A list of resolutions should follow. I had planned a manifesto of sorts explaining my intent stop spending my hard earned money at the humongous-chains that are homogenizing our great country. I had planned on swearing off The Home Depot (this was prior to my buying a house) and Chipotle.
I was gonna eat more veggies - Cook at home - Loose 100 pounds, be nice to people, you know, the usual broken resolution stuff. I think it would all be much easier if we did it quarterly and had it reviewed.
Does this mean I've been in the corporate world too long?
Shelby showed me a great picture that she painted for (and of) Olive and my little house. I can't wait to get it! Thanks Shelby, it will have special space on my wall.
Underneath the nasty fake hideous flooring that I discovered under the nasty hideous carpet I hit paydirt. Yes siree, hardwood flooring in 'keepable' condition. I just have to pry up the rest of the tackboard from the old carpet, clean it up a bit, rent a sanding machine and I'm in action.
Next up - WALLPAPER REMOVAL!
Olive, being the sweet girl that she is, decided to give me a few Christmas presents on Christmas morning. One on each side of the humidor upstairs. You see, I tried to move the little box on her and....well... she wasn't going to have it. Now there are two, which also might not be the best idea, but she DID use the downstairs litter box TWICE today (but she had to be rushed there to avoid carpet damage). I think she's got it.
I was reading about potty training cats. It can be done, so they say, and kittens learn faster than cats. I'm going to get her used to the downstairs litter box, then we'll try the toilet training. Should be fun.
Electric upgrade is going to set me back about $1600.00 but Xavier is coming over on Wednesday to do it. What the hell. What's another few thousand to make the house a better place to live, eh?
Then I finish ripping the carpet out of the library and make it a library. Yes. That will be a fun little project. Victorian wallpaper, (fake) wood flooring, velvet curtains, lots and lots and lots of bookshelves, comfy chair, ashtray on an ashtray stand. I'm excited about that.
Work is kicking my ass - Constantly busy, even backlogged with stuff. I hope to be on top of it this weekend.
Bastards at my old apartment said the place wasn't clean enough and that I forgot my garage door opener. I did forget the opener. I suppose I'll run a rag over the rest of the place on Monday or Tuesday and still get screwed out of my deposit. Oh well.
I'm in!
The move was smooth. Olive and I are in our new house.
There are too many rooms here. I don't know what to do with them all.
I, of course, wanna remove all the carpet and scrape off all the wallpaper and bust down walls and paint and decorate and queer-eye-for-the-straight-guy the whole place immediately.
I shoveled the snow.
I installed the coffee-table.
I tested both the toilets.
I bought a bust of Beethoven for the wall above the piano and I bought 6 rolls of vintage wallpaper.
I had the internet installed before the furniture was moved in.
I've completely destroyed one room by removing the world's ugliest carpet only to reveal the worlds ugliest fake vinyl flooring.
I was very excited to receive mail with my name on it to my Hopkins address.
I didn't take the wrong turn off the highway and head toward my old apartment.
I froze my ass off upstairs.
I can order from SimonDelivers finally. They wouldn't come to my apartment.
I turned the stereo up as loud as it would go.
I had hot cocoa with my first visitor, Kathe, and smoked a cigar in my new home. I won't ever do that again, it smelled like stale cigar smoke this morning when I woke up. Who'd have guessed?
So much to do, but Olive and I like it. I think we're gonna stick around for a bit.
Tonight I dissasemble the computer to ready it for transport into my new house. I don't know if my current 60 AMP fuse box will handle the mega-computer so it could be some time until I have internet access, but if all goes well, I should be up and running by tomorrow night.
I have to get up early and get my U-Haul truck and take it back home where I will have 3 strapping young men to assist me in moving the big stuff. I got a coffee table and two end tables already in the house, so it's almost home. I need a shower curtain liner. I think that's it.
Cable dude is supposed to show up tomorrow between 2:00 and 5:00 to bring internet into my new home.
All set and ready.
See ya'll tomorrow in Hopkins.
I think the kitten has decided that her name is Olive. Olive Louise. She hasn't shredded everything in the house yet, but much preferrs the water from the toilet or the bathtub than from anywhere else in the house. She's an odd cat. I think she'll fit in just fine.
Today I purchased my first ever real piece of furniture. It's a lime green leather couch and it gets delivered tomorrow. I can't wait. I need lime green chairs now - those ain't gonna be easy to find. Actually, the color was 'kiwi'.
I should be in the house by Saturday but I'm moving stuff over every day. Please send all housewarming gifts to:
Michael & Olive
OLIVIA UPDATE - 12/14/03 - 1:30 PM
I have spoken to Olivia's jailers and I am going to try and negotiate her release today if I can get out of work for 2 hours.
I'd love to say that it's nice to be home, and I guess in a way it is, but....
The beauty of Seattle always reminds me of how butt-ugly Minnesota is. Don't get me wrong - I love it here, but it is one pancake-flat ugly-ass state. If you stand on a soup can you can see three states.
But.. I'm back. Work is hell as is to be expected after almost two weeks off. I don't expect to take another full day off until the 20th when I plan to move. I have to hire 1/2 a floor staff and get at least 4 new dealers hired. This week I shall submerge myself into interview hell. And if that wasn't enough headache, I have my house closing on Monday.
Today I got a check made out to me for
So... I guess my American Dream starts on Tuesday. I'm very excited. I still don't have any furniture at all, but I'm very excited.
We had Greek food, and flaming cheese!!!!!!
We went to zoo lights and got to get a picture of me with the devil (to come online soon).
And we also went to Powell's and got books!!
Then we went to bed.
7:30AM here in Seattle and it ain't raining yet!! That's great news as I'm heading South to Portland today to celebrate the 10th birthday of my sweet little Madeleine Peach. Portland holds in store for me lunch, Thai food, and zoo lights. Should be a fun trip.
Seattle has been great - Always wonderful to see my old friends although I never seem to have enough time to see everyone.
Seeing Mt. Baker Dave's new house has me QUITE excited to begin sinking money into my own house upon which I close in 6 days. SIX DAYS!
Jesus. I'm broke.
Ok.... the projects....
Pergo (or the like) on the flooring on the bottom floor - Tile the kitchen floor and the walls 1/2 way up.
THAT'S IT! Not too much to take on too early, eh? Scooter and I have agreed to fly to each other's houses and assist in the laying of tongue-in-groove flooring. I hope that happens. I might have to wait until I have some money (ever?).
I'm ready for this money pit. I think I am I think I am I think I am.
Pix from Seattle & Portland coming soon...
I learned something new about getting to sit in the exit rows in airplanes. First of all, you have to get there early to get one - They want to make sure you're willing and able to do your duty in the unlikely event of an emergency.
I got to the airport an hour and a half early at 5:00 in the morning after about 3 hours of sleep. I declared to the dude at the counter that I was willing and able to perform the exit-row duties and secured the coveted EXIT ROW WINDOW SEAT – 14-A! Very exciting. Now I KNOW I'm going to have a good flight and have plenty of leg (gut) room. The exit row on this particular aircraft was, indeed, quite roomy. Nothing could go wrong, right?
Here's an obscure FAA regulation that the Nazi bitch flight attendant decided to exhume:
The person in seat 14-A must remain awake for the duration of the flight to perform his/her duties in the unlikey event of an emergency evacuation.
Are you fucking KIDDING ME? I'll wake up with the goddamn plane crashes and bursts into flames and believe me, I'll open the exit door. I will - because I'm the first one out. I fantasize about the crash and getting the emergency exit door open and inflating the slide, helping all the passengers out and to safety and then hopping out and replacing the exit door and sending Stewardess Eva Braun to her firey death.
The woman actually woke me up twice before I picked up my belongings and moved to the row in front of me where, of course, due to the unnecessary stress placed upon me I couldn't sleep anyway. Instead I listened to the ipod and gave the flight crew the stink-eye.
The good news is that in about two hours MOM’S TERIYAKI opens – One of my favorite places for lunch in all of Seattle. AND – I got to have my absolute favorite breakfast treat – A chocolate croissant from Le Panier at the Pike Place Market. Seattle is cool. I think I’ll stay here a few days…..
I'm blogging from 10,000 feet above somewhere between Georgia and the Twin Cities. Nothing tragic or even slightly inconvenient on this flight so far – I think we’re about ˝ way home. It feels like ˝ way away from home. Today was the most emotional of my Thanksgiving Holiday to be sure. I had to leave Ma and Pa and go back to my little life in Minneapolis. For the first time since I've been coming to visit for the holidays (about 15 years) it seems like that is wrong. It seems wrong that I’m not in the same place as my parents. I’m not sure I like that. I get lost in my day-to-day and forget where I’m from and why I’m who I am and get so involved in my work and stuff sometimes. I miss them both already.
I’m not sure there is anything in the world more beautiful than seeing how much my Father loves my mother. They’ve been with each other for over 40 years. FORTY YEARS! They’re precious together. I love them so.
I also had breakfast this morning with my first ‘real’ love, Lou. She’s all grown up and stuff and beautiful and has beautiful wrinkles and is happy and successful and married and doing real stuff and real good. I want to call her Dr. Newton. She speaks of leaving for Canada or New Zealand and I say that the good ol’ USA needs more people with compassion and love and understanding and if all the ‘bleeding heart liberals’ of which I hold a strong closeted kinship moved to Canada or New Zealand then all we’d be left with is The National Shrub and Rush Limbaugh and because of this I say, "Stay, Dr. Newton, your country needs you".
And I saw my old best friend in the whole wide world, Demetrius J – He has less hair and is finally starting to get a manly waistband. I find that comforting somehow. I saw Mookie (who I’ll get to see again on Friday in Seattle) another dear friend I’ve known since 1985 or so, Carlucci who has recently decided to resurface and hone his golf and poker skills (at considerable expense) and Scoots & his lovely new wife The Malner. We gathered for a meal and some poker – An excellent evening to be certain.
I’ve been instructed to turn off all electronic devices and return my seatback to its upright position.