Wow, two weeks have passed already since my last post. I know I say this a lot, but seriously, where does all the fucking time go?
I’ve been busy… For the record, I DID in fact get a shingles recurrence. Yay. A few days after my exasperated post, my friend came down for dinner and I showed her my rash (not over dinner, of course!). Dr. G confirmed that herpes zoster had indeed made a comeback; fortunately, she acted fast, and I started anti-virals the very next day: a week-long routine of popping 800 mg horsepills five times a day. And all fricking week, I felt so damn tired. The drug specs didn’t say anything about the meds inducing lethargy but boy, I really slept that entire holiday weekend away.
The good news is I’m mostly better now. Still feeling tired, but that’s probably more due to my insomnia than anything else. As for Laura, the kitchen is really coming along. The contractor (yes, the one whom I had fired and then rehired) has come out six more times, and now all the flooring is done, the cabinets are in place, the dishwasher is installed, the plywood countertop bases are in, and we’ll get our quartz kitchen countertops by the end of this week (fingers crossed!). It’s amazing how everything has suddenly picked up. I’ve learned now that the real secret is to have all your goods on site– that’s what motivates the contractor to get working. If you’re waiting on any parts, that only gives him a reason to wait and stall…
In related news, we hired an interior designer to give us an idea for the living room. Yeah, designers are pricey, but it’s kinda like the style makeover thing. We wanted to see what all this expert service was all about. Plus, we were certainly out of ideas. We had sold the monster sectional couch from our last place, so we were ready for a clean slate. Interestingly, a week later, his solution was in our hands. We got a design board with floor/furniture layout, paint/furniture/curtain/lighting product selections, fabric selections, and a binder with info on where to source all the goods. I must say, at first, I didn’t find his solution all that appealing (probably because I was expecting something else… sound familiar?), but after sleeping on it a few days and discussing with my other designer-type friends, his combo has actually grown on me. And I admit, I tried to take his idea and move forward sourcing cheaper alternatives, but the items he selected were so ridiculously unique, I had very little luck. The distinctiveness of his pieces might also explain the $14k furnishings price tag. Yup, that’s just the living room, folks. I kinda had more of a $3k budget in mind…
That said, we’ll just have to go in steps. This weekend, John and I ordered our sofa. I’d been eying the Crate and Barrel petrie for months now, and although it wasn’t the couch the designer suggested, he did give the ok after I told him I wasn’t thrilled with his “transitional” rather than “midcentury” pick. Of course, that damn C&B sofa will take 8-10 weeks, so until then… don’t come over! 🙂 I know, who waits that long for ANYthing in this day and age, right??!
In non-Laura news, things are the usual. We’re kinda bummed that summer is nearly over, and we’ve been completely consumed with house stuff, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel– I am “asking the universe” (not really) for a functional kitchen by next week. Then, it’s back to our former life. On Tuesday, I’m going to a dress rehearsal for a production at the theater. Seriously, I cannot remember the last time I saw a play. God, I miss it. Then Wednesday, we’re going to some author’s reading/talk about clicking with people. You know I’m obsessed about relationships, so I hope this will be super interesting. Next weekend, some friends from Shanghai are to be in town and I hope we can just eat, drink, and be merry suburbanite-style. At some point, I hope also to pick up a book or browse through magazines… In the fall, I’m looking to return to self-improvement. Anyone want to do Landmark Forum with me? I’ve met some pretty amazing people who have done this… I’m thinking it’s the next step towards acquiring the super powers I have always wanted. 🙂