It's been a good week and I've accomplished quite a bit, which is probably why I feel so lazy today. Or it could be that I'm just plain getting old? I was talking with my daughter (who is back east doing a college internship) today and she was telling me about this old guy that is creepy and when I asked her "how old is he", she replied with "probably 40". I laughed out loud because I am older than 40. And the way she was describing him, all hunched over, creepy and old, I figured he'd be 60+. Apparently at 19 her perspective of old is different than mine!
Once we moved past the 'old' conversation, she did enlighten me on the meaning of the word recap. It's a word I use often and it means summarize, but it's actually the shortened version of recapitulate. Did you know that? I sure didn't. That is not a word I use in my everyday language. It's a whole lot of syllables and doesn't flow off the tongue easily. Thanks to Kristin, I learned something new today.
Yesterday I put to test my handyman skills yet again. It's amazing what I can accomplish with a drill, an old heavy chain necklace, 2 wire hangers and duct tape. My son and I hung our big flat screen tv on the wall last May (and it hasn't fallen down yet!) and for the past 8 months the hdmi cords hung down to the components and looked quite unsightly. I don't think big black cords against a yellow wall really make a home decorating statement. I decided it was time to put the cords in the wall. Armed with my $5 coupon for Ace Hardware I sought out a 1 3/8 wood drill bit and two ivory (to blend with the wall) round covers for the opening. I used my stud finder so I wouldn't have a road block for my holes and cords and then I drilled away. The hardest part was using the wire coat hangers to move the insulation a bit. It is an outside wall and was filled with thick insulation. After a lot of poking and trying to lift the insulation from the wall (which was quite a pain in the ass all through a tiny 1 3/8 hole) I managed to get the old heavy necklace all the way from the top hole to the bottom hole - about 3' apart. Then I snaked the various cords through and put the hole covers on and damn, it looks good! Looks like a professional did it! No more unsightly cords, woo hoo! And I even hooked up all the cords correctly because all the components work! Do you think this qualifies me for my own home improvement show?
Looks good, huh?
Did you know that coffee stains are very difficult to remove from light colored carpet? I rented a carpet cleaner from Safeway yesterday and the stains are somewhat better, but still visible. I probably should have called the carpet cleaners to do it, but they charged almost $700 for our whole house last spring and I just needed this little area done. Cost me $40 for the rental and cleaning fluid. I saved money and the carpet is better, but I think we just need new carpet. We've talked about it, but not exactly in the budget right now. Maybe if I had my own home improvement show, I could start with my own house for the projects! Guess lesson learned in the meantime is - DO NOT walk upstairs in the dark with a cup in coffee.
My new favorite drink is a grapefruit martini, it's similar to a lemon drop though not nearly as sweet And this week I learned how to make one. The grapefruit is tart, the drink is oh so tasty. Here is the recipe for a delicious grapefruit martini:
2 oz Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion Vodka
1 oz Xrated Fusion Liquer
1 oz Sour mix
1 oz Grapefruit juice
I have decided that who ever invented the heavy duty plastic packaging must have had a horrible childhood and took out his/her revenge of consumers. I bought some computer ink this week and not only did I need a large kitchen knife to get the package open, I still ended up cutting myself on the sharp plastic. What a pain in the ass. I can't fathom why it is necessary to have such thick crazy ass plastic on products.
We are having a superbowl party on Sunday and I've figured out the menu, made a grocery list, made a list of things to clean. I am really good at making lists! Now I need to start checking stuff off the lists. I did buy some things at Costco on Wednesday, but still need to go to Safeway, clean the house and cook. Once Sunday comes I will be glad it's all done, but at the rate I'm going Sunday will come and go and I will have done nothing. I'd better get moving, which means no more wasting time recapitulating the week. :)
