2. I put the screen in the front door.
3. The handyman has fixed the dishwasher and one drawer.
4. The handyman will next fix the sprayer and the other drawer.
5. Number Two's microphone arrived.
6. Jim Butcher's new book arrived.
7. My Entertainment Weekly has arrived.
8. Supernatural is on tonight, and it's new!
9. Bones is also on tonight.
10. My kids are awesome.
Explanations, Caveats, and Addendums
1. With the handyman coming, I had to clear out the cabinets and dishwasher, then I had a workshop lecture to post, some client work to do, family stuff, and bills to pay. I was running out of time for the last thing when the handyman called and said he'd be half an hour late. So I had time to finish all my downstairs office stuff and then move to my upstairs office (laptop on dining room table) before he arrived.
2. We've lived here 11 years. When we moved in, we had a three-year-old, and by the time she was old enough that I wasn't afraid she'd put her hand through the screen trying to open the door, Number Two was the perfect age to do so. After that, I was just lazy, I dunno. But today I pulled it out of the boiler room and swapped it with the full-panel glass insert. MAN, was that heavy. But it's safely downstairs, and we have the most awesome crossbreeze now.
3. Our house was built in 1962. It's not ancient, but it's old enough to need a fairly steady stream of work. Add the fact that apparently the builders or retrofitters never did anything properly (that's a whole 'nother post), and said work tends to be problematic in some way or another. The dishwasher is perpendicular to the cabinets (see left). It sits on the subflooring, while ceramic tile in front of it creates a nearly one-inch drop. The countertop did not originally have a side panel; it just rested on top of the dishwasher. When we had the cabinets refaced, the guy put in a side panel, but that meant there was an inch between the dishwasher and the counter. The dishwasher wasn't anchored. First time I opened the door, the whole thing tipped forward. When we replaced the dishwasher a couple of months ago, the installer positioned it all the way to the right so it would clear the drawer and cabinet handle. But when he anchored it, it must have shifted, because it was not only unable to be opened because it hit the door handles, it rubbed the side of the cutout space. Of course, I didn't notice until after the installer had gone. He refused to respond to phone calls or faxes or complaints to Sears, so we suffered. But NOW, the handyman (from Handyman Matters has raised up the dishwasher and moved it to the right and anchored it so it not only fits and doesn't interfere, it LOOKS good, too!4. After we'd decided to call in a handyman to fix the dishwasher and the Drawers of Suck (slide bent, replaced it, it shredded the wood, couldn't find the parts to do it ourselves—the other drawer just needed anchoring in the back), the sink sprayer stopped working. I couldn't find a replacement locally without having to buy a whole faucet set, so I ordered one online. But when he tried to replace it, the hose that came with it isn't compatible with the connector under the sink, and the sprayer end of the old hose isn't compatible with the new sprayer head. He went to Home Depot and bought a basic replacement head but it didn't solve the problem, so we probably need to replace the whole faucet system. That sucks. And he still has to try to fix the King Drawer of Suck, so we're looking at a 3-hour bill, minimum.
5. Number Two saved up her money and subscribed to Smart Music. For her birthday we added the instrument microphone. That finally came today, and gives her the ability to self-tune her viola, as well as grade her playing. She's excited and now her entire afternoon is set. :)
6. There are a multitude of authors whose books I enjoy, and many I love. But I can count on one hand the ones I'll squee over and buy in hardcover the day they come out, or even preorder. Jim Butcher is one. He combines everything that pushes my buttons—paranormal shenanigans, snarky humor, heart-pounding adventure, and people who love each other so much they'd kill or die for them (and not just romantically; in fact, mostly not romantically). I read 12 pages while I ate my salad, and now the book is glowing on my table, enticing me. But I shall be a good girl and work on my revisions. After I finish this post, of course.
7. Entertainment Weekly used to come on Fridays, and sometimes, if the postal service was in a mood, not until Saturday or even Monday. But the last few weeks, it's been coming on Thursday, cementing that day in its spot as my favorite of the week.
8. I haven't talked yet about last week's Supernatural episode. Oh, right, because I did the recap at Supernatural Sisters. I loved how they covered the whole "But they've died before. A lot. So why are they just in heaven now?" problem. Their memories were erased! Easy-peasy! But it fits with the show. The angels wouldn't have wanted them to remember the afterlife, early on. I loved Ash, SO so much. "I'm cool with it!" Pamela's logic was not flawed, but I hated that she tried to manipulate Dean. I mean, life is life, and the afterlife is something totally different. Why should all those people give up the living just because the afterlife seems like it ain't so bad? Dean believes in the value of life so far beyond what anyone else in the Supernatural world believes. He's humanity's champion, and he won't ever give in, no matter how bad things looked at the end.
9. I like every show I watch. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother. Duh. :) But the only one that feels like a guilty pleasure is Bones. I have no idea why. Maybe it's just weird for me to like a very successful show.
10. Number Two's parent/teacher conference was last night, and it went very well. We learned something that kind of blew us away. And Number One gets inducted into the French National Honor Society tonight. So we're proud parents. :)
What's making YOU happy today?
5 comments:
You DID have a good day. We need some work in our kitchen also but we're too broke doing the college takes all our money thing.
I'm watching bones right now and trying to visit all my friends' blogs before SN comes on. And I love Jim Butcher too.
I hear you on the too broke thing. Just found out yesterday that for our new insurance co., we need to replace the steps in our backyard and put up a rail. Ugh.
Bones was awesome but sucky!
LOL, your house sounds like mine. We have a portable dishwasher and when we renovated the kitchen I didn't bother getting it fitted in. I like where it sits. There's nothing else in that corner. I didn't want to give up cupboards on the cupboard wall (I have a ton of cupboards but they are all on one wall) and turning the portable into a built-in where it currently sits would have been too expensive. I've never had a built-in, so let's just say I don't know what I'm missing. We did put a cabinet above the dishwaser, and we installed a pantry into the wall beside the dishwasher (flush into the wall). The dog food bowls are on the floor beside the dishwasher and the cat food bowls are on top of the dishwasher. If I had a built-in, my cat's food would not be safe from the beagle. Those were all my arguments for not changing it into a built-in. The only time it bothers me is when the attachment to the tap wears out and I have to go buy new washers. I'm simply too easy to please!
That's sound logic to me, Cindy!
We had a portable dishwasher while I was growing up. I wouldn't mind one now, either, except for not being able to use the sink while it was running, and having to pull it out and push it back. :)
Yeah, portables can be annoying. You have to manage your life around them. If we ever build a new house, no mistake, it will have a built-in. There are just too many things I'd rather spend house money on than converting my portable to a built-in. Awkward location = big bucks.
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