much to do...
Work all day. Reno all night.

Gibbedy gibbedy gibbedy...

Rowlf Sings : You and I and George

Today George (my new stove) is going come to live in my kitchen. Yes...I wil hug him and squeeze him and I will call him George.
I've been singing this in my head all morning...I'm sure I"ll drive Dad and J nuts with it when I cook with it for the first time.

Meep.

Tile MASTER!!!

Dad and I worked on the house ALL weekend.
Yesterday (thanks to my house being somewhat shoddy and my Dad's not making lists) we made 3 trips out for stuff and spent 17 hours working. Yes...apparently my sink pipes, tap valves and the sewer gas pipes were damaged and needed to be all replaced before the sink could go back in...
Whew.

BUT - The wiring is completed and inspected (all those wires and circuits and subpanel passed! Way to go Dad!). THEN Dad and I cut and installed the new countertop. THEN Dad installed the sink back with a new faucet (looks awesome) while I patched and filled and sanded the8 holes in the walls from running the wiring (my kitchen is now up to electrical code - hooray!). THEN Dad and I put up ALL the glass tiles for behind the stove and for the backsplash. We finished last night at 11, but it's done except for the grouting. I placed and Dad cut. We work very well together. We were determined to get it all done, as I can't take more time off until friday, and George (the stove) is being installed tomorrow, so the tiles had to at least be in place by then. And I was determined that if I took a day off to do it, I wanted to DO IT.

The tiles are white and blue glass...I have grout that is a light grey, but I'm still humming and hawing...maybe light blue? White?? I'm so indecisive. I have a few days to change my mind...the thinset needs to cure.

I have changed my mind about refinishing the cupboards...turns out they're poorly made, so instead of trying to sand and refinish them with varnish, I'm going to paint them a nice blue colour. Then we can put on the new handles. Dad is still cutting down the cupboard above the stove so we can put in the range hood fan. And there's some lights for above the sink...but MAN... so much done!
Dad's been happy to be busy. I'm just giggling, as I've been imagining all this in my head since last JUNE...it's awesome to have it happen.

I will post pics eventually. Right now I'm very behind on my MSc as I spent ALL weekend working on the kitchen and not it (heh) so I have LOTS to do. Soon I promise.

Right now...worky worky for me...

Metropolis

I am so excited. Tonight, in the old Roxy theatre, I get to see a film print of Metropolis

You know, one of my favourite films?

In 1927 Fritz Lang made a silent black and white film...a science fiction film. It is amazing.

And tonight I can see it in a theatre that looks like it did in the 20s...and....AND the Saskatoon Symphony will be playing the original german sheet music written to play with it while the film plays.

Yup...J and I are going out on a date. It's been too long...

SHAZAM!

Geo's Plays a Game

Game for review: Settler's of Catan Dice Game

Rating: sub-meh (just shy of dullsville)

Well, what can I say?
Last night at my brother's my sis-in-law pulled out this game after supper and a few rounds of dominoes for a "change of pace"...and it pretty much killed all fun in the room. She loves this game, but I have to say - I don't. Not only is it rather convoluted and confusing at first (especially if you haven't played the original Settler's of Catan Game, which my Dad and Mako hadn't) but it's just not that fun. It's a convoluted much duller version of Yahtzee. If you like dice games, just play dice games. Don't bother with this. We didn't even finish half the game...
Heh...Can you tell I didn't like it?
I should clarify: I love Settler's of Catan. It's a relatively simple strategy game that only goes for a max of 2 hours and can be fun for 1-4 players. The dice game version of it is just capitalising on people's love of the game, and it sucks all the strategy and game play out of the original. It turns it into mindless dice rolling.

Final Review: Just play the original game. If the original is too hard for you...well...go eat some vitamins and learn something dammit. Come on. You've got to try harder.

Geo out.

Doves - Jetstream

The new Doves album makes me happy. So happy I had to pop in and post this so you could hear it too...

Jeststream is like flying low over the ocean faster and faster until the sun breaks the horizon and splashes light all around you and you can't help but laugh out loud.
Yes.

Light goes on. Light goes off. Light goes on. Light goes off.

I now have a light switch for the kitchen in the hallway so it's not above the stove. Not having a switch right above a gas range seemed wise...call me crazy. There's holes all over in the walls and things cut and drilled for all wires, a new subpanel and wiring for a light in the pantry (meep). Dad is amazing. I can't believe he can just up and do all this stuff. And to code :). Yes I will soon be able to plug in 2 things in my kitchen at the same time and not blow a breaker! I can scarcely believe my good fortune.


Heh. My Dad's a wiring machine.
He's very good about just making things happen. Things I know nothing about how to do. Yes. It's coming along. He's happy to be busy. Another day of wiring and then it will be new counter top and faucet day. THEN tile day. Then a rangehood....THEN OVEN!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!

*ahem*

Yes. Good start on things I'd say.

image source

Mouse! Mouse! Make your presence known...

Let the renos begin...

I now have my kitchen in my living room.
It's very odd...