Thursday, October 31, 2013

Still here...

The last week was spent in Calgary, attending a course and getting ready for yet another ITIL exam.  I wrote it this afternoon, and now get to wait a couple of weeks to see if I passed.  These exams are written to trip you up - a lot of people fail, and I might do just that.  Although the content of this course was probably the most straight forward of any I've taken, the exam was the most difficult.  This was the only time I've seen the majority of the class stick it out and stay in the exam room until time ran out and they were forced to stop writing.

Halloween was successful, I think.  I managed to rush home after the exam and make it here before the kids started coming around.  Fewer kids this year (~80), which could be because I wasn't around last year, or maybe the neighbourhood kids are starting to age out.  While I do love Halloween, I can't say I'll miss having to buy for 150 kids

After the kids stopped coming around, I headed over to get the dogs from my parents.  Lewis has mastered the stairs while I was away, and ran up and down their basement stairs over and over and over and over to show off his new skills.    Although my mom was against me getting another dog, there's no doubt that he's won her over.

Finally, a PSA for germophobes like me:   Do NOT read an article about where the germs, bacteria and bugs are hiding in hotel rooms while staying in a hotel.  I may never feel clean again.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Moving forward...

The basement is almost ready to paint.  The drywall mudder/taper guy was here every day for two weeks.  The job went slowly for him, as their are lots of angles from the bulkheads, etc, and the mud didn't want to dry.  Finally, he finished on Friday and recommended that I not paint until at least today.

I've vacuumed the room from top to bottom twice, but there is still a layer of dust all over everything.  So, now I am taking a short break between washing the walls and ceiling with a slightly damp cloth.  It's not a lot of fun, this task, but either I have to do it or I have to pay somebody else to do it.  I think I understand now why it costs to much to paint a new room - it's not the actual painting that takes up all your time.  It's the prep work.




In other news, I finally picked out my new sofa for this room.  I wanted a sectional for lounging, and I think leather is the way to go because of the pets (specifically - the white angora cat).  However, I had trouble finding one that wasn't all puffy like its mother had mated with the michelin man.    When I did find one I liked, I could only get it in black or special order it.  So, the order goes in this week and the new sectional should arrive in March.  I hope it's worth the wait.

Finally,  Winter got something new himself last week.  He's been showing a lot of signs of age lately, particularly in his hips.  I don't know that he's in pain all the time, but he's lost the ability to jump very much.  This is a cat who loves to go as high as possible.  I felt bad for him, particularly since I've introduced a puppy that the cat just wants to stay away from.  So, I bought him this little dresser that converts into a mini set of stairs.    




It's beside my bed right now.  Of course, Winter hates it and won't go anywhere near it.  Suddenly, he's making flying leaps onto the bed and sticking his landing every time.  I'll give him some time, though.  Hopefully the catitude will wear off before long.


Friday, October 11, 2013

Accessorizing

I've worked on a 2'x 3' desk for two years.  Soon, my new desk will be 12' long.  I'm going to try hard not to let things get cluttered, but I'm looking forward to having space to store more than a pen.

This is my first accessory purchase for the new room - after the way things have been going, I figure it sets the tone.


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

The F Word

No, not the F-bomb; although this word is just as upsetting to me.

Lewis and I went to Kelowna a few weeks ago, to visit my sister and her boys.  Lewis climbed a mountain, walked around the lake a few times, and ran through a field with long, wet grass.  I think the latter adventure is where he picked up fleas.

We don't generally have fleas in Alberta.  There are a few cases of them reported each year, but it's so rare that we don't bother treating for them.  You can be assured that all three of my animals have now been treated for fleas.

After daily vacuuming, mountains of laundry and tonnes of scrubbing, I think they're gone.   I hope.  Just thinking about it, I'm itchy all over.