What a weekend!!!

This was a super-sized weekend in every way. My parents arrived late on Tuesday night, so I only worked a half day on Wednesday and didn't return until Monday...4 1/2 days!!! In the course of that time we got so much done, I still can't believe it. Of course, some of the projects took longer than expected, but others went faster than I hoped. On top of all that, we worked pretty-much non-stop from Wednesday until they left on Sunday morning (with just a little break on Thursday to eat a yummy turkey dinner with all the fixin's).

Here's a list of the home-improvement projects we finished:

1. Over-the-range microwave installed (also required a new outlet to be added and some cabinets to be removed)

2. Wood laminate flooring (like Pergo) installed--this took most of three days


3. Baseboards cut for living room (I still need to stain, varnish, and install these)

4. Cable/high-speed internet outlets installed or replaced in three rooms

5. New doorknob and deadbolt on front door

6. Changed outlets and covers in bedroom (from cream to white)

7. Gutters cleaned and Christmas lights hung--on Sunday afternoon when the temperature was near 60 degrees:)

My parents must really love me, even after all this, they were talking about what we'll have to work on when they visit again (perhaps in the Spring). I hope we're all rested up by then!!!

Real-life Larson

Some of you may be familiar with this Gary Larson comic (it used to hang over the bench one of my labmates at Mayo)...


Well, here's my version...


Normally, Lexi is a very smart cat. Maybe the lure of the dryer was just too much for him. You know what they say about curiosity...

This ain't no Sistine Chapel

One of my major tasks this weekend was to paint the ceiling in my living room. I didn't do anything fancy, but it looks so much better than before. It wasn't necessarily a difficult job, but still quite a strain on the neck (even when using an extension pole on the roller). I can't even imagine what Michelangelo, et al., went through. I probably painted for about 3-4 hours total. The ceiling at Capella Sistina took 3-4 years!

Have a look at my work and his...not much of a comparison (but I'm still proud of what I accomplished):

Thanksgiving preparations?

Generally, when preparing for Thanksgiving you worry about cleaning your house for company, thawing out the turkey, deciding if you should deep-fry or bake, brine or baste...oh, but not me. While the turkey will be coming out of the freezer this weekend (and I'll be basting in a bag), my house has only gotten messier in the past few days!!! This time, it's actually on purpose:) My parents are arriving on Tuesday to help me with some home-improvement projects over the holidays, primarily installing a new floor in my living room. But before they arrive I have a few projects of my own to finish: painting the ceiling, removing the old vinyl baseboard molding and heat registers, and pulling out the old carpet. Should be a fun weekend!

End of another season

This past weekend I traveled six hours (each way) with three other referees (Joe, Nate, and Daryl) for a soccer tournament in Richmond, VA. These will (most likely) be the last games I referee this year--a bitter sweet moment for me. I had reffed a few local tourneys while living in Rochester, but this was the first time I had traveled so far to do so. In addition to the normal game pay, there were a few extra perks. As part of the "benefits package" we were given hotel rooms and lunches for two days. Plus, the fall foliage was just past peak, so the trees were so beautiful.

It was a very full weekend. We left State College after work on Friday (6pm), arriving at the hotel just before midnight. On Saturday Nate and I each reffed 5 games in a row, from 9:30am until 5pm. The other two in our group had games spread out from 8am until 9:30pm--a very long time even if they did get a few breaks throughout the day. Being November the weather was a bit chilly (morning temp: ~30 degrees F, high for the day: ~50 degrees) so after our last game on Saturday, Nate and I decided to go back to the hotel to relax (and thaw out) for a few hours before going back to the fields to pick up Joe and Daryl. On the way we found a glorious sight...a Krispy Kreme!!! I won't claim to want to eat these doughnuts every day, but boy are they yummy after a full day of soccer! The "HOT" neon sign was aglow, so we got to eat our free glazed doughnuts as we chose the dozen we would buy. Our "official" dinner that night was at IHOP...my third breakfast for the day:)

Sunday had a lighter schedule: four games for Nate and me, three for Joe and Daryl. First games started at 8am again, but we were all finished by 3:30pm and back in the van for the return trip. Instead of using the interstate, we spent most of our time on two-lane highways up through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. We had an interesting dining experience in this little road-side diner ("The Southern Belle") in West Virginia. The food was pretty good and the patrons were obviously local. We finally made it to State College ~11pm, exhausted but excited to be back home.