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where I�ve been
March 01, 2010
What an absolute bitch of a bear of a couple of weeks I�ve had.
I�m absolutely whipped, and the beating has come from all sides. (And I have been writing about it, but nothing that�s fit to post.) Between all the shit coming down on me at work, and the redecorating project ruining any chance for downtime, it�s just been hellish 18-hour days, one after the other with no break.
Well, except for an all-too-brief lunch visit with D. on the 22nd, which was lovely. I love spending time with D. For one thing, she never lets me pay for lunch.
Seriously, she does me a world of good, because she�s a friend who genuinely cares about and worries over my well-being, and makes me feel loved. I wish we had days to sit and talk, instead of quick visits here and there. Maybe we�ll improve on that once she gets her but back over on this side of Lake Michigan, where she belongs�which will be sometime in this next year, thank goodness.
Work has been heating up pretty insanely, as well. Last week, I spent over 50% of my time in meetings, wishing I could chew my own leg off and escape. Mostly for a new mega-project we have going-- but also had a sit-down with the new AVP, who has nothing in her life but work and cats, apparently, so she looks fair to be a raving loony micromanager pain in the ass.
She seems to like me, though. And even that is never as promising as it sounds. Just means I�ll get picked to deal with a lot of shit and jerking around.
And I took a few minutes to fill out a survey�seems the firm is trying to get on some kind of �best places to work� list.
Are they high?
Truly�are they so far divorced from the bitter realities of the rank-and-file experience that they would dream of a shot at something like that?
Home, as I said, has been no picnic, either. Last weekend, we prepped the L.R. for the painter. Took down the valances and dusted and vacuumed and scrubbed the grime away so the new paint would go on well.
Old couch & chair went out on the curb Tuesday night, and the city hauled them away Wednesday. The painter came Thursday. we went w/ Valspar Ultra-Premium, in (National Trust for Historic Preservation colors) �Cincinnatian Hotel Carl Tan� (walls) and �Belle Grove Buff� (ceiling and arches).
On Friday, I walked into the house at 1:00 pm, got swept into the fury, and didn�t let up until 5:11. We took down the old curtains, cleaned the windows, did the touch-ups and finished the paint clean-up, shampooed the carpets, washed and replaced all the vent, switch, and outlet covers, put the new curtains up, moved the remaining furniture back into place, and assembled the new table lamp. ALL in about four hours.
That was one seriously exhausting afternoon, I can tell you. Spouse has an infuriating and exhausting way of plowing through shit like that and just going and going without a break for food, water, bathroom, or even breath. (Not that I could have taken a break anyway�there wasn�t anywhere to sit down!) Although I was beat, I was also hungry, so I dragged Spouse to Bull & Bear and bought us both a real, serious dinner. Steak & shrimp for me, BBQ ribs and three glasses of beer for him. Then we pretty much went back home and crashed.
The new recliners and table came Saturday (accent chair is back-ordered)�about two hours late, which kind of shot the day�and our mood--to hell. The chairs ended up taking up way more real estate than we had expected, so there was much futzing and fussing and even some outright fighting. Well, I can�t help it if I think his massive, 32-year-old Bose 501 speakers should get the boot�after all, we don�t even have an ACTUAL STEREO set up in the living room any more! They aren�t hooked up to anything!
He won, by the way. They are still there. But then, I�ve only known him for 27 years. They have seniority.
We have stuff more or less placed now, although I hate it. But then, I really kind of hate this whole project. The only room in that cramped cracker box that ever felt even a little airy and roomy is now a dark, airless, and overcrowded man-cave. Bleah.
Oh well�at least I got rid of the chair that was so completely shot to hell that it was causing me to have serious pain issues with my neck, back and hip. And my spot in the room is positioned where I can see the TV clearly, and aim the remote. Maybe I�ll watch it more now that it isn�t a series of blurs that I can�t tune properly.
Anyway, we ran to Target once the fighting was over, and I picked up a throw pillow and accent rug in red, some new coasters, and some photo frames for the wall. Also took the old end table and lamp to Goodwill, along with some old tchotchkes I didn�t want anymore.
I stopped at the hobby store tonight and had them cut me some red mats for some of my framed art photography�that throws a spot of color into one corner of the room that really needs it. Spouse was whiny and under the weather when I got home, but he helped me re-mat my pictures, and then we mounted & framed some old family photos from his childhood in a collage frame for the picture wall I'm working on. Old Polaroids and square Instamatic snapshots require creative matting, though--today's frames aren't made for those formats. While I was at the hobby store, I picked up some nice, heavy scrapbook stock to use for that purpose, and Spouse did me a favor and wielded the X-acto knife, because I'm hopeless.
FYI--watch out for Wal-Mart's $2.50 frames: that cheap Chinese pile o' crap couldn't even hold together long enough for me to get the pictures into it. I had to stick the back onto it with strapping tape!
I ran out of bullets before I could get the last of the re-framing done, though--I just have one double frame left to do, with our engagement picture and the portrait we had done for Mom & Dad's 40th anniversary. We want to replace that one this year, though--we'll probably get a new portrait done for our own 25th, since that one is 14 years old. (!)
Reading: "T. Tembarom", by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Surfing: Oh, get real.
Listening: Death Cab for Cutie, The English Beat, Janis Joplin, Weezer.
At Random: click here
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