I hesitate to write the word “complete” but really… apart from a small handful of cosmetic add-ons and adjustments, the basement is complete. Sure, there are no shelves in the closet, the bathroom is still lacking a mirror, we haven’t even considered drapery, and of course there is the matter of the one or two baseboards desperately seeking nails but in general — at least in the sense that I can sit in this space at a desk, with a computer, light, heat, and a glass of red wine — it is done. And we moved stuff down this weekend. Not much. A start, really. But enough to say that we live down here now and are not just holding it for some later date [...]
Thanks to the cold, cold weather I’ve managed to find plenty of quality time with the basement renovations. Now that the process is merely one of finishing work, I (and others) have been able to accomplish: Laminate Flooring in the new office, a hundred and fifty square feet of manufactured wood planks snapped together into a faux-naturelle play area for Claire, who has taken to parking in front of the little TV and carting stray construction refuse. One Closet Door in the aforementioned office, consisting of no more than twelve screws and yet to be painted. It has served well to hide our mess, carried back downstairs for tomorrow’s impending (final) holiday gathering. Two Light Fixtures lugged home by Karin after brief shopping excursions, one [...]
We love the progress so far, but having to spend every free moment for the past few weekends shopping, selecting, running electrical, cleaning, hauling junk, or otherwise connecting the dots on the construction process, I have officially had zero time to write. I’ve barely blogged, one might have noticed. Thus, I blame the basement that even my lame attempt at a reduced version of NaNoWriMo has gone completely unheeded in wash of my obligations to the role of homeowner and general, all-around coordinator of supplies with the expertise. Thus… Word Count as of Right Now: 0 Intention to write story by November 30: -> 0 Intention to complete story eventually: 50/50 On the bright side: today is painting day. When I get home from work [...]
Posted on Friday, November 21, 02008 under
fatherhood.
Wherein last week we were trapped in the house waiting for deliveries and inspectors, yesterday was a “Daddy Day” of naps in the car and multiples of trips about the city. Nap One: After a jaunt to the library to swap our books for some new stories, Claire tucked herself in for a thirty-five minute snooze just as we were arriving at the Running Room on 109th Street. I needed to pick up my race kit for the Bright Nights Run — my number and my shirt — but ended up waiting out a windy morning nap by little miss Claire. She woke when — I having turned the car, and thus the heat, off — things started to cool and even I was a [...]
November has been a chore so far. A little more than half way through the month and yesterday we stopped to catch our breath for the next few laps. Deadlines. Construction. Obligations. Obliterations. Tickets. Taxes. Timings. Travel. Waiting. Watching. Meeting. Designing. Spending. Buying. Walking. Running. Patiently waiting for someone to press pause. I’ll resume normal operations when normal resumes itself.
Posted on Monday, November 17, 02008 under
fatherhood.
To Recap: Waiting. Poor Claire has not only been grounded by the weather, but by the project management skills of her dear old dad who is attempting to coordinate the variety of deliveries and inspections associated with developing the basement. In the end it will pay off, but for the last couple of days — and likely the next — daddy days are going to be a blend of waiting for people to ring the doorbell and visiting hardware stores. Oh and we’ll try to fit in some time between to visit the library. Sigh.
