She finally succumbed.

The furnace is installed and it works! Huzzah! I'm getting $100 from Lennox and $200 from NYSEG to start, I shall talk to Looooooo about Fed and State tax refunds as well.

In my car, it was a different story. I didn't leave for work until Mama A came out about 11:30 am, got into the car, turned it on and drove...one block. It died twice while trying to turn a right hand corner. So I put it in neutral, hit the hazards and tried to push it back. A nice man stopped to help me when my boot heel skidded out and I had to lean against the car to stop falling. I managed to crank the wheel enough to get the car pointing straight, but I was taking up a lot of road. I called the dealership, who recommended roadside assistance as they didn't have a tow truck on staff. So I did that and assured the nice older man I would be fine. The tow truck arrived in good time and I sent him on his way and walked back to the house to borrow Mama A's car. I made it to the dealership seconds after he arrived and waited. I explained the situation, the dealership didn't have a loaner car or a rental, but it would be a covered rental if the issue was warranty.

I went to work, made it before the Big Meeting I had today. After the Meeting, an email to the boss with the crib notes and prepping for my Investigation, I got a call from the dealership.

"When did you last fill up your car?"

"Last night," I said, my head falling. Bad gas.

"Yeah, looks like bad gas. You might want to call them."

"Yes, I will do that. So you have to drain the system?"

"Drain it, blow it out, put fresh clean gas in and see if that works. This isn't covered under warranty."

"Of course it's not," I said, plotting where to bang my head. "ETA?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Right. Thanks. Do what you have to."

Then I called Mama A and we made arrangements to get me to work tomorrow. Then I banged my head against a friend's cube wall. I stayed until 5 to try and make up a little time and asked the boss to use my PTO for the rest.

I really, really hope I get my car back tomorrow. Otherwise Saturday is going to get...interesting.

I called Airtight, explained the situation and received a call back from the tech who had done the work. He apologized profusely for the mistake, as he didn't know it was a drain, but stated that he did not touch the pipe at all. I'm inclined to believe him, so I called Auchinachie, a reputable company. They will be out next week, as this is not a rush job, I have another shower. $99 for the visit, if additional work is needed, I will be quoted and the $99 will be part of that quote.

In much happier news, I'm getting married! To myself! I have the venue comfirmed, will be sending the deposit out next week, depending on the plumbing quote. Invitations will come out late this year, to give people plenty of time to make their reservations. EMAIL ME YOUR ADDRESS!!!! I CANNOT INVITE YOU WITHOUT AN ADDRESS!!!

bloodsong1 at the gmail.

Fair warning again, my guest list is capped at 30. I will do my best to accommodate, but you are all responsible for your own transport and hotel costs and when I hit the cap, that's it. I'm not rich, folks. Thank you for your understanding.

As most of you know, I like watching docu-dramas about the world. I also like fix-it shows, even when I learn things I'd rather not know.

Just watched an episode of "Holmes Inspection", where Mike Holmes of "Holmes on Homes" fame, goes around finding things home inspectors miss and making them right for the homeowners. This particular episode showed a house with severe structural, electrical and plumbing issues due to poorly done renovations. The house was so bad it had to be gutted before the crew could safely work on the structure.

My house is not that bad, but my basement is officially scary. I went downstairs to change the filter on the furnace and looked around. With my newfound knowledge, I realized the living room floor supports are a joke, my electrics (which I already knew weren't good) are actually worse, and one corner of the foundation is starting to bulge inward. Noticeably. Like, over half an inch. I already knew the front porch was peeling away from the house in the northwest corner and the concrete steps are an accident waiting to happen.

*HEADDESK*

I'm putting out quote requests to some local contractor companies that have good BBC accreditations. I realize that can be a joke, but it's what I have to go on. My family doesn't do a lot of contract work and I know my basement and porch are beyond Handy BIL.

Gonna have to make this house safe before I can start saving for the earthship.

So I made a few calls, talked to two chimney sweep companies and gave the job to the guy who quoted me $85 for cleaning the chimney, capping to be estimated pending chimney size.

Then I do some more research and discover the guy I agreed to isn't certified by the National Chimney Sweep Association of America.

...

I called him back tonight and said there was a medical issue and I would call him to reschedule.

I feel pretty bad about this, as I've always disliked the customers who make the appointments and then call the night before or the morning of and cancel. However, the second company I talked to, the ones who ARE certified, informed me that $85 is serious undercutting for the job. Cleaning a chimney usually runs about $140.

I already was suspicious of $85 guy, but now I'm downright scared. Even if I never use the fireplace as a wood-burning unit, I still want a proper job done!

What do you guys think?

This is dangerous. (^_^)

I've known for a while now that my big green comfy couch is showing its age and not well. The cuddler section, the one big chunk that can fit me and two kiddos, or Zahde, or kenshardick, is sagging. I can't flip the cushion due to the shape. And, let's be honest, it's really big. Too big for the living room, it dominates the space and forces the rest of the room to conform to it.

Since I got the air mattress and frame from Chezzie & Polar Bear, and various people have confirmed the comfort and usefulness of said set up, I'm more open to the idea of letting BGCC go in favor of something more appropriate to the room dimensions. SNB does not like window shopping, so I'm using the Intawebs. I also want to replace the computer desk.

By getting rid of BGCC, I gain about 113" of space. That will comfortably fit a sofa, even a sleeper sofa if I'm so inclined, and a corner computer desk. By doing that, the wall bordering the stairs becomes open for a chair, or a small loveseat, or even a console table and some of those cubes that are so popular now that can be used for seating. SNB's friends are younger then most of my friends, so they can use them, as can the kiddos to game.

As it is I'm going to have to replace my freestanding lamp. Sheshanaga broke it when he moved and fell off the shade. I feel bad, he really liked it up there. I want a similar lamp with a Tiffany-esqe shade. I also need a better DVD/game tower, as the one I have is overflowing. There's enough space for a wider one and maybe I could get the consoles themselves off the mantle and onto that. I'm a little sad the mantle has been taken over by the game systems.

I still want to paint the living room. Wolf and I had had an idea of painting one of the houses we were living in back in CO with a stipple of green and gold. The living room walls are that funky neutral that reveals highlights of orange and even grayish-purple in different lights. I think the green/gold stipple idea would work well in here, give the walls some depth and break up the funky highlights. It might even be cheaper then going with a solid new color.

Either way, this year the tax return is going to the hospital bills, *sigh* and to fix the chimney so we can actually USE it. It's tiny, so we won't need much wood to get a nice blaze going.

Experience points: 100
New Skill! Very Basic Plumbing w/-1 modifier for buying the wrong size seat for upstairs bathroom. Although in my defense, Lowe's didn't have any oval shaped toilet seats that I saw.

So the upstairs is about a half an inch too short, which only affects the cosmetic aspect and frankly, I find a little cute.

I DID find the right sized bookcase at Olum's. Wonder of Wonders, they had JUST come in. As in, "arrived in the last two days" come in. So whoot. I also found a wonderful end table with removable tray that is PERFECT in the Ritual Room for holding books and supplies. I can commandeer the tray for Cakes and Ale or for a laptop holder if someone's sleeping over in that room. *is all proud*

As for the book purge, I'm looking at what's left and shaking my head. There's really not going to be enough space. SO! ZHADE!! Next time you're visiting, peruse and take what you wish. That which is left and doesn't fit in the bookcase coming in will be sent up to IDK's room as he has the massive amount of built in bookshelves not being used.

I realize I'm offending my bibliophile friends by being so cutthroat, but this is all part of a greater plan. Get rid of the books I don't want to read so I can make room for the ones I DO. Like Inuyasha. There's fifty gazillion books of Inuyasha and I am a crazy enough fangirl to want to own them all.

There are a few things in the bookcase that I'm keeping for the sentimental feelings of others. Those items will probably need a new home anyway. *sigh*

I'm beat. These purges and rearranging and such are emotionally draining.

I now have my Adult Feminine Bedroom! It was an adventure.

First, as me and my Manly Men went up to evaluate getting the great big honkin' ottoman out of the house, we discovered IDK had written on the wall.

He WROTE on my FRESHLY PAINTED WALL!!! I actually grabbed his ear for that. I'm going to have him scrub that off.

The GBH ottoman was fairly easy to get down the stairs and through the living room, thanks to me clearing a path Friday night. Getting it onto my car required a trip to Lowes, as I did not have proper rope.

With the GBH ottoman tied to Ripley's top, and her trunk full of odds and ends that I wanted out, Bu and I made the trip. I managed to remember the way without his Iphone assistance, which was good because he was given two different locations.

The GBH ottoman had to be put on a loading dock. A loading dock clearly labeled "Store Pick Up". Bu did not believe it was also a drop off point, even though I pointed out various furniture AND the kid who helped us unload said very clearly "Back up to the dock over there". Bu went back and got confirmation that yes, it's one and the same.

For the record, Queenie HATES backing into spaces.

Once we got back, the big furniture moving started. The dresser and nightstand went up easily, the hope chest was a lot more work. The box spring would not go up the stairwell at ALL.

*sigh*

We discussed options and I found out Sears sells split box springs for queen beds. Sadly, the STORE doesn't have them in stock. It's all special order, and delivery takes roughly the same amount of time as picking up from the store. Which in this case was two weeks out. I could save $70 by doing store pick up, but that would require finding/renting a truck and enlisting Manly Men help, as I have essentially given up on the male relative with the truck. Delivery would also require enlisting Manly Men help.

*sigh*

Another trip to Lowes for plywood, per Zahde's excellent suggestion. We ended up with chipboard for $13 and change. Whoo.

It was here that we discovered that Queenie and Bu CAN fit into Ripley with both front seats pulled forward pretty much as far as they could go, and two custom-cut chipboards jammed over the folded-down rear seats and up against the headrests.

We fit, but barely. Bu was in a fair amount of pain and I kept banging my knee on the dash going from acceleration to brake and back again.

Once home, the rest of the bed went up the stairs. Mattress was a fight, the frame was fine once a hammer was obtained. The chipboard held the mattress fine, but the bed is about 8" lower. This is a bit awkward.

It was also around this time that we discovered that the electrics for the room and the main hall light, which worked FOUR HOURS EARLIER had decided they weren't going to function anymore. This is the SECOND time in TWO BLOODY YEARS. I'm calling an electrician tomorrow morning and this time I AM staying home to find out exactly what the hell is going on. Last time it was a bad junction box...somewhere.

I eventually calmed down and discovered the curtain rods I had ordered was only ONE, not TWO as I had thought when I first received the package. Fortunately, the one rod breaks out into two rods that will fit my windows, but I'm short one bracket. I'm seriously considering using what I have from my hardware odds and ends box, but I will work that out another day. I have one curtain up, so whoo.

Fortunately, the canopy went up with no problems.

( Here Be Pictures )

( Wolf and Cat back where they belong. )

Zahde called it a "Princess" room. That wasn't what I was going for, but I see what she means. It's the canopy. Even the glow in the dark stars don't detract from the sheer girlyness of a white mesh canopy.

The street lights are unfortunate. I hadn't realize how dark the downstairs room was. It will be good for Ritual, as candlelight will be stunning. My room is going to require something else. Either I invest in a good sleep mask, or I pin up fabric behind the butterfly lace curtains. Sleep mask would probably be cheaper and easier.

Ritual Room is going to take more work. Sheshanaga will be staying downstairs in that room. I will have to clean out the closet, and clean the room, and dedicate it.

All in all, I'm pretty much satisfied.

Well, the Official List Update, anyway.

I will need to purchase:

For My room,
Paint (have two samples to test)
Paint supplies (two brushes purchased, need rollers, drop cloth and tray)
New sheets (Amazon has some lovely ones for wicked cheap, I actually have an Amazon wish list now)
New comforter set (BB&B, not cheap)
Canopy (Overstock.com, fairly cheap)
Curtains for two windows (Measured. Have what I want on Amazon wish list, they're about 2' wider then I need, but I don't care)
Curtain rods for two windows (two possibilities Amazon wish list)
Small Table for Wolf & Cat (possibility on Amazon wish list)
Twig wreaths for windows


For IDK's room,
Twin mattress if full won't fit up spiral staircase, must check with Manly Men to see if it will. Would save me $100.
Paint

For Cuteness' room,
Twin mattress, as the full won't fit her bed set.

For Ritual Room,
Round rug (possibilities on Amazon wish list)
Floor pillows (still looking, might need to make)
Some kind of platform for Sheshanaga's cage that will fit in closet.

I will need to do:

Purge IDK's books, clothes and toys to manageable levels
Move his stuff up to attic
Move desk chair back up to attic
Block off the big honking gap between the wall and the staircase that is great for cats to jump down but unsafe for humans.
Replace glass window in opening to unfinished section of attic.
Paint attic
Purge my books
Paint my new room
Move my stuff up to my new room
Move big leather chair into new Ritual room
Move bookcase into new Ritual room
Move any extraneous chairs into new Ritual room
Convert new Ritual room closet to Sheshanaga habitat

Lots of progress today. IDK and I will try to wrestle his full mattress tomorrow after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast. After that, it's troop all of my bedroom stuff up to the my new closet and wait for Manly Men and/or Helpful Relatives to get the ottoman OUT. Only then can I start taping and washing the marker off the wall in preparation to paint.

In other, semi-related news, I've confirmed a working theory. Namely, my interest in fiber arts (crochet, cross stitch, spinning) is inversely proportional to my interest in what's on the television and desire to work on the computer. Which explains why I got such projects done more easily when Wolf was in complete control of the remote and IDK was on the computer.

Well, the Official List Update, anyway.

I will need to purchase:

For My room,
Paint (have two samples to test)
Paint supplies (two brushes purchased, need rollers, drop cloth and tray)
New sheets (Amazon has some lovely ones for wicked cheap, I actually have an Amazon wish list now)
New comforter set (BB&B, not cheap)
Canopy (Overstock.com, fairly cheap)
Curtains for two windows (Measured. Have what I want on Amazon wish list, they're about 2' wider then I need, but I don't care)
Curtain rods for two windows (two possibilities Amazon wish list)
Small Table for Wolf & Cat (possibility on Amazon wish list)
Twig wreaths for windows
Sheer curtains for windows (decided against this.)

For IDK's room,
Twin mattress if full won't fit up spiral staircase, must check with Manly Men to see if it will. Would save me $100.
Paint (must study light effects in room, he wants red and blue, I think there will be issues)

For Cuteness' room,
Twin mattress, as the full won't fit her bed set.

For Ritual Room,
Round rug (possibilities on Amazon wish list)
Floor pillows (still looking, might need to make)
Some kind of platform for Sheshanaga's cage that will fit in closet.

I will need to do:

Purge IDK's books, clothes and toys to manageable levels
Move his stuff up to attic
Move desk chair back up to attic
Block off the big honking gap between the wall and the staircase that is great for cats to jump down but unsafe for humans. I am open to suggestions that do not involve hauling furniture up two flights of stairs.
Wall up opening to unfinished section of attic.
Paint attic
Purge my books
Paint my new room
Move my stuff up to my new room
Move big leather chair into new Ritual room
Move bookcase into new Ritual room
Move any extraneous chairs into new Ritual room
Convert new Ritual room closet to Sheshanaga habitat

I'm going to be asking for volunteers next Saturday. Once I know their schedules, I can coordinate accordingly.

Time to start making lists for The Big Bedroom Swap, which will be happening sometime AFTER March 12 because Queenie is not stupid.

I will need to purchase:

For My room,
Paint (must research w/Lowes &/or Home Depot)
New sheets (Amazon has some lovely ones for wicked cheap, I actually have an Amazon wish list now)
New comforter set (BB&B, not cheap)
Canopy (Overstock.com, fairly cheap)
Curtains for two windows (must measure first. Have what I want on Amazon wish list, hopefully they'll FIT)
Small Table for Wolf & Cat (must research)
Twig wreaths for windows (must research)
Sheer curtains for windows (must research)

For IDK's room,
Twin mattress if full won't fit up spiral staircase, must check with Manly Men to see if it will. Would save me $100.

For Cuteness' room,
Twin mattress, as the full won't fit her bed set.

For Ritual Room,
Round rug (must research)
Floor pillows (must research)
Some kind of platform for Sheshanaga's cage that will fit in closet.

I will need to do:

Purge IDK's books, clothes and toys to manageable levels
Move his stuff up to attic
Move desk chair back up to attic
Block off the big honking gap between the wall and the staircase that is great for cats to jump down but unsafe for humans. I am open to suggestions that do not involve hauling furniture up two flights of stairs.
Purge my books
Paint my new room
Move my stuff up to my new room
Move big leather chair into new Ritual room
Move bookcase into new Ritual room
Move any extraneous chairs into new Ritual room
Convert new Ritual room closet to Sheshanaga habitat

This is probably going to take one 4 day weekend or two weekends plus doing what I can myself after work. I have the vacation time, but as I'm already taking March 11 off to clean, clean, clean before March 12's Welcome to the Real World Dinner, I'm hesitant to burn three days in one month. It's taken me three years just to accumulate a full week's vacation time, what with everything else I've had to do. Or I could just use my two floater days. Hmm.