I just returned today from a 5-day business trip to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Do I have any pictures to show from it? Only one because I stayed in the Hotel/Convention Center most of the time. Here is the one picture I took:
Yes, it’s a bee. I don’t get the significance either, so don’t ask. I was also interviewed on camera by a sock puppet, so that will inevitably be on the Internet somewhere, but I’ll probably never find it.
My plane trip back had me sitting next to a woman that must have chain-smoked a whole pack to store up enough nicotene for her long hours without a fix. Why do I assume this? Because she smelled horrible. She continued to smell bad for the entire 4 hours. I had lots of time to think about her, because I had nothing else to do. In my ponderings I concluded that in order to keep smelling like cigarettes 4 hours after smoking them, her body must be just soaked with the stuff.
I’m so glad to be back home. I have a lot of unfinished house work to do. Also I missed having a data connection on my phone, giving me instant email and Internet access. I didn’t realize how addicted I was to getting information whenever I wanted until it was taken away for just a few days. Maybe I need an intervention. Of course all of you probably do too (I’m looking at you, iPhone owners). I’ve only been back a few hours and have already got a ton done. I bought more dining room chairs, AND assembled them. I painted another coat of paint on my basement room, destined to become a media room (and starting to look more and more like one). I replaced a light fixture in my kitchen because I kept bumping my head on the old low-hanging one. (Side note: yes Wade, I’ve come to agree with you that I shouldn’t get a table and only an area rug should be there). I even caught up on two TV shows I missed.
And now, it’s time for what I’ve been waiting for all day: bed.
I saw No Country for Old Men today, only because it was winning so many awards. But after seeing it, here’s my reaction: it sucked. I tend to have this reaction to those “award winning” movies, so maybe I’m just too different from the mainstream to appreciate films like this. I have a lot of complaints about this steaming pile, but I will give away the plot if I do. So I will do so in an extended entry. You’ll have to click to read more, but do so at your own spoiler risk…
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I’ve told people that I can’t have a home improvement project without resulting in me bleeding, and it’s usually true. But today I reached a new level: I cut myself while painting a room! It’s a nasty looking one too. I’ll leave it to your imagination as at to how I could have possibly achieved this feat.
It took a month, but I finally feel like one room in my house is completely done: my living room. Take a look at the pictures below. I took the day off today and finished putting up the blinds. I also bought a little art that I really liked for above the fireplace. I’m very happy with the way the wood blinds worked out too. I’ll put other rooms up here when I think they are “done”.
I got a ton of stuff done this weekend. Let me list them. Mind you this work was accomplished only because of the help of old friends and new neighbors
- Wired media room with an electrical outlet on the ceiling and a switch on the wall to control it
- Removed 2 indoor dome-shaped lights and replaced them with recessed can lights
- Added a motion sensor flood light to back yard
- Built a custom HDMI wiring port and got it up in the ceiling to the wall
- Mounted my new projector to that ceiling
- Pruned all four of my back yard trees (a first for me!)
- Finished emptying 3 more boxes (4 more to go!)
- Hung up another set of blinds (tons more to go!)
- Had dinner with my new (and very nice) neighbors
Phew!
I was bringing in groceries and left the door open as I did. Little did I know the neighbor’s cat got into my house and I didn’t notice. Well, it being Spring, I guess he decided to ‘mark’ this new territory. Check out my brand new dining room. I took a photo in case I couldn’t get the stains out. 
