On our way to see BS!

Haven't been to BS's house in ages and ages... and it's our first roadtrip together, first meeting-of-the-family... let's see how we do!

Excitement, adventure, and Teenagers In Love!

Swimming Pool

Why does the weather man even bother to predict anything right now? Everyday is the same: sun in the morning, humid, high in the 90's, possibly scattered severe thunderstorms in the afternoon. For the past few weeks, the next few weeks it is the same...except...

we had one of the bucket-dumping storms, and the new laundry room became rather like an indoor swimming pool. Not just a drip of water, or a splash here or there, but a pond. An absolute pond.

So today manz is up on the roof, with tar and shingles and other mysterious roofing stuff- apparently the area around the vent pipe was never filled in right, so much cutting and pounding and now that part of the roof is secure again. And the siding that blew off a while ago is back on the house... roof will probably need more work (probably as in definitely) but hopefully no more pools...

Laundry Room!

The laundry room is finished! New foundation floor, new ceiling made from recycled wood, painted, new vinyl. It's beautiful~ makes me actually want to do laundry!

Thank-you, manz!

Raining on my parade...

but not in our studio, which is cosy and pretty. Max is curled up in the man-chair, boy is meandering about the house, manz is at work and bear is...being bear. Rubbing her face on the man-chair since he isn't here to smoosh up her face and rub her eyes (sounds odd, but she loves it)...

Anyhoo, it's pouring- summer rain- I've been working on my neurobiology paper which is gave me a fit because I don't know how to use Adobe Illustrator (photoshop and I are great pals), and got all stressed out about boy-money-situation.

BMS (boy money situation) has to do with financial aid, getting his dorm room and magicking up a considerable amount of money by Friday. Which is at once possible (thank god) and a royal pain in the patuska since that money was earmarked for house things. And it's stressful because I dislike dealing with money, which is why I have everything automatically deducted and love getting paid once a month. It's just that it's August (this *always* happens in August), I really would like the house to be mostly together by school start .... (the manz is working his butt off- but being female, I lust after things like a new couch. Not a necessity, at all, but it would be sweet.... along with dreams of tankless hotwater heaters....mmmmm....we do have the mostbestest shower thing ever though...) Anyway, the boy got charged with 'room damages' which turned out to be a lost-key plus 'improper checkout', so I rained a bit on *his* parade... but he paid for that (leaving him broke broke for the rest of summer, do I have a problem with that? Why no, I do not). And I'll come up with the rest of the housing money- I know he will pay me back in late September when his school money comes in, but in the meantime....grrrrrr.....

So I will sit here in my beautiful studio, listen to the rain and the fan, vent on my blog (thank you all for listening! and thanks to the manz for keeping me calm, and the boy for taking the responsibility for the check-out screw up)... I will focus, focus on neurobiology and try not to complain *too* much... after all, I have a happy family and we are all safe and well... even though I really, really, REALLY want a cookie about now....

Family

Sometimes simple things can revel allot- like, for instance, toothpaste. Goldilocks would be proud as we have 3 tubes in the bathroom... why? Because there are three of us and we like different brands? (No, I buy what is on sale) Because we all brush our teeth at the same time? (No, toothpaste spit grosses me out)... we have three tubes because we have three distinct personalities, as exampled by the technique of tube-squishing.

Charles's tube is on the bottom right. The neatly folded tube of Crest, that is carefully and expertly squeezed from the bottom in order to maximize the usage and minimize the waste. Logical. Thrifty. Neat-and-clean. Precise. Like the toothpaste, he is focused, able to draw a straight line, keeps things orderly and wastes-not. If this tube was wearing clothes, it would have on a tie.

Grendel's tube is at the top. A boy-tube, it is an attempt at a neat squeeze, but not quite mastered as clearly. The bottom is beginning to realize the pressed-out-flat logic, but the top shows signs of haste. Trying to do the 'grown-up' thing but not quite there yet. If this tube was going to work, it would carry a messenger bag instead of a backpack or briefcase.

Then there is my tube, the small one in the center. It's squeezed in the middle, has a distinct impression of my hand- same way I squeeze paint, with chaos and love. Speaking of which, there is a streak of white paint on the tube... (between the C and the r) *everything* I own gets paint on it. It is a tube in a hurry, a bit careless but always has just a little bit more hidden away in the corners when you least expect it (and need it most). If this tube was a pocketbook, it would be one of endless compartments full of linty mints, kleenex and loose change.

Seriously, my one great pearl of advice is that life is to short to stress the toothpaste. Everyone get their own tube, use it as you see fit... but squeeze mine from the middle!

Ring!

Isn't it beau-ti-ful? This morning I was sitting outside, dutifully reading art history while eating cherries, and the manz comes up with something hidden in his hand.

Now, he had disappeared for a few minutes- I thought he was off doing 'man-stuff' (the bathroom continues to be quite the project. Today it is requiring acquiring hacksaws and soldering irons, pipes, faucets...)...anyway, he says to me, he says "hold out your hand, I have something for you." So the heart is all skip and flutter and he goes to put it on and it doesn't fit.

Then I discover that it nudges apart in the back- only the finest quality found-in-the-neighbors-driveway-bubble-gum-machine-rings nudge apart in the back, you know. The manz has standards! It has a lovely gold-on-plastic finish, the mystic triangle design which imprints quite nicely when smacked against ...... various people who occasionally deserve a royal smacking. (I am still the king you know, even if his two non-big-toe toes are longer- supposedly, according to him, whosoever toes are longer than the big toe rules the roost.... Have *you* heard of this? I haven't heard of this...yet it seems to be the case)

Suppose I'll keep him, big toes, bubble-gum rings and all. (I'm not just saying that so he will turn the water back on. Honest.)

Space Onion

It's one of those days. A get-out-of-bed-on-the-wrong-side-day. A day where production does not meet ambition and equals frustration. A day where I am totally derailed and just clatter off the tracks... where even a nap does no good.

All I managed to do today was create this image of a space onion. It's a photoshoped image of a blooming onion, not even particularly clever or anything- and doesn't fit the assignment I was supposed to be working on- but is an oddly reassuring image of the universe... the big bang envisioned as fair food. And everyone knows that 'big bangs' are the result of bloomin onions... no mystery in that.

So, what to do? The boy is sleeping, the doggs outside, the manz should be home from work soon- should I continue to beat myself against this paper? Create cosmic concepts with photoshop? Attempt to clean, hang art, prep dinner? Take another nap? Read? (ugh. design history. I did manage a chapter today, but... it was all about how the first commerical jets were designed with square windows- looked great, but the air pressure caused faults in the corners, which became cracks, which became leaks, which resulted in crashes, which is very depressing. I will forever more make certain that all my travelling windows are rounded)