I Have Lovely Roots

Apparently, that is the collective opinion of all staffers in my endodontist's office. Doctor included. With the new technology in dentistry, my digital x-rays were immediately displayed on a flat panel screen just across the room. Other assistants would glance into the room as they passed by, pause, and usually say something to the effect of "Oh. My. Gosh." I have long roots. Very long roots. In fact this second molar I had done yesterday had roots measuring 27mm. (And that's the small molar.)



Aside from jumping a little at the doctor's first attempt to open up the tooth, and scaring the assistant, all went as well as could be expected. "That tooth must be hot!" I heard the doctor say, meaning it was extra sensitive. Another couple of shots of anesthetic, and I was good to go. My face was even numb enough that I had to consciously try and keep my right eyelid open. Weird.

I did pretty well. Dinner was Campbell's Beef Broth. And a hot dog bun. Yum!

My Aching Arm

The room is complete. Hand applied joint compound over our surprise wall covering has left it unrecognizable as the paneling that it really is. Two days worth of spreading that stuff all over though, has left my right shoulder, elbow and wrist quite sore. Nothing I can't get over. I started taking Sam-e, as it is claimed to be good for joint discomfort. We shall see... Last year, I spent well over $100 on the product Osteo-Biflex, and I had results less than desirable. The problem at that time, were my hips and knees. I suppose I have worn them down after all that long-distance running in my twenties.

I am back to square one with smoking. Dammit. But I haven't given in completely. Two, three, sometimes four a day as opposed to 20.

I made sure I got myself into bed by ten last night, no matter what was going on downstairs(our home tends to be a magnet for activity with neighbors & friends), and the 5:30 alarm went off, I pulled on my jersey-knit shorts and t-shirt, then headed out the door for a brisk morning walk. 2+ miles. Thirty minutes. Went the usual route...Majestic Hotel and back. I feel pretty good about that. That last hill gives a good burn!

I just dread this afternoon. Triple root canal on #31. Ugh. Everyone have me in their thoughts around 1:00 Central time...

What Lies Beneath?

To the idiots who thought that covering the plaster and lathe in a vintage Victorian home was a good idea... oh the SHAME! And to the real estate agents who not only sold this home to Joe and Kris, but were also the owner/occupants at the time of the sale who told them that ALL of the walls were plaster and lathe beneath the floral vomit wallpaper - that they hanged themselves... may you burn in realtor hell.

Yep, you heard right. We began work on bedroom 2 on Monday, and on that morning, as I prepared the room for our painter Steve to begin work, I realized that beneath the insanely wild floral wallpaper was a quarter-inch thick laminated nightmare. 1970's era, dark brown paneling.

Don't get me wrong. Paneling has its appropriate place and use (I'm not sure where nor when, necessarily..) but it certainly is not appropriate for use and placement in an 1892 Victorian with original plaster and lathe walls.

So began the process of deciding if we were in fact ready to face what lay beneath the paneling and possibly have to spend our budget for the entire remodel of the house for the repair of plaster in one room, or just do our best for now, cover it - disguise it as best we can, then come back to it at a later date.

We chose the latter. So guess what I'll be doing over the long weekend? If you guessed "Attempting to disguise fucking paneling", then you're absolutely 100% correct!

I Screamed

This is no ordinary movie poster. I thought that is was, but should have known better. Joe asked me to help carry it down to show Bethanie and Ann, since we were talking about Joan Crawford.

It was wrapped in a thick moving blanket, and when it was revealed I screamed. We all screamed.

It is NOT an ordinary movie poster. It is the master template. After that was disclosed, I felt a little queasy.

BTW, that poster is 6' tall.

Preview

The Master Bedroom is nearly complete. Here_is_a_reminder of how it used to look. Yesterday, Charles helped me move the essential furniture into it, and Joe and I were able to spend our first night in the new boudoir. I made sure to dress the bed in the new 1000 thread-count linens. Pure Heaven. Here are a few preview pics with more to come after the room is accessorized completely:





























Note the painted door behind the bed... so as to hide it. We do not use it (it leads into the adjoining bedroom) and I think it was a great idea to do that. The bed would not have worked as well against any other wall. I suppose it could have worked in the bay, but the headboard is high enough that it would block access to the windows.

I am glad that Joe and I thought about the chandelier for this room. It's Checkoslovakian. I do not know how old...but thinking from the 1930's. Charles re-wired and hung it for us. It definitely needs a dimmer switch now.

Today...

is my 38th!

Gimme some love.

I Wanna Go!

I have a fascination with NZ. Someday I'll make it there and be able to take it all in.

We Took The Dogs

out for a walk last night. Our path followed the usual route: the historic Jewish Levi Hospital, turn of the century Victorian dollhouses-three in a row-that are appropriately called "The Three Sisters", then into the commercial district of downtown. We passed by a private courtyard on Exchange Street that I had just noticed for the first time. (I'll try and get a photo soon). It's amazing how there are several little treatlets in this town, undiscovered, even though I've called it home since 1994.

And when our walk led us past The Aristocrat, I sidestepped the slippery grates... much like Dick VanDyke sidestepped the ottoman. Well, no...but given the memory of the pain from falling horizontally atop it, I woulda if'n I needed to.

We came upon several of the new antique shops on the upper end of Central Avenue. Several of them really did their windows well, as they stopped us dead in our tracks. Saw a couple of palace-size urns (Asian) complete with their wood stands, a sterling trimmed crystal pitcher for $1000, and two very cool Yugoslavian beaded lamps (Joe sucked air when he saw the peacock). It was gorgeous. Couldn't see the price tag, though. I may go back and check when the shop is open...just to know. We've got several other Yugoslavian beaded lamps and they are real treats to the eye. Especially if they're the only illumination in a dark room. Intricate, delicate and feasts of color.

We (I) noticed the coolest lighting scheme in that shop. There were cables stretched across the room in pairs-about 4" apart. Along these cables were many small light fixtures that were aimed directly at the artwork. I made mention at how little impact that lighting scheme has on the structure, i.e no holes cut into the ceilings or walls. The fixtures were either halogen or LED.Joe lit up with curiosity, as we've been discussing how to illuminate all of the artwork upstairs... and to add additional lighting, as it is indeed a VERY dark house.