We're the downstairs neighbors now

Just a quick update: We're all moved into the new apartment. Things are still a mess, and KG and I will be living out of boxes and trash bags for a while. TK Junior's room is in order, as is the living room, but that's about it. Somewhere in that mess are our apartment keys as well. Kind of need those.
We have no internet or cable right now. Well, we do have cable, but I need an extension in order to reach the TV. We'll be out of a phone as well, until Comcast comes by on Saturday.
I swear unpacking and putting things back in order is the worst part of a move. To top it off, when I came into work this morning, they were expanding my cube. So, I ended up moving stuff here as well!
Hopefully we'll be back up to speed soon. Until then, it's unpack, unpack, unpack. Woohoo!

It's hot!

Thank you powers to be. We had a nice, dry cool week. Now, it's time to move, and the heat wave is back again. How nice.
So, downstairs is done, and tomorrow we shift our meager possesions down there. I'm hoping it goes well.
Monday an inspector is coming to check the place out. I'll have to do some cleaning up here in the morning, then it's done.
Cable won't be coming out until the 2nd. Which means we'll have no phone, no TV and no internet for a week. Nice. As for the phone, I do have a 30ft phone line, which I can drop out the window. I did it the other day so I could dial into work from the porch downstairs. I guess I'll have to do that for a week so we at least have a land line.
I think I'll call Verizon on Monday and see about switching. Wireless would be nice.
Anyhow, I'm hot and sweaty and I have stuff to take apart, including this computer. So... until we're back in order... later!

Who are the people in your neighborhood?

Friggin wack jobs, if you live in mine.
Yesterday when I got home from work, I noticed that the hedges along the neighbors fence had been cut down. Sawed right at the roots. I thought it was weird, and a little irksome, since I spent a whole weekend weeding them and pulling out vines so they could grow proper this year.
Whatever, it's not my yard.
Anyhow, I put it out of mind. This morning, I was poking around the basement when I heard a knock at the door. It was the cops.
Seems someone made a call about the hedges. Wasn't me, and I figured the landlord hacked them down, though the cop said the call came from our address. Even odder.
The landlord shows up. Turns out, he didn't cut them down. The crazy hag next door paid her landscaper to cut down hedges on our yard! All so she can sit and watch our yard and windows, and call the DPH and complain whenever she can.
Nice. I can't get over the fact she had someone cut down bushes on someone elses property!
I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to do crazy walks and singing in the yard during the day, or paint a giant "FUCK YOU!" on the side of the house in glow in the dark paint.
Speaking of paint... all the walls are done. The living room and baby's room are finished. All that's left is trim, and then we can move in. Woohoo!

Progress!

Well, a day off from work seemed to do the trick. TK Junior's room is completely painted. Tomorrow the landlord puts in a new rug, and we put in a border. Done!
I primed the entire kitchen, so that's ready to get painted. We have mothers coming over Thursday to work, and I've already written up their agenda. We might actually be done painting by Friday!
Then we move. Got us 2 confirmed helpers. Need a few more, and a way to get Nick out of the house for the day and night. Then, we shall accomplish this feat.
My PC has been infected with a Trojan virus. I recently bought anti-virus software. It was good enough to detect the threat, but it can't seem to fix it. So... I might be without blogging ability for a few days. Good heavens!
Anyhow... beer quickly going to my head and work in the morning. I'm done.

Unshaven & Unshowered...

... and planning on remedying that shortly.
Happy Daddy's Day to all the pops out there. I guess for some dads, today is a day to rest and be appreciated by your family. I got some great gifts from KG, but other than that I worked my ass off.
With TK Jr away, we slept in until almost 2. Killed most of the day, but it's a rare luxury, so we took advantage of it.
KG went out to buy more paint. I ended up covering the entire kitchen in primer, and then mowed the lawn. KG got back and finished up the trim in the dining room, so we can finally count one room as 98% finished.
So far, prepping the downstairs has largely been a solo project. KG has done a lot of scrubbing, but other than that it's all been me and the lanlord. We were expecting some help this weekend. but that didn't work out. I'm a bit stressed, as we're down to the wire. One week until we move in. So, I'm taking a few days off this week. To paint. Two full days and every night this week should, hopefully, be enough. It'll have to be. We have a family reunion on Saturday, so that day is shot. Sunday we move. That's the day I know we're going to need help. It'll be an easy move, just carrying stuff downstairs. But there's a lot of stuff.
KG bought a darker shade of green for the bedroom, so I guess I'll be repainting that room as well. I really don't want to, but the walls are rather garish. I suppose it's got to be done.
I have a few pics of all the work we did on our current apartment . All in all, we've managed to put a lot of work into this building. I think it' s better for it.
Well, I've got nothing else to say that doesn't involve the word paint, so I'm calling it a day. Time to take a nice hot shower and relax for a few before going to bed, getting up, and starting the whole business over again.

I ain't no Pollack

Painted the master bedroom today, Actually, let me backtrack.
Went to work this morning. The alarm rang at 4:30, I was coffeed up and on the road by 5:20. I was expecting to be at work until 6PM, but taking over the corral seemed to work well. I was on my way home by quarter past 11.
Thanks in no small part to Molius , things went smooth and quick. Of course, his reward was a less pleasant day, but that's the way these things tend to work.
Me, I got home and got down to painting. Had some lunch, and knocked off the bedroom. KG had picked out a lime green paint, which looked really cool on the little color card at Lowe's. Well, the final product... um, is ... interesting. Bright green, and the pink paint beneath managed to bleed through. Not the effect she was aiming for.
After that, I vegged for a while and watched Galaxy Quest . TK Junior left with his gramma for the night, so KG and I got to rule the roost for the night.
We painted some trim, and I started in on the kitchen. Now we're chilling and avoiding the call of bed.
Tomorrow, it's Father's Day. I'm one of those now, and it's pretty cool. Lots more painting and some shopping is in store. We have to move next Sunday. Got us a lot of work to do in the meantime.
On that note, time to heed the call. Sandman's here, and he's got a job to do too. Might as well let him at it.

Send these troopseses only

Logged on to the 501st board tonight, and found a very funny link . Seems it's a direct English translation of the Chinese translation of ROTS. Good stuff.
The week draws to a close. I'd be excited, except I have to be in work at 6 tomorrow for the big update. Silly me volunteered. Oh well, there's worse things I could be doing. Like painting and cleaning and packing.
All of which I was going to do tonight. I went downstairs with the cats for a while. Smoked a butt, looked around, decided I'd had enough. So, Instead of working and being crabby and tired, I'll pull out the sofa bed and give KG a back rub tonight. Much more fun and way overdue.
Oh yeah, and as if I didn't have enough to do this weekend.... check out this . Sigh... I might have to go to the movies as well.

Having a little fun at work. 

Boys will be Boys...

What an amusing day at work. Molius and I decided to be the merry Pranksters, and had a little fun at RB's expense. In defense of ourselves, he had said he hoped no one PostIt noted his office while he was on vacation. He wasn't on vacation... just working down in SW today.
So now the challenge is on, and Molius and I must be on guard. Surely RB will find some sinister way of striking back.
Kudos to Molius for sticking Vader in a glass jar with a thought balloon that said "Nooooooooo!". I'm still chuckling over that.
Names left a comment on my last entry, so here's a little ditty for him:
Dean's Video was a craphole. 80% of the stock, and the business was porn. My sister worked there as well, and we often worked opposite shifts on the same day. We'd usually find ourselves, brother and sister, walking up and down the porn section with an armload of tapes to restock. Very weird.
Sometimes I had to call customers that had movies that were overdue. Remind them they owed us money and a tape. So, one day I call this guy who had several porns out, all over 10 days late. A little old lady answered, informed me that her grandson was not home. She inquired as to what movies he had out. I looked at the list, the first one was "Slammin Granny In the Fanny." I made a mental note to knock his teeth out next time he came into the store.
Anyhow.... all beside the point. A few weeks after I quit because I couldn't stand to work with Les anymore, my sister got fired. Les was a stinky hippy. Stinky BO stinky. He was usually so ripe, I had the smell stuck on me when I went home. He was big in to the Magic RPG cards, and was selling them. This attracted a lot of weirdos, and I quit. $5 an hour wasn't worth it.
Les would close the store, and then stay there all night with his Magic buddies. A few times when I worked with him I saw him till tap. Well, a few weeks after I quit, my sister was accused of stealing and was let go.
It was that friggin smelly hippy, and I knew it.
Well, there was a slot in front of the store for after hour returns. The slot lead to a chute, which went down into the basement and into a 55 gallon trash barrel. On Sunday mornings, that sucker would be full of movies. Again, mostly porn.
So, I bought 2 dozen eggs. Kept them in my room, unrefrigerated. For 2 months. Then, late one Saturday night, when I know stinkboy was working the next morning, I dropped all 24 eggs down the shoot into the barrel.
I'll say one thing... his day started off shitty.

Occupy me!

RB pointed out the other day that almost every time I tell a tale of work days past, it's about a job I've never mentioned. So... for the sake of those who must suffer through my stories, here's a tally of the various occupations I've meddled in. I'll try to keep it in chronological order, as best as I can.
1 Paperboy, The Patriot Ledger. My first "official job". I shared the route with my sister. Somehow we usually ended up owing the Ledger money every week.
2 House cleaner, for some messy lady. I'm embarrassed to admit I took the job because I thought "Light house keeping" meant lighthouse keeping. It didn't. I spent Saturdays vacuuming popcorn off of some fat lady's rug.
3 Cashier/bagger/carriage retriever, Star Market I actually had to get my work permit for this job. To this day I can still bag better than most of the idiots working in the grocers.
4 Stockroom clerk, Sears Auto Center. This was a fun job. I mostly set fires and injured myself. Ever pour lighter fluid down an exhaust pipe? It makes a loud "whoop" sound and shoots flames out both ends. Cool!
5 Gas Station Attendant, Gulf. I quit Sears to work here, only to get accused of stealing and fired. Turns out the owner was till tapping.
6 Assistant, Peck Funeral Home My first mortuary gig. I did a few removals, had some really gross experiences, and work visiting hours.
7 Apprentice Funeral Director, Keohane Funeral Homes I worked there while going to funeral school. 2 years, lots of stories not everyone wants to hear.
8 Easter Bunny, South Shore Plaza Enough said.
9 Customer Service Rep, Boston Financial Data Services I was working part time at the funeral home, got this job to pay the bills. Little did I know how much that damn company would dominate my path. And still does.
10 Shop Hand, Atlas Scenic Studios When I lived in Bridgeport, CT. We built sets for Broadway shows and Christmas windows for Macy's. One of my all time favorite jobs.
11 Team member, McDonald's I got hired, put on my uniform and got a tour. 10 minutes into it the manager told me I'd be cleaning grease traps. I went to the bathroom, changed back into street clothes and walked out.
12 Usher/attendant, National Amusement Cinemas Got hired, brought home the tie and vest, never showed up for work that night. Same day as my McD's gig.
13 Cashier, Stop & Shop Hired the same day as the last two. Got my ID, badge and apron. Never showed up for work. But I did get a weekly paycheck for $0.00 for three months.
14 CSR, BFDS History repeats itself. High stress job, lots of kooky people. I liked working there.
15 Clerk, Dean's Video Express Just call me Dante. Or Randall. A small hole in the wall video store that rented mostly hardcore porn. I developed my distaste for people there. Great quitting story.
16 Flunky, HS Wholesale Mineral Specimens The single most unique job I've ever worked, and one of the longest. There are less than 10 people in the world who I know that have shared the experience. Fodder for many a story.
17 CRS, Boston Equiserve Affectionately known as Equifuck. Met my ex-wife there. If there's a bright center of the galaxy, this is the company furthest from it.
18 Slightly higher paid flunky, HS Wholesale Mineral Specimens Yeah, I went crawling back. Albeit to a better job and new position.
19 Temp, Hollister I did day assignments, so I won't try to list those. They all sucked, except for my last one.
20 Coordinator, VNA of Boston Yup. That's where I'm spending my time now. 4 years and counting.
I think that's it, not counting odd jobs and under the table stuff. 20 jobs in 16 years. What have I gained from it? Mostly semi entertaining stories. I guess that'll have to do.

I hate paint

I do not like it, Sam I am.
Done: 3 ceilings, 2 rooms.
To go: 1 ceiling, 4 rooms, and all the trim and doors.
Moving: June 24th. Yikes!
I quit early last night as I was feeling pretty sick. Heat exhaustion, me thinks. I was sick to my stomach most of the morning as well. The weather has cooled off considerably, so I'm feeling much better.
In other news, the good folks at Hasbro have come up with the most awesome of products... Spudtrooper! I'm going to need at least 2 of those. Rumors have been confirmed that a reunited Pink Floyd will be playing Live8. Sweet! Hell indeed has frozen over.
I was actually feeling awake when I sat down to type.. now I'm tired and my back aches. So, rather than ramble on and piss and moan, I'm calling it a night. Busy day tomorrow catching up at work and venturing out for more paint. Woohoo!

Too tired to be witty

I have a feeling posts will be far and few between over the next few weeks. I have so much freaking work to do on that apartment!
On a lighter note, M&G were in town and came by for a visit Sunday. It's always a pleasure as well as refreshing to hang out with them. They are the perfect couple. M and I have been friends for years... at least 15 years if not more.
I wish, of course, that they lived closer so we could hang more often. Alas, I cherish the time we do get to spend together.
Apartment news... got 2 ceilings and two rooms painted, minus the trim. Tried to paint the bedroom ceiling tonight, but the paint wasn't taking and I was feeling sick to my stomach from the heat. So I called it a night. I have a feeling tomorrow might be a work at home sick day. I'm beat.
Well, time for a shower and bed. Just wanted to say hi to my faithful readers. Later!

Noooooooooooooooooooo!

Having a little fun at the expense of the dark lord of the Sith. I have to admit, a few of them made me chuckle.
Well, tonight KG and I ventured to Lowes to pick out paint. We only got 3 gallons, should be enough for the front 2 rooms. I figure I'll start there and hit the rooms one by one. Most days I have little to no interest in doing house work. However, everytime I go to Lowes, I get the proverbial hard on for all the tools and whatnot. I spend a few days thinking of all the crap I could do if I had the time or money.
Sometimes, it's a good thing I have neither.
Tonight is another hot and sticky night. I'm sitting here sweating, already thinking about the bedroom and the a/c. Think I might head there shortly. Rest tonight, paint tomorrow. Woohoo!
The new tenants came over to sign their lease today. I don't think I like them. Of course, I'm trying not to jump to conclusions, and I plan on being neighborly and all, but something about them just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm hoping life doesn't get complicated. Right now we have the whole house to ourselves, and I must admit, I like it.
Oh well, the only constant in life is change. We'll see how it develops.

Enough about me...

Here's a link to pictures from this past Sunday.
Andrew... I wish that we actually got the chance to talk.
My fellow NEGers... I love you guys. Thanks for making this happen!

Stop calling me Shirley

It is hot. Hot and humid. The warm weather had been eluding us for weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad summer is starting. It just figures, though, that it waits to get hot and sticky until I have daily physical labor to perform.
All I did tonight was clean windows and spray bug repellant. Now I'm back upstairs and feeling sticky and damp. Not in a pleasant way. Maybe I'll take a nice cold shower. Yeah, that sounds about right.

That's me in the middle.

One for the fans

Well, for once I got off my self absorbed ass and did something good for someone else. And let me tell you, it felt good.
One of the nurses at work, CW, has a patient with muscular dystophy. He's 23, and hasn't been out of his house in four years, except for surgery. Turns out he's a huge Star Wars fan. CW was telling me how one whole room in his house is filled with SW figures. Last week, I was going on at some length about my repeat viewings of ROTS. CW informed me that her patient was being taken by ambulance, along with a team of nurses, to see the movie on Sunday.
Well, my wheels started spinning. Me, I had no problem going to see the movie 5 times. I'm able bodied, and I thank God for that. I got to thinking about what a big event it was for this guy to go see a movie. Then, I thought, how awesome would it be for him to show up at the theater and be greeted by stormtroopers?
Let me tell you... pretty freakin awesome. I put a post up on the NEG forum, and ended up with 3 stormtroopers and a photographer! Great, awesome, wonderful guys who on short notice gave up their Sunday to come down and make a special day all that more special. One of the troopers even drove down from Maine!
Well, we had a blast. We met CW and her patient at the entrance to the mall. We than escorted them through the mall food court to the theater. A good time was had by all.
After we got them to the theater, we spent some time trooping around the mall. We even got glamour shots done at a portrait studio!
So, in short, to Mr. A... I hope you enjoyed the movie and the Imperial presence. It was an honor to meet you. To my fellow troopers, you guys fucking rock! My faith in mankind has been renewed.

Memories of Mt Vernon

I spent some time downstairs washing walls today. Yeah, still gross. I took a lengthy break for family time and hanging with KG, then went back down to clean up. I dragged our plastic patio chairs over to the porch. The downstairs apartment has a porch! Grabbed my beer, lit a butt and chilled.
It was nice. Reminds me of living in Slumerville, hanging out with JN on the porch. Watching the crazy Brazilians and grilling.
Grilling and chilling.
I've been dreading all the work involved with making that place livable. Tonight, I got to taste the fruit of those labors. It's going to be much nicer living down there. Lots of open space, the yard, and a porch. I'm looking forward to moving.
Now I just need to get the upstairs rented to the right people. I might throw up an ad on craigslist . It's free, and I can write a nice lengthy description. The landlord will throw a 2 line ad in the Ledger, which will come out on Sunday and only be read by denziens of the South Shore. I figure an ad on CL might be spotted by a couple expecting a baby. They'd find themselves with the perfect apartment!
I'm just hoping we don't get stuck with more bad neighbors. This is a nice place, and we've worked hard to improve the energy around here. I would like this to continue and grow.
One can hope. That ain't a crime.

Ewwwww

So, I broke down and actually started doing some work downstairs. Honestly, I am not the neatest person in the world. Our apartment has quite a bit of clutter, and I have a bad habit of making piles. But for crying out loud, we keep it clean.
The people downstairs... I seriously don't think they cleaned that place once in the 14 years they lived there. Christ almighty. I spent almost two hours scrubbing grime off of the molding in one room. The sponge was black! I cleaned the windows in the front room... the paper towels came off black. Black!
Ugh. I so want to shower right now, it's not even funny. And I still have a long way to go.
The landlord is actually doing a lot of work, so I think I'll mostly just end up painting. Plus he's paying me $20 an hour to do it. Not bad. If I rack up a big enough bill, I might try to trade him the cash for a new gas furnace. Downstairs has oil, and we all know how damn expensive that is.
Tomorrow night I'll wash the walls, and then this weekend I'll paint the ceilings. That'll be a good start.

putting off the inevitable

So, what should I be doing tonight? Cleaning the downstairs apartment. Packing up shit up here. Picking out paints. What am I doing? Blogging, chatting with someone on AIM. I've had AIM for over a year now, never used it. Now all of a sudden I'm IMing. Stupid addictions.
But, I have a month to pull this all together. I've been staying up too late the last few nights, and I'm beat. So, tonight I will putz around here for a bit more, than toddle off to bed for some real sleep.
Let the work wait for tomorrow.
TK Junior has been humming "Ode to Joy" a lot lately. I broke out my guitar, as that's one of the few things I can actually play on it. After playing it a few times, he started singing right along! Nice. I think I might actually learn to play the thing now. I'm trying to encourage music appreciation in the little guy. Besides, I enjoy strumming, just wish I knew more than power chords. When we're moved in downstairs, I might actually be able to practice without waking him. So we'll see what develops.
Thought I'd something more to say...