Thursday, June 26, 2008

Gotta did, so I will, too...

Light Wading tagged me for a meme. I've heard of these things, but have never come in actual contact with any. Until now...

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, working at Automobile Magazine.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?
1) Send magazines to a contributor
2) Pack for a trip to Vegas, leaving tomorrow
3) Write a script for an announcer in Australia
4) Interview an Asian businessman
5) Plan my knitting project to take with me to Vegas

3. Snacks I enjoy: Peanuts.

4. Places I’ve lived: Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Washington

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Create a charitable foundation of which I am the head. The foundation would provide economic incentives to communities I care about to do the things I care about. I would also start a farm for misfit animals, and Jackie Brantley of Greyhounds Galore would run it for me.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

At Long Last, I Present the Bathroom

Finally, the bathroom is complete. I painted the room with "Tranquility Blue" paint from a fancy paint manufacturer (the name escapes me). After the color went up, I realized this is nearly exactly the same color as the bathroom at Knitch. It's the highest form a flattery, Knitch Kim.

The new medicine cabinet comes from Rejuvenation. The light fixture came from Lowes, and everthing else (including the tiles) came from Home Depot.

These next two pics show the other side of the room, and how nicely the re-surfaced bathtub looks. Isn't it a nice tub? I am just so pleased that we didn't have to replace it after all!

It's shiny and white and looks brand new. The guy who did the work told Len that he stays in business with his Inman Park clients. No one wants to get rid of their cool old tubs.

I am also very pleased with the subway tiles on the walls, floor and shower wall. The toilet is ultra low-flow. I still need to hem the sheer for the curtain, but that will be done sometime this weekend (or next). We also need to caulk around all the edges before we actually use the shower, but that, too, will be done in the very near future.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Why Is Target Okay but not Wal-Mart?

Really. For a long time I've wondered why I don't ever feel guilty going to Target, but don't like to admit to shopping at Wal-Mart. Truth is, until last week it had been years since I last went to a Wal-Mart (except when visiting my mom and it's one of the only stores in her small town).

A new super Wal-Mart recently opened at the old Avondale Mall location here in Atlanta several months ago after many years of legal wrangling by the locals to stop it. Remember, Wal-Mart almost always wins. In this case, Wal-Mart had to do a lot of special landscaping, etc., and from the looks of things they aren't allowed to have any big signage showing the store is there. Really, I was afraid I'd passed it when I tried to find it last week. I was actually not opposed to this Wal-Mart location. They put it in an area of town that has not seen better days in decades. The store brought a lot of jobs and a lot of traffic to a section of Memorial Drive that really needed the boost. There wasn't a decent grocery store in the area, and Wal-Mart, therefore, provides residents nearby with an alternative to driving miles away.

But, why did I go? Well, I had just read an interesting article about Wal-Mart's attempts to "go green" in their stores. I had a little time and just wanted to see for myself if they incorporated any of the "green" technology into this new store.

They did. For example, there are plenty of skylights in the ceiling, which brings in loads of natural lights. Lights switch on and off depending on need (some sort of fancy sensors in use there) and even the cold case lights switch on and off, sensing when folks walk by. Oh, and the cold case is closed -- saving all that electricity that seeps out of those open cases. Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, on my way out I noticed some bathroom towels in a color I thought might be perfect for the new bath in my house. So I bought two nice. lofty Egyptian cotton towels and matching hand towels and wash rags. They are perfect in the room! Yay! But, I still feel guilty. Why? The country of origin for these towels is listed as "USA and/or imported." WTF does that mean?

Now, about my love affair with Target. I am currently wearing a shirt I bought at Target, made in Nicaragua. In fact, I went to Target yesterday because my hair dryer finally died. I used the old hair dryer for at least 16 years (thank you, Vidal Sassoon)! Hair dryer technology hasn't really changed much in all these years (a lot like a washing machine) so I figured a cheap-o unit from Target would be a fine replacement. $9.99 for a very nice salon-inspired hair dryer, AND it's in a cute bluish-purple color! I also purchased a few new lightweight cotton girlie t-shirts, two pair of flip-flops, a new toilet brush and stand, two boxes of 1-gallon sized zip-top bags, sponges, and a bottle of water for the ride home. Yeah. That's the trouble with Target. You go in for one $10 item and come out having spent $80.

Anyway, the point is, I feel no guilt at having gone to Target. Is it because Target hasn't got the Wal-Mart reputation for ruining small-town America? Is it that Target does have a reputation for sending some of its profits to local charities and community projects? Or, is it that Target is so much more fashionable? Target markets itself as the discount store for young "upwardly mobiles" (a few years ago, I'd have called 'em "yuppies"), and I seem to have bought into their marketing plan. What does that say about me?

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Heat Stroke

It's been so hot here in Atlanta this last week that I haven't been interested in doing anything at all. My mom is coming to visit tomorrow and I still have trim to paint in the guest bathroom. But, we finally had a break in the hot weather last night and the city got some cooling rain. So, tonight I will be finishing the bathroom and hanging the towel bars, etc., just in time for the visit from Ma.

She is coming to visit on her way home to Tallahassee from visiting her brother in Indiana. My uncle Monk (who looked like a monkey when he was a baby and never shook the nickname) is a sweet old guy. I hope he decides to spend more time in Florida with Mom. I think she'd love to see him more often. Mom is traveling with my brother Frank's daughter, Emily. She's 8, and my mom decided this was the summer for her first plane trip. As it turns out, it is also her first bus trip as well, since mom needed a way to get to Atlanta from Tallahassee and back, and no one seemed to be able to drive her up and back. Emily LOVES riding the bus. The trip home will take a couple extra hours than flying or driving, but it's a unique and fun experience for Miss Emily. They arrive here tomorrow afternoon and leave again first thing in the morning Saturday. Mom is famous for whirlwind visits. I do wish she'd stay a little longer, though.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Home at last

Treats is back from Scotland. I am tired after the long travel day yesterday, but I am back at the job today. Gotta Knit and her wonderful husband drove me home from the airport last night. Len and the hounds were very happy to see me. Gotta Knit has several more days off this week (BIIAATCH!) and will be able to upload her pics from the green, foggy land before I can, so if you are interested in seeing all the fun stuff we did, check out her blog.
Some quick notes about my trip:
1. I managed to get a sunburn
2. Di Gilpin IS odd, but I loved her
3. Louisa Harding is a lovely woman
4. The Scots don't seem to care if they lose a tooth or two
5. The Scots aren't the most fashionable folk, so I felt right at home while there
6. Folks in the U.S. knit a lot more than folks in Scotland
7. We in the U.S. have a great supply of wonderful, unusual yarn
8. Cobblestones are beautiful, but really hard on your feet