geminigirl, posts by tag: house - LiveJournal (original) (raw)

geminigirl, posts by tag: house - LiveJournal By the time you read this the world will have changed

		Is that all there is? I've been in a funk for a couple of weeks. I'm used to this happening in the winter, and letting it pass, but very much not used to it happening in early summer. I'd blame it on my impending birthday but it's been going on too long for me to blame that, and my birthday is only minimally bothersome this year. Someone wished me a Happy Mother's Day recently, when I was in the grocery store, and it crushed me. I could blame that for my funk, but I think it started before then. ( But there's all sorts of other things happening here Collapse )Still for this evening, more homework, supper, bathroom cleaning, dishwasher emptying and I think that's all.Tags: body/health, canada, everyday life, fertility, house, immigration, school, ttc

		Ring Ring Last Friday, while I was eating lunch, the doorbell rang. Not once or twice (as is usual when the postal carrier or UPS brings a package) but six or seven times, being held down, and in rapid succession. It was some strange woman at the door, claiming to be the president of the HOA next do us, who was asking for the head of our homeowner's association. I've never met the woman who is the head of our HOA, and I have no idea where she lives, since the mail to the HOA goes to an address not in our neighborhood at all. And if I did, I'm not about to tell some stranger. She was going from door to door or something, trying to find this woman. No clue.Then, this afternoon, the phone rings, and it says 999-911-9999 on the caller ID. A reverse 911 call (from our local police department) letting us know that a registered sex offender has moved into the neighborhood. What's the next ring going to bring?Tags: everyday life, house

		First off, since I neglected to make an entry in my LJ yesterday, let me being by belatedly thanking the veterans on my f'list. I know of three, but there quite possibly may be more. For those of you who don't read the comic strip For Better or For Worse, a bit of background. Lynn Johnston, who has drawn this strip for almost thirty years, honors veterans regularly in her strip. One of the major characters served with the RCAF in World War II. I found this year's strip particularly touching. You can see it here. In addition to remembering what veand filled our saturday veterans have done for us, I did have a busy but satisfying weekend. We had a quiet Friday evening, and spent Saturday doing many many errands. We began with a quick trip to Linens and Things for a pizza stone, so that I can prepare a fruit pizza for our card game this week. Then a stop at Build a Bear so that I could get a stuffed Mumble to add to my collection of stuffed penguins. It was a madhouse there, and took quite a bit longer than expected, but we got the penguin built, and the promo-giveaway that made me want to go this weekend in the first place. Then a stop at Bath and Bodyworks for a few items, including part of my sister in laws's Christmas gift. An in and out stop at Ulta for something that I haven't been able to find anywhere else, and onto the next project. I wanted a loaf of sourdough bread to go with supper, so we headed to Panera for a loaf of bread, and of course some lunch! I had a tasty salad, zedrikcayne had a sandwich, and we each had a cookie. Onto Target for two items, which of course is never really two items. In addition to a dishpan and slippers (our intended targets of course) we also came home with a runner for the dining room table, a bucket of cat litter, a refill for the catnip scratcher box, my sister's birthday gift, some new playing cards and a mini-slinky, intended for our nephew's stocking. Next stop was the grocery store, for a few things, but my own confusion about our schedule for next week meant that I neglected to buy the ingredients I needed for Tuesday night's dessert. Ooops. So I'll make a trip to the store on Tuesday for really fresh fruit for the pizza. One more stop at the pharmacy on the way home, and we were home for the evening. Put things away, and then do some housework and start supper. I had a soup base for corn chowder that we'd picked up at Omaha Steaks during the half price sale at the local store a few weeks ago, so I added a few basic chopped veggies (carrot, onions and celery-a basic mirepoix) and some crab, for a rather tasty crab and corn chowder, served with sourdough bread. (There are plenty of leftovers, if anyone is hungry.) While that was cooking, a little housecleaning. In the evening, some email, a phone call with my Mom, and not much else. Today, laundry laundry laundry, which somehow seemed to get neglected over the last few weeks. I think we did four loads today, which is quite a bit. And more housecleaning-my bathrooms are sparkling. (We have a rather nice agreement...I'll clean the toilet and sink in Cayne's bathroom if he does the vacuuming. I hate vacuuming. He cleans the shower in that bathroom, because it's just easier to do that while you're in it.) And the lawn has been mowed, too. I finished the book I was reading and now I'm puttering around, flipping between Livejournal, IRC and my French Homework. The last load of laundry is in the dryer and will get folded later, though it probably won't get put away until tomorrow. Back to the homework though.Tags: cayne, cooking, everyday life, holiday, house, pop culture

		In honor of Halloween... Wayne and Garth's Top 5 Worst Treats for Trick or Treaters5. Pennies4 Pop Rocks3. Taffy Apples2. Hurl1. MungIn other news, we had a pleasant housewarming, and a nice visit with my in laws. My mother in law did drive me nuts, a bit, but not in an intolerable way. She wouldn't sit still, and insisted on doing things like vaccuming and folding laundry. I felt like my house was being invaded. I tried out a new recipe, and it was just a generally pleasant visit. And, it's nearly 4 PM and we've had no Trick or Treaters.Tags: celebrations, family, holiday, house, pop culture, silly

		The Downside I do love the idea of owning a house. It's a great thing, the whole equity equation, and being able to paint the walls as I want without thinking about what a landlord would say, or worry about holes in the walls or all sorts of other things that one thinks about when renting a place.But there's a downside. A very serious downside. A very serious and personal and difficult downside. It's not about money, or space, or the Home Owner's Association or the stress of moving. I hate that someone here thought a political ad that says "Sorry, Charlie. Only Jeb Bush Conservatives get to be governor" was a good idea. It's about being here.I hate Florida. I hate it a great deal. I hate the weather. I don't like the politics. I don't like the people. I don't like the lifestyle. I just don't like it. It's the best place for zedrikcayne to be though, in terms of his career and his goals. And in his field, once you get to EA, there aren't many other places to go. I've held out a little bit of hope that Cayne would spend a few years here, in Orlando, and then we'd move on to another division of EA-and there are lots of options; the Bay Area, Vancouver, Montreal and NoVa, just in North America. I can't do that anymore. I can't pretend that this isn't a long term deal. We're here, and we're staying, for the forseable future. And that's really hard for me. I would like to be in a place I loved, a place where there was a real job market for me, where the things to do were more interesting to me, where I liked the people I met, where the political climate were more to my liking and so on and so on. And I do try to make my own happiness. I just feel very stuck. We're here. It's not what I'd have chosen for myself. I share my life with a partner I love, and who I wouldn't give up for anything, and three wonderful cats. I have a pretty house. There are in fact good things about my life. That whole seeing the forest for the trees thing.I hold out hope that it will get better. I'm not seeking sympathy here. It's life. It's the life that I (mostly) chose, and it's mostly satisfactory. But it's hard to be truly happy when you don't like the place you're at.Tags: cayne, emotions, everyday life, florida, house

		Home. Green Walls I'm writing this from the middle of the living room, while I wait for the movers to show up with our stuff. I was handed three cat, the cooler of stuff for the freezer, two laptops and a box labelled "Internet, In a Box" which contained our modem and router and some other stuff that isn't really necessary for the internet but just fit in the box. Which means I have internet service. And an house. With lots of lovely green walls. Except for the rooms that aren't green but are blue. I worried that the color we chose for the living room/dining room would be overwhelming, but I love the way it turned out, and I love the way it looks next to the color in the family room, where I was afraid it would make the grey tones in that color come out too strongly. And the office/mancave/guest room is a lovely shade of blue. Now if only the movers would hurry up.Tags: everyday life, house, moving

		What partner's shouldn't do:Call you up from the new house and say "The water is off at the new house." And wait for your reaction before they explain to you that the painters turned it off because they were painting behind the fridge and there was something wierd with the hoses, and that they'll turn it back on shortly.He says it looks really good though. The movers have postponed our move to Thursday, and who doesn't appreciate an extra day to pack? Meanwhile, we're just waiting to see what happens during the storm. (I need to make/find/steal a "rain" icon and a "hurricane" icon.)Tags: cayne, florida, house, moving, weather

		The movers called to see if we wanted to go tomorrow instead of Wednesday, because of the weather. We're not going to be ready to go tomorrow.And they issued an inland tropical storm watch or warning (not sure which) for us earlier today. They're moving the Space Shuttle off the launch platform, I think, and predicting three to five inches of rain around here. Now, I'm not one to go crazy over this. But does it have to happen when I'm in the middle of moving? (And if my head is any kind of barometer, and it usually is, we're in for a storm.)Tags: florida, house, moving, weather

		Ouch I have had stabbing pains in both ovaries today, and lots of uterine cramps. My period is beyond the crampy stage, so I think it's something totally unrelated to that. Feh. I'll mention it to the doctor when I'm there soon. And oh wow, I can tell that Cayne was drinking tonight. He's snoring extra loud. So, cool people, thumbs up or thumbs down on Pants of Dance Off? It's a post Full House, post meth, Jodie Swetin. We shopped today. A lot. At Pier One. We bought a table, and chairs, and rugs, and stuff. And it will look nice. Slipcovers are probably the next project. All I want right now is for it to be late enough that I can take strong drugs and go to bed. (Can't take the prescription stuff with alcohol, so I'm waiting a little longer so that I can take serious meds and go to bed. Need lots of energy for grape stomping tomorrow.Tags: body/health, entertainment, everyday life, house, links, pop culture, television

		Party Questions Some of the questions that follow are largely oriented towards parents, but I'd be interested in feedback from party-goers in general about things. And I'd really appreciate if people would link this in other places-the more feedback the better.With the new house, we're likely to plan a housewarming. And most of the parties we attend are family events, not adults only. I'd like to continue that trend, as someone who would like to have children one day, and because I know it means that some of our friends are far more likely to attend when they can bring their kids along. Some parents are better than others at watching their children or making sure that there's an adult responsible for their children, at making sure their children are entertained and not getting into things that might not be safe, and that someone who doesn't have children might not have remembered to put away or thought to put away. (And the fact that one couple we know is not the most attentive to their two and a half year old when we're at parties is a big part of the reason that this is on my mind, after watching what that child got into at someone's house last weekend.) So, what I was thinking about is setting up a sort of kid-space at our house during the party. Pull out the card table (which has a very nice vinyl top so it's easy to clean) with kid friendly toys and activities. I'd put it in a space that allowed parents to both watch their children, and enjoy the rest of the party. I might include things like paper and crayons, play dough, lego/duplo, and I'm not sure what else. Maybe also, set up a space to put movies on for the kids. Most of the kids are probably between two and a half and about six, with a few older ones, in the elementary school range who require less supervision. The one high schooler I know tends to not be at parties with his Mom and Dad. Onto the questions:If you're a parent, how would you feel if someone set up kid-space at a party? Would you feel good and try to take advantage of it, or would you feel like you were being relegated to the kids table? If you're not a parent, how would you feel about kid-space at parties that are family-friendly?Do you have any suggestions as to what might have kid-appeal and be reasonably safe for children ages 2 and a half to about 9. I'm thinking lego/duplo, some non-messy-ish art supplies, some balls and stuff to play with outdoors, maybe checking to see what Oriental Trading has to offer. Depending on the timing, I'm thinking this might also be halloween themed, and I might also set up pumpkin carving/decorating, as well. (We used to throw a party for this when I was a kid, and it was a blast, so I'd like to revive this tradition.)Any thoughts? Please share far and wide. The more feedback on this the better.Tags: everyday life, house, lj brain trust, moving, questions

		I would love to live in a place where simply stepping outside my door didn't result in becoming sweat soaked, without evaporation, for half the year.We've been here a year, and I'm uncomfortable driving in the afternoon downpours. Yesterday, I was on the highway and couldn't even see the brake lights of the car in front of me. I don't like that.It's baby lizard season. I see them all over the place. they're kind of cute, and for some reason, the baby lizards remind me of dinosaurs far more than the adults. A few weeks ago it was baby frogs or toads (I can't get close enough to identify which ones they are. The skin appears dry, but I can't get close enough to see the feet or eyes to differentiate.) I do like what our friend Nick has had to say about the bugs down here..."You can't expect to defeat the bugs down here, you just have to learn to coexist peacefully with them, and try to keep them at bay." This is a good attitude, I'm just not sure I like it. We stopped at the house the other night to check on something and there's no food in my house, and a giant, people eating roach crawled right across the stove. I'll set some roach and ant traps, and probably add some of the roach gel-I just need to be careful with the cats. I suspect also, based on the state of the house (not dirty, exactly, but less than clean) there may be a good bit of grease behind the stove. I think we'll probably pull it out and give a good cleaning back there before we move in, or upon moving in.Speaking of moving, we're down to about ten days. I want to go check on how much of the work is done, and confirm with the movers. Also need to set up landline and cable at the new house, and find a non-explotative housecleaning service, to clean this place when we're done here, and to clean the new house before we move in. And becaues every weekend seems to be filled with moving related stuff-the cable company is supposed to come tomorrow to add wiring to the rooms that we need it in that don't have it, and Pier 1 is having a sale on a few of the things we're looking for, so we'll probably buy the table and chairs we liked-on sale, plus I've got a coupon. Today we stopped at the mirror store to look at frames for mirrors. I am however, looking forward even more to going to the August Stomp at Lakeridge Winery. It's pretty much what it sounds like; envision the whole grape stomping thing on "I Love Lucy." And I think we need to try it. But now, one more LJ post and then I should start supper.Tags: everyday life, florida, house, weather

		The Long and Winding Road The good news:The planned route for the Wekiva Parkway is about four or five miles from our house. And, the connector road will make Cayne's commute much easier, connecting the main road (the 441-our house is about two miles away from it) to the road that Cayne's office is on, a few miles from the office. The bad news-fortunately not for us:Chris, a colleague/friend of Cayne's, is building a new house really really close to the route for the new road. In other words, we're far enough away that we shouldn't feel significant impact from the road, except for possibly some minor construction delays along Main Street at times, and in fact, the nearby access to the road might even be to our benefit when we want to sell our house.Tags: everyday life, florida, house

		Brain Trust, Public Works, the usual stuff We spent last weekend taking advantage of the tax free back to school shopping...bought some clothes for both of us (clothing under 50andschoolsuppliesunder50 and school supplies under 50andschoolsuppliesunder10 were tax free.) Cayne looks really good in his new shirts, too. We also did some furniture shopping. I'm still not sure what color to paint the living room...I could paint it the same color as the family room or the master bedroom, or something completely different. We tried to go to the paint store on Saturday but they closed earlier than I thought, so we'll have to try again. The colors seem to be blues and greens so far, but I'm just stumped on the living room. Tonight we're going to a public meeting about the Wekiva Parkway, which is an extention of one of the highways near our new house, and will connect the north end of the 429 (which is about three miles from the house) with the north end of the 417, which is sort of the other end of the region. It has the potential to be really fantastic, but I'd like to know the proposed route, and be able to make a comment, if there's time available. It's not a hearing, so I'm not sure how they're going to handle public comment, in fact. We'll also stop at the new house to pick up some things I have there for my sister in law, and measure the space in the front hall for a table, and in the family room so we can look for a sofa.This weekend, we're going to begin scouring antique stores for a telephone table, like the one my Mom has in her kitchen. We need a nice small table for the foyer, and that would work. I've seen some cute new ones, but I'd like to see what the antique stores have to offer too. (Does anyone know if it's appropriate to haggle over the price, like you would at a flea market or yard sale, or is it expected that you'll pay the price as marked?_Hrm. I think I've posted all my news links for today. Tomorrow is the follow up ultrasound-first one since April. I don't think I'll get answers tomorrow-I have a follow up next week, but if you could spend a moment thinking good, healthy ovaries it's okay to try and get pregnant again thoughts or prayers (as you choose) I'd appreciate it. Driving the car with a full bladder to get the ultrasound=No Fun. And I can't just go early and drink my water in the waiting room, since I've got the first appointment after lunch. Friday, I have a meeting the local ASO that I'm dreading. Because last month, the meeting went on for many, many hours, with nothing getting done. It also failed to start anywhere on time, because people had been given three different start times, plus, no one had bothered to arrange coverage or cancel HIV testing, so peope kept leaving the meeting for significant amounts of time, which meant we kept having to rehash what we had done. And I won't get started at the incredibly unprofessional behavior of one of the department heads and the exectutive director, who spent quite a bit of time reaming out one of the other employees in front of me, for a serious error in judgement that did require addressing, but it should never have been done in front of me, at the end of the meeting.Cayne's trying to get an appointment with a sleep specialist, too. I'm feeling mostly relieved. It will be nice to be able to share a bed with him again. I miss a warm body. All of my fear and concern and communication though, not what pushed him over the edge. Realizing he fell asleep at work...that pushed him over the edge. We're waiting for them to call him back. It's interesting to read the "bed partner questionaire" though.And that's the news from Lake Woebegone.Tags: cayne, everyday life, florida, hiv, house, ttc Peace of mind?: Ouch! Burning down the house: Blondie "Rapture"/Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime"

		I'm a busy bee I've been finally moving photos off of the memory card for the cameras...there are photos from last autumn, where the kittens were still babies, and from when Diane and I were in Disney World just before Thanksgiving, and so on. So, there will probably be some photo heavy posts in the next few days. ( To start, a photo of the new house.Collapse )You can see more of them, here. I had been thinking of painting the kitchen yellow, but I didn't care for the way it looked next to the grey counters. But the blue color I tried out looked really nice with the grey counters, and the weird colored floor, and the green color I'd picked for the sitting room, which doesn't have any division from the kitchen. So, brain trust, do you think blue is a good kitchen color, or just too weird?Tags: everyday life, house, lj brain trust

		Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale It's been a busy week. Tuesday was our home inspection. Passed with flying colors...there are a couple of minor things that need to be done for FHA, like the two missing shingles on the roof-an extrabigdeal in the post 2004 hurricane season era. But apparently, nothing major or structural and in fact the home inspector told us the place was in great shape. I'm all for that. I do need to go through the "How to take care of your house" binder than he provided and make sure that I have no questions, and find out when the post-repair reinspection is. I also met with our realtor's decorator, who helped us (well, me really, if you've never heard about Cayne's color sense, it's a good reason why I did that myself) choose colors for the house. They're not all on the web, but they're nice colors. Cayne's room (the "mancave"/office) is going to be a greyish color, the second bedroom is going to be kind of beige, and when it becomes a nursery will be repainted in a color we choose then. The guest bathroom will be blue (at Cayne's request), the master bedroom, and other living spaces will be a very pretty shade of green-the master bedroom in a darker shade than the rest, and the kitchen and master bath will be a sort of pale creamy yellowish color. Easy colors to work around as I find appropriate furniture and stuff. Wednesday was my follow up visit with ( the midwife...Collapse )The rest of the week has included lots of errands, a gathering with some girlfriends and not much else. The meeting I was supposed to have this morning was cancelled, so I used some of that time to get Cayne's anniversary gift, drop some stuff at the cleaners and pick up some shampoo. I, however am looking forward to the weekend. A little house-shopping, and a trip to the arcade for skee ball. (Which, in case you didn't know, was one of the things that entirelysonja and I did on our first date and one of the things that Cayne and I did the night we got engaged.) Sadly, I don't see Zeppolis on the snack menu at the arcade, which would make it perfect.Tags: body/health, everyday life, house, ttc

		The home inspection is tomorrow. I'm crossing fingers or something that it all goes well. We bought a futon on Sunday, sort of. We put some money down on it, but held off on paying for it in full until we know where it will be delivered to. We needed a new futon anyway, it was a purchase we'd planned to make, so we went to look, saw one we liked, which happened to be on sale, and decided to buy it. It'll go in the guest bedroom/office/man cave/whatever wherever we end up, whether it's the house we put an offer on or not.I got some news over the weekend which, while I am, in my heart, happy about, it's also raised all kinds of other emotions, largely anger and a feeling of "it's not fair." I won't talk about what the news is right now, but I'm not happy about my own reactions. And while I understand, in a very logical way, that they're emotions, and they don't have to be rational, that doesn't make me feel better about some of them. I see my midwife again on Wednesday. We'll see what she has to say. I'm hoping she'll say "the cyst is gone, here's what your bloodwork says, now let's talk about getting pregnant." Some readers may have noticed that I'm not myself. Others may not have. It doesn't matter. :) I've been struggling with some depression lately, which may be related to any number of factors-the miscarriage, going back on the pill, both of those may be reflected in how I'm feeling now. Cayne and I were discussing it over the weekend, and while I was aware of not feeling quite like myself, I hadn't realized that he was so aware, nor how serious it really is. It's not overwhelming, I'm not at a level of truly impaired function, but it is affecting some things. There are some things that I seem to only do when I'm feeling blue, which Cayne noticed; I never had connected the two. There are other things that, once he pointed that out, I could connect-the lack of appetite, the exhaustion, and desire to sleep in the middle of the day, the more intense insomnia. Some of it may be stress, some of it may be hormones, some situational. I'm going to remain aware, mention it at the midwife appointment on Wednesday, and see what needs to happen.Tags: body/health, emotions, house




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			And you may ask yourself-Well...How did I get here?








			She's moving out in all directions








			That I was a billboard


			"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow grow, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation." -George Washington ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." -Henry David Thoreau, Walden ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself." - Anais Nin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"If sex and creativity are often seen by dictators as subversive activities, it’s because they lead to the knowledge that you own your own body (and with it your own voice), and that’s the most revolutionary insight of all."-Erica Jong~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"There’s only one thing that I know how to do wellAnd I’ve often been told that you only can doWhat you know how to do wellAnd that’s be you,Be what you’re like,Be like yourself..."-They Might Be Giants~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"We are Buck's Rock. We have, each of us, contributed to it, and once we give a part of ourselves to something we believe in, it becomes a part of us."-Ernst Bulova~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"A lot of people, when they talk about gay culture they have this idea that we all live in this sort of a big pink house, and that we share the same political and social and sexual views which is clearly not the case. I've sat at dinner tables with right wing homosexuals, and to me that's like being a vegeterian butcher."-Boy George





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