Went to the Donna villa this evening. The paste is finally off 3 of the 4 dining room walls. I even started to spackle. There is still more wallpaper to strip but I refuse to dwell on it. My hope is to get almost everything painted by Friday. The living room will have to wait because the ceiling is too high for me and I must hire someone to paint it. The kitchen needs to be wallpapered. I learned my lesson and will just re-wallpaper over the existing country floral pattern that is there now. Lastly, the hallway needs to get sanded, stained, and varnished. Then it will be time to start buying furniture. Thankfully I bought a bedroom set a few years ago so all I really need is a sofa, chair, and coffee table. Of course, I also need a dining room table and chairs. UGH! This is never ending.

Scraping wallpaper paste. Night after night. I feel like Sisyphus. I scrape and scrape but I can’t get down to the wall. All I wanted was to live in a house that doesn’t have pink walls. One day, maybe in five years, I will have the walls clean and ready to paint. Just in time for me to move out.

An innocent trip to Home Depot. A receipt that reads: $327.18

Contents of Cart:
5 gallons of paint
1 gallon of primer
2 rolls masking tape
3 paint tray liners
2 boxes sand paper
1 can spackle
1 package paint rollers
5 foam paint brushes
1 bottle wallpaper paste remover
1 can goof-off gunk remover
4 wall plates
1 closet rod
1 door knob
2 rolls shelf liner paper
2 fire distinguishers extinguishers
1 snow shovel
1 chandelier

Holy Home Improvement, Batman!

P.S. Thank you George, Barb, & Mieux for the 10% coupon– it saved me $34.40!

It looks so easy on Changing Rooms. The teams are always having the time of their lives! I wasn’t having the time of my life scrubbing the kitchen cabinents and peeling the yucky pink wallpaper off the dining room walls. Maybe if Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen was helping me, it would be different. Doubt it. Tonight I make my first trip to HOME DEPOT!!! The list of items I need to buy is endless. I am sure there will be many return trips.

Say hello to the Donna villa:
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If you squint, you might be able to see my black-cloaked figure standing by the door.

Settlement wasn’t nearly as daunting as I imagined. Charles was right when he said it would take about an hour. The very first document I signed said: Buyer is Donna S, an unmarried woman. I laughed when I read it and fought the urge to jump up and down and dance around. After about 1000 pages all requiring a signature, I shook hands with my realtor, the listing agent, Diane the seller, my mortgage broker, and the lady from the title company. Lisa and I got into her car and drove right over to our new home. MY HOME! MINE! We went inside and spent the afternoon walking around, standing, and sitting in every little room. It felt so right. I am happy. Very very happy.

Tomorrow, I clean and paint.

I went to the bank for a certified check. Twenty percent down plus closing costs. As I signed my name, I bit down on my lower lip. I handed the check to the teller and I tasted blood.

Tomorrow is settlement.

It is getting close to settlement! Today I called the telephone company and the electric company (Hey you guys!!!!!! We’re gonna turn it on! We’re gonna bring you the power!) and got everything ready for the big switch.
On a whole, it was pretty easy getting the services set up. There was only one slight issue. The customer service rep from Verizon kept apologizing to me for absolutely nothing. It was really aggravating.
“What did you say the local unlimited plan costs?”
“My apologies, 25.95”
“If I want DSL, how much would that cost?”
“Terribly sorry, that would be 34.95 a month”
I tried to ignore it but he was really rattling my nerves! Finally I said: “Look buddy, stop apologizing to me. You are acting subservient and I can’t take it.”
What was his response? “Oh, I am sorry”

Last night, Lisa and I went to the Tin Angel to see Peter Tork (and James Lee Stanley) perform. This would be my third time seeing Peter perform without the Monkees and I was excited! The last 2 times I saw him, I took pictures from afar but never ventured close enough to have my picture taken with him. This time would be different! The first set ended and Peter Tork and James Lee Stanley sat by the stage selling their CDs. A small crowd formed around them. Lisa and I went to the bar to have a beer and wait for the crowd to disperse. Fifteen minutes later, we approached the stage and stood in line. Female fans surrounded Peter. He laughed with them and kissed their cheeks. “Wow!” I thought, “Peter sure seems friendly!” Once they left and it was my turn, I paid James Lee Stanley the $15.00 for the CD. James Lee Stanley scrawled his name on the CD and handed it to Peter to sign. Peter signed the CD and as he gave it back to me, I asked if I might have my picture taken with him.
Peter replied flatly, “Yeah sure, whatever.” He pointed to the empty seat next to him and I sat down. Lisa quickly snapped the picture.
I turned to him and said, “Thank you, I appreciate it”.
Peter responded, “YOU CAN GO NOW– GET OUT!”
I was absolutely floored. How rude and completely uncalled for! I wasn’t holding people up. I wasn’t asking for anything unusual. I had no desire to schmooze. Darnit, I paid $15.00 for the 3 seconds of his time!

Mr. Peter Tork, you can go to heck!

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My love of the Monkees will survive this setback but I shall always remember how rude Peter Tork acted.

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Peter Tork? More like Peter Dork, if you ask me!

There was an awards ceremony and dinner the last night of the annual meeting. The men were asked to wear ties and the women were instructed to wear appropriate business attire. I traded the bikini I had planned to wear for black slacks and a velvet shirt.
I have worked on and off for the last year with a man who, when he wasn’t driving me crazy, elicited only my ambivalence. He showed up to the dinner wearing a suit and I was shocked at how handsome he looked. In the suit, his eyes didn’t seem so bulgy and his forehead wasn’t nearly so vast. He mentioned that he had lived in Japan and spoke Japanese. The next thing I know, I am hanging on to his every word!
It’s amazing what a nice suit and a second language can add to a person’s attraction quotient.

It is snowing hard. I am in my hotel room, putzing. There are meetings going on but they don’t really pertain to me so I am getting email done that I missed Wednesday through Friday. The closing date is closing in quickly. I hope Charles is right and all will be fine. Regardless, it has been an experience. One that I hope not to repeat anytime soon.
Countdown: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, BINGO!