So this officially puts me one day behind where I want to be…
3 minute read
February 11, 2004, 1:47 AM
After the successful room-stripping yesterday, where I took down all the wallhangings in the entire room, now we have to patch all the nail holes.
And why does this put me back a day? Well, the spackle I found in the garage turned out to not be nearly as fresh as I’d hoped. I figured it was still nice and squishy like it should be on the inside, but noooo… it was tough and rubbery, and not even a little water could fix that. All I made was a mess, which I had to then clean up. So that puts spackling back a day, as I now have to buy some fresh spackle after work. I have a nice putty knife set that I got at work tonight, but no spackle. Excellent planning on my part. NOT.
Also, just so you know, if you really want some great values on this stuff, the brand you want to look for is “Mainstays”. I’m currently swearing by it. And when it comes to light bulbs, you want “Great Value”.
Still, once I get some spackle, I’m slathering it all over the walls in here. And this place needs a lot of it.
Continue reading…Categories: Bedroom remodel, Roads
Reminds me of many “last days” in Potomac Hall…
2 minute read
February 10, 2004, 1:48 AM
Logically following from the cleaning was the un-decorating. That took minutes to do, followed by a quick de-nailing, as I pulled out all the nails that held in all the pictures.
Which of course also means that my 1994 redecorating job and later alterations are officially gone. That redecoration is now gone, and all that’s left are the nail holes… at least until I spackle ’em up. I’m going with a different decor scheme in the new setup. Remember – we’re leaving the kiddie room behind, and introducing the adult room.
Still, let me tell you… it really feels different in here without the wall decor. Reminds me of my final days in Potomac Hall. There, I took all the wallhangings down on Wednesday of finals week, and then totally moved out on Saturday of the same week. It felt really weird without the decor on the walls, and now it feels equally weird in here without it, even though I’m not going anywhere.
Categories: Bedroom remodel
Progress photos!
2 minute read
February 9, 2004, 9:09 PM
Well, I have some before-and-after photos for you to see. I finished the cleaning phase of this project and now the demolition phase can begin. In fact, I plan to take down pictures right after I eat dinner this evening. So let’s see before and after…
That is my room standing by the door looking towards the opposite corner. Big difference, eh? And now #2…
Categories: Bedroom remodel
I found a vintage mover’s sticker on the back of my bookshelf, if you can believe that…
< 1 minute read
February 9, 2004, 1:52 PM
And when I say “vintage”, I mean really VINTAGE. This was not from my family’s 1992 move from Rogers, Arkansas to here. Oh, no. That would be understandable, since that was when that particular bookshelf was placed in that corner.
No, this was from our 1985 move from Glassboro, New Jersey to Rogers, Arkansas. You want to talk about a vintage sticker. That sticker is as old as Sis – 19 years old. That’s amazing, if you ask me. It’s survived the move that it was intended for, the move to Virginia, and several rearrangements of that shelf. I am impressed.
And in case you’re wondering, how did I know which move it was? Well, the New Jersey-to-Arkansas move was done by United Van Lines. We used North American Van Lines for the Arkansas-to-Virginia move. So there you go.
Categories: Bedroom remodel
The video tape wall is clear…
< 1 minute read
February 9, 2004, 2:17 AM
That’s frightening. My video tape wall is clear. Total time? Ten minutes. Packed into two tubs. What do I have to say about it? It’s done!
And the waste products were light. Mostly just dust. Also, here’s a tip. Never EVER buy white shelves. That’s a major reason why these shelves are being removed.
Now all I have to do is clear off the top of the bookshelf and remove that, and then move the recliner out of the corner (where it was quickly stowed so we could put the futon in) and then clean around that area. Then also some miscellaneous de-junking of the desk, the dresser, and the area right in front of the dresser.
Then we attack the walls, clearing them. But not until I take progress photos.
Categories: Bedroom remodel
The bookshelf is clean now, and my, what a trip down memory lane it was.
2 minute read
February 8, 2004, 11:27 PM
So the bookshelf is clear. That’s an accomplishment. That thing hasn’t been totally clear since 1992 when we moved here. I’m taking the opportunity with this project to update my book collection. A lot of my kiddie books are going. Going where? I’m probably going to donate them somewhere.
And such a trip down memory lane it is, too. It took hours because I was revisiting old books. I also found old outdated textbooks from elementary school on there. See, when I went to Grimes Elementary in Rogers, Arkansas, they would simply give away old textbooks to the students when they were adopting a new book for a subject. So I have old reading books (second grade with Mrs. Cline), an old English book (fifth grade with Mrs. Bradley the first), and an old Social Studies book (fourth grade with Mrs. Maidt). In my sixth grade year at Stuarts Draft Middle School, we could buy old textbooks about to be retired for $1.00 each. So I snagged me a copy of my old English book (Mrs. Miller’s class), as well as the math book that I had with Mrs. Kucs (pronounced “kooch”). Now all I have to do is clear off the top, and we can put it into motion and move it on out. I’m getting a new bookshelf that’s taller but narrower (basically the same capacity).
Next thing I attack is the video tape wall, which is a set of five “built in” shelves that Mom and I put in some years ago, and are now hideously overcrowded and ugly. They never really had a defined purpose when we put them in. We just thought some shelves were a good idea (see the red flag going up?). So they went up, and have always been kind of unfortunate. So when that gets cleared out, the shelves are coming down.
Categories: Bedroom remodel
Slowly but surely, this room is going to get there…
< 1 minute read
February 8, 2004, 3:26 AM
So I’m nearly done with the cleaning phase of the job. I have three more areas to deal with. The bookshelf, the filing cabinet, and the videotape wall. All three areas, by the way, involve furniture that will not be reappearing when the job is done. And most of the stuff in these areas is crap anyway.
Also, my Metro map is officially on its way. In my new remodeled room, above the couch will be an authentic Metro subway map from 1996, an overrun from when they printed maps for the opening of Franconia-Springfield. I’m getting it framed at Picture Parts, a custom-framing shop in Charlottesville that does good work at a nice little price. Since these Metro maps are definitely NOT normal poster dimensions.
Then after that comes the demolition phase, when all the walls get cleared and the nail-holes filled. That will look really weird. But once we’re all done with that, we’ll paint and rearrange together in phases. And lastly, shampooing the rug, hanging new pictures, and calling it a job well done. Yaaaaaaay…
Still, I’m impressed. Some progress photos will be taken before too long. I’m also going to try to do my room as a worthwhile companion to Mom and Dad’s room, as I go for a slightly darker shade of color than I otherwise would…
Categories: Bedroom remodel
We went to Virginia Tech today, and so that was fun…
6 minute read
February 7, 2004, 12:03 AM
On my day off of work today, Mom and I went to Virginia Tech to visit Sis. Fun time it was. We did the typical visit-me-at-JMU thing from when I lived in Potomac Hall. We drive down. That’s different from the JMU part, because unlike going to JMU, where it’s a 30-40 minute drive, it’s two hours to Tech. This also makes it a much less frequent visit than it is for going to JMU.
But anyway, first we picked up Sis at her dorm. Mind you, her dorm is Lee Hall at Tech. The side of Lee Hall that faces the road is significantly lower than the road. So water pooled (about an inch or so deep, so this was a considerable amount of water) on the sidewalk in front of Lee. Yecch. And we find out how little that my sister has gotten to know the people she lives with. I’m waiting in the lobby for her, and these other girls pass through the lobby who presumably live there. This is also about the time I’m starting to wonder what’s taking her so long. I ask the girls, “Have you seen Ann Schumin anywhere?” Blank stares. Then Sis comes in before they left the room. I tell them, “That’s Ann Schumin!” They tell me they’ve never seen her before, and Sis tells me that they don’t live on her floor. To me, that’s no excuse. When I lived in a dorm, particularly freshman year, I was a little social butterfly. I got to know a lot of people in the dorm.
So anyway, the two of us waded through that puddle in front of her dorm, and then we get to the car, and go to the bookstore. Now the entire valley had a big ice storm with both sleet and freezing rain. So Tech was a bit icy. We go to Tech’s bookstore, which, as you’d expect, was filled with cheesy overpriced Tech merchandise. And Mom couldn’t find a “VT MOM” shirt. Meanwhile, Sis and I explored upstairs, to the “next upstairs”, which is a little convenience store, and then the “next next upstairs” where they sell the textbooks. Also highly overpriced. Sis showed me samples of some of the books she bought for this semester. Heavy. Also, the textbook area is a bit of a hazard, with it being “stepped”, and steps and ramps and dropoffs without railings in places. Can we say “lawsuit” if someone ever got hurt in there?
Categories: Family
Freezing rain. Just what I love driving in coming home from work!
< 1 minute read
February 6, 2004, 11:16 AM
Yeah, lovely drive home on Thursday. Kind of icy, and I forgot to get that hoagie that I wanted after work. This is a big hoagie. The sandwich is like 14 inches long, and five inches across, at least. I wanted to eat it, but forgot to get it…
Categories: Driving, Food and drink, Winter weather
And it’s sleeting. Greeeeeeeeeat…
< 1 minute read
February 3, 2004, 2:07 AM
It’s sleeting outside. I found out when I dumped out my trash at two in the morning. (Hey, I was cleaning in preparation for my redecoration, and the can was full.) So I heard that specific clinking sound of ice falling all around on everything. Just wonderful. Especially when we realize that it’s coming down pretty well, first of all, and secondly, that I’m going to have to drive in this tomorrow to go to work. Yaaaaay.
Categories: Winter weather
Somehow I know we’re getting six more weeks of winter…
< 1 minute read
February 2, 2004, 10:27 AM
My good friend Ellen Bowman Kokinda had this on her away message:
Thanks a lot Punxsutawney Phil for the crappy prediction……you suck
Somehow, I think the groundhog saw his shadow. And it doesn’t bother me… I like winter.
I had a professor one time who actually was a major groundhog fan, telling us how he used to keep a groundhog as a pet. He said he had to get rid of the groundhog when his wife said it was either her or the groundhog. Then of course he also said, “I celebrate Groundhog’s Day with a test!” A real one, worth 25% of the class grade. I kind of doubt the authenticity of his groundhog stories, but they were amusing at the time. But you never know for sure, since the guy was from Deerfield anyway.
Categories: JMU
My accomplishment for today, besides those mentioned earlier: The futon is out!
< 1 minute read
February 1, 2004, 10:06 PM
Yes, the futon is out of here. It’s on its side in Sis’s room across the hall for the time being so that I have room to clean and paint and such. It looks so weird in here without the couch. And it’s soon to get weirder, since the futon’s temporary departure makes room for more cleaning, since it blocked a LOT of stuff.
See, the futon was originally purchased for Potomac Hall. It had no place here, and actually spent the summer of 2002 in storage at Potomac Hall. It still really has no place in this room, and when it needed to go here, I shuffled things around rather quickly to make it fit somewhere. As a result, my recliner got blocked in. Now I can get that loose, and clean around there, and I can also clean around the other side of the couch. I need to take some more pictures just to show the progress of the cleaning alone.
Overarching realization: it’s amazing how much crap accumulates around here. I have some stuff that’s getting straight-up dumped. Other stuff is getting sold. Other stuff is being given away. And what’s left will fill my new “adult” room. I’m excited.
Categories: Bedroom remodel
Returned the Z-Coils, and got a Breda on my phone
< 1 minute read
February 1, 2004, 7:26 PM
Well, my saga with Z-Coil shoes came to an end, as I returned the shoes to the store, and the gentleman gave me back my check, which the store had not yet cashed. I felt really bad returning them, but I felt even worse that day that I wore them to work. Wearing my Airwalks and having the heel pain actually felt good after dealing with the Z-Coils.
And I repeat, they’re not bad shoes. Just not the right shoes for me. Some people swear by them. They didn’t work out for me.
Meanwhile, I figured out how to download pictures to my computer from my new cell phone and vice versa. So now I have a picture of the Charlottesville Wal-Mart on my computer that I took from the parking lot, and I have a picture of a Breda train on my phone that I took a year ago as my phone background. Now my phone is really me, and has personality.
Plus my ring-tone is “Funicula”, which I remember as a TV jingle for a board game called “Grape Escape”. So now my phone is really me…
Categories: Cell phone, Retail
And the cleaning continues…
2 minute read
January 31, 2004, 12:35 AM
And the cleaning continues. I moved the clutter line about two feet back or so from where it was an hour ago. I unearthed some decor items that were slated to go up in here eventually, or used to be up in my Potomac Hall rooms. I also unearthed a big United States flag that was still in its packaging that I bought at Pentagon City Mall on the day I did The Schumin Web Salutes America II back in 2001, but that I couldn’t hang up at the time due to space constraints plus reach constraints (I couldn’t reach the spot I wanted to put it). I also found a bunch of books that I’d forgotten about, including a Dave Barry book. The books-without-a-home pile is now about two and a half feet tall. They will go on the new bookshelf I’m getting (and getting it at Wally World along with all my other new furnishings).
The goal in this cleaning is not only to clean and get rid of a lot of junk, but also to ultimately reach my futon couch, which is at the far end of the room, next to the windows. This way, there’s a clear space all the way across the room, so that we can move the couch out and into “swing space” (i.e. Sis’s room). Then after I get the couch out, I can clear out the junk along the perimeter (we have only dealt with junk in the middle of the room and along one wall so far, but that’s a lot of junk), and then the un-decorating begins.
Categories: Bedroom remodel
And the Z-Coils are going back to the store…
2 minute read
January 30, 2004, 5:57 PM
It was a nice, expensive idea, but I’m returning the Z-Coil shoes. Sure, my heels feel great, and that’s what I bought them for. But geeeeeeeeeeez… that part of my foot felt great at the end of the day. But the entire rest of the foot was killing me by the end of the day. I’ll take the heel pain over the way everything felt at the end of today. Plus I think I was either on the verge of getting, or now have the beginning stages of a blister on my foot. Either way, the cure was worse than the problem. So scratch that and I’ll be going to get my $180 back from the store (did I say these were expensive as hell?), since they have a seven-day return policy, and I only used them on smooth floors so they’re still in new condition.
So I’m getting my money back. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and so I’m going to get my money back since I saved everything. Box, receipt, check carbon-copy, wrapping, everything. So there you go.
Meanwhile, I’m going to try a much less expensive method – I’m going to try some Dr. Scholls inserts that they sell at work and see how they are. And it’s a lot easier to return that way if it doesn’t work.
Categories: Retail