two more days

The roommate is moving all of his crap furniture tomorrow. I'm assuming that means he will be done moving by Wednesday night (and that we may be lucky enough to not even see him on Thursday)...but that is an assumption and we all know that assumptions often bite us in the ass.

In the meantime, the satellite guy is coming from DirecTV on Friday to get us all hooked up with a new dish, etc. That is exciting, though we are going to have to manage without HBO for the foreseeable future, given our desire to spend less than we earn. That is a small trade-off, considering we are about to gain a ton of space and privacy.

On the health front, I still have walking pneumonia and an upper respiratory infection - though I am hoping they are on their way out. I plan to work all week, leaving early if I need to, since I still only feel about 50% better. We've got a lot to do this weekend, so I'm hoping that the good health gods smile upon me soon.

plans

So, now that it is officially happening, the roommate is leaving, taking his awfully disgusting, tasteless, and fugly belongings along with him, the man and I will finally be able to put together the downstairs of our house like we want. The reason why the roommate had "design rights" for the main floor of the house is because he had furniture and the man didn't (I wasn't living in WI when the man moved into the house, so I had no say whatsoever). This is mainly because the man had had his home burn down a few years earlier and had lost most of his stuff. He then lived with roommates and didn't need to procure any other stuff. All of this amounts to us living in a house with random, ugly, bachelor-looking crap. (obviously we're in the midst of the exodus...we didn't allow him to keep the space looking this all-out nasty all of the time)

This is the huge beige monstrosity that dictates the layout of our main living space. It will be leaving:

Oh, and the roommate also had a gigantic tv that he recently pushed into the entryway alcove because he doesn't have any friends to help him move it out (and he won't ask us...apparently he gets the impression that we don't care).

Here is the ugly dining set that may be comfy, but is pretty much just over-sized and out of place:

I apologize for the blurry photo - trying to snap pics between coughing fits isn't that easy. (see previous post for explanation)

I cannot wait for this shit to be gone. Keep in mind that not all of our stuff is a whole lot better, considering that I like vintage pieces, and modern pieces, and have not much monies to spend on furniture. However, I am confident that I will be much happier and more comfortable in a space that I throw together.

A couple things in the space are ours, but these spaces will be changing drastically in the next few weeks, that is for sure.

And the countdown continues...

seven days...

Fab news...it is officially one week (well, 7 days + a matter of hours) until we will be rid of our unwanted houseguests/roommate.

In other news...I am off to the doctor to see about the case of walking death I seem to have come down with. I've had a "cold" for a week and it doesn't seem to be letting up. I don't remember having been sick like this before and am hoping that the doctor can give me something to help me get over it.

More news and details to come.

Update: Walking pneumonia. I'm on antibiotics now, hope to be better soon. I'll need all the energy I have to clean up the roommate's spaces, paint, reorganize the kitchen, move furniture, etc., etc., etc. next weekend.

rabbit

I'm in love with a new band. Lucky for me, I fall in love with music easily. Lucky for you, I share some of my musical affairs here. Note: this really isn't a music video, just a photo w/ music, but I love this song and wanted to share it.



Have a listen to more of their music here: http://www.myspace.com/saverabbit. Also available on iTunes and Amazon.

28 in 28: how did i do?

1. paint the living/dining room – pending – paint has been purchased and is ready to go – will do after roommate's departure – see #27
2. throw a big party – COMPLETE – did this for Halloween
3. read 10 books of my own choosing – COMPLETE (half were about greyhounds, but I chose that topic)
4. bake an apple pie from scratch, including the crust – COMPLETE – thought it was a strawberry rhubarb pie instead of apple
5. plant that big ol' vegetable garden I keep pining for – COMPLETE – not as large as I’d wanted, but not too shabby either
6. finally hang the curtains in the living/dining room – pending – see #27
7. take a "family" photo in a snowstorm – FAIL
8. get another tattoo (or two) – FAIL
9. join a gym - COMPLETE – best decision ever
10. whole-heartedly commit to daily exercise (work out at least 4 days a week - no ifs, ands, or buts) – ONGOING – I'm really happy with this goal: feeling much better, not seeing visible results, but living with less pain
11. pay off my credit card debt - pending – setbacks and unexpected medical bills threw a wrench in this one, but am getting back on track
12. go to Ikea – COMPLETE – went twice, and actually bought stuff the second time
13. finish my thesis, get it conferred, shut the book on that damned project – PARTIALLY COMPLETE – all that is left is the defense
14. visit Kristen in Door County (before she finds a fabulous new job and leaves) – VOID – she already left for a new job...I have, however visited her in the places she has lived since
15. fix the ding in my windshield before it cracks – COMPLETE – actually had to do this twice
16. make at least one home-cooked meal each week, regardless of the roommate's whereabouts – COMPLETE – it happened, but not necessarily well
17. get new tires for the car – COMPLETE – it was pricey, but I did it before the first snowfall
18. visit my nephews and the new baby at least twice – COMPLETE – have seen them three times
19. go to some sort of professional development that I actually find useful – COMPLETE – have attended four useful conferences
20. cardio – even though I despise it, I will do cardio at least 3 days per week (my cardiologist and my physical therapist will finally be happy) – COMPLETE – reluctantly plugging away at this one, and am doing cardio each day I go to the gym
21. complete the landscaping around the perimeter of the house – COMPLETE – expansions will likely occur, but the perimeter is finished
22. make a calendar for our family members – it will be funny, the man and I have discussed it for a couple years – COMPLETED – and we've begun a calendar for 2011
23. take another college class – PENDING – I am, however, taking a couple community-based short-courses not at college level
24. send/give thank-you cards for each gift given – COMPLETED – not including birthday gifts I've just received
25. six-pack abs, or something close to that without being too manly – PENDING – not quite a six-pack yet, but definitely closer
26. write to my grandmother at least once per month – FAIL – didn't do it every month, but was well over 50%
27. make the transition away from having a roommate – FAIL – I’m glad that murderous rampage wasn't on my list, because I surely would have completed it. Roommate is draining my will to live, one day at a time – oh, and he had a mini-nervous breakdown and has guilted the man into not throwing him out just yet. We won’t get into that right now.
28. complete three NaBloPoMo month-long blog runs – FAIL – I find this to be nearly impossible, as I like to go weekends without turning on my computer

28 things I did in my 28th year

This isn't my goal list from the past year, but it is a list of accomplishments, which is ultimately better in my opinion, because the word "FAIL" doesn't show up in this one.

1. I chopped off all my hair again.
2. I got new glasses.
3. I created a new ottoman.
4. I developed an affinity for New Glarus Totally Naked beer.
5. The man and I became official domestic partners (at least official in the eyes of my employer and health ins. company).
6. I got a new laptop.
7. I finished planting around the perimeter of the house.
8. We were "adopted" by a new cat. His name is Chuck Norris.
9. I thrifted (or bought at extremely discounted prices) nearly all the items we needed for our “new” house.
10. The man and I bought a car – together.
11. I had great evenings spent with wonderful friends.
12. I created a new coffee table.
13. I added a niece to my list of loved ones.
14. I said goodbye (for now) to my oldest friend.
15. I finally began to see my parents as people, not just parents...people who I would love whether they created me or not.
16. I went through a terrifying health scare with the man.
17. I made a homemade pie.
18. I finished my chair makeover.
19. I fell in love with the man all over again.
20. I had a no-spend month (moratorium on spending).
21. I joined a gym.
22. I started wearing heels again.
23. I pared down my closet and donated things to charity.
24. I threw a big birthday party for the man (he helped).
25. I paid off one of my student loans.
26. I embraced the fact that I cannot commit to blogging daily without going batshit crazy.
27. I learned my “personality type” according to Myers-Briggs.
28. I realized that I’m far too young to not be having more fun – hello, 29, we’re going to tear up the town.

birthday cupcake - and it's orange!

I work with a wonderful group of people. One of them made me this for my birthday:


It was delicious AND it was the biggest cupcake I've ever seen. She was nice enough to pose it next to a normal-sized cupcake for comparison sake.