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Next to Nothing
Still fighting the cold, still fighting the asthma, still fighting inner demons, and getting tired of the whole frelling thing. Got next to nothing done today. Actually that's not quite true. I packed a bunch of crap I had on the big table in the living room, and hauled it up to the attic, along with boxes and boxes of stuff that I'd been storing there. Yes, I've been using the living room as a storage area. It's a perfectly valid decorating choice for a bachelor with no life. Now I'm going to convert it into a temporary workshop/finishing area so I can assemble and finish the bookcases.
Once the bookcases are done, it's the living room's turn. I've been meaning to paint it since before I moved in, and now I've a good reason. One of the recommendations my doctor made to help with my asthma in the cold was to humidify the frell out of the house, so I've been doing that. The moisture has been condensing near the windows, with the result that there are now a multitude of ugly brown streaks running down the walls where the moisture has dissolved all the years of cigarette smoke residue left behind by the previous owner. God, it's awful looking. I knew the walls were dirty, but I had no idea. Anyway, the situation is propelling me to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, which is good. Be nice to have that room functioning, and I really do need something to keep my mind occupied. Maybe I'll even drag myself away from the computer once in awhile. I used to do that.
Apart from scrubbing down the walls, there's not a lot of prep work to be done. I spackled most of the holes when I did the back room, but there's still one crack that needs to be patched. Then it's a couple of coats of primer followed by antique white. I know, very conservative, but It works well with the woodwork, which is stained antique maple. Plus I've still got most of the five gallon pail of it down in the basement.
The question after that is what to do about the floor. The carpet used to be white, but is now closer to the color of the lunar surface, especially if you consider the pattern of little craters formed by all the cigarette burn marks. The texture of the carpet is still pretty good for the most part, it's just butt ugly. So, do I leave it there, and cover it with my grandfather's Persian rug (which will cover most of it up), or do I rip it up, do the parquet/strips thing that I did in the back room, and then lay the Persian rug over that? I can try out the first option easily enough, so that's what I'll do initially.
Trying not to think too much about anything else. Time to go see how those crazy Ainur, Manwë and Melkor, are getting along.
Once the bookcases are done, it's the living room's turn. I've been meaning to paint it since before I moved in, and now I've a good reason. One of the recommendations my doctor made to help with my asthma in the cold was to humidify the frell out of the house, so I've been doing that. The moisture has been condensing near the windows, with the result that there are now a multitude of ugly brown streaks running down the walls where the moisture has dissolved all the years of cigarette smoke residue left behind by the previous owner. God, it's awful looking. I knew the walls were dirty, but I had no idea. Anyway, the situation is propelling me to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, which is good. Be nice to have that room functioning, and I really do need something to keep my mind occupied. Maybe I'll even drag myself away from the computer once in awhile. I used to do that.
Apart from scrubbing down the walls, there's not a lot of prep work to be done. I spackled most of the holes when I did the back room, but there's still one crack that needs to be patched. Then it's a couple of coats of primer followed by antique white. I know, very conservative, but It works well with the woodwork, which is stained antique maple. Plus I've still got most of the five gallon pail of it down in the basement.
The question after that is what to do about the floor. The carpet used to be white, but is now closer to the color of the lunar surface, especially if you consider the pattern of little craters formed by all the cigarette burn marks. The texture of the carpet is still pretty good for the most part, it's just butt ugly. So, do I leave it there, and cover it with my grandfather's Persian rug (which will cover most of it up), or do I rip it up, do the parquet/strips thing that I did in the back room, and then lay the Persian rug over that? I can try out the first option easily enough, so that's what I'll do initially.
Trying not to think too much about anything else. Time to go see how those crazy Ainur, Manwë and Melkor, are getting along.
Crack patching hint
It's saved me hours of heartache, for hairline cracks.
For the sake of your lungs, remove the carpet. We're carpet-free in the upstairs now, and it's the best thing I've ever done. What's under it? I guess that's the first question. We had floors we could use under our carpeting, and with throw rugs, we could put off having to refinish the floors until we feel like it.
At this rate, of course, that's going to be never. We're really burned out on housefixing. As you might have guessed by our lack of a bathroom on the main floor.
Re: Crack patching hint
I've gotta admit, I never even thought of the dust factor with the carpet, even though my doctor keeps reminding me about pillows and mattresses and things. The problem is that there is nothing under the carpet except underlayment plywood. House is fourteen years old, and was built on the very cheap so no hardwood floors, except for a 3 x 6 patch of parquet tiles by the front door that allowed the ad to say hwd flr. If I take up the carpet, I need to put some kind of floor in. I already did it in the back room. I just need to find something that looks good at an economy price that isn't Pergo.
We're really burned out on housefixing.
Been there, done that, at least you have an extra pair of hands there. :)
take up the carpet!
Re: take up the carpet!
Concur on potential carpet nastiness. Which is not to say there'll be anything pretty underneath; Suela dealt with this issue in her home office last fall, I think. She ended up going down to something ridiculous like concrete.
Give a holler should you want painting assistance. It's right up there with power tools on my list of Things I Like To Play With But Would Never Come Up With A Project For Myself. (Especially As How I Don't Own The Place I'd Be Projecting In.)
Ainulindale any fun yet? Do skip ahead to the Quenta if you get bogged down. Feanor is a guy not to be missed.
Re: take up the carpet!
Already well into the Quenta. Melkor's imprisoned, but Sauron's whereabouts are currently unknown. I'm assuming he's up to no good. I'm having a major disconnect with that map that's in the back of the book. As near as I can tell everything on that map, with the exception of the Ered Luin, will be under the western ocean by the time of The Hobbit. There was probably a big snow melt or something. The other thing about the map is that, so far, none of the places that have mentioned are on it. It's very unsettling to my inner navigator.