Dust & Drinking Night

I don't know how much action this year's NaDruWriNi is going to get from me, but here's a starter post anyway.

My wonderful friends Monica, Louise, John, Panic, Darrell & Jenn showed up this morning to help haul furniture, bash walls and clean up debris. There are five of us left at this point, sitting in the upstairs space drinking beer & waiting for pizza. And taking turns in the shower. We are filthy covered with grit from the ceiling and the years of dust that accumulated in the beams and corners. Everybody has a ring of grime on their face that marks the boundaries of the dust masks and goggles.

I am currently working on my second beer.

like a brand new skin

I just had the absolutely best shower of my entire life.

Everybody else had already had their turn so I had no compunction about just standing there for 20 minutes while the hot water ran over my hair and down my aching shoulders. It was absolutely glorious.

Our upstairs shower is technically done but it's currently full of tools. And it turns out Charlie had to take the doors off to lay the hardwood. So we all took turns in our tiny basement shower. The ceiling is really low down there and the spray tends to collect on the ceiling and drip down again in long slow buttery blobs. That used to be really gross when we first moved in and the ceiling was spotted with patches of mold. We've since slapped one of those plastic surrounds in there and re-painted the ceiling with something more water- and life-resistant.

I think it might be time to repaint down there though, once all the other work is done. I noticed that some of the droplets of water that were forming above my head tonight were distinctly rust coloured.

a mellow Saturday night

I've only had four beers but I'm really feeling it. My alcohol tolerance is in the toilet since I started the meds. It doesn't help that we're all exhausted and full of pizza. I'm wearing my jammies and Axel is swanning around in his Elvis bathrobe with the leopard-print trim. (No really, he has an Elvis bathrobe.)

Charlie told us he insulated the wall that attaches to our neighbour's house, but they must be pretty loud. I keep hearing creakig and thumping coming from what sounds like downstairs. One of the nice things about getting the renos finished is that it won't always sound like somebody is walking around in our house.

oh say can you see

I can't figure out where the hell Axel got to. He took the dishes downstairs a half an hour ago.

We went down to look for him because he was taking so long and the dishes are all stacked neatly by the sing but he's nowhere in the house. I checked the bedroom just in case.

Hopefully he decided to go to the beer store for refills. I hope he wore the Elvis bathrobe. 'Casue that would be hilarious.

must be Saturday in Parkdale

I better slow down on the beer. I wasn't kidding when I said my tolerance was blown. On the other hand, nothing cuts through a throatful of dust like a cold beer.

The weirdest shit just happened. The neighbours started yelling - not in itself so unusual but they were so loud we could't help but hear them through the wall, soundpoofing or not. It finally got so bad we had to shout over the noise, so we thumped on the wall. They had the nerve to thump back, so hard the whole house shook & vibrated.

Then Sonja started screaming and we rushed next door to see what the hell was going on. Seriously it sounded like she was completely out of control. The sound of her voice cut off just as we were running out the front door. Their door was hanging wide open so all barrelled inside like a barbershop quartet of bulls who had just found the china shop of our dreams.

There was nobody there. Dead quiet. None of the lights worked so I went back to the house to grab a flashlight and we scoured the place from top to bottom. We finally had to give up and admit that we had no idea what was going on so we carefully shut the front door and trooped back into our place.

We all a little freaked out after that and the soft creaking that the house does when it's windy out was giving us all the heebie jeebies. So we turned all the lights on and cranked up the music a little bit.

too much

I tried calling Axel's cell and it started buzzing at me from teh other side of the room. So that didn't really help.

It must be really windy outside because the house is creaking like crazy. Darrell & I were originally planning on going back to his place tonight, but I think we've decided staying here will be easier. In fact we're kind of reluctant to even leave the room. When teh beer finally found it's inevitable course I decided that I would rather prop the detached door against the toilet opening and take my chances with the potential embarrasment of gravity instead of treking all the way down nto the basement.

Louise finally elected to go home in spite of the weather. I walked her as far as the front door but I got distracted when the lights in the stair well started flickering for some reason. When I looked back she was already on the sidewalk and running towards the bus stop. I ran after her as far as the playground before I gave up and turned back to the house. The lights in all the houses across the street started snapping on as I walked down the street so I ducked through the park.

The neighbours were at it again when I walkedin the front door. I wish they would give it up for just one night, it's like we can never get any peace and fucking quiet around here.

baby it's cold outside

Jenn decided it would be a good idea to stay the night too. We had the futons from the couch tied up with bungie cords, so we spread them out on the floor and invaded Axel's steamer trunk full of sleeping bags and blankets.

We're all pretty stumbly at this point. I don't know how I'm going to be able to sleep with all the freaking noise. The contstant yelling voices are driving me nuts.

Darrell went outside to have a last smoke before crashing so Jenn & made up the beds and tried to shift the furniture upstairs to make room for everybody. It was so stuffy I ended up opening the big bay window in teh front of the room.

The new windows ar huge. They don't have scrrens yet. From the window the roof of the front porch drops down to the front lawn. Our postage stamp green space is completely occupied by a ginormous metal bin. We had to cordon off half the street so that the driver could squeeze it into position. After all our work the bin bristles with splintered lathe like rows of punji sticks.

Jenn decides she's cold and moves towards the window. It's so stuffy in here. It's so loud I can't even think. I try to turn off the music but the computer is already turned off. I can't think. The yelling next door is so loud but I can't make out the words. I just want them to stop. Jenn is struggling with the windows, trying to close them. She's standing in front of the open space, blocking the breeze. I move her away, opening up the window as far as it will go. I stand with my eyes closed feeling the cool air drying the sweat on my face. It's so quiet. I feel peace. I close my eyes.



Darrell just came upstairs and asked me where Jenn is. I'm sure she was here a minute ago, but she must have gone for a smoke or something.

I wish the fucking neighbours would shut up.