white noise

Well, it’s not yet finished, but the paint job alone has made a heck of a difference on that bathroom, folks.

My camera skills suck, so the before shots I took won’t do justice to the ugliness. Also, I didn’t take any photos of the cake decorating repair attempts the previous occupants (?) made on the section of wall between the tub and the toilet. Jon actually spackled over the peaks and valleys of what appeared to be drywall compound and then sanded it all down. We don’t expect this to be a long term fix, but if it lasts until I decide to have the tub refinished and the floor replaced (note the I, not the we, in that!), all is good. :)

Looks a bit livelier, yes? I worried that the blue might clash against the dark red diamonds and black tile in the shower. Jon is against a Southwest motif (grr) so it stands out a bit (to me), but I’m thinking perhaps a dolphin or whale mosaic on the wall after we pick the new lighting (and I fix the UGLY cabinet!) will help blend it all together. I think I can play it down so it doesn’t look so gawd-awfully mannish (mannish?). Honestly, I don’t need downright froo-froo (fru-fru?) but the masculinity does need to tone down a notch or two.

On the plus side, I finished reading Holly Lisle’s Midnight Rain and if I had to compare the writing in it to some of her earlier pieces, I’d have to say her writing is becoming well rounded and nicely seasoned. The gratuitous “raunchy” (it’s not really gratuitous or raunchy) sex gave Rain too much of a romance novel flavor for me to take seriously — I think Jude Devereaux ruined me to romance — but otherwise, it’s a well constructed story (and sorry, no spoilers here). I don’t know why I feel anything with sex in it should be meant strictly for entertainment value only. Given the tone of the rest of the story (psychic thriller?), well, it’s a striking incongruity. But, there’s a sadness and a depth to Phoebe I think many [battered] women can relate to — that I can relate to — and a hunger for love and understanding that every one us strives to find, even if only secretly.

And, I can’t believe ten whole days have already zinged right by since the last time I turned this computer on. Wow. School will be back in session in just a few short days. I didn’t get all the boxes unpacked that I set out to clear away, but I made a HUGE dent in this house. It’s still a mess (by my standards), but I’m pleased with the progress. My craft studio is functional finally — and wouldn’t you know it — all the brilliant ideas I had just blew away with the wind! Feh.

My newest reading material is Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I read the prologue last night and had to remind myself to go back to not-intended-for-adult-audiences mode. Ouch. Kinda like jumping in an icy lake.