I Should Know Better

I started out yesterday with four - FOUR - things on my to do list. One of them was a project that has needed tackling ever since we moved into this house. We have plantation blinds in one of our front rooms, and the slats have been falling out of the shutters since the first day we moved in. The hardware holding them in is plastic and has become very brittle over the years. Hence, cracked pins, missing slats, slats at odd angles, etc. Our neighbors LOVE us, lemme tell you. We singlehandedly bring down property value everywhere.

So I decided that yesterday would be the day to tackle it.  And it took all freaking day. I first tried to find the right parts so I could fix it the "correct" way with the "correct" hardware. Big fat strikeout. It's a specialty part, and while I suppose I could have ordered it via the interwebs, that would have delayed it getting done. And I was in the mood to get it done, so it was gonna get done. After fiddling around for a couple of hours on the interwebs and finally deciding that plan A, doing things the "correct" way, wasn't going to work, I went to plan B.

Use a hammer and nails and make it work.

In this case, it worked remarkably well. I was able to use small nails to get the slats to fit where they needed to go, and with a few eye screws (which required a trip to the hardware store) and a little elbow grease, it actually looks good. Which was great, but I finished it 5 minutes before I had to pick up the kiddos from school. Monday = GONE. One thing crossed off the list.

So today, I looked at my list from yesterday, laughed at what didn't get done, and pretty much decided that if I get one of each of the four things knocked out each day this week, it'll be a good thing.

As of this afternoon, 10 minutes before I have to get the kiddos, mission completed. Guest room upstairs is now clean and no longer threatens to overwhelm anyone who dares glance in there. Sure, I might've concealed some of the junk that I just didn't have time to handle, but dammit, it looks 1000X better. And there's even room to put a suitcase on the floor, and a few shelves to work with. Again, something that has needed doing since the day we moved in.

So maybe one thing a day isn't such a bad thing. I mean, it's only taken three years to get this stuff done, but at least it's getting done, right? Oh, and I also replaced lightbulbs in the hallway. Considering that we were down to one working light bulb out of six? I figured it was time to take care of it. Really, I hope no one wonders how it can take me three years to get things done sometimes.

Maintaining

I don't know how many folks have asked me this week whether I'm looking for a job yet. It's not annoying, just - strange. I haven't started looking yet, in part because I feel like there is still a lot at home I want to get done. And yet, at the end of the day, I haven't gotten anywhere nearly as much done as I'd hoped, and I'm still pretty tired most days. I just can't figure out what's going on.

I'm pretty sure it's not the fact that I've played tennis three times this week. That definitely has nothing to do with it.

Or the fact that both kiddos have homework at night now, which pretty much means that from the time they hit the door after school until they are in bed, I need to be somewhat engaged (snack, more snack, dinner, homework, homework, showers, teeth, bed).

Or the fact that I seem incapable of getting anything done before 10am, besides sitting on my ass in front of the computer, drinking coffee and figuring out all my ambitious plans for the day.

I'm sure there's a reason for my not getting stuff done...I probably just need to think harder about it. Maybe I should sit at the computer until 10:30 every morning, thinking harder. That might help.

Productive Week

When I quit work at the beginning of the summer, I had lots of grand plans for things I would do around the house. You know, decluttering, organizing, doing some of the things around that house that have needed doing since we moved in, oh, three years ago.

But anyone who has kids at home would've laughed at my ambitious thoughts. 'Cause really. A 5 year old and a 6 year old don't give a damn about your ambitious plans; they just want to a) go to the park; b) watch a movie; c) go to the toy store; d) eat; e) all of the above.

So very little got done.

But now, they are back in school. And in the last week and a half, I've finally made some progress around the house. Crowning achievement: the garage. It's clean. Now, it's not yet organized, but it is CLEAN. As in, you could probably get two cars in there - and that hasn't happened since about an hour after we started moving things in the house. And in other news:

• Kiddos clothes are organized.
• Multiple goodwill runs have been made.
• The last few pieces of baby equipment are being donated to friends who can really use it.
• A budget has been made (now we'll have to see about following it).
• The yard is mowed, and a few nagging tasks out there have been completed.
• The kitchen has been organized and is getting used more often (see: homemade bread for kiddos' lunch sandwiches).
• J's and my bedroom has been cleaned and decluttered.
• Master bathroom - ideas for updating / renovation are in progress, and I'm starting to look for materials. Still not sure of a timeframe, but it's getting closer. And one of the big impediments (at least in my mind) was that we had nowhere to stage materials when we started gathering them. See: a clean garage!!!

So yeah. I'm finally starting to see the results of the last week and a half, which is nice. I'd hate for J to think I sit on the couch eating bon bons and watching tv all day. But he knows me better than that. He knows I don't like tv. Now, where's my book...

Routine? What Routine?

It's been a busy week. Wait, back up. Can I really say that with a straight face? I mean, I haven't had work deadlines, I haven't been chained to the computer, I haven't billed any hours, I haven't produced any work product. At. All.

But what I have done? Is many hours of yard work. And many loads of laundry. And baked a couple (multiple!) batches of cookies, with another new recipe in the near future. I've played tennis while the sun was up, I've played Words with Friends at strange times during the day. I've got a huge load of stuff to take to Goodwill, and the house isn't too far from being ready for folks to come over. In fact, we had some friends stop by last night, and I was able to bring them into the kitchen/den without batting an eye. Progress, baby.

I've picked the kids up early from school, and I haven't felt quite as scattered as I have in the past. I won't say I'm approaching the "O" word quite yet (that's organized for those of you with your minds in the gutter), but there's a bit of hope there.

So yeah. It's been a really busy week. And just like a normal workweek, it's 4:30 on Friday and I love the feeling of the week winding to a close. There's a ton of fun stuff to look forward to this weekend, and while I'd love to be sipping a glass of wine right now, J and I have a mixed doubles match later tonight (we're playing a tournament together - hopefully we won't kill each other). I'm gonna guess he wouldn't be too happy with a partner that showed up sloshed, although there ARE some folks out there who play better with a beer or two.  But I digress.

Mixed doubles tournament, baseball/tball, annual Memorial day BBQ at J's house on Sunday, relatives and friends in town, Riverfest and fireworks, homemade pizza with friends on Monday - yup. It's gonna be a great weekend. See you on the flip side, if not before.

What's Up?

It's been a strangely busy week or so! My last day of work isn't officially until May 31, but the volume of work has dropped to nearly zero in the last few weeks.  NOT that I'm complaining or anything!

But all those things I used to wish I could get done instead of working? Now I don't really have much excuse not to do them. Funny how that works...

The house we are living in is at least 15, maybe 20 years old, so there is a decent amount of upkeep that is necessary. It was pretty solidly built as far as we can tell, but as with any house, there are just things that need a little TLC over time.

So, bullet format (because I'm drawing a blank on anything more substantive), here is what I've been working on lately:

• Yesterday, I found myself in the crawlspace under the house, dust mask and flashlight in hand, retaping insulation that has come apart from the A/C ducts. It wouldn't be so bad, but there was a lot of rat shit everywhere - not my favorite thing. I also spent about 20 minutes inspecting underneath the house for leaks, evidence of problems, etc. It's amazing what you can learn when you follow the piping for your house.
• Yesterday, I also caulked a problem spot in the master bath shower that has been causing us trouble from day 1. Let's just ignore the fact that day 1 happened 2.5 years ago, and that it took less than 15 minutes to fix... Now, as long as the fix actually works and stops the water leak into the crawlspace, I'll be happy.
• I also investigated tiling to put down in the master bath. A lot of this house has been updated fairly recently, but the master bath is an early 1990s throwback. We're planning on completely ripping out and redoing the shower, putting down new tile, new vanities, and a new tub. How much of this I will do is still up in the air, but we know for a fact that someone is going to have repair the subfloor where the leak has been occurring for the last 2.5 years. Yay. I can say with certainty that that will not be me repairing the subfloor.
• Random yard work has also occurred. Our neighbors probably hate our guts for letting the lawn go over the past few years. We just haven't had time to work on it, and with all the trees in our yard? It looks like a damn jungle.
• Cleaned out the gutters I could reach, and discovered there are some spots in the roof that are gonna need attention ASAP.
• Discovered two dead trees in the back yard that need to come down ASAP.

Honestly, I could go on, but I'm starting to depress myself with the balance of what has occurred v. what needs to occur.

Interesting life I lead, eh? Feel free to come help out, maybe I'll stumble on something more interesting to write about...

Domestic Goddess

Like many houses, we have an iron and an ironing board. Unlike many houses, our iron and ironing board may not have been used since we moved in two and a half years ago. I don't iron. If it requires ironing? I don't buy it. If it needs ironing? It's probaby dry clean only.

So yesterday, my mom was over at my house hanging some drapes. Did I mention that my mom totally rocks in many departments, including the "deciding on fabric, making, and hanging drapes" department? Yeah. So she was hemming some drapes, and needed the iron and ironing board. After remembering that we did indeed have those items, she got them set up and did whatever she does to make stuff look fantastic. This is not my area.

When she finished, it was late afternoon and she asked me what to do with the still-hot iron. I told her to just leave it on the kitchen counter and I'd put it up later. Of course, it's still sitting there this morning, but that's really not the point of this little vignette. 

I had a tennis match scheduled last night, so I fed the kiddos and hit the road as soon as J got home from work. When I finished my match, I called J to let him know I was headed home. The following conversation ensued:

J:     Ummm...you made quesadillas for the boy's Cinco de Mayo festival earlier today, right?
80:   Yeah, why?
J:      Please tell me you didn't use the iron to make them?
80:   *cracks up.*
80:    That was funny, babe. Good joke.
J:      *silence*
80:     You WERE joking, right?
J:      Well...I just thought maybe you got in a hurry and needed the extra heat or something...I could see it happening. I couldn't think of any other reason the iron would be out!
80:    *silence*

Yeah. Domestic goddess I am not. On the plus side, apparently the expectations are lower than I thought!

Goal Setting

Several weeks (months?) ago, a friend of mine told me about system he uses for goal setting.  It has been so long since I've done any sort of organized goal setting - I think I gave it up around the time I gave up sending out Christmas cards.  And for the record, I'm not talking about setting goals at work, I'm talking about personal goals. 

I try to keep balance in my life now, and I probably overdo it in the "not doing enough" category sometimes - I could certainly become more active in the community, do some volunteering, and one of these days I will.  I'm just very possessive of my time, but what good is that if you can't seem to accomplish the things you want to accomplish in your own house?  

I usually have a to do list that encompasses what I hope to get done for any given day, and perhaps for the week if I've got something that absolutely has to get done.  But as far as long terms plans and tackling big projects?  I've been at loose ends for oh, say, the entire two years we've been back in LR.  I end up getting paralyzed because as soon as I think of one largish project, about five other ones come to my mind that I feel like I "should" do before I tackle the one that sounds fun.  And then?  Nothing gets done. 

So, back to the original sentence here.  Goal setting.  My friend uses a system that probably has a little more complexity than I want in my life right now, but the fact that he has one was intriguing to me.  I've pushed back very hard against too much organization in my life, but at heart I still have a pretty strong Type A personality.  I just try to ignore it as much as possible...

So I cobbled together a very basic excel spreadsheet at the beginning of the month to write down a few goals.  This is a very rudimentary spreadsheet - just a couple of merged boxes and Sunday through Saturday columns; new worksheets for each week.  My experience  has been that the KISS principle works best here for me.  I can get caught up trying to be too organized about being organized...and then the process breaks down, and you can imagine what happens next.   

That first week I listed three weekly goals - an exercise goal, a guitar goal, and a writing goal.  

 There were also 4 monthly goals.  Two monthly goals really just needed to get done (finalize my application to the Arkansas bar, and update ye olde resume).  These have been hanging over my head for far too long. 

The third monthly goal had a pretty high bar but was not a high priority (pertained to reading), and the fourth goal was pretty much a throwaway to see if I'd actually do anything with it.  Sort of jokingly, I put down "tackle the dining room."  I figured that this was the first stab at it, and we'd see whether any of this actually worked.

I updated the spreadsheet throughout the month, trying to take a little extra time at the beginning of each week to think about how I was doing, what needed to be changed, whether I wanted to add any new tasks, and thinking through how I was going to accomplish the things that remained for the month.

  

To be quite honest, I expected to create the spreadsheet, follow it for a week or two, and forget about it.  But that didn't happen.  I'm happy with how the weekly goals panned out, but the monthly goals was where I was most surprised.  I've got a couple of loose ends to finalize here and there (I have an appointment with a judge to get sworn in on Thursday so I can legitimately talk lawyerese in Arkansas), but by and large?  I'm pleasantly surprised.

Last week when I was looking at the last full week in February, I realized that if I really wanted to tackle the "throwaway goal," I could probably still do it.  I managed to muster up a bit of motivation (nice alliteration, eh?), and with some preliminary help from my mom in prep and color choosing, here is the result:

 

Please ignore the Windex in the piano picture.  On second thought - maybe you shouldn't.  It's actual evidence that I cleaned.  Don't expect it too often.

And can I say how very happy I am to no longer be working in a claustrophobic feeling tomb?  Yes, there is a table in that room where I work.  No, you don't get to see it.  Far too messy, and I don't feel like clearing it off. 

Now, what to tackle for March... 

Strangeness

So I'm flying solo for a few days while J is in Florida.  B has been sick so we haven't really gotten out very much this weekend.  On the plus side, I did manage to finish painting the dining room - pictures to come soon.  But by yesterday afternoon, we were all starting to climb the (freshly painted) walls, so the kiddos and I decided to get out of the house and go the park.  On the way to the park, we went by Sonic for some yummy goodness.  I made a slight misstep and got a drink with caffeine in it.  Not smart, but I didn't think about it at the time. 

Last night, we were supposed to get some rough weather.  I am a complete and utter weather nerd - I love watching storms roll through, I like to keep up with what is going on, and the weather simply fascinates me.  Always has.

So last night after the kiddos were in bed, I checked into my weather sites while sort of watching the Oscars on mute.  Turns out there are quite a few weather nerds out there, so I followed the chat room at one of the local news stations, watched the radars, and listened to the wind blow through the screen door.  It was a really nice night out. 

Around 11, the Oscars over and the weather portion of the regular news done, I took my laptop and sat on the back porch to enjoy the breeze and nice weather.  I got settled outside, and resumed my weather watching ('cause that's just what I do).  I hadn't been out there more than a minute or two when I felt the deck sway back and forth a few times. 

"Huh," I thought.  "That's a bit strange - wonder if we need to get the deck checked?  I mean, it is windy, but I've never felt the wind blow the deck back and forth." 

I then turned back to the laptop screen and immediately started seeing people in the chat room saying "Earthquake!",  "Big one!", and  "Just felt a big earthquake!" 

Um, maybe it wasn't the wind that made the deck sway after all...  Almost immediately I saw lights come on in other houses nearby, and figure maybe other folks felt it too.  I just had the good fortune to be sitting outside ... on a deck that swayed ... several feet above ground.

Thus ended my mostly pleasant night on the deck as I beat a hasty retreat to the house.  The earthquake was a 4.7 about 30 miles away, and I'm fairly certain that's what I felt.  Between the adrenaline that little adventure prompted, the caffeine I'd gotten in the afternoon, and the impending storms?  Yeah, sleep did not come easy or plentiful last night.  Great way to start the week.

On the plus side, I can now say I've felt an earthquake.  I'm not sure that was on  my bucket list, but whatever.  I've got cred now.  Or something like that.

And J Starts to Twitch Uncontrollably...

Every now and then I get the urge to tackle house projects.  It usually ends up being more of a pain in the ass than I ever imagined and takes much longer than anticipated (see:  the half bath redo that took at least 6 months and resulted in my finally hiring someone to get the damn thing done).  But in my defense, it usually looks pretty good at the end (please to ignore the Tang orange color I managed to paint our kitchen in Houston - it was cheerful, dammit!), and since I'm the only one who really cares about that sort of stuff...well?  Why not. 

Maybe it's just because the weather is getting nicer - but I'm getting the urge to tackle a house project.  I'm thinking of something simple, like painting our dining room.  It's very dark maroonish color, and when you combine that with the dark furniture and wood floors in here?  It feels a bit tomb like.  I'm pretty sure I could knock the dining room out over the weekend...

Besides, if I remember correctly, J is headed out of town for a few days next week...perfect timing, right J?  Cue evil laugh.

Turbulent Reentry

I've been working on a case for several months that was set for arbitration starting today.  The nature of my particular job is that I work from LR when I can, but when things heat up before trial or before an arbitration, I need to be in the office most of the time.  Hence, since January 2nd, I've been living in Houston, coming home on the weekends if possible. 

An arbitration, also known as an alternative method of dispute resolution, is supposed to be cheaper and faster than going through a full blown trial.  Usually the two disputing parties will choose an arbitrator (or a panel of arbitrators) that have some expertise in the area of dispute, and will present their case to the arbitrator.  There is no jury, and the time frames are usually much shorter.  In terms of the preparation leading up to the arbitration, however, it is about the same.  Your client  will still be stating his or her case, with perhaps a significant amount of money on the line, and the decision will be binding.  For this reason, you want to present your case the best way possible and be as prepared as you possibly can be.

Early last week, there were some rumblings about settlement, but they faded pretty quickly and everyone assumed it was off the table.  I left the office at around 6pm on Friday night, knowing we'd be meeting back up there around 10:00 Saturday morning for a full day's work.  Sunday would be much the same, and Monday through Friday would be the madness that is a trail.  These are the times you just hunker down, plow through it, and hold your breath  until everything is over and the dust settles.

I got into the office on Saturday morning, and learned almost immediately that settlement was not only back on the table, it was now almost a near certainty.  Go figure.  It's a strange situation to be in - until the agreement is finalized and signed, it's not a done deal; many settlements have fallen apart even after they appeared to be definite.  So for that reason, you don't stop working the case until everything is inked.  We basically spent all day Saturday trying to intensely prepare for the arbitration that likely wasn't going to happen, even as the settlement agreement was being negotiated.  Saturday evening, everything was finally inked and the team beat a hasty exit to get some rest and recover from the craziness that has been January.

I wasn't expected back in LR until this coming Friday, and since I drove, there was no messing with flights or anything to get back home.  The deal was inked too late on Saturday to drive home, so I stayed Saturday night with my friend L in town.  We watched a movie (True Grit, the original one), cooked dinner, drank Scotch, and generally just relaxed from the week.  Sunday morning I woke up well before my alarm went off, grabbed my things and hit the road. 

See, I didn't tell anyone at home that the case settled - I had this grand plan that I'd show up at the house Sunday afternoon out of the blue and surprise the hell out of everyone.  It didn't quite work out as I planned.

I did manage to shock my kiddos.  J usually plays tennis on Sunday afternoons, so the kiddos were  at my parents house (I let my mom in on  the surprise).  Of course, the first question was "did you bring my present?" and the second was "Where's your Ipad?", but I guess I can let that go.  They are 6 and 4, after all! 

I rounded them up and we headed towards the house.  I was thinking that I could get some things around the house picked up, maybe there was time to actually cook a decent dinner (I really enjoy cooking when I have the time), and wouldn't J be totally thrilled when he got back from tennis and figured out that he was no longer a single dad for the week?  Yeah...somehow my surprises never go quite the way I plan. 

We drive  up to the house, and J is in the driveway.  With a shovel.  Next to a huge mound of dirt.  And an exposed water meter.  With evidence of a large amount of water draining into the gutter.  NOT COOL.  I'm not sure what it is about us (or this house) that attracts plumbing issues, but this was a pretty good one.  Apparently the PVC pipe that connects our house's water to the city's water pipe had snapped, and had gone unnoticed for a couple of hours.  I'm a bit concerned about the next water bill...

So yeah, J was in the midst of dealing with that and wasn't particularly excited about anything at that point.  Even me coming home.  Maybe if I'd shown up in a plumber's truck it would've gone better...

Drip Drip Drip D'oh!

You know how sometimes you just get that funny feeling that someone - or something - is sneaking up on you and just about to get you?  Like, say, your house? Yeah, me too. 

When we moved back to AR, both J and I were adamant that we did not want a new construction house. We'd had that for the last several years, and from what we'd seen, new construction meant a complete clear cut of any trees that were in the neighborhood. So instead of looking at new construction, we intentionally looked at older houses. I'm not talking 100 years old or anything; just a well established neighborhood that had large trees and no cookie cutter houses. We found a house that worked with a nice large yard and moved in.

Over the last two years, we have come to expect the fairly minor maintenance issues that come with having a not-so-new house. That's just part of the deal. The plumbing, however, has been an issue nearly since we moved in; it resulted in my encountering what I have to call one of my top 3 most disgusting situations/jobs ever. Actually, that situation and rotovirus diapers are probably tied for #1 - but I digress. Let's just say that the plumbing / sewer lines in this house have me perpetually nervous, and leave it at that for right now.

For the last few days, things have felt a little "off" in the house. Last night, they went completely haywire. Sometime yesterday afternoon, I noticed that one of the toilets had very little water in the bowl - usually a sure sign that a kiddo was a little too liberal with the TP. But when I flushed it? It flushed just fine. So no, no blockage, just a strange occurrence (Mistake #1).

For some reason yesterday evening before dinner, both kiddos wanted baths. So they both took long, full baths. While running the girl's bathwater upstairs, the girl and I both noticed an "odor" in the bathroom. I blamed it on her, she blamed it on me, and we went on our merry way (Mistake #2). I ran the dishwasher and cooked dinner. Teeth were brushed, toilets were flushed. A lot of water that flowed through this house yesterday evening.

In the quiet that descended after the kiddos went to bed, I noticed a funny sound in my bathroom. It very faintly sounded almost like ... dripping water. But I couldn't see anything obviously wrong, and figured maybe there was a bathtub still draining from Tubfest 2010 (Mistake #3). 

As I went to turn on my shower, I looked down and the drain looked funny. Almost like there was a little bit of food that had come out of it at one point (no other description really works there) - peas crossed my mind. WTH??? Then I realized there were a bunch of kid toys in there, crayons of various colors, and a kiddo had been the last one to shower in there, so god only knows what they had been doing in there (Mistake #4).

I went about my merry way, first cleaning  the shower because it needed it, then getting myself cleaned up (and noticing that the water seemed to be draining slowly for some reason). After I got out, I realized I could still hear the faint dripping noise, and decided I probably needed to figure it out (this would be  the first intelligent decision I made).

I checked around the bathtub - nope. I checked under the sinks - nope. I checked the faucets - nope. While I was troubleshooting, one of the kiddos flushed a toilet upstairs, and the toilet in our bathroom made an ominous bubbling/gurgling sound. Not a good sign at all. After spending several minutes trying to locate the source of the noise, including crawling around on the floor because I could hear the noise better that way, it occurs to me that it sounds like water dripping on plastic. Such as the plastic that is on the floor of the crawlspace immediately under our bathroom. Oh shit.

I hauled my ass down to the crawlspace (which is actually very large in most places, so the word crawlspace is kind of misleading), and as soon as I got down there, I could hear the water hitting the plastic. Bingo. I shined my flashlight around and immediately found the source of the dripping noise. Except...there wasn't just one spot that was leaking. No, there were at least two, and possibly three spots where water was leaking from the subfloor into the crawlspace. This was very not good. Obviously, a water pipe had burst and I needed to shut off the water to the house. Crap, that meant no water for the next morning, but I figured we could survive that. It was better than a flooded crawlspace and enormous water bill.

So I got my wrench and flashlight and went out to the front yard to shut off the water to the house at the meter. Except that while doing so, I notice the meter wasn't turning to show that water was being used. If there was a water leak from incoming water, the meter should be running. It wasn't. Which left me with really only one - very bad - conclusion. Whatever burst pipe that was now leaking into the subflooring and crawlspace (and, as I was to discover later, into the half bath) wasn't an incoming, clean water pipe. It was an outgoing sewage pipe. Shit.

***Update - apparently there was another option.  Two water leaks going on at the same time (one from the shower, one from a toilet), combined with a slow moving blockage in the pipes that has apparently cleared.  Go figure - I'll take 10 water leaks over a sewage issue any day.***