Tag Archives: home improvement

christmas 2.0

first dinner (in the dining room)

Kev helped me clean the rest of the house.

We rigged the dining room table base with a temporary top and did a quick run to Target and Home-Depot for some things.

What was once a useless room holding bookshelves, a topless table and a cluttered desk is now an actual dining room. Sure, we desperately need a credenza and there’s a bare wall screaming for a painting… but – it’s a room with a purpose now nonetheless.

Chad’s flight was delayed but arrived eventually.

We picked up dinner (the best Chinese carry-out in St. Louis) and headed home.

Dinner
Presents
Christmas Jazz
Schmoopy Schnogling.

Merry Christmas…

Should blog about this – this was worth remembering.

finish

den done at last

6 coats of polyurethane….
20 sand paper pads…
3 vacillations on ceiling color.
5 of the loneliest uncomfortable days of recent recollection.

and that damn room is DONE!

Thanks toandwho talked my ear off, (and let me talk theirs off in return) on the phone to ease my stir-craziness of the week.

Picked up Kevin at the airport that evening…

Although I’ve been updating him on the phone through the week – he seemed genuinely surprised at the finished room.

Sat up late and caught up on all the news from his family in Ohio…. I let him open one present… Dragon’s Lair (the 1983 original) – ported over to DVD… Still near impossible to play – but he was thrilled to own a piece of video game history.

One more Day – and everyone will be home…

Christmas 2.0 will be tomorrow!

*not blogging.

stain in the ass – pt.2

wax on, wax off

Got done with the billable stuff and headed back to help Kevin out with the dreaded library / den project from hell.

Now that I’m done vacillating between stain colors, we can make progress again.

While the South Park Christmas CD was blaring in the other room, we took to the task. Kevin would roll the stain on and I’d follow closely behind and smooth out the bubbles and hit the cracks. (why is this sounding sexual?)

The fumes from the polyurethane, combined with the fading light of sunset and Mr. Garrison singing “Marry Fucking Christmas” – … it was just one of those post-modern Norman Rockwell moments.

A light sanding and another coat,… or three – and we’ll have another room!

Of course, I don’t have any furniture for said room, – but it’s space nonetheless.

Of course, I’m not blogging about this.

stain in the ass

1,2,1,2 – this is just… a… test

Opted to work at home again… I think whatever has a hold of Chad is trying to get me… Fortunately – I can usually shake colds, but I do wind sleeping a lot instead of having symptoms.

Kevin stayed home as well and continued efforts of what is now becoming the project from hell: THAT DAMN MIDDLE BEDROOM / TO-BE LIBRARY DEN.

I still can’t understand why the previous owners of the home painted over the wood – aside form some sort of future-tense personal-grudge to piss me off. (highly unlikely – but it’s better than believing some folks are that tasteless).

Kevin’s domain of influence is outside… He gets to pretty much do anything he wants with the landscaping, etc. (of course, everything get presented for a family-vote, but if it’s your area – it’s yours to do pretty much what you want to with)…

Chad floats between interior and exterior and usually plays moderator for aesthetic disagreements.

Because I’m the art-fag, I’m given the inside of the house.

Sure I worked for 5 years with an architectural photographer traveling around the country and looking at some really great homes… The experience really molded what I like and don’t like… But I have to give some serious props to our interior designer kin out there – their job is truly nerve racking.

My nervous induced vacillation on some things is driving Kevin bonkers.

I “thought” I found the perfect color for the library, (red mahogany), but once Kev got two panels done I hated it… It was turning out wayyyy toooooo purple.

With the patience of a saint, (knowing we’re going to have to re-strip and sand the panels with the wrong color) – he let me experiment with another stain..

Note: Those little wood chips with the different color stains on them at the hardware store are COMPLETELY inaccurate.

Old Maple Polyurethane seems to be doing the trick… More red/orange which is the dominant colors in the wood in the rest of the house.

If I was blogging, I’d appologize for the tedious home improvement rambling.

“Hi.. Welcome to This Old Modern Ranch… I’m The Monkeybear,… your host.”