Color Blind

My daughter has wanted to paint the walls in her room for years.  Every birthday...every holiday...the only gift she ever requests is that her room get painted.  For some parents that may be the perfect solution to the infamous, "what-do-we-get-her?" question.  For this parent...it's the kiss of death.  I am not crafty.  I am not artistic.  I am not wired for home improvement projects.  After putting off the inevitable for the past six or seven years, give or take, I finally realized that she really meant it when she said she wanted her room painted.  I also realized that it was now or never since she will be graduating from high school in 2 years.

I don't know why I have such an aversion to projects of any sort.  I just.........I don't know.  Am I really that afraid of making a mistake?  Do I run from things that require my total concentration?  These are the sort of questions I asked myself.  These are the sorts of things that ran through my mind these past six or seven years.  Am I really that afraid of change?  Why must I analyze everything?

Anyway....I finally bit the bullet and marched my little self to Home Depot and said, "yes," to the colors my daughter picked out.  That's right...colors...as in, there has to be an accent wall....duh!  So...I've never painted anything other than a rock and a paint-by-number of a butterfly when I was under the age of 10.  I knew, though I don't know how, that I needed that blue tape stuff.  Other than that I was pretty clueless.  Enamel?  Indoor/outdoor?  Topcoat?  Huh?!  Oh, wait?!  I'll need brushes, rollers,....a pan.....uhhhhh.....thinking along these lines tends to make me put off painting my daughter's room for another six or seven years.  Nope.  This time I'm going to follow through.

So....with a bucket...I mean, a gallon, of hot pink paint and a gallon of dark brown paint later I started rolling paint onto my daughter's bedroom walls.  After two fuchsia splats onto my dark pine dining room table chair I recalled the words, "drop cloth."  Fortunately, I am a hoarder.  This means that I had, in my immediate possession, several used, plastic, shower liners.  I was actually starting to get the hang of it.  Or so I thought.  Not one to fret over 'exactness,' I 'accidentally' got a few bright pink 'marks' on the ceiling....oooops!  Then, when my daughter and I 'finished' painting we realized that, perhaps, we should have used wider tape.  Oh well.  Creative expression.....isn't that what true artists have?  When we pulled the blue tape off the baseboards we quickly discovered that it would've been better had we waited for the paint to dry.  No worries....we can 'touch up' later.  (Not exactly sure when 'later' will be).  Also....I kinda forgot where I put the switch plates and outlet covers.  Oh well.  You can hardly see the light switches or plugs since my daughter and I painted them.  We erroneously thought that 'that part' will be covered by the plate/cover anyway,'.....wrong.

Now, several weeks past the 'day of painting,' my daughter's room is very cute and cozy and oh so gorgeous....as long as you don't turn on the lights or plug anything in.  As far as the dangling blue tape above the doorways and along the baseboards...well....we consider that 'decor!'

Olympicoholic

Hi.  My name is The Brooding Chick and I am an olympicoholic.  I'm so addicted that around midnight, when they start replaying the events I've already spent the previous 12 hours watching...I watch 'em again.  I find it quite ironic that I spend all day, every day, watching men and women who are the epitome of good health while I haven't washed my hair since the opening ceremonies.  I think most people, after watching the Olympics, are so inspired and motivated that they immediately implement a heavy workout regime.  Me...I just want to go buy some red, white, and blue fingernail polish.  While most people are mesmerized by the yellow "WR" line sliding across the pool, I was interested in the nail art all of the swimmers were sporting.  Superficial? I think not.  I happen to have a lot in common with the Olympic athletes.  Take, for example, my extreme focus I dedicate to working out (I work outside the home ).  I have a strong desire to want to beat others (especially those who don't listen to me).  I run a race every day...perhaps you've heard of it...it's called "The Rat Race."  Finally, I absolutely, positively, love GOLD!

Running Out of Time

If you look closely at the sticker in the back window of this truck you'll see "0.0"  This struck me as hilarious as I am not a runner.  In fact, I'm hardly a walker.  Truth be told, 0.0 is about the speed I've been operating on during my time off this summer.  In a few weeks I'll be gaining enough speed to warrant a sticker the length of that windshield.  But, until then, I am relishing the downtime that summer affords.  I'll sleep until my body is ready to wake.  I'll meander throughout the house until it's time for a nap.  On days when I'm feeling that rare burst of energy I'll check the mail.  Ahhh....reading, writing, eating, sleeping.  That's my version of a summer marathon!

Dog Days

Has it really been an entire year since my last post?  Whoa!  I know the appropriate saying is, "Time Flies When You're Having Fun," but that's not necessarily the reason why I haven't posted.  Truth be told, I don't really know why I haven't posted...other than the fact that I've been super busy and my kids are teenagers, and I'm hormonally imbalanced.  But other than that...yeah...I've been having 'fun.'  

So, here it is, July 2012...the temperatures have kept me on the far far end of the highly irritated scale.  I don't even want to look out my window let alone open the front door.  I did venture out once but that was to river where I was immersed in the water the entire time I was there.  

I remember being younger and listening to the old ladies gripe about sweating...how they hated it.  I recall thinking that they were just wimps...old wimps.  My how the tables have turned.  I'm not only old, but I'm wimpy.  Heat is for the lizards.  Bring on the chilling gusts of wind that whisper to women everywhere, "Go forth and shop for wool!"  

I love summer...I really do.  I'm blessed to have a job where I am afforded multiple months off.  I'm fortunate to live in the country where I can walk around in my scuzziest threads and never have to wash my makeup off (since I never have to put it on!).  I'm grateful for the long, lazy days and the entitlement to ice cream that comes with extreme humidity and extended periods of drought.  

I have many projects in the works and one of them includes posting on a regular basis.  I’ll commit to a minimum of once a week and see how things go from there.  It feels good to be back in the nest!