It’s spring! Finally!

Jess on April 3, 2011

The weather is finally acting more like spring and is supposed to continue this good behavior until it starts acting like summer. It’s raining and thundering right now and it will be raining some tomorrow apparently, too. I’m hoping for not too much rain because I want it to be nice enough that my tours at the museum don’t have to cancel (they’re high school classes so they just walk the 1/2 block from our building to theirs.).

I’ve been super busy. Kyle was at debate nationals mid-March so I made myself extra busy that week, going home for a weekend, and then spending a few nights with work plans. The week after I had three days of workshops, a Wednesday and then Friday-Saturday, and then last week I followed it all up with two days off for my 25th birthday. So there has been lots of being in the office busy trying to prepare for being out of the office and this week I have two days of tours and one day of workshop plus an evening event. Whew. I’m also doing two freelance sites and trying to get a new blog up… plus I’m itching to redo my own online portfolio/resume but want to do one I’ve been promising a friend for months before that.

Hopefully good weather means continuing to get out of the house. We spent this weekend in KC shopping, dining, live music. Awesome. I want to go back next weekend for Middle of the Mapfest. We’re slow at making plans though. I’d like to see Cowboy Indian Bear and Margot & the Nuclear So-and-Sos and maybe some Cursive.

We saw Bright Eyes last night for my birthday. That was awesome but strange in a self-reflective, this-is-growing-up kind of way. The music was great and great to hear live though so I guess growing up is a good thing.

A memorial and a birthday

Jess on February 27, 2011

Yesterday was the memorial service for our family friend who passed away at the beginning of February. It was a really beautiful service with lots of sharing of memories of Ben. I was going primarily to support Kyle who took Ben’s death pretty hard, and then secondarily for Gina, his wife, who I have known for years because of my involvement in debate and for whom Kyle now works. I really didn’t know Ben, having met him maybe once or twice in passing, and the memorial made me very sad as to this fact. It was a lovely time of remembrance that really celebrated his life. After dinner, we joined all of the guests who were there for debate at dinner in Liberty and had a very nice time. There is almost nothing I love more than being at a huge table full of close friends.

Today, Mom and Dad came up for so we could have dinner for Mom’s birthday. It was the first time they made it up to see the house since basically right after we moved in. They were both really impressed with our furniture and paint choices and our new flooring. It’s hard for me to really remember how much things have changed since they last came to visit, but I know that most of the furniture and accoutrement we have now we didn’t have then. I’m glad that they liked it! And they seemed to have a good eye for our style, now, too.

I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I really love designing the house. And tonight, I look forward to loving the pretty dresses at the Oscars. It makes me wish I had more fancy occasions to get really dressed up!

Things that happened at my haircut today

Jess on February 19, 2011

  1. My (new) stylist (that I’m testing out) was 5 minutes late to my appointment.
  2. She didn’t introduce herself.
  3. She flat-ironed my hair before cutting it.
  4. The flat-iron process pulled my hair a lot.
  5. It proceeds from this that she cut it dry.
  6. She spent most of my haircut talking to the other people in the salon as though I wasn’t really there.
  7. I tipped 30% less than my usual tip on a haircut, and less than 20% which is basically unheard of for me in any tipping situation.

Needless to say, I am still on the hunt for a stylist. I weed out new stylists when they ask to cut my hair dry. And flat-ironing it first when all I want is a trim and a little bit of shape for my curly hair? Please. I am upset enough about my haircut that it might warrant a call to the salon.

My dog is more awesome than me

Jess on February 13, 2011

Oats and I are taking it easy today because our legs hurt.

Me because I painted the office, a task that involved some time in weird squatting positions, then I went bowling last night with Mike and Greg and Dylan. That was a lot of fun, but it turns out the combination of the two have angered my inner thighs. I feel practically bowlegged. Though I did bowl a 141 which may be a personal best. At least it’s the best I remember bowling in years, but I don’t really know anything about my past bowling scores other than I probably would have been excited to ever bowl a 141.

Oats’ leg hurts because she torpedoed through the house, slid through the bathroom, and hit her leg on the vanity. She is actually probably just taking it easy because of the torpedoing. She didn’t yelp (she’s really bad at being in pain and would likely cry if she even thought something hurt). And I rubbed it for her and she didn’t have a limp when she went back on her torpedo race. Either way, she’s adorable when she runs through the house and adorable when she sleeps it off.

The office is painted!

Jess on February 12, 2011

In a mad rush during snowpocalypse, I finished sanding the office and getting it ready for paint. I even primed it and then applied the first coat of paint. The first coat of paint should have also been the only coat of paint as we were using top of the line Valspar, but alas, it went on terribly and left roller marks in different colors. So, I returned to our earlier plan of just pretending the room didn’t exist.

Today, I finally went out and got another can of paint from Lowe’s and begged them for advice. I think when I painted the first coat I rushed through it, possibly had a cheap roller, and ended up going back over areas when they didn’t really need that. Apparently, dark paint colors can be harder to work with so I guess you need to be more careful about it. Also, with this paint the difference between dry and wet is fairly distinct and things look unpainted or under-painted when they’re really just in the middle of drying. So this time I painted as recommended: in a w motion and in small sections making sure to always keep a wet edge.

It turned out much much much better.

And, while I painted, I thought about that weird character trait in me where I am super good at following directions if people can give me a reason for them. It’s like the time my brother had to have surgery to repair a spiral fracture in his ankle and told me that he had googled why he couldn’t eat before surgery and it wasn’t until he realized they tell you not to eat because you could choke on vomit during surgery and die that he decided to follow a doctor’s advice. Maybe it’s a family thing.

I love common tables

Jess on February 4, 2011

Tonight we decided to try a new restaurant in St. Jo for dinner. Tomorrow is Kyle’s birthday so we decided to opt for a place a little nicer than we may usually do, plus I’ve been meaning to try this place since I heard about it at my last Museum Association meeting. So we called ahead and learned there was bar seating at the Bad Art Bistro and off we went.

It turns out that Bad Art means that the decor is based on the idea of bad art. My favorite was a painting of a clown or a pink poodle mirror (with most appendages made out of buttons!). It also turns out that bar seating means common table seating. This turned out to be a very good thing. We were there for about 5 minutes with a couple of young guys who weren’t chatty and then they were moved to a 2-seater bar table which made room for three people who just happen to be a couple that I know from Savannah. They were meeting friends of theirs who also live here and they had their ten-year-old daughter with them, who happens to be friends with our neighbors.*

So it turned out that we had plenty to talk about, great conversation, delicious food, and finally I feel like maybe we are meeting some people we like.

*We live next to ten year old triplet boys. Did I mention that?

Sad news

Jess on February 2, 2011

We found out this morning that a friend of ours lost her husband of 27 years to a heart attack last night. It’s been a sad day with a lot of moping around and holding each other and feeling empathy for a tragedy that we can’t even begin to relate to. I am glad that we have each other and so much love in our home. We will be keeping Gina and her family, including her debate family, in our thoughts and prayers. I know we both wish that we were closer and that we could do more. We also wish that there was something to do, but no act seems to really make sense.

Finally finishing the office

Jess on January 31, 2011

Today was a Snow Day! I dawdled in bed until about 10:30 and then got up and spent the rest of the day tearing through the remainder of the work that needs to be done in the office. We already picked out paint for the room which was a lot of impetus to work. We’re going with Fine China Blue which is basically exactly the color of blue on Wedgewood china. Saturday, we bought that vintage drafting table and so now I’m in a rush to get it all set up. I am so excited about all of it.

wpid-office-2011-01-31-19-26.jpg

Tonight I discovered the image above. Obviously we don’t have a second drafting table but we also don’t have quite this much space. I’m hoping I can arrange something like this though. I especially love the two work lights. I might have to do that.

Thrifting through Kansas Day

Jess on January 30, 2011

We went home for Kansas Day (Saturday) because I couldn’t bear to spend the sesquicentennial of such an important event in the enemy state that I live in. Also, it is the first time that we have been home on a non-holiday since we moved into the house and I figured we should take advantage of the thrift/antique/vintage furniture shopping. Luckily, we had a beautiful day to shop and we got quite the bounty.

We started the day at a used furniture place with my uncle who had purchased two chests of drawers and a side table there for his new bedroom. We loaded that up in the truck, purchased a black trunk for ourselves, and headed to breakfast at Bradley’s, this delicious place in old downtown North Topeka. We then unloaded the furniture at his house, packed up his old set which has been in the family for years and is now being passed to us, and went back to my parents house. We unloaded our new bedroom set there and headed out with Mom to her friend’s stores. We got, as Cara (and Lucy) would say, all of the things:

  1. antique dark walnut bedroom set including vanity, chest of drawers and side table.
  2. grey metal industrial bench
  3. pine kitchen island/wine cart
  4. antique candle-holding centerpiece
  5. harvest table (giant! awesome!)
  6. vintage drafting table

We also had lunch with Brandon and Reanne at Boss Hawg’s with a nice appearance from Bearman. And Kyle and Dad managed to work some jenga/tetris magic and pack everything in the truck so we made it back to Savannah after dinner with everything we had purchased.

Now it’s just arranging and fitting everything into the house. Things are starting to come together though and the drafting table is awesome because I’ve wanted one for so long, the harvest table is a great start on furnishing the eat-in half of the kitchen, the bench is just what we were looking for, and the bedroom set + kitchen cart has increased our storage space ten times over. We got four whole cabinet shelves back in the kitchen just by moving glasses to the cart (which is filling a space I’ve been fretting over since before we moved in).

So, that was awkward.

Jess on January 26, 2011

Tonight, we went out in search of a Kindle. This innocent adventure resulted in maybe the most awkward experience at a Target ever, or just tonight.

We first went to Best Buy where I could decide between a nook and a kindle. The conversation with the resident guy who reads at Best Buy convinces me to go for the Kindle instead of the nook. Really, this has nothing to do with his opinion as he owns and was trying to point me toward the Sony. Anyway, Best Buy didn’t have the Kindle that was wi-fi only, they only had one wi-fi only nook in store, so we headed to Target.

Once at Target I stand in front of the case and Kyle goes to get someone with a key to let us into the case. Kyle then walked up to the clerk and told her that his wife wanted to buy Kindle. He then stayed and talked about video games with the man who she had just helped as the clerk headed toward me and the Kindles. Meanwhile, another woman walks up to her and says “We want to buy a kindle.” Apparently, Target clerk thinks 45-year-old woman is the wife that Kyle spoke of and gets the Kindle for her.  am standing in front of the case looking sad that the one last Kindle has been taken.

Kyle: My wife wants to buy a Kindle.

Clerk: Alright. (Walks toward me and the kindles).

Other Potential Kindle Purchaser: I want to buy a Kindle.

Clerk: (In her head, I guess she thought this forty-five-year-old must with a freshman-in-high-school must be Kyle’s wife) Alright. (Walks toward me and the Kindles with Other Potential Kindle Purchaser and high schooler in tow).

Me: Is that the last wifi-only Kindle?

Clerk: Yeah, sorry.

Kyle: What happened?

Me: You weren’t fast enough and they got the last kindle. (Sad face)

Kyle: What?

Clerk: (Droopy Dog awkward face)

Kyle: No, I walked up to you first.

Clerk: But I thought you were together.

Awkwardness.

After about forty seconds of thick, terrible awkwardness in which all parties explain that they are from out of town and that they all asked for a Kindle while Clerk radios for a manager…

Kyle: Well, we can just cut in half if you want to…

Other Potential Kindle Purchaser: (snarky) Well, I don’t really want to do that!

Kyle: I was joking…? Well, clearly someone asked first. This should be an easy situation to fix.

Other Potential Kindle Purchaser: (snarky) Well, I’m not going to cause a scene.

Everyone else: We’re not causing a scene. We’ll just wait on a manager and see what they can figure out.

Other Potential Kindle Purchaser: (Leaves, but she doesn’t really leave, she hides behind an endcap by the tvs and makes angry indignant faces while I freaked out about how awkward it was.)

Up to this point, I had been largely silent. Everyone had been silent because it was awkward but I was silent because I was pretty sure that when the manager showed up he would save the day with something awesome. Like a gift card. Or a promise. Or hopey change. (I am a sucker for hopey change.) I was convinced that all of our problem were with Target and if we just held out the Clerk—who was still droopy dog awkward, btw—would make her boss make things better. So I just panicked and said that we could have worked it out and I wouldn’t have made a scene and she didn’t need to walk away there could have been a solution. And instead, Droopy Dog Clerk remains silent on the matter and Kyle convinces me that it would be weird to chase her down again when she’s clearly just decided it should be over. We express that it’s probably the most awkward for her. She agrees.

So, as I said before, that was awkward.

Kyle and I decided on the drive home, at my suggestion, that the woman should have told us that it was for her daughter who she was trying to teach to read but could not buy regular books because she eats the paper. That would have been awesome. I would have had no choice but to order one for myself and wait a few days for its arrival.