Kettlebell deadlifts rock. I love having all the weight concentrated infront and perfectly below my centre of gravity instead of spread over a six-foot bar. If you have a selection of kettlebell weights it’s also much easier than trying to deadlift a bar with no plates on it (which makes it 2″ off the ground), or stopping to change plates as you move up in weight. I didn’t go heavy because I was doing higher reps, but I imagine deadlifting heavy would also be easier for people who have friction problems with the bar dragging up the thighs.
I don’t have the receipt anymore, but I believe it was sometime in late 2006 that I bought some laminate flooring for my back bedroom. Oh it was pretty. Kind of a wide-plank dark wood with red undertones. Then the boxes of flooring were shoved into the back of a storage space under my back stairs and left there to cure slowly to a lovely finish.
Wait, that’s bull.
They sat there for almost five years because it has taken that long to finally finish the renos.
It was a big project that just kept getting bigger. There used to be a kitchen sink in my room, and two closets, and a chimney, and beige carpeting. All of that had to go. Then after stripping several layers of wallpaper to reveal crumbling plaster it was decided that the humane thing to do for the room would be to just pull all the plaster out. And if we’re pulling the walls down, why not the ceiling too? And why not upgrade the wiring and put in more plugs while the walls are down?
That is how this:
…turned into this:
Unfortunately from about 2008 until recently that’s pretty much how the room stayed. Every once in a while a piece of gyproc would be put up, but it turns out that I don’t really put the “warrior” into “weekend warrior” without a little motivation. That’s when Jon entered the scene. He was no stranger to reno projects, having conquered several of his own and having helped out with lots that various family members have done. Plus, he’s a go-getter. So it happened that one day I came home and found, well, let me share the tweet with y’all:
Yup, scaffolding in my bedroom. So in one weekend I went from this:
To this:
OMG WALLS AND A CEILING! SQUEE!
Now that the room project had forward momentum I found the drive to put in more and longer hours myself. I grew up around constant reno projects and was no stranger to drywall, which was good because crackfill was like Kryptonite to Jon. So he puzzled out what to do about the floor while I mudded and sanded.
Finally we reached the last weekend of February. Jon had told me when we started that I would be able to move into my room by the end of February and I had been skeptical. With four days left to go we still had a lot to do. It took a few late nights but we finished the crackfill and laid a sub-floor in the room Saturday. On Sunday everything was painted:
Then around seven in the evening we started installing the laminate floor I had purchased for this room five years ago:
…and I put the last piece into place three hours later:
Only one electrical outlet was hooked up, the light fixture was left unconnected, and there were still many small things to get done. Regardless, we dragged my mattresses and pillows and blankets upstairs and after waiting for so long I finally got to sleep in my new bedroom for the first time, and with one day to spare.
D – Dogs: Tika, my beautiful redhead. She has recently decided that lying at the head of the bed with her butt in my face is the most preferable sleeping position.
E – Essential Start to Your Day: Eggs, which also starts with the letter E. I have three eggs every morning for breakfast. They are free-range, Omega3 eggs from happy chickens.
F – Favorite Color: Green, I think, but maybe I am just anxious for spring.
G – Gold or Silver: Both! I guess gold if I really have to choose. I used to think it looked tacky and gaudy, now I am fond of it.
H – Height: 5’10″
I – Instruments You Play(ed): None well. I used to tink away on dad’s piano, and he has tried to teach every one of three kids how to play – though none of us do. I have a ukulele I can play a few chords on, and a violin I can scrape out the scales on.
J – Job Title: Network Administrator
K – Kids: Have one, want more.
L – Live: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada (eh?). It’s nice here. I can see myself moving for better work opportunities or for a lifestyle change, but I think I’ll stay in the Maritimes if at all possible.
M – Mom’s Name: Carole
N – Nicknames: Does mom/mummy/mother count? I guess at one time I was named “the turkey lady” for my fabulous turkey dinner, but that was a very specific crowd. Someone also calls me “Misty”, or more properly “Miss T”.
O – Overnight Hospital Stays: Lots. I had two major operations when I was a kid. First they took out one of my kidneys (never fully formed in the womb, became problematic later), then about a year later they did some more work on my plumbing. I also had an infection in my teens that had me hooked up to IV for a few days, and of course childbirth.
P – Pet Peeves: I get peeved at people who park poorly or illegally.
Q – Quote from a Movie: “Now I may not have much, but I have more determination then any man you’re ever likely to meet.” from Big Fish.
R – Righty or Lefty: Lefty!
S – Siblings: A younger brother (Warren) and sister (Becky).
T – Time You Wake Up: Six AM every weekday in the winter, which will probably change to five-thirty in the summer so I can take the dog out in the morning. I snooze until seven on Saturday, and Sunday varies but I usually can’t stay in bed later than eight.
U – Underwear: Yes I wear it, and in every style and color imaginable.
V – Veggies You Don’t Like: Turnip/Rutabaga.
W – What Makes You Run Late: Lack of tupperware when I pack my lunch, garbage day, an empty gas tank, the dog having to go out twice in the morning, and sometimes a complete lack of motivation to get out of bed.
X – X-Rays You’ve Had: Oh I’m sure I’ve had some for my operation(s), and possibly one other time when I may have broken something (I didn’t), but I can’t remember the details.
Y – Yummy Food You Make: Pretty much everything. My guacamole is always a hit, as are the various Chinese and Szechuan dishes I make. Sausage and peppers is always popular, and Jon frequently requests my “best chicken ever”. I also think I make the best turkey dinner in the world.
Z – Zoo Animal Favorites: Tigers! I think I spent two whole hours watching baby tigers at the Mirage in Las Vegas. I took some video:
