i finally have a celebrity look-alike! sort of...

ok. so tonight i was told (by a drunk woman) that i look just like folk singer michelle shocked.
i'd never heard of her (have you? should i have heard of her?).

so, as a reference, this is me:

and this is michelle shocked:


honestly, i saw only a vague resemblance. but then i found this picture:


and decided i guess maybe the drunk lady was right.

i've never had a celebrity look alike before (nevermind that i didn't know who she was until tonight). it's really rather exciting, don't you think?

work in progress.

we knew it was going to look worse before it looked better...











believe it or not, we're getting (relatively) close to completion. most of the nasty stuff (ceiling scraping and painting, sanding, patching walls, etc) is done and we're going crazy with the paint now. practically every surface in the place needs paint, so it's a pretty major undertaking - but it shouldn't take too long.
(i talk as if i've been doing all of the work. in reality, i've really only done my own room. les and her folks have kicked out the rest.)
i'm going to guess we'll officially move in the first week in december.
here's to hoping that this crazy alaskan cold front doesn't hit until after we're in...

she lives a life of leisure.

i think i'm enjoying this unemployment thing a little too much.
in fact, i've gotten myself into a very comfortable routine and i'm almost dreading the day i find a job.
great attitude, right?

here's an example of my typical day:

- wake up. usually around 9:30.

- make coffee. ah, coffee. the elixir of life.

- drink coffee while cruising the job ads.

- work out. depending on the day, this will involve some combination of a bike ride, a jog with my brother, yoga, resistance bands, and pushups.

- shower and ready myself for "the day." (by now it's somewhere between 1pm and 2pm. yes, i'm aware this is when most people only have a few hours left til the end of their day.)

- work on some sort of craft project (i've mostly finished my christmas gifts, so now i'm working on items to decorate my walls at the new house.)
OR
(if i'm lacking in the inspiration department) surf my favorite art/craft/style blogs. this almost always piques my creativity.

at this point, it's usually quittin' time for my employed comrades and i'm all set to support them with a few drinks at happy hour.
(oh yeah, that's right, my abstinence from alcohol lasted all of 10 days. i only had 2 beers, though. moderation. i'm learning.)

i can't really wrap my head around the notion of waking up to an alarm clock again. or having to eat lunch at the same time every day. or actually knowing what day it is. so i'm going to keep enjoying this while it lasts.
...and you kids can keep poking fun at me.

yes, please.

wondering what to get me for christmas? this headband from thief and bandit would be swell.

change.

i really don't like who i am when i'm drunk.
at all.
i have no respect for that version of myself.

since i can't seem to grasp the concept of moderation, i've decided i'm going to take a break from alcohol. i don't know that this will be a permanent change, but it's something that needs to happen right now.

support will be appreciated.

kthx.

new digs. the befores.

leslie closed on the house on friday! yay!
there are some cosmetic issues that need to be addressed (carpet, paint) before we move, but we're hoping to be in there by thanksgiving.

before i post the "before" pictures, i want to give you an idea of the layout (because i didn't really understand it until i was actually there and you, friendly blog readers, don't have that opportunity). my drawings are not even close to scale, but it'll give you a general idea.

first of all, it's a 2-story, split-entry townhouse.

the road runs in front of the garage, and then you walk through the courtyard to actually get into the house.

that's the courtyard. rather overgrown at the moment, but les plans to put a patio set and a grill out here.
that's the dining room. don't worry, the awful scratchy chef curtains were just about the first thing to go.
the kitchen. (which i just now noticed i forgot to label on my floor plan. hopefully you're sharp enough to figure that out.)
the other side of the kitchen.
the living room. hidden under that nasty carpet are some beautiful hardwood floors. yay!
the other end of the living room.
and the back yard. again, a little overgrown, but we'll pretty it up. :)
the layout of the lower level. i think i labeled everything on this one...
that's leslie's room. she has a view of the overgrown courtyard.
the bathroom. yes, that's ceramic tile. that and the pergo in the kitchen are the only floors we don't need to mess with.
my room. nice paint job, eh?
the craft room/office. yay for spare bedrooms!

so that's it. i hope you enjoyed your tour. stay tuned for "afters."

felt!

i really like working with felt. it's very forgiving, it doesn't fray, and it makes awfully cute ornaments.

i'm also planning to make something like this for my window at the new house (though i'll be doing it in addition to regular drapes).

it's just a bunch of stitched-together circles of felt - how easy is that?! (the link contains a tutorial in case you're interested)

diy 4tw.