Typical Me. I'm bored one day. How about a mini home renovation project? What a great idea! Something productive to fill my evenings that hubby is working. DING DING DING! ALARM BELLS! No "mini" home renovation project that I have ever taken on has proven to be at all close to "mini".
How difficult could it be to paint the baseboards and quarter round? When we bought the house we took the carpet out of the main floor and put in hardwood. The quarter round put in by the hardwood floor guys had only been primed - not painted, and now - 5 years later, it was starting to look pretty cruddy.
I put the painter's tape around the edges of the kitchen. I started there because there really is minimal baseboardage in the kitchen since the cabinets occupy most of it. I started painting. So far so good. Looks nice. Pretty simple. Ding ding ding, there are the bells. Baseboards; allow me to introduce you to the windows, door frames and doors. Oops. Look at that. The builder painted the door frames, doors, window sills and baseboards CREAM COLOUR. What have I been painting with? Blindingly white WHITE colour (though I'm pretty sure that's not the actual name of the colour).
Mini home renovation project, meet humongous undertaking causing many long nights, sore hands and even some swearing. I'm still not done. Me and my ideas....
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
**Falling for Niagara
For my 30th birthday my mom took myself and my brother on a weekend getaway to Niagara Falls. Granted it was three months after my actual birthday, but it was still a nice way to celebrate a big birthday in a quiet, family way.
My mom is turning 60 next month. Being the thoughtful, creative person I am, I thought of a great idea...how about a weekend getaway to Niagara Falls?! No, seriously, we had a good time, it was nice family bonding time sans children and frankly I can't be away for more than two days anyway. I was in the preliminary stages of planning and decided to price hunt online. Just out of curiosity I randomly picked a day in April (less chance of snow than March plus better chance of decent weather to do outside stuff too, and I didn't feel too constrained to dates since my birthday getaway didn't fall anywhere near my birthday). I was not ready to book, just looking into prices.
My random day in April pulled up amounts of $159-$179 per night, but at the bottom of the webpage for reservations at Fallsview Casino Resort Hotel (where we stayed), there is an ad for the Hilton Fallsview Hotel which is connected by a glass overpass to Fallsview (and is a nicer hotel actually with a full waterpark inside). I scanned down the list of rooms at the Hilton and at the bottom of the page was the price for a two bedroom suite. Sleeps six. One bedroom has 2 queen beds, one a king bed, attached to a bathroom with a jaccuzzi tub. Here's the catch. The price for this room was $13.50 per night. WHAT?! Clearly a mistake, I booked it! I figured, worse comes to worse I'll loose the $15.30 (what it came to with tax), but I kinda figured they had to honour it, right?
The craziest part of it all was that the day I picked was the ONLY day this price appeared on! I checked every other date between now and the end of April, and the one I randomly picked was the sole day the error was made on the website.
I booked, waited a few days until I needed to book the day off from work, and called to confirm. No record of the reservation. They searched under my name, my confirmation number and the date. No luck. I explained that I had the confirmation e-mail and was happy to forward it along.
"Let me speak with my supervisor and we'll call you back in ten minutes" is what I was told.
I swear I held my breath for the whole ten minutes. Low and behold, my phone rang.
"Hi this is Kirsten calling from The Hilton Fallsview. We found your reservation and it was booked for $13.50, which was a mistake on the website. However, we will honour that price and we look forward to seeing you. We hope you enjoy your stay with us."
It's as if the gift came wrapped, tagged and ready to go! No decisions, no planning, just a fancy shmancy room for fifteen bucks. Aren't I a generous daughter? On the bright side, after hearing the price, my brother agreed to split it with me...
My mom is turning 60 next month. Being the thoughtful, creative person I am, I thought of a great idea...how about a weekend getaway to Niagara Falls?! No, seriously, we had a good time, it was nice family bonding time sans children and frankly I can't be away for more than two days anyway. I was in the preliminary stages of planning and decided to price hunt online. Just out of curiosity I randomly picked a day in April (less chance of snow than March plus better chance of decent weather to do outside stuff too, and I didn't feel too constrained to dates since my birthday getaway didn't fall anywhere near my birthday). I was not ready to book, just looking into prices.
My random day in April pulled up amounts of $159-$179 per night, but at the bottom of the webpage for reservations at Fallsview Casino Resort Hotel (where we stayed), there is an ad for the Hilton Fallsview Hotel which is connected by a glass overpass to Fallsview (and is a nicer hotel actually with a full waterpark inside). I scanned down the list of rooms at the Hilton and at the bottom of the page was the price for a two bedroom suite. Sleeps six. One bedroom has 2 queen beds, one a king bed, attached to a bathroom with a jaccuzzi tub. Here's the catch. The price for this room was $13.50 per night. WHAT?! Clearly a mistake, I booked it! I figured, worse comes to worse I'll loose the $15.30 (what it came to with tax), but I kinda figured they had to honour it, right?
The craziest part of it all was that the day I picked was the ONLY day this price appeared on! I checked every other date between now and the end of April, and the one I randomly picked was the sole day the error was made on the website.
I booked, waited a few days until I needed to book the day off from work, and called to confirm. No record of the reservation. They searched under my name, my confirmation number and the date. No luck. I explained that I had the confirmation e-mail and was happy to forward it along.
"Let me speak with my supervisor and we'll call you back in ten minutes" is what I was told.
I swear I held my breath for the whole ten minutes. Low and behold, my phone rang.
"Hi this is Kirsten calling from The Hilton Fallsview. We found your reservation and it was booked for $13.50, which was a mistake on the website. However, we will honour that price and we look forward to seeing you. We hope you enjoy your stay with us."
It's as if the gift came wrapped, tagged and ready to go! No decisions, no planning, just a fancy shmancy room for fifteen bucks. Aren't I a generous daughter? On the bright side, after hearing the price, my brother agreed to split it with me...
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
**Snowbank
Today on my way out of a patient's home my front passenger wheel collided with a tall snowbank. I dug and dug and dug and dug and pushed and pushed and pushed and cried for an hour. I still had seven patients left to see, two of them with strict time constraints, and no matter what I - or the person helping me - did would not budge the car an inch.
After an hour of digging and pushing and crying (I'm such a girl), I looked down at my bare hands (nope, no gloves) and saw the tips of two of my fingers on my left hand starch white in funny squiggly-lined patterns. I ran inside the patient's home to wash my hands in warm water - leaving her digging on her own. After a good few minutes of warm water, they turned pink again, but remained completely numb.
It was then that I gave in and called my roadside assistance (that came with my car). TWO HOUR WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK! "But I can't wait for two hours!" I bellowed into my cell phone, but to no avail. That was that. I was going to sit in my car, feeling sorry for myself, calling my remaining patients to break the news until (DUH DUH DUH DAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH), HUBBY TO THE RESCUE!
He drove from work - about 25 minutes away - to try and dig me out. Once he realized that the bumper was stuck up on the bank and was raising the car up, not allowing the wheels to make enough contact with the ground, he broke up the ice with the handle of a shovel shoved under the car, and pushed me out.
My hero.
He was soaking wet and frozen, I was covered in dirt and salt, and am currently unable to raise my arms, but we got it out.
My fingers regained feeling now, my jacket is in the washing machine, and I am putting an emergency pair of mittens and buying a mini-shovel for my car TOMORROW.
I made it to five of my seven remaining patients before school pick-up time, and I keep telling myself that one day I'll look back at this and laugh..........................................................
After an hour of digging and pushing and crying (I'm such a girl), I looked down at my bare hands (nope, no gloves) and saw the tips of two of my fingers on my left hand starch white in funny squiggly-lined patterns. I ran inside the patient's home to wash my hands in warm water - leaving her digging on her own. After a good few minutes of warm water, they turned pink again, but remained completely numb.
It was then that I gave in and called my roadside assistance (that came with my car). TWO HOUR WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK! "But I can't wait for two hours!" I bellowed into my cell phone, but to no avail. That was that. I was going to sit in my car, feeling sorry for myself, calling my remaining patients to break the news until (DUH DUH DUH DAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH), HUBBY TO THE RESCUE!
He drove from work - about 25 minutes away - to try and dig me out. Once he realized that the bumper was stuck up on the bank and was raising the car up, not allowing the wheels to make enough contact with the ground, he broke up the ice with the handle of a shovel shoved under the car, and pushed me out.
My hero.
He was soaking wet and frozen, I was covered in dirt and salt, and am currently unable to raise my arms, but we got it out.
My fingers regained feeling now, my jacket is in the washing machine, and I am putting an emergency pair of mittens and buying a mini-shovel for my car TOMORROW.
I made it to five of my seven remaining patients before school pick-up time, and I keep telling myself that one day I'll look back at this and laugh..........................................................
Sunday, February 3, 2008
**Superbowl Funday
I would love to say that football interests me. I would be elated to say that I want to learn about this fascinating game. It would be my pleasure to tell you that I look forward to the super bowl. I cannot.
I do not understand football. I have had numerous people, at various points in my life, attempt to explain this game to me, and there must be a blockage in the football centre of my brain, because I just don't get it. There are men, dressed in big outfits, throwing an awkward shaped ball at eachother, plowing eachother down, piling on top of one another-as if the ball is really going to go somewhere after the first 300 pound guy lies down on top of it! Why? And why does this peculiar game become so earth-shatteringly important at the end of the season? And how do chicken wings and chili factor in? Why do people have parties to celebrate this game? I just do not understand.
All the other sports seem logical to me. Hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer, even golf all seem to require skill and strategy. Football - not so much.
Since my teenage years numerous boyfriends, even girlfriends, or their parents have tried to get me up to pace; but to no avail. I am hopeless. I suppose I can chalk it all up to my disinterest and my lack of desire to learn. That sure sounds better than "my pure stupidity".
I do not understand football. I have had numerous people, at various points in my life, attempt to explain this game to me, and there must be a blockage in the football centre of my brain, because I just don't get it. There are men, dressed in big outfits, throwing an awkward shaped ball at eachother, plowing eachother down, piling on top of one another-as if the ball is really going to go somewhere after the first 300 pound guy lies down on top of it! Why? And why does this peculiar game become so earth-shatteringly important at the end of the season? And how do chicken wings and chili factor in? Why do people have parties to celebrate this game? I just do not understand.
All the other sports seem logical to me. Hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer, even golf all seem to require skill and strategy. Football - not so much.
Since my teenage years numerous boyfriends, even girlfriends, or their parents have tried to get me up to pace; but to no avail. I am hopeless. I suppose I can chalk it all up to my disinterest and my lack of desire to learn. That sure sounds better than "my pure stupidity".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)