I spent a lovely evening last week with Sweet Alice and her BoyToy, Kilt Boy, visiting the Windy City from Toronto. They are both lovely young people, quite passionate about their academic fields of study, and quite pleasant company. We ate a bit, had a few lattes and au laits, and more than a few laughs. Alice was knitting on a pair of Brenda Dayne socks, and I was working on a sweater for Little Bird. I was really impressed with their English -- as the third wheel, I was a little bit afraid they would spend the whole evening speaking to each other in Canadian, making comments on my weight, my hair, or my advanced age. But no, they were absolutely wonderful company, and never once resorted to talking Canadian. I was impressed!

[Note: I just heard that, since returning to Toronto, Sweet Alice and Tristan (aka Kilt Boy) have not had a good week. Alice has been sick, and Tristan's grandmother passed away. They are both in my thoughts and prayers.]

The beautiful Buddha cookie jar has sold. I am sad, but I also know that I am an incredibly lucky man, and my life is still incredible.

Posts may be a bit more sparse than usual, as so many things seems to be joining forces to see if I can't be separated from what little sanity I still can claim. I'm still busy at work, but I caught a case today that will keep my very, very busy...at least through the summer.

Plus, the kitchen rehab begins TOMORROW!

I can't believe it. We are squeaking in under the wire with preparations, but we are going to make it. I'm excited again. (I don't know how excited I will be after a month of Subway sandwiches and McDonald's Asian Salads, so ask me in a few weeks!)

One of the most satisfying parts of packing the kitchen has been what I refer to as Fun With The Floor. Our kitchen floor was put down 35+ years ago before the apartment was converted from rental to condominium. And even as rental units go, the owner put in crap. Crappity crap crap. The cabinets are cardboard. (No shit. Really. 2 pieces of crap laminate over cardboard.) The floor, if you can believe it, was peal and stick vinyl tile. Over the ten years we have lived here we have tried several different things to keep them in place. We have stapled. We have nailed. We have used construction adhesive. And we have on more than on occasion used prayer. But since we inked the bid from the contractor, we've been having Fun With The Floor -- every time a tile came off, we threw it out! Isn't that revolutionary! And as we emptied a drawer, we threw it out! When a cabinet was empty? We took the door off and threw the futhermocker away! I can't tell you how liberating it was.

This is what it looks like now, on the eve of construction. please note, the only tiles still on the floor are the ones stuck down with construction adhesive.


The big black thing under the window used to be IN the window. It held the air conditioner. The contractor is going to punch a whole through the wall beneath the window and put the AC through there. Which means we can have the original window in, which means a LOT more light. (It also means I can't make coffee in the morning without remembering to put on my robe, which totally robs me of the Josh Lucas effect I usually try to project. It's hard to look like anyone but Rob Petrie when you are wearing a plaid cotton robe.)

I'll try to post pics of the progress. Though I expect I will spend a lot of time sitting on the edge of my bed, rocking forwards and backwards, muttering, "ohmydog, ohmydog, ohmydog ohmydog".


Put some positive energy out into the universe for me, please. If I can swing this rehab with $800 left over at the end, I will be able to afford a new refrigerator, as well. (A pretty, shiny, energy-efficient one with an ice maker!) But only if I have $800 left over at the end. (We got a $1,000 Home Depot gift card for purchasing our cabinets! So all I have to have is the balance!) Wish me luck!