Where alpha is coffee and beta is ice cream we are able to triangulate to a point of bliss ... coffee flavored ice cream in my favorite cup.
My brother called this morning and asked me what my plans are for today ... I told him I was super cleaning a bathroom two days ago and fell in to a bit of a black hole ... sounds nasty doesn't it?! I thought I was "going in" on a surreptitious dusty looking mildew run ... seek and destroy ... in and out and on to the stairwell closet. Yesterday I found myself painting the walls and installing a new lighting fixture over the sink. Now the main overhead fixture doesn't "match" ... and the replacement is waiting for me in the hall. That bathroom and I go way back ... . This all started with the floor in that bathroom. It is made from smooth brown pebbles laid in about four inches of concrete ... weird, I know. Because the terrain here is so hilly (is that a word?) part of our home is built on a concrete slab, or pad if you prefer, while the rest is constructed pier and beam style with a brick veneered "crawlspace" ... which is no less then four feet high and a good bit more at other points. Very different then the residential construction that I was familiar with, and handy for running cable etc. I was not raised to be "handy". Raised with boys, I did admire their games and from time to time opted to play, but was more likely to be on the sidelines, cheering. If I were near enough for high school reunions, I am certain that no one would believe that I am a commercial pilot. Lucky me ... I moved out of the box and got to grow towards me.
Back to that floor ... I don't like it. I lifted the air vent cover and discovered that it is really thick ... it would take a jack hammer to remove it, and then what? It seems structural! It abutts wooden floors throughout the rest of the house. Five years ago, I saw very cool cork flooring ... I liked it and I thought it might just work over the rocks (rocks, like an old pool deck). My husband said okay but ... I hired a flooring contractor who said he'd do both downstairs bathrooms for a additional 100 bucks while he was here refinishing the hardwood floors. I ordered the cork from Lowe's, and started prepping the bathroom, ie, remove toilet, bleach floor, tape down heavy plastic barrier. The guys came in a laid the floor in about 15 minutes ... it was gorgeous. Then, I didn't have a clue as to how to finish the edges ... where cork meets tub or tile. During the year that I was thinking about it, shower water seeped under it, eventually leaving water stains and possibly eek ... mildew. So ... one day, I pulled it all out. It's not an expensive flooring option, but has to be properly sealed. I am able to measure accurately and snap pieces together ... and unscrew toilets from the floor ... I am certain that I will be able to do it myself. DIY. It's all that HGTV stuff ... this Old House and Design Star.
So, my brother called and asked me "What are you doing today." and I told him, "I am installing an overhead light fixture and then I think I am going to go get a manicure." He laughed because he is amazed that I turned out to be a girl who knows how to do stuff like that, and would rather just DIY then nagwaitget my sweetheart to do it. My brother said he'd heard that some percentage of men can not do basic household tasks like change a light bulb. Seriously. Who changes their light bulbs for them? I thought my brother must be pulling my leg, but stopped short of liar liar pants on fire when he assured me he wasn't just making that up ... I did google it though:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328869/DIY-dimwits--15-men-change-lightbulb.html
I stopped watching HGTV several years ago. I know too much. I do not like to do sheet rock work. I can not believe the going rate for skilled craftsmen ... I get it ... but I don't like it. So, I hit the breaker, pre cut stripes of electrical tape, carefully balance screw driver and pliers ... and the whole time I worry about whether or not this is making me less feminine (cause that's important to me too ...).
That's what I'm doing on this big day.
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