Milestones

Time likes to remind us every now and then that it's passing. Graduations, birthdays, weddings.. Time is carrying you onward or passing you by; your friend or your enemy. Maybe a little of both. Both, because you can't be in two places at once. Both, because you need it for yourself but taking it is leaving someone else. Someone you absentmindedly imagine to be outside of the reality of time's grip but you find yourself the one outside of reality in expecting something to hold against its movement. Our world has laws. Time, space, gravity.. Today I am reminded of my submission to these laws despite my delusions. All this rambling is to say, when you miss something, you miss it. And I missed it. Regardless of the future, I'm forever absent from this part of your past.

Dear Friday,

Friday, oh Friday. Such a nice day.. But your mornings are so torturous. My heart and mind are already in the glorious weekend but there are still many hours of phone-answering between it and me. After a long week, waking up to you, Friday, feels like an arrival. But I won't be fooled. It's a devastating mentality and I am wise to it. I know where I am. It may be the end of the work week but any one of these hours taken out of the context of TGIF could be a miserable monday morning for the way it feels. Perhaps if I imagine that it's so, I could save myself the heartache that comes with believing in you, Friday. Yes, your evenings are a marvel but don't we have Saturday morning to thank for that if we're really being honest? Think about it: I could go to bed before midnight on any given day of the week and be fine for work the next day but on Friday I can stay out. Why? Well, it's the past midnight hours that really make you the exception, right? And when it passes midnight, why, it's Saturday! So screw you, Friday. You're here but I'm still sitting at my desk trying to entertain myself with mindless rambling in my blog and tonight you won't even become interesting until you are almost over. So, thanks for the 3 hours this evening in which you won't suck but you're gonna have to do better than that. I'll take Saturday over you any day.

Sincerely.

One more pic..

My computer is happy today so it's allowing me to post another pic of my living room for you.. Here tis! (I love this part of the room!)

The Finishing Stages (of what will never be finished)

The floor was shining white and I was ready to put my furniture back and bask in the sparkle. First up- the entry table, since it was awkwardly residing in the middle of the bathroom. I went to move it the short distance form bathroom to hall aaannnd... scratch. damn damn damn. My basking would have to be postponed since, obviously, some sort of sealing was in order here. After a moment on Ask.com I learned that I needed a water-based polyurethane floor sealer. Lowe's here I come (again). As familiar as I am getting with the store, I quickly found what I needed, scanned the label and- wait, what is this? "For painted wood, clean and sand away gloss". I'm sorry, wha?? I just painted with glossy paint! My sister and I looked at each other. I read the label one more time, shouted a few profanities a bit too loudly for public, and jerked the can off the shelf. When we arrived home, Meredith and I knelt in a corner with sandpaper in hand, making toddler whiny faces at each other and I said, "Let's just not.." After a moment she said, "Yeah, you know what? I doesn't really need to be sealed.." And that was all the convincing I needed. So we just said screw it. If the paint starts chipping later, we'll deal with it then. So then we got straight to the fun part! Of course, its not done, there are several things missing but it feels like a living room finally! So without further adu....
Tada!

I'll put a couple more pictures up later but right now my internet is being a little bitch.

Anyway, the next orders of business are: getting another set of twin mattresses to make the L sofa (which will change the layout completely!), getting a little cart for the TV, something for the kitchen for more counter space/storage since the table is coming out (I just found a butcher block top island on craigslist but am waiting to hear back!), a bookshelf, and then hanging all the art. And of course getting the bedroom into functioning condition.. sooo, a lot to do.

Let there be light..

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I hope you had a lovely weekend and that your mothers enjoyed their days yesterday. I think my mom did. Well, the second half at least. I got over to her house at around 4 and she was in a bit of a funk. She said that Mother's Day is usually pretty disappointing (wow I'm a terrible daughter)and then she started crying. Happy Mother's Day. Actually, we just got onto a subject that she got a little emotional about. But then we made chocolate-covered strawberries and went for a walk. Then my brother and sister came and we had dinner- taco salad with Katie's famous "Rock-amole"- and presents and such. I think she liked that part. Overall, not too shabby I hope. She is actually going through a bit of a hard time right now so I hope we did something to lighten things up, if only for a day.

In other news- very exciting news that is- I am pleased to announce that I have a progress report on the apartment! So this weekend... well, how about I just explain it in a thousand words?

On your mark..


Get set..


Tada!!


Then we had a little private concert by a member of the band Love and Theft. It was pretty spectacular.


So, now we are waiting on the maintenance guy to come lay the quarter round trim. I don't think he's gonna get to it all that soon, however, so I think I'm going to set up the living room without it and then just have to move everything again when he comes..

This evening I am picking up 2 very exciting Craig's List finds- This ikea jute 6X8rug for $50

and this ikea table for $25


Here's a bit more detail on the plan for our apartment. I didn't have a sofa when we first moved in so I had this idea- partly as a solution to my sister and I sharing a one bedroom and partly cause I thought it was a unique idea- to make a "sofa" out of twin mattresses (so I could sleep in the living room but it would still look like a living room). It was an idea I got out of an issue of my beloved Domino Magazine (RIP). In the magazine it was a sort of play room and a much larger space than what we have, and they had used 3 sets of twin mattresses (we are going to just use 2) to form an L shaped sofa. So when we moved in I set my twin mattress and box on the floor and made a box around it with wood that I painted white (see?). I used large pillows to form a "back" of the sofa. I never bought the second set of mattresses, though, because I kept changing my mind about what I wanted to do. Some days I wanted to just get a regular sofa, and then I had this idea to make a back to just the one with shelves... BUT now I am sure and I am going to follow through. Its back to the original idea. It will be in the corner of the room that has no windows and it will be a little cove of fluffy white pillows and yumminess. I will paint the box around the bottom the same color as the floor so it will almost seem trimmed out. I think it will have a really cool lofty feel. The TV will be right at the end of one of the sofas on a rolling cart (its a very small flat TV). Then across the room, right under the windows will be the new table and 2 chairs. The chairs are very rustic so I think it will be a cool contrast with the stark mod table. Where the rest of the stuff is going is a little up in the air but there will probly be a small desk and a shelf somewhere. The feel will be open and bright and comfy and airy. A lot of white with fun pops of color.
Here are a few pictures that inspire me.





Ok, well thats all the update I have on Project 208 for right now. I will put up pics soon of the new stuff I'm getting tonight!

Greg Gives the Go Ahead

So, a quick update- Ol' boy landlord came by and looked at the flooring surprise (remember the crackhead green diamond pattern?).. Now Ol' man Greg is an interesting man. And by interesting I mean boring and utterly emotionless. So I had no idea what to expect from his reaction.. Of course he said wow this is ridiculous, who would do such a thing, but he did not get mad at us. (phew..) Then we began discussing our options and he threw out-
"well we can just paint it like a dark brown.."
(GASP! oh good lord, please no.) i responded, calmly, with a hmm.. yes.. and then my dear brave sister says, "well, actually we were thinking about painting it white.."
I braced myself.
"Ok, yeah, that could look nice, especially with all the windows in here, there'd be so much light."
(YESSS!! Greg I love you!!)
And with my new confident in Greg's openmindedness, I added, "I've also seen it done with a high gloss and it looks pretty great.."
"Ok, sure.. And I'll cover the cost of the paint."
(Greg, will you marry me?)

So, needless to say, Mere and I are jumpin all over that puppy and pretty soon our place will be sparklin Domino-style.

Unanonymousification

My last post was entirely unnecessary. I realize that. It's ok, just let it happen. (Kelly would.. ooh! what!)

(you don't get it, its ok)

(wow, overboard on the parenthysis..)

(this may not be the best blog to lead the unanonymousificating..)

whatev.

So, first of all, yes, I am going vegan. So far so good. Except sometimes I just completely forget things. For example, yesterday we had free lunch at work for cinco de mayo. I make my 'toppings taco' (lettuce, pico, guac- in a taco).. and I'm carefully avoiding the cheese, sour cream, and even the charro beans cause you know, they have.. well, something bad in them i'm sure.. and then after filling my plate I top it off with a brownie. hmm. (brownies are made with eggs.. and milk) oops..
It'll just take some getting used to I suppose.. I'll probly talk more about this later.

Moving on to point #2. The apartment.
There has, unfortunately, been a significant lack of funds with which to move this project along, however, I do have a couple updates for you. Here's the first:

Why yes those are termites. I know, how exciting! No worries though, good ol' Maintenance Man Ralph took care of us.

"Did you call?"
"yes."
"Am I here?"
"yes."
"See, I'm a good man."

...

"You need anything else while I'm here? Cause you know I'm sweet on you redheads.."
"hm, um, nope, that's all.. Thanks Ralph."

There are a couple new pieces of art on the walls but hopefully they won't stay there.. (hopefully they will be sold)
The first one, I really like-

The second, I'm not in love with. I don't think it's done but I don't know what it needs. I'll come up with something I'm sure..


And the 3rd thing I was gonna say, I have completely forgotten. I can't remember what the 3 in 1 thing was.. wish I could cause it could've been the redeemer of this otherwhise quite boring post. But alas, it remains an uninteresting welcome to any new readers that may have come from the unanonymousification. Yeah, its a word. now.. This post is like a fully clothed woman slowly and quietly emerging from a medium sized cake in front of only a handful of people, muttering "Happy Birthday" as she wipes bits of icing off of her clothes.

Lunch is in 4 minutes.

But when I come back I will:

1)Discuss my going vegan

2)Update you on the progress of the apartment

3)Give you a 3 in 1 addition to my 25 things list (you thought i forgot didn't you?)

ok, brb.

My Fall 2009 Accessory Lineup

Optional Post Titles:
I Want to Kiss Diane Von Furstenburg on the Mouth.

Things I Will Never Own

Here's the reason for the first one:

I'm just in love. I want to rub this bag all over my body. Is that weird?

Here's her tearing it up in the shoe realm:

It's like walking on sex.

Dries Van Noten gave me a couple little somethins to swoon over:


Dolce and Gabbana.. I mean, come on, what can I say? If I were wearing any of these shoes I would do myself.


And then Donna Karen gave me this pretty little number. What a color!


I'm gonna have to do a part 2 of this post cause there are several more I'd like to show you but I have run out of time. So, to be continued...