Party Computer, take me away to another land...

I hate computers. I was looking at jkf's blog and she has all sorts of cool ass features--because she has skills I tell you. I got no skills because I got no patience because I fucking hate computers.

When I was a scientist, folks used to leave the room when I was crunching data on the computer--they couldn't take my litany of profanities. True, I have a much cleaner mouth than I did back then, and a much better temper. But, to this day, the only time I seem to truly lose it is when I'm dealing with this machine. It is the bain of my existence.

I did my best to care--after all I am dating a former Intel programmer. I even took Cyberlaw in law school (and enjoyed it). But this foul box sucks away my soul. I hate it--hate it!! But I can't stay away--I love it for all the information it gives me. I am addicted to the internets. What is a girl to do?

That is why I can't bring myself to learn HTML and add cool shit to this site. It's just too painful.

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Comment Spam

Kids,

I've been receiving quite a bit of comment spam and it is becoming a hassle to delete. So, I've turned the word verification feature on. That means before your comment is published you've got to type in the little word graphic you see (you'll understand when you see it). Sorry for the inconvenience, but it will help weed out the automatons.

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Bye Bye Blue!

I am now officially done with painting my house blue. All that are left are the south side soffitts and windows which will be painted white. Thank God.

The rest of the afternoon will be spent drinking and watching TV.

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Bob Moog R.I.P.

Sometimes it's easy to recklessly throw around names of folks who revolutionized music. In the case of Bob Moog, it's no exaggeration. Electronic music couldn't exist as it is today had he not invented his Moog Synthesizer in 1964. Nor would any of our most beloved songs sound the way they do without him. Think of giants like the Beatles or Stevie Wonder, or even more obscure records like Martin Denny's Exotic Moog. Even today's musicians often prefer the otherworldly sounds you can only produce on a Moog. The article above names Beck and Sonic Youth as recent customers of the R.A. Moog Co.

When I was a kid, I tried saving up my money to buy a Moog, but the price was always out of reach. But as an adult, I can think of countless nights playing music in Crapartist's basement--the best part being Stan Tern's unforgettable solos on the mini-Moog.

Robert Moog died Sunday in Asheville, N.C. at the age of 71.

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a hole in my house

Because one large home project wasn't enough, Mr. Pretzel and I are in the process of replacing my two bedroom windows. (Actually both the painting and the windows are an effort to prevent my house from falling apart this winter--i.e., they are mandatory projects).

Two weeks ago he and I removed the exterior trim from one window, took measurements, and ordered two windows from Home Despot. They finally arrived, so today we removed the interior trim (which is actually a rather beautiful bit of carpentry that I hope we can reconstruct), and pushed the fucker out.

Actually, this was quite an enjoyable feat because it meant I got to buy a sawzall today. For those of you who don't know, a sawzall is one of the world's most wonderful tools--it literally saws all. Wood, plaster, metal--all of it. One stroke of the sawzall along the bottom and the window slid easily into my waiting hands outside. All that was left was a marvelously large hole in the wall.

Thanks to Mr. Pretzel's carpentry skills, he built the rough opening out so that the windows fit snugly next to the plaster and lath. The only trick is that we had the wrong staples for his hammer stapler, so we had to use my free Westlaw stapler (with the blue staples) to attach the tar paper. Alas, the poor thing didn't survive the day.

The best part (besides the sawzall) is that Stephen measured that shit so well, we didn't even need shims to level the new window--it was already perfect. Sweet.

Now I just need to get a few pieces of trim to accommodate the fact that this window is much slimmer than my old double hung. It'll be quite nice--energy efficient, UV blocking, opens all the way, doesn't need to be propped, and has a screen.

Can't wait to do the 2nd one.

Thanks Pretzel!

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back from beantown

kids,

once again i find myself apologizing for a long absence. i was in boston and rhode island for jedi jade's wedding, and did not have access to the internets while i was there.

the wedding was lovely--the groom was alternately beaming and weeping for joy during the short but very sweet ceremony. and the shindig was like nothing i had ever seen. being a west coast girl through and through, i was thoroughly unprepared for this very east coast wedding. but, let me just say, although i was a little shocked by lemon yellow linen pants, green sport coats, orange bow ties, and ascots, the food was absolutely fabulous, the drink was plentiful, there were lots of folks on the dance floor, and i had a really, really fun time.

i returned on monday, only to find that my girlfriend had thrown her back out and was unable to sit, and was having trouble walking too. so, we spent the last few days doing not a whole heck of a lot. fortunately for me, champagne and grapefruit juice seemed to help until she could get something stronger. i put her on a plane today to go visit her mom.

that means jkf and i can now finish the smurfing of my house. i swear to god this is a never ending project. i thought painting would be different from my normal life inasmuch as you can track your progress. but, alas: this is the house that never ends/it just goes on and on, my friends/somebody started painting it, not knowing what it was/now they're painting it forever just because... .

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Shout out

I'll be at the coast for a few days, so I wanted to thank all the folks who helped me with my little project this week. Of course jkf, aka Doctor Smurf, for pulling the weight this week. Also to meg-leg for scraping and sanding her little heart out, and then making us go swimming afterwards. (She totally got Tom Sawyered into the house painting thing!). Watching the Bay Watch-esque rescue of Baxter when he wrestled free of his leash on Sauvie Island was inspiring. And to Double O for her help on both Monday and Wednesday--although Monday we mostly spent drinking vodka--but that was an important part of the process too. Wednesday was all business, though.

Then there's Mr. Pretzel for bringing beer on the hottest day of the year. And Stan Tern for bringing ciccarones and iced tea on the second hottest day.

Thanks a million kids.

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A harrowing day

Question: can two young women scrape, sand, prime, and paint a 1923 bungalow in 5 days?

Answer: yes! If we actually had 5 days. But since this is the end of day 4, we are not yet done. Tomorrow I leave for the coast, and then to Boston/Rhode Island for jedi jade aka Bambi Smurf's wedding. That means a mad dash au demain to finish as much as possible before it is time to go.

Today was pretty intense. I had to go rent a 28ft extension ladder so jkf could do the tippy tops (I'm too chickenshit to go that high). But, just transporting the thing in my little truck was enough excitement for me.

We managed to finish scraping, sanding, and priming the south side, as well as painting the top today. This was no easy feat considering it was 90F today. Sweltering.

Additionally, much painting was done on the front.

The best part was jkf painting in the dark in an effort to finish the top of the north side so I can take the ladder back at 7am tomorrow. It was comical because it really was impossible to see anything (I had cut the electricity to ward off inadvertant electrocution), and we were both a little punchy at that point, but I'm sure it will be beautiful in the sunlight.

Not bad for a 12 hour day.

Did I mention that jkf is the nicest, bestest, most wonderful friend in the world? I think I need to say that at least 20 times a day.

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Smurf Surprise

Ah, painting on the hottest day of the year. Gotta love it. Lookin' good, tho'.

When I went to the paint store I thought the paint I was getting was a light blue--kinda grey like the one I had before. Instead it is a lovely Smurf Blue. Coupled with the white trim, you're not going to miss it when you drive up the street anymore. Smurfin!

I'm up early today to get a head start on the South side of the house before it gets too hot. Forecasted 98F today. No beer until 5pm.

BTW, my Smurf Name is Golden Flash Smurf!

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