"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." ~ Dame Agatha Christie



Saturday, September 11, 2010

Patriot's Day 2011

Since I live half my life in 1862 these days as I progress with my novel, I thought I'd share a quote from the Civil War era that is just as apropos today as it was when it was written:

"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it"  ~~~~~  (Robert E. Lee, at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1862)

In memory of those lost during the attacks on 9/11/2001, and those brave soldiers lost since then as they defend our right to live free in the United States.  May the Creator of the Universe Bless this country and its leadership.

Monday, September 6, 2010

The Single Life

I love being single--I can eat breakfast at dinner time (Chocolate Cheerios, anyone?) or dinner at breakfast (Domino's pizza is even better cold out of the refrigerator LOL).  And I need not tout the advantage of having only one person's laundry to do, right?

Yet, there are times when a second strong back (or even a second set of hands) would come in handy.  Take yesterday, for instance.  I was running coaxial cable from one room to the other through a hole punched in the wall.  Had a person been in the other room, all the coax would not have mysteriously vanished into the wall cavity and somehow tangled itself around the already present Ethernet cable.  Hence, I now have a much larger hole in the wall and a smashed up finger to boot.

Then let's talk furniture assembly.  I've been Blessed.  I am now in the position to replace the bargain-basement and dumpster-dived furniture from the early post-Katrina days with real wood pieces (albeit the RTA type).  My cherry-finish TV stand for the bedroom was time consuming to assemble but looks fabulous.  The oak bookcases for the bedroom (yes, I know--two different finishes, but the oak finish has a decided reddish tint and they coordinate well; when you are needing free shipping to your second-floor apartment, you sometimes make those compromises)--well, let's just say, they aren't particle board LOL.  I had to open the box in the living room and carry the individual pieces into the bedroom.  And, due to the fact the edges are finished the way they are, you need tons of assembly room--the pieces slide into one another (think tongue and groove assembly).  I still need to nail the backing this morning, then I get the honor of trying to pick up and position a 100-pound bookcase against the wall so I can attach it to a stud (there is not a single wall in my bedroom that is level). 

It's times like these that a man could prove useful LOL.  I have several male friends--most of whom are single.  One of my girlfriends suggested I cultivate at least one of those males and for the price of a home-cooked meal (or two) a month, I would have a personal handyman.  The thought rolled around in my head for a while last night, and again this morning as I nurse my various muscle aches and pains.  Would it work?  Possibly.  Is it worth it?  Probably not.  I don't do well with the whole "damsel-in-distress needs knight in shining armor" thing, primarily because I am lousy at asking for help.  And I really don't want the care and feeding of another human being (see first paragraph above LOL).  Besides, once I do manage all the assembly work and the revamping/redecorating of the apartment, I will have the great sense of personal satisfaction that comes from a job well done.

Yeppers, it's the single life for me...now, where did I put that blasted screwdriver?