Hemlock B Bootsalotta

I'm on like, G&T number 5

I thin this series was invoked by renovations and housing insecurity in my home town. It's bad y'all.

( the richholes )

I'm on my second very strong G&T. This one comes from not being able to think about anything that isn't fucking reno hell.
( renos from hell )

Looks like my NaDruWriNi will happen this Saturday after all. The Frenchman's visit to Toronto has to be rescheduled so my weekend plans are cancelled.

Guess I'd better come up with some ideas, huh?

***

I have a clear memory of going trick-or-treating as a kid, wrapped up in a heavy coat while white flakes drifted around my head and piled up on the sidewalk. Tonight I took a beer out onto the porch and handed out candy while sitting on the steps and reading a book between children.

One of the kids collected a bunch of candy in his bag and then spent the rest of the night marching around the neighbourhood yelling, "CANDY FOR SALE" at the top of his voice. That one will go far in life, I can already tell.

There's a theatre group near me that builds gigantic puppets out of wood and paper mache. They have a parade every year in the park on the Saturday before Halloween so this year I wandered up to take a look. I assumed they would just walk around the park a couple of times, but they actually go through the entire neighbourhood. It was really cool - the puppets are 15-feet tall and they also hand out smaller ones on sticks to people who want to walk along. The whole neighbourhood came out, including kids and a lot of people dressed up so it ended up being a sizable parade. It started with a marching band who were playing some kind of energetic jazz that would have fit right into a New Orleans funeral. I took some pictures but between the dark costumes and the glare from the streetlights, none of them really turned out.

***

Things continue to leave the house. This week I went through the basement and gathered up a pile of stuff for the trash. I also dragged my massive wooden coffee table onto the porch but the person who was supposed to pick it up never showed. I really don't want to just throw this thing away - furniture is never made out of solid wood anymore so it seems like sacrilege to toss this one into landfill.

I think I finally tracked down all the various receipts and quotes for the basement work, so I sat down and drew up a long list, including what I've paid for so far and what still has to be done. Ended up with two lengthy emails that I sent the contractor. A week goes by, so I reached out to him by text.

"Oh, I don't have email."

Turns out the fucking email address I was using for him belonged to the guy he fired at the beginning of the year for stealing from him. So I had to print them on PAPER and stick them in my mailbox for him like it's the 19th fucking century and how the fuck is this my life?

Anyway. He picked them up this morning so we'll see what he comes back with. Mostly I need dates and dollars so I can schedule funds and time to get the other work done that the house needs. (I want a boiler that makes the water hot. And I am TIRED of flushing my toilet with a bucket y'all. I need to schedule the energy audit. When the kitchen is done I can finish unpacking. And, and, and...)

I am entering month 23 of my 4-month renovation job. Jesus fucking wept.

NaDruWwriNi (National Drunk Writing Night) is coming up. It's supposed to be the first Saturday in November, but a friend I don't see often will be in town so I may punt it to the following weekend. (Previous years for the new folks.)

Third g & t!

Typing is definitely getting harder.

Prompt from cincinnatus_c: there's a turkey in the house, get it out!

( The Crown Prince of Mondavia )

Reply to dissectionist's prompt: Fairies should be involved in some way, preferably of the very queer kind.

( One Night In Boy's Town )

Response to the prompt "The violence inherent in the system"

( The Families of Block C )

Oh shit, this is coming up, isn't it?



My post of the rules from last year.

This one is proably not super clear, because it's not a story, it's a snippet of a think I'm working on. This is scene from later in the story where I'm trying to figure out what I'm goind to do with this scene, so it's ok if it doesn't wokr.

Also, I'm going to bed now.

( Read more... )

Thank you to ysilme for the name. I'm not sure this was entirely what you had in mind.

Today ended up being fairly successful in the get-shit-done department. I have one load of laundry I'll have to do tomorrow to be completely finished. The other task I set myself was to get the bank accounts and bills sorted since that's been hanging over my head for a while.

( Read more... )