The Default State Is Broken

So, June was the month of in-the-house projects, what with all the painting and the rearranging and the half-finished shower (which, according to all the experts I've consulted, needs a real plumber to finish). I made an executive decision that July would be the external projects month, so I can get used to living in my new space without going crazy about the mess. Saturday was the first big yard project, tackled by my tenants, and it went pretty well so far: the japanese maple in the front yard has been trimmed back so it looks less like it has mange; the rhododendron bushes have been trimmed back on the front and side of the house so they're no longer taking over the space, most of the bushes along the fenceline in fron have been trimmed back to reasonable levels, and the electric hedge trimmers I obtained meant this all got done in about an hour and a half (including mowing the yard and spreading some anti-moss stuff to clear off the sidewalk and side-of-the-house pathway....

So, I saw a tweet from Nate Silver of 538.com about who would win the World Cup if it were about food... and thus this stupid project was born. Here are my choices as to who would advance: Grp A: #MEX Grp A: #FRA Grp B: #GRE Grp B: #ARG Grp C: #ALG Grp C: #USA Grp D: #GHA Grp D: #SER Grp E: #JAP Grp E: #CAM Grp F: #ITA Grp F: #PAR Grp G: #BRA Grp G: #CIV Grp H: #CHI Grp H: #SPA Then, seeding the round of 16: #FRA 1 #JAP 2 #MEX 3 #PAR 4 #GRE 5 #ALG 6 #GHA 7 #ITA 8 #BRA 9 #CHI 10 #SPA 11 #ARG 12 #CAM 13 #SER 14 #CIV 15 #USA 16 Round of 16 results: #FRA vs #USA = #FRA #JAP vs #CIV = #JAP #MEX vs #SER = #MEX #PAR vs #CAM = #CAM #GRE vs #ARG = #ARG #ALG vs #SPA = #ALG #GHA vs #CHI = #CHI #ITA vs #BRA = #ITA Quarterfinal Results: #FRA vs #ITA = #FRA #JAP vs #CHI = #JAP #MEX vs #ALG = #MEX #CAM vs #ARG #CAM Onto the Semifinals: #FRA vs #CAM = #FRA #JAP vs #MEX = #JAP The fight for third: #CAM vs #MEX = #CAM And, for the World Cup of Food: #FRA vs #JAP = #JAP Your choices may be different...

Two big projects happened this weekend, and one of them is finished (not the one I wanted, but whatever). I put up about 1/3 of a new shower in the basement, and got stuck because of the plumbing part, which is kicking my ass. I think at this point it may be easier simply to hire someone to come in and fix it. The second project was a little more visible, though: 3 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint on my front room in 12 hours. Thank the gods I got quick-drying stuff. I haven't pulled down the tape yet, but it already looks amazing and light and much bigger than before. I celebrated by hooking up my projector and xbox (finally!) and chilling for an hour or so. I haven't yet pulled up the carpet -- I think that's going to have to wait until my next bonus or something like that. But for now, I'm happy.

I didn't realize that being a homeowner meant that I no longer have any free time that isn't spent working on the fucking house. This week is really the first week I'm in the house, but I'm not really out of the apartment yet, either. I've had LOTS of help from everyone, including a gigantic help-out from Cheryl doing a lot of painting as long as I do the prep work. And there is a TON of fiddly, annoying, pissant little work, which is the kind of work I hate. But while it's not getting done as fast as I'd like, it is getting done. I think I may be able to see the end of the tunnel. July projects are all going to be outdoor projects, so I don't have to try and live in a mess of a house for a while.

The fact that it's taken me two weeks to write that much should tell you how backed up I am, creatively...

Having not seen them in a while, I had forgotten than both of my parents are over 70, and while they're still healthy, the "over 70" part really shows in their movements and appetites. I ended up revising my visiting schedule with them several times simply because they weren't up to it. I'm hoping that they're enjoying themselves, but I'm actually kind of glad that they've said they're not really interested in coming back. Telling them about Cheryl and I breaking up was a big deal, but they both took it well, and I'm not disowned so I call it a win.

I closed on the house on Friday. Which is pretty terrifying. My first house payment is due 1 July. What the hell was I thinking, buying a money pit? I want to go back to sleep for, I dunno, a couple of years. But I have people coming over, and I have a chiro appointment on Monday, and then my parents arrive on Tuesday... Boy am I glad I took the next couple of weeks off. -jc