Chaotic
September 9, 2007 | Filed under: Humdrum, La Madre, The Great Moving Caper
“Housework, if it is done right, can kill you.” ~John Skow
Several weeks ago, I decided to embark on a little project called painting my bedroom. It should probably be more aptly named ‘a fantastic way for my head to meet the corner of a desk, over and over again’ because I about lost my damn mind. Patience is not a virtue and when a project requires roughly $200 in supplies and several coats of primer to get rid of the seizure inducing canary yellow color that the previous owner had put up, well then the mind; it is gone.
Mind that I did the requisite reading, hence the primer. But nothing prepared me for standing precariously at the top of a ladder in order to paint the very edges of the wall while lunging out towards the offending paint drops as Intense Teal paint falls on my brand new hardwood floors. And the cat tramps through to step in the paint, hiss, scratch me and then run away when I spray water on it as the dog eats the paint. I’m now wondering whether or not it’s possible for a puppy to pee blue.
Really it was just one big party-tastic weekend. The photo above is a good representation of how I’ve left my bedroom and high tailed it to DC (I’m writing this from my hotel with a lovely view of Dupont Circle) spontaneously. When my mother found out that I had to leave to go to DC, she volunteered to go to my place and finish painting while I’m away.
The above isn’t a sign of niceness or motherly love. It’s the sign of a woman desperate so very desperate to get her mooching daughter* out of her house that she’ll paint alone on a Sunday. This is a major step forward in our oft tumultuous relationship wherein we she says the sky is blue and I will fight her to the death that it’s actually green. I’m going to enjoy this moment of us finally agreeing that I need to get the hell out and for this moment of complete understand and bliss, I am so very thankful.
*Ok, if she’s ALREADY going to the grocery store, I don’t see why I should go as well. So I just tell her to pick up a few things. Necessities like fruity cheerios and three packages of veggie burgers. I just don’t understand the point of us both going there to spend money when she is doing it already.
Dagny says:
What? No tarps? And that is mighty sweet of your mother to finish the job for you.
Courtney says:
We are getting ready to paint our kitchen. If you knew me, painting is not a favorite activity in my book.
Good luck; it’s great that your mom could help!
Amanda says:
Painting is the WORST THING EVER. Everyone’s always saying, “Painting is the easiest and cheapest way to give you room a face lift! Yay, painting!” But it’s so messy and disruptive and time-consuming and quad-burning (all that squatting and what not). I hate it. But the finished product is usually worth it. I GUESS.
Gooseberried says:
Your mom is so cute!
SAJ says:
Yeah. Painting sucks. It totally takes longer than you ever expect. I do like picking the colors out though. I want to be the designer who dreams up this stuff and then has a crew of five guys do it for me. That would be awesome.
p.s. When are you coming to visit me?
Nicole says:
I hear your pain on the painting. Really. I recently embarked on painting my entry way.
Except mine was burgundy, took massive wall repairs and took 3 coats of primer before the colour would stop bleeding through.
It was horrid.