Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything.
-The Karate Kid
Bugs are not my friends. I don’t want them in my house. When I was a kid, I’d wake my dad up in the middle of the night to kill a spider in my room. I wouldn’t go near them. Irrational, yes. They have more legs than I do. Maybe that’s the problem.
Tho I still don’t love bugs, I really think I’ve grown when it comes to bug-killing. I’ve become quite a master, if I do say so myself… I usually have multiple cans of Raid accessible from any corner of my residence so I don’t have to take my eye off a bug before drowning it in poison.
However on Friday night, I realized that my can of Raid was still at the apartment. And I needed it. The guys had been working in the kitchen all day and I’m guessing they’d left the door to the garage open because I was inundated with flies. No, they wont hurt anything, but they’re annoying -- and without a fly swatter, they’re hard to kill.
As a public service to my fellow bug haters… Should you find yourself in a situation where you need to kill flies and you have no bug spray at your disposal… Use hair spray. I found that if I sprayed a fly with hair spray (I was unpacking the bathroom when the Fly Battle started) it disoriented it enough that when it landed, I could smack it with a shoe. (I know, this probably falls under some form of animal cruelty…)
By the end of the night, the Fly Count was up to 13. Seriously. The next day I let two more in while I was bringing in a couple boxes. So that’s 15. And there were three more swirling around the garage door, just waiting for me to let them in the house… So we’re up to 18.
I think word has gotten out to the Fly Community not to mess with my house, cause I haven’t seen one since Saturday.
7.30.2007
7.27.2007
New Blog, New House
A bit of earth,
She wants a little bit of earth,
She'll plant some seeds.
The seeds will grow, The flowers bloom,
Their beauty just the thing she needs.
-The Secret Garden
As much as I enjoy reading the blogs that my friends write, I thought I’d start one of my own… I won’t pretend that I’ll always have something interesting to say…but has that ever stopped me before?
So the big news on my end is that I just moved into my first house. It’s a 2-bedroom, brick Cape Cod in Anderson Township. (For those not familiar with the neighborhoods around here, it’s near Riverbend; and for those not in Ohio at all, it’s about 11 miles southeast of downtown Cinci)
After what feels like a massive amount of paint (there’s still some to do), it’s starting to look like mine. (will post extensive before and after pictures at some point) The family room was a nightmarish shade of pink and the bedrooms were just a dingy, dirty off-white. The dining room is still on the to-do list, as is the bathroom. The big project is a complete remodel of the kitchen. I don’t know how else to say it – it was just ugly before. I’m putting in (or rather, having my friend, realtor, contractor and all-around construction guru Jason put in) new cabinets, floor, light fixtures and appliances. So far, the floor and cabinets are in and they look great. (again, will post extensive before and after pictures…)
Only one glitch so far… Yesterday I arrived with my parents and the movers to find that there was no running water. Apparently the guys had to turn off the water in the house to install the sink base. And, thanks to the age of the house (and therefore the water valve in the basement,) the valve failed to turn the water back on. So Water Works was to come out, shut off the water at the street and allow Jason to replace the valve. But they never showed. I spent the first night in my new home without water and had to shower in the morning over at the apartment. Good thing I still had the keys. Water Works still hasn’t arrived, but Jason used his own “only in emergencies with water shooting out in all directions” street key to shut the water off to the house and his guys are fixing it now. Not exactly an inspiring endorsement for Cincinnati Water Works…at this rate, I’d be without water all weekend. Amazing.
The place is in absolute chaos at the moment. Save for a path from the front door through the family room, there are boxes everywhere. Many headed towards the kitchen – which cant be unpacked just yet. Once the kitchen is finished up, anything else on the Beacon Street To Do List can wait until I get around to it. There are a few other cosmetic things I’d like to do with it, but nothing that’s too urgent – so in the meantime, I can just enjoy my new home (which I’ve already made a New House Resolution to keep neater than I did my last apartment…)
Oh, and there’s a cage in the basement. It’s very “it puts the lotion in the basket.” Story is that the previous owner raised parrots at some point. I’d love to turn it into a dark room; I’ve always wanted one. It would take some work and some drywall, but it could be done. Expensive hobby, I know…and I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I’m the last person on earth who still shoots film, so perhaps that’s money that should be spent to go into the direction of digital… So for now, the cage will just remain in the basement as the best conversation piece I could ever ask for. And in the meantime….for any unruly visitors – that’s where you’ll sleep!
She wants a little bit of earth,
She'll plant some seeds.
The seeds will grow, The flowers bloom,
Their beauty just the thing she needs.
-The Secret Garden
As much as I enjoy reading the blogs that my friends write, I thought I’d start one of my own… I won’t pretend that I’ll always have something interesting to say…but has that ever stopped me before?
So the big news on my end is that I just moved into my first house. It’s a 2-bedroom, brick Cape Cod in Anderson Township. (For those not familiar with the neighborhoods around here, it’s near Riverbend; and for those not in Ohio at all, it’s about 11 miles southeast of downtown Cinci)
After what feels like a massive amount of paint (there’s still some to do), it’s starting to look like mine. (will post extensive before and after pictures at some point) The family room was a nightmarish shade of pink and the bedrooms were just a dingy, dirty off-white. The dining room is still on the to-do list, as is the bathroom. The big project is a complete remodel of the kitchen. I don’t know how else to say it – it was just ugly before. I’m putting in (or rather, having my friend, realtor, contractor and all-around construction guru Jason put in) new cabinets, floor, light fixtures and appliances. So far, the floor and cabinets are in and they look great. (again, will post extensive before and after pictures…)
Only one glitch so far… Yesterday I arrived with my parents and the movers to find that there was no running water. Apparently the guys had to turn off the water in the house to install the sink base. And, thanks to the age of the house (and therefore the water valve in the basement,) the valve failed to turn the water back on. So Water Works was to come out, shut off the water at the street and allow Jason to replace the valve. But they never showed. I spent the first night in my new home without water and had to shower in the morning over at the apartment. Good thing I still had the keys. Water Works still hasn’t arrived, but Jason used his own “only in emergencies with water shooting out in all directions” street key to shut the water off to the house and his guys are fixing it now. Not exactly an inspiring endorsement for Cincinnati Water Works…at this rate, I’d be without water all weekend. Amazing.
The place is in absolute chaos at the moment. Save for a path from the front door through the family room, there are boxes everywhere. Many headed towards the kitchen – which cant be unpacked just yet. Once the kitchen is finished up, anything else on the Beacon Street To Do List can wait until I get around to it. There are a few other cosmetic things I’d like to do with it, but nothing that’s too urgent – so in the meantime, I can just enjoy my new home (which I’ve already made a New House Resolution to keep neater than I did my last apartment…)
Oh, and there’s a cage in the basement. It’s very “it puts the lotion in the basket.” Story is that the previous owner raised parrots at some point. I’d love to turn it into a dark room; I’ve always wanted one. It would take some work and some drywall, but it could be done. Expensive hobby, I know…and I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I’m the last person on earth who still shoots film, so perhaps that’s money that should be spent to go into the direction of digital… So for now, the cage will just remain in the basement as the best conversation piece I could ever ask for. And in the meantime….for any unruly visitors – that’s where you’ll sleep!
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