Moving Sucks
I have the internets at the new house. This means that I can now live there. And why yes, I do realize how sad that is. Every time my gmail notifier goes DING! I stop everything and see who emailed me. It’s pathetic.
So, I’m painting. My rental. The owners asked if I wanted them to paint it before we took possession but gauging their previous paint job (read: drunken orgy of paint that seemingly landed on the walls by chance, sporadically and sparsely) and their inability to tell me when that might occur, I declined. I didn’t need to paint necessarily. But I must. I HAVE TO. I have to paint every new place I move into…thank you, Mom. I’m just painting white, but it’s Delicate White and I am pretending like that’s a real color choice.
Dear landlords everywhere, baseboards and trim that come stock-primed are not to be considered PAINTED already. They need paint, too. Give it up. Thank you.
The children have been very helpful little painters. Daniel really tried, bless his heart. He made Vs and Ws with the paint roller, went as high up as he could and as far down as I told him to. He painted an entire wall and a half on his own. Yes, I went over it once but only when he wasn’t around. Brett, not so much. Brett had a 3-inch roller and thought that was perfect for writing his name, creating large squares and rectangles, and painting new roads along the walls. He is my sister incarnate.
And, I cleaned a clean house. Even though the previous tenants (who are fabulous people who were wonderfully helpful) cleaned before they left, I have cleaned it again.
As my sister said, I need to put my own funk in there.
Posted by Melissa on December 20th, 2006 under Blah, Moving, Spawn
December 20th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
YAY!!! New House Stuff!!
Little boys and paint? Um, no.
December 20th, 2006 at 7:53 pm
I can’t paint to save my life.
December 20th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
Woohoo! Clean, freshly-painted new digs. V. cool.
You are a much cooler mom than I am; I would probably swallow my own face in utter jittering frustration if I tried to let my kids help me paint. Anything.
December 20th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
I am painting my new living room in my new house tomorrow. *High five*
December 21st, 2006 at 9:58 am
I always have to paint, too. ALWAYS.
So glad you’re moved in, though I’m sure you’re totally missing that spectacular display of lights from the old place this time of year, right? Unless, of course, when looking for a new place shameful, crazy lights was one of your first criteria.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:06 pm
As for the boys and painting, I was in a completely different room and as long as I didn’t hear giggling or screaming, I didn’t care what they were doing. If I was in there with them? I would have been doing the face-eating thing too.
Jaelithe, I’m so happy for you!!! Congratulations to all of you on your new house! A HOUSE!
I have no crazy lights at the new place, but all the houses in the new neighborhood are done in an architectural style I’m calling Acid-bungalow. They are weird. Totally fine and great, but weird. There is a patio off my living room, which is right inside the front door, it’s like a front/backyard. I can’t make sense of it.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:26 pm
I LOVE painting!!!! I’ve been doing quite a bit and playing around with it, which is how my living room turned out so fabulous!!!! The kitchen is next.
I hope you enjoy your new digs. I’m trying to picture what “Acid Bungalow” would look like.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Sayre, come paint with me! I hates it. HATES IT. I love the results, but oy.
Acid-Bungalow is where your front and back yard are seemingly the same place.
There is a patio door, stairs, and patio proper right next to your front door out from the living room. There are only five windows in the house, but they are all monstrous.
Your half-bath maybe used to be a full bath, but now there is a gaping space where shelving now lives, so you can see your towels and what nots while you pee I suppose.
All lighting is strangely situated and one of your heating vents is covered over by carpet, but you will not know until you step on it, and fall a wee bit.
Overall, the house is a modified ranchish thing. But weird.
December 21st, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Well, perhaps a picture or seven would be nice??????
So all of your internet friends can come for a virtual-visit.
December 21st, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Wow. You’ve been a busy lady. I need your new address so I can send you a holiday card.
I’m sure you’ve made the new place into a totally rocking, cool place. Please take pics of the new digs!
December 22nd, 2006 at 9:05 am
Wow…I’m trying to picture the house as well. I think I’ve been through a house like that before. Pretty strange layout.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas. If I had more time, geez, I would love to help you paint.
You definitely need to do a house cleansing, though. Get some Kosher salt in a spray bottle and burn some sage all over.
Then you can truly leave your own “funk” in it.
December 22nd, 2006 at 9:07 am
Melissa - if you lived in the same town as me, I would SO be there helping you paint! Yes, I’m THAT friend…
December 22nd, 2006 at 10:20 am
Congrats on moving! It’s great to finally find a place to call home and right before Christmas too, I’m so happy for you! And just to be clear, Delicate White iS TOO a color!
December 22nd, 2006 at 10:29 am
I’ll be the friend that says they will help you paint and then get you drunk while we are supposed to be painting and then take terrible - out of focus pictures - with red eye - crocked pictures and then we puke on the floor.
Sounds like you might want to hang with Sayre instead. LOL
ah, what the hell…I’ll get her drunk too.
December 22nd, 2006 at 8:57 pm
I’m trying to remember the last time I was drunk…
I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a paintbrush in my hand.
December 23rd, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Hey, if the rain stays out and there are no electrical faults, gas leaks, lead paint, carbon monoxide issues, crime sprees, or intolerably beastly neighbors, well, acid or no, it sounds like a little slice of heaven to me.
Maybe you can get funky with the masking tape and paint the walls Mondrian style. I think that might be very soothing. Or you could do something Rothko-ey. That could be quite restful, and you wouldn’t have to have straight edges.
I would come help you, but I can’t get there from here.
December 23rd, 2006 at 11:23 pm
(Obviously, when I suggested painting the walls Mondrian-ly or Rothko-ly, I meant one or two walls in each room or certain rooms, not all the walls. That would be crazy, but in the bad, headache-making way.)
December 25th, 2006 at 12:35 am
Nikki, you are exactly my kind of painting friend.
Sayre, you are exactly the kind of painting friend I REALLY needed. One who paints…but Nikki sounds like a hoot…let’s invite her!
Sara, that sounds fabulous, except the world has to be some form of renter’s white. I am choosing Delicate White as my white. Soothing, peaceful, WHITE.
I do think that I’m going to paint canvases with the colors I love in my other house (uh, my previous? his? our? house) and hang in them up for bits of color. Coffee beans, cayennes, silvery blues, heirloom reds, almonds, etc.