Work today

Have to work this afternoon. This may or may not be my last shift. Have to talk to HR about June scheduling today. I may take another shift or two if they fall within the next week. Just to offset some of the last minute expenses and the mortgage.

One good thing is that the electric bill has dropped drastically. May go up this month because I've run the swamp cooler more to vent the house from paint fumes. But even that I have done only part of the day.

I need to test the window AC and make sure it works okay.

No need to wait. Just checked it and it's okay. Turned it on to vent, fan only. But the compressor works. I was slightly worried because some stucco wound up falling in the housing. Not a lot but wanted to be sure I did not need to take it apart and clean it out. 

Still waking up with congestion from paint fumes. I think I need to finish the floor in the office and start sleeping in another room. I feel achy all over and it's definitely from the fumes.

Once I go to do the floors, the fumes are going to be horrendous. 

Think I came up with a plan for that. Going to refinish the hallway up to the bathroom first. Let that dry. Then I can enter and exit through the laundry room while the rest of the floors dry. I'll be using the tablet and phone for internet access during that time, so I may not be able to access some functions. I shipped the wireless access antenna with the rest of the stuff. I can also isolate the ventilation to the office so I won't be breathing fumes in my sleep. Though during the drying time for the rest of the house I won't be able to access the kitchen at all. Better get some bottled water and remember to take the coffee pot and vitamins in there! 

Final stages in a few days will be cleaning out the fridge and cabinets. When I get to that point, I know I am seriously done. I keep telling myself I'm not far off.

What is going to be stressful for me will be showing the house. Going to let the agent do most of the talking but no doubt people will have questions. I've barely had any visitors while living here. I could count the visitors I've had in the past 8 years on one hand. That's how reclusive I've been. I do need to change that. 

As to quality of work I have been doing, I swept the bathroom this morning and it's a lot easier to clean than the old tiles. Checked the wall tiles in the kitchen and they are very secure. I'm proud of that! Looks like I did not need to worry about the foam brush strokes so much. As the bottom layer of paint has dried, any brush strokes have evened out and are barely noticeable any more.  This paint also has antimicrobial properties. 

The size of the wall tiles is strange. 17.65" x 17.65". I guess they figure the remaining of 18" would be taken up by grout? I'm using tile spacers that are 3/8", so I guess it kind of works out. I just checked. 3/8" equals 0.375", so yeah, it works out fairly well. 

So, next plans for tomorrow are to finish the kitchen tile, so the mortar can dry and I can grout on Fri. Also finish the office floor. Get daughter's room finished Fri or Sat. Do the tub and sink. The hardest part of that will be removing old caulking around the tub. I've removed some of it but not all. The whole tub, tile and sink have to be sanded but that will be more time consuming than difficult with the electric sander. Once those are drying I can move all remaining items into the office and daughter's room to get ready for the floors. 

I know, I may be overthinking all of this but I want to be ready for all contingencies. I made several mistakes about priorities early in this whole renovation process. At this point, I can't afford many mistakes. 

Stopping early

Stopping work on the house early today. I'm tired.

Got some really good progress today. 

Finished the bathroom except for the tub. So painting, underlayment, vinyl tile, baseboards and new fixtures (matching towel rod, hanger, toilet paper holder and face towel ring) in place. 

Office underlayment is down, ready for vinyl tile.

Entryway is almost done. Ran out of vinyl tile.

Largest kitchen wall is 1/3 done. Should have put the damn tile saw together before I started. Was not counting on having to cut tile until I get near the cabinets. Turned out the gas line is right against the wall and you have to go from the floor up. Had mortar mixed and some tiles set already, so if I waited the mortar would have set in the bucket. Still, the part I got done looks really good. And I did put the tile saw together once I finished with that. 

The wall behind the stove had gloss latex paint on it, so I figured I should knock some shallow holes in the wall to make mortar hold better. Did that, grabbed the putty knife to scrape hanging pieces off. That's when the paint (multiple layers over many years) began peeling off. Okay. I started peeling and it came off in large sheets. Before long, most of it was gone. Now the mortar should hold much better, between the holes and the bare sheet rock. Glad I did that or the weight of the tiles could have pulled the paint loose, so tile and all would come crashing down. These are large, heavy tiles. 

I can finish the tile on Thur. The 1/3 of a wall only took a little over an hour. You have to work fast with mortar or it will solidify. 

I'm guessing I'll have to spend between another $150-200 and I'll be done. All of it should be done by Sat evening. Sun I can work on the yard. Maybe do the floors on Monday. List the house Tue or Wed, depending on when the floors are finished. That's all an estimate but should not be far off at this point. 

Nothing much

Not much to write about this morning. Nothing changed overnight. I just make writing a habit.

Feeling much better today. Think I should be able to accomplish a few things. Woke up a bit congested thanks to paint fumes. Airing the house out now. 

Going to get down to business in a few minutes. If I start at 10 and keep going until 8, that will be 10 hours to get things done. Though I do give myself the occasional break. On average, maybe 10-15 minutes every couple of hours. Sit, have coffee and cigarette and check messages. 

Yes, I get a lot of messages.

I still have to recoat the counters this morning. Reconsidering using the sprayer because of the fumes. The foam brush strokes aren't too noticeable and seem to flatten out as the paint dries more. I don't have a good method of ventilating, since I only have one small fan and I use that while sleeping. 

Going to see how far I get with my self-described tasks for today. If I get enough done and run out of materials, I may go ahead and run to Home Depot today. I doubt I will get through that much in one day, though. Not with enough time to go, come back and accomplish anything more today. I'd much rather do things right than quickly and I have no idea how long the tile will take. 

Turns out I can use the sink. I just have to be careful not to splash water. Can't wash dishes or use the two counters which are painted. 

That's enough writing. Gotta get busy.

Good progress

Made some good progress today. 

Got two of the three kitchen counters refinished. Unfortunately I will have to lay another coat on tomorrow. Once the paint dried, some of the old finish showed through faintly. Think I'll use the sprayer for that because I can see strokes from the roller. Instructions say recoat within one hour (which I did) or after 24 hours. It still looks good, though. Better than the old beat up finish and will match the tile nicely. A granite or marble finish would have looked better but would have cost a LOT more. 

Got all the staples and nails pulled out of the office floor. Seemed like a few thousand. Ready to do the flooring.

Ripped out the old flooring from the bathroom. Laid the underlayment and almost finished with the vinyl tiles in there. Bathroom is more complex but smaller. The office is larger but simpler. 

Spot painted throughout the house. 

Looks like I am way short on vinyl tiles. I forgot that I only got some of that with the intention of doing the bathroom and front entry first, then get the stuff for the office. 

So tomorrow I'll do the rest of the bathroom, the entry way, underlayment for the office and start on tile for the walls and fireplace. Checked today and I have clearance, so just going to lay the new tile in the entryway over the old tile. No need for new underlayment or scraping the old tile up. It's even enough, just the finish is worn.

I work on Wed, so go to Home Depot before work again to get final supplies. I can do daughter's room and the office floor while the tub, sink and other counter are drying. 

With 3 days for those to dry I can probably get the yard done, too. Though it will take half a day to scrub the outside windows. 

No matter what, almost done here. 

Down side to all of this- I can't refinish the floors until everything else is done. Going to need the sink or tub. Have to figure out how I am going to travel through the house while the floors dry once I apply the finish coat. That's one thing I have not figured out yet. Have a few ideas but making sure I work out all details first. There's no second chance for that one. 

Interim post

Moving slowly so far. However, got the counters cleaned and applied filler in most spots that needed it. One spot will need more but waiting for first coat to dry so I can build it up effectively. It's a corner with a missing piece of laminate.

Now the bad news. Have to figure out how I can basically do without using the kitchen for six days. The counter paint instructions say it has to dry for 3 days before actual use. Maybe I should do one side of the kitchen today and the other side later. 

Of course, the six day statement is because the sink will also take three days to dry. Since I have to tape one during painting, then the other, that's six days. 

So, if I do the sink side today, I can do the sink and the other side of the kitchen on Thur. No matter what, I have to get started on the counters today. 

The laminate filler I'm using is not as fast drying as the brands I saw in instructions online and this brand has no instructions stating a drying time or even what kind of thinner/solvent to use for cleaning. Luckily, it washed off the putty knife with hot water. (But I bought an extra putty knife yesterday.) Give it another 15 minutes or so and apply more. That doesn't hold me back. That spot is opposite the sink. Just want all of it dry before I start sanding. 

Once again, happy for the air compressor. That will help clear out dust from sanding. 

Gotta get to it.

Feeling better

Feeling better this morning. Woke up earlier but made myself go back to sleep longer. (For once that actually worked.) 

Some pain comes and goes but not nearly as bad as yesterday. 

So, today and tomorrow I'm doing flooring, baseboards, tile, wood trim and counter tops. Probably some touch up painting as well. I still have a feeling I'm going to need more supplies but going to take what I have as far as it goes, so I have a better idea of what I need for the final stages. 

Once all the above and finish painting in daughter's room is done, then I can refinish the tub and sink. 

Any way, I know I can get things done today. Not sure how fast I can get them done. Hopefully physically I'm at full speed. But the work itself is not straight forward. I still have to scrape old caulking from counters, fill gouges and sand the counters. Have to clean the wall behind the stove. Pull out staples from the floor in the office and put down barrier in spots. In the bathroom I have to pull out the old tiles and put down a barrier before the new tiles. There was no barrier before, which lets any water that hits the floor to seep into the wood. 

Going to have some coffee, watch some videos, catch up on news and then get moving. 

Nothing done

Not going to get anything done today. 

Most symptoms including bleeding stopped. But between the obvious and loss of sleep, I am exhausted. Went to the store for a few things and that alone wore me out. Rested, went out and picked up some stuff in the back yard to put in the trash. Exhausted again. 

So, making some chicken and dumplings for dinner. Just having that, juice and cannabis oil. I should feel better in the morning. 

Watch some videos. 

Going to bed really early. I'd go to bed now but don't want to wake up at like 2 AM. 

Food poisoning

I rarely eat while at work. Last night I had time and got hungry. Went and got something from Arby's during my lunch break. Two sandwiches, ate one and saved the other. 

Later in the evening, I started feeling very tired. Thought allergies, so took half a Benadryl. 

Got home and ate the other sandwich. Went to bed a little later.

Woke up a couple hours later with crippling pelvic pain and nausea. Ultimately turned into profuse sweating and diarrhea. 

Still having the pain, less and intermittent but there. Short of breath, exhausted. And I'm crapping blood. What happens when you have UC and food poisoning.

Just took some arrow root. Hope that helps soon. 

May not get much done today. 

License and timing

Worked tonight. Few people have remarked they thought I was gone already and led to a few discussions.

That led to a realization. I am far better off financially because of the way things have played out. I just got my AL license on 5/17/17. Which took 6-7 weeks. And I had no idea how long it was going to take until I got it. 

If I had moved before this, I would not have been able to work the few shifts I have been working. Meaning no additional income for living expenses. In fact, it would have meant a LOT less money. Because I would not have received my PTO. I had to agree to work the PRN shifts to get my PTO. 

Meanwhile, my living expenses would have been higher because rent is going to be more expensive than my mortgage payment. 

So I would have had higher expenses, no license and no income with less reserve to fall back on. 

As things play out, now I can at the very least see if I can sign on to work PRN at the Genesis facilities in Montgomery until I find stable full-time employment. Even is the facilities suck, it's income. 

I've always said things work out for me in certain ways for a reason. I may not see the reason at first (and sometimes never do) but there is usually a reason. Now I can grasp the reason. Some may call it superstition but I'll stick with it. Happened too many times for me to deny it is there. 

I was considering possibly annoying the neighbors tonight. Just because I was thinking of sanding counter tops to get them ready for refinishing in the morning. I figured the laminate filler would take hours to dry. Then I looked it up. No need to do that tonight. Apparently this filler dries in about 15 minutes. Some reviews say it dries so fast that you have to finish with it quickly to avoid it drying while working with it. Okay. Not opening the tube until I am ready to apply it. Going to use my crappy putty knife for this one, just so I don't risk ruining my good putty knife if it dries too fast. Yes, I have a favorite putty knife. Bite me. 

Decided I want to get the counters done next so I am done with the kitchen counters. Probably go ahead and do the tile as well. I need my kitchen back and to get rid of the extra crappy table in the workshop. 

No doubt I will wake up slightly late in the morning, since I worked tonight. Can still get in 7-8 hours of work on the house for the day. 

Asocial tendency

Biggest reason for my asocial tendencies is simply conflict. People genuinely look for conflict. 

I have no problem engaging in conflict when there is a purpose to it. At the same time, I have no problem walking away from conflict when it does not serve any constructive purpose. Fact is, I consistently take the side of logic and reason. Human rights are logical. Humanitarianism is logical. 

I find far too many people today actively seeking things to be offended by. Just the smallest misused word sets them off. Just asking a question which makes them think or question their views may set them off. 

Or it doesn't have to be that deep. One coworker said they had several days off in a row. I've never had any conflicts with this person. Never socialized with them outside of work. Nothing negative had happened in the course of the evening. I asked what they had planned for their time off and they responded, "That's none of your business!" All I could say was, "Um, okay." Everyone else present was taken aback. The person could have said, "Nothing" or "It's private". I'm not going to carry the issue any further. Just let it go. Anything else would be illogical. I figured I was engaging in normal human conversation. 

But this is happening everywhere and I do not understand it. Maybe I don't want to. 

Has it always been here and I am just waking up to it? Has it gotten worse because of social media? 

In any case, that's a big reason I tend to be isolationist. I'd rather just avoid all the drama. If I socialize it is to find people I have things in common with, not to find confrontation for no reason. Even if there is disagreement, I prefer conversation over argument. I always have and always will. 

Further planning

My pay went in the bank this morning. Took me back up to a decent level, so even once the bills are paid, I should have $6000 in the bank. Wish it was more but the shipping is paid for, so that's the biggest expense of the move. Not expecting getting to AL will cost much. 

Long as I can stay near that number (working 3 days this coming week helps) I can invest a little bit more which I was questioning. I have reached the point where I am more carefully counting what I spend. 

One big thing I have been debating is renting a floor polisher (buffer). It costs $45 a day to rent. Doesn't sound like much if it truly is only one day. For a while I was concerned it could take more than one day to get the floors all done. Now I figure I have little enough in the house that I can finish the floor in the office, finish daughter's room, move absolutely everything into those two rooms, rent the buffer and get all the floors done in a few hours. May run a bit more than that for pads or attachments. But that, two gallons of sealant and a couple of $1 sponge mops will let me refinish the brick and hardwood floors through the house. 

That alone would make a huge difference in the selling price. 

Right now I am reconsidering going up on the asking price to $116k, which would give me a round $40k profit on the house, making my penny pinching and effort pay off nicely. 

Okay, I need to get moving. Take a bath and go to Home Depot before work.

Calling it early

Calling it early today. Not enough energy to continue. Knees hurt. 

Got the baseboards, doors and frames finished except for daughter's room. There I had to do some patching which has to dry before it can be completed. 

For the office, most of it had no baseboards to begin with. So I will be installing those. In daughter's room, there are baseboards, so when the carpet was removed it left a gap between the baseboards and the floor. What I have to do is try removing them and lowering them. That all depends on if I can do so without breaking them and what I find behind them. With this house, that would be anyone's guess. 

Years ago when working on the vents I found beer bottles. In another place, I found old newspapers stuffed in the walls. (The mice thank whoever did that.) In one wall I found a mouse nest that included children's socks. (Not daughter's.) The other day when cutting in the wall of the closet in the office I found cigarette butts and a whole joint or roll-your own cigarette. (Did not smell like pot but may have just been too old to tell.) And of course there is the apparent shrine cut into the wall of my closet. 

Any way, I am happy with how it is coming along. Walked through the house and it looks good. Just standing and looking down the hallway it appears SO much different and so much better. 

With the black paint, it's not just decorative. There's a very practical side to it. Baseboards, doors, door frames. These are all areas of a house that get dirty rather easily and are difficult to keep clean. Add in black outlet and switch covers and it should be easy to keep looking nice. It also looks very modern, mixed with the classic stucco.

Can't do a lot tomorrow morning as far as physical labor, since I have to work in the afternoon. Have to go to Home Depot before work for a few things. Maybe before that I'll label all the circuits, which I haven't done yet. 

I did install a couple of the 1x3's as new baseboards. They look good. Could of them are warped. That teaches me if I buy more to check the lateral bend. If they're bent so they may stick outward, I can bend them back and nail them really well. I can probably use parts of these for shorter lengths. 

Okay, while writing this I went into daughter's room and looked. No need to pull the baseboards. I can use black caulking to cover the gaps and it will look okay. 

Just going to take it easy the rest of the evening. Unless I get OCD looking at places I need to spot paint. Obviously, that's bugging me right now.

Final stages of painting

On the final stages of painting. Get the baseboards and last few doors and frames done today. Then all that's left of formal painting is done. Technically, refinishing the counters, sink and tub are painting but very different from regular painting.

After this, the only painting left will be touch-up spots where I messed up. Just being OCD.

Once done with this I can start on tile and doing the above refinishing. If possible, start on tile today. 

Woke up late because I woke several times during the night. Last time had a hard time getting back to sleep. Feel okay though. Even my knee is fine, though I haven't tried crawling on the floor yet, like I will be doing in a little while.

It really does look like Tue is a good estimate for being done with everything. If not, not going to stress over it. It will not be long after that. I know I will be here on the 1st, so I will have to pay the mortgage. 

If here for a while, I can pick up more shifts at work. I've turned a few down to work on the house. That would balance finances better. At that point it would cause no problems with my health because I won't be doing heavy work on the house any more in addition to the job. Stress my play a part but I am less stressed working PRN shifts, knowing I will be leaving at some not too distant time. I know the place is not going to change. I hate adopting the mentality of "Sorry, nothing I can do" but sometimes it's necessary for my own survival. 

Sometime I need to go to the auto salvage for a rear window, which I never replaced since Nov. And need new front tires, which I'll buy used. Not trusting of current tires making the trip to AL. Rear tires look okay. And I have a doughnut spare for emergencies. (Once the car is loaded, changing a tire will really suck if it happens.) 

Almost 9

I did get back to painting but did not finish all the doors and frames. Kept going until I ran one gallon of paint empty. By that time, it had the consistency of something like tar or creosote. 

I still have most of one more gallon of black indoor paint. So enough to finish everything. 

Not going to go into depth on politics. Just say that the budget and policy proposals right now are horrendous. Some people are not going to survive the next 4 years. That's just in the US. In other countries, we will be actually murdering them. 

There is one up side to this. If we survive this as a country, we will see a massive shift to the left. I knew it was going to take something this bad to get people to move left, though I have fought really hard for it to be avoided. 

Millions of people are going to lose health insurance. Most of us will see premiums go up so high that we cannot afford insurance at all. Or we may have insurance but deductibles will increase so that it shows no benefit, period. (I've already been in that position.) 

Millions more will lose food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, child care, jobs..

The worst part is that Demoncraps (my new name for Democrats) are just as bad as Republicans. In CA, the Democratic party literally told Progressives at a town hall to "Get the f*ck out". The Progressives had a majority but the DNC had superdelegates and have actually vowed to defeat universal healthcare in that state. It's part of the Democratic platform to defeat universal care in CA. 

Then there are the voters loyal to the DNC who support this garbage. Give it time. The effect of these actions and policies will trickle upward. 

But we will see bloody riots in the streets long before that becomes apparent. 

It's coming. Not far off.

No baseboards done yet

I did not get to the baseboards today. My knee was a lot more sore than I thought, once I got up and moving around. Especially on the ladder. 

I did scrape the excess paint on the outside of the windows. That too a lot longer than expected because there was a lot of old caulking and stucco (not mine) and paint, which seemed to be oil based and hard as stone around the edges of the windows from past owners. Inside the windows took a little over an hour for ALL of them. 

Any way, since my knee was sore, I started on things which put less stress on my knee. Painting doors and door frames, including the arches. Each one took two coats because I'm painting back on top of white. 

Got most of the doors and frames completed. Only three doors and four frames left. Today I painted four doors and 11 frames or arches. Plus the carved posts just inside the front doorway. 

Have to say on that, I am really happy. The house is truly looking the way I have wanted it to look. Almost. 

I may still go ahead and finish the rest this evening. I had to soak all the painting supplies because I was painting for so long I had built up dried paint on the roller tray which was in the way. That black paint is the thickest paint I have ever used. 

Probably won't write any more this evening unless it's on more introverted subjects. 

Much better

Slept really well last night. Woke up for a short while but got back to sleep okay. No shoulder or knee pain this morning. Chest congestion is gone. 

Think I'm going to start the day scraping the excess paint on the outside of the windows. Do that while it's still kind of cool outside. Want to finish that just for emotional reasons. Once again, helps motivation to see something fully completed. Even if I look around at things I have not yet completed, I can look around at other things which are completed. 

So at this point the wiring is completed, as is the stucco, sheet rock and most of the painting. Along with packing and shipping. The cinder blocks are rearranged. Solarium taken down. Wooden fence is down. 

Those things may not sound like a lot but when I walk around the inside and outside of the house, room by room, it really shows. I know how much I put into it, which is a lot. 

Uncomfortably numb

I kept my activities rather light today. My body was screaming out for a day off but I did not completely give in. 

Got the outdoor window frames painted. While doing that, my shoulders got so bad that both arms went numb from the shoulders down. Got so bad I could not control my right hand for a while several times. 

Then got the outside of the doors done. Including the door to the shed, which had to be painted because daughter had painted runes on it. People house hunting may take them as witchcraft symbols, so that had to go. 

Scraped all the excess paint off the inside windows. 

Avoided doing much on my knees for fear if my knee gave out like my arm did, I'd be like a turtle on it's back, unable to get up. I'm getting older but not quite to that point yet.

Went to Dollar Tree. Of course the one nearest the house did not have the knee pads. Oh, well. Just have to deal with it. Starting on baseboards and door frames inside tomorrow. Hoping that goes quickly. I already taped a few areas to have a head start. If I get that done early enough, on the the office floor.

Thur I'll work on daughter's room and tile. 

I'm working Fri and Sat plus next Wed. So I decided I'll get my shopping list together, be ready for remaining items to buy and pick that stuff up before work. Anything left undone can be finished Sun, Mon and Tue. Work Wed and (if I haven't by then) get the house listed next Thur. 

At this point I am definitely happy to be getting finished. I am sick of this. 

Yeesh

Woke up several times during the night. Woke up late with signs of a respiratory infection. Or maybe just irritation from paint fumes and dust. 

Not feeling so hot but knee and shoulders feel better. Took a bunch of medication and vitamins. 

No matter if they help, going to get moving shortly and get as much done as I can. Really hope to be completely done with painting today, aside from daughter's room. Maybe even there. I am bored and frustrated with painting now. I need to get to other tasks. 

Seriously want to get one more area finished besides the sunken living room. Just for motivation. Once I get the window frames painted, that will be the outside of the house finished (counting the yard separately). 

Guess I'm being impatient now. I know once I finish painting and can get various rooms actually finished things will move really fast. Because then each room will fall like dominoes. 

I've said that I am anxious about this in a negative way. However, I am also anxious to get to AL, see my daughter and talk with her. I want to get things straightened out with her. This situation is tearing me up. 

Signed on for two shifts this weekend. Just a practical matter. Maintain some kind of income and keep my employment with the company continuous. Then I could just transfer when I get to AL. Though the company retains seniority if you go back to work with them within two years of discharge. Not even sure I want to work at any of their facilities there. I'd much prefer to tour them before deciding. Working 4-6 shifts a month maintains my basic living expenses now, since I've turned everything off but basic utilities. I eat on as little as $3 a day. Hardly drive anywhere. Think my last tank of gas lasted a month, maybe more. 

I know I said I would not try and estimate a date of completion but I do think I can be done with everything within one more week. Keep saying that but I've had blinders on before. Now I have gotten enough done that it seems more realistic.

I definitely have examined just why I am taking so long with this. Other than obvious complications, I have taken into consideration that I could have sold the house for a lower price by now. Part of it is not wanting to get less than I owe on the house, which is a valid concern. Then I'd be paying on a house I don't live in for who knows how long? But I want to make a profit. If I have to do all this work then I'd like to have something to show for it for security. Part of it is pride because I want to leave the house in much better condition than I moved into it. And for whoever buys the house to not have any major problems for a long time. I want people to be able to invite friends and family in the house as soon as they move in and be proud of it. Like I wish I could have. 

When I first moved in, I was getting the house into a condition I could have been proud of. Then the power went out, I had employment problems and from there it all seemed to go to shit which I never really recovered from. I'm hoping AL will be a new start. I've lived like a pig at times here and am not proud of it. That's not who or how I am. 

Less than expected

Well, did not get to the tile. Didn't even get everything done I had hoped for today.

Biggest issue was my knee. Can barely walk on it now. However, went to get new light bulbs for the kitchen. Managed to do that. It took two trips to Walmart. Came home with the first bulbs, one worked, one didn't. Went back. Stood in customer service line twice. Finally got home and the replacement worked. Kitchen looks a lot better with lights.

Painted the wood pieces as planned. Got the bathroom vanity painted.

Went to do the outside window frames. Turned out a lot of the old caulking was cracked and falling apart. So had to scrape the worst of it off and re-caulk. That had to dry before I could paint it. So I worked on the inside, instead. Got all the window frames painted. Plus spot painting. Still have to get the baseboards and doors after the outside window frames. As far as I can think of, that will be the end of the painting. 

I did figure out one time saving step. Taping the windows would have taken forever. (Plus I am not impressed with the performance of masking or painter's tape.) Before painting, I painted liquid laundry detergent on the glass. Once the paint is completely dry, a razor scraper takes the paint off like a ripe banana peel. 

Had to buy new curtains. The blackout curtains I had disintegrated when I washed them. I only need one set of curtains for the living room. Pissed me off that the curtains could not be washed. The brand is Eclipse and I will never buy that brand again.

So tomorrow I'll start with the outside windows while it's still somewhat cool. Then get to the baseboards. I may take a trip to Dollar Tree first. They sell knee pads. May be a good idea but I don't think kneeling is the problem. Squatting is more of a problem. So they probably would not help. Never mind. 

Found out they make black caulking. Put that on my shopping list. That was a big problem when I did the sunken living room. Some of the baseboards have gaps between them and the floors. With the baseboards being black, white caulking shows up badly and I don't want to leave the gaps there. It lets bugs in. Though sure a lot less bugs invade the house than when I moved in. Hopefully when I'm done, almost none will get in. Though I won't know about it. Oh, well. 

It still really sucks that I am getting all this stuff done just to leave. I had planned on finishing all this stuff this summer. Painting, wiring, stucco, plaster, flooring. Finally had the money for it. I admit time would have been an issue. Working 5 days a week and spending 2 with daughter. Would have taken me longer but I still would have gotten it done. Finally. 

Light day

Taking a light day. I'm sore all over, especially my shoulders and right knee. 

I also woke up with a lot of congestion, probably from paint fumes. Have to air the house out really well today. I still have more painting to do today but a lot less than two full rooms which ventilate where most of my living activities occur. 

Have to go shopping for a short while, any way. Light bulbs in the kitchen burned out. Both of them. One was out for a few days (I didn't even notice at first) and the other burned out last night. Fluorescent bulbs. Ugh. Couldn't have waited until I sold the house, eh? 

No matter what, I am setting the goal of finishing trim painting and at least part of the tile today. Maybe wood trim and new bath fixtures (towel rod, etc.) 

Reflexively I still keep thinking of taking the dog for a walk because it has been part of my schedule for so long. Just thought I would take him for a walk as soon as I come back from the store. 

Last few days I have been working on the house for 10-11, even 12 hours each day. Scaling back to around 8 for today. Maybe 9. 

Some things absolutely have to be done in order. I was taking a bath and thinking of installing the baseboards. Then realized I have to do the floor first. Then realized I have to paint the vanity before tile. (Okay, I don't HAVE to paint the vanity first but it's the best choice.) Get that done today, put it right up front on painting trim. After the things I will paint outside. 

Have to mail the child support today. Can't be entirely sure if I will be in AL by the 1st. Even if I am, at least the ex will have the check in hand. Something I don't like being late with. 

Gotta get going to the store. 

Primary painting done!

The primary painting for the whole house is done, inside and out! Finally!

Just touch up and trim painting left to do. 

Today took a long time because the kitchen had to have multiple coats. Kitchen walls get badly discolored over time. Besides, I had places where plaster wasn't even, so I had to use the electric sander to smoother those spots before I could even begin painting this morning. Ever want a really NOT fun job? Sand plaster an a ceiling.

I'm happy. It all looks really good! 

I would love to get started on the tile and flooring but I have to finish the paint first. I don't want to do the tile and floors, then wind up screwing it up with paint and going back again. But I think I can get done with remaining paint early tomorrow and get started on tile and floors. 

Never got the wood pieces outside to paint today. Do that in the morning.

I actually have the energy to do more tonight but my right knee is killing me. Had trouble with that knee on and off for decades and know if I keep pushing it I will pay for it for days. 

I know I'm going to need more supplies from Home Depot but I'm going to keep going as far as I can, so I know exactly what I need and make that the final trip. 

Sore

I feel pretty good today. Just sore from all I did yesterday. Won't stop or slow me down today.

Had a hard time getting to sleep but got enough sleep. 

Figured something out. I sometimes forget to take arrow root at night. That seems to make a huge difference in how I feel in the morning. Have to remember to take that. Taking it in the morning does not make up for it or takes hours. I think it actually decreases inflammation. 

Decided I am not going to bother postulating for now on a completion date for the house. I'm close. Just going to push as hard as I can and get as much done as quickly as possible. 

Today I am working on the kitchen and front living room plus the entryway. That will be the last of the primary paint. Start doing trim painting.

Now I need to prioritize what order to finish the rooms. Most important I think are the kitchen, bathroom and front living room. Areas where I do most of my living activities. Probably have a psychological effect as well. The more I can see my progress, the easier to remain motivated to complete the rest. Of course, the worst part of that is paint fumes. Swamp cooler helps with that during the day. 

Hmm. Come to think of it, bathroom tub and kitchen sink need to be done sooner or later. Can't do them effectively Tue or later because I won't really be able to cook or bathe for 3 days. Crap. Going to be using the garden hose. Maybe eating takeout. Or I can finish the kitchen tile and eat microwave food. Or better to do those just before having to work? Then I'll be here less and it will be less intrusive. 

I'm confused.

Going to lay a bunch of stuff out front in the driveway today to paint black. Not windy today, so that helps. 

Okay, I need to get moving.

Sunday is a no go

Looks like I will not be entirely finished tomorrow. Not long after, though.

I kept going from 9 AM until now today. It's now 9:16 PM and I just stopped. I did take 2-3 30 minute breaks during the day but that's all.

Got the bathroom walls painted. I like the color I picked, it looks really good!

Got my bedroom done. 

Was going to do the kitchen but ran out of drop cloths, had to run to Dollar Tree. Then I had to move all the remaining stuff out of the kitchen. Just going to leave it that way until I refinish the counters. Swept and mopped so the masking tape will stick for the drop cloths. Scrubbed the heck out of the counters. Removed the sloping drain board I had installed. I did a better job of installing it than I had thought. Hard as heck to remove. Nothing ever leaked under it. Bad thing was the rubber mat I had on top, which kind of dissolved into place. Nothing I could do about it, hence the removal. 

Now I have a bunch of silicone sealant on the backsplash which won't come off. Looked up some videos and it seems there is such thing as silicone sealant remover. However, one video from a handyman showed him using WD-40 and comparing to the remover and the WD-40 worked as well or better. So I sprayed some WD-40 on the silicone. Let it sit overnight and try removing it in the morning. 

Sold the small air compressor, cement mixer and portable swamp cooler today at $20 each. Gave the grill away. True to form, my worthless freaking neighbor (A DIFFERENT one in his 50's and has lived with his mother his entire damn life.) comes over and asks if he could buy all three (total $60) for $40. Plus he had just picked up the grill. I said no. Then he even mentions it was his mother who wanted to buy them and she would probably sell at least some of the items. Fucking really?!!! And trying to get MORE shit for free?!!! Plus he first said $40 was all they had. And spending it on this? Then when I said no he offered $50. I demurred from saying, "I thought you only had $40? Where's the rest coming from?" He bought two items and walked away. Someone else came and bought the cooler for his daughter a short while later. Glad someone got it that can actually use it. 

Gonna get to bed early and get up early to do it all over again tomorrow. I'm exhausted.

Miss the dog

May as well call the dog by his name. Spot. I miss him. Mostly routine stuff. I go to the sink and expect him to be watching me through the window. In the afternoon, part of my brain reflexively thinks, "I need to take Spot for his walk!" Morning and evening I pause my routine, thinking I need to feed him. 

I hope he is happy with his new family. 

Checked the paint in the office. Need to do some touching up. It's all the same shade of white because the new paint matches the old. Different reflective properties though. There are some spots it looks like I missed. 

Woke up early this morning before 7. I tried and succeeded in getting to sleep a little early last night. Going to get moving early, probably around 9 and just keep going for 11 hours on the house today. Get as much done as I can. 

Actually going to start with the bathroom because I'll have to switch colors from the rest of the house. Most rooms will remain white. 

Need to put a couple of ads on FB for the cement mixer, small air compressor, portable evaporative cooler. Just going to give the gas grill away. Try to get those things done today because tomorrow will be hotter. 

Check around and make sure I am completely done with sheet rock. The excess sheet rock I will put out and see if anyone picks it up. 

So, this is an example of why I write. Yes, I could just make a to-do list but this helps get my mind in order better. 

I'm actually a little excited about doing the tile work. See how good I am at it. But other things have to come first.

Most of plans

Well, I got the touch-up plastering done today. That took longer than estimated because I forgot I needed to go over spots in the kitchen. 

Got the office and the hall done. All except for the small spot in the hall. 

Did not get to daughter's room. Using that for storage and for the air compressor because it's so loud. Turned out (late in the day) that using a paint roller was actually faster than the paint sprayer. 

Going to try and get the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living room done tomorrow. 

Figured out I can speed things up a little bit by painting the new baseboards I'm installing before I install them. Then all I have to do is spot paint any cuts and staple points. (Just going to use the nail gun to fix them in place.) 

Then I have to shuffle things around a bit. Get the office floor done so I can use the office for storage instead of daughter's room. That's where I plan on leaving surplus renovation supplies for whoever buys the house. I do have excess wiring, paint and a few other things. 

Not going to bother painting the closets, though I need to do something with the ceiling of the closet in daughter's room. It has had a gap since before I moved in. I think just a piece of plywood or foam insulation would be good. 

I may not be done by Sun evening but pretty close. By Sun evening I think I should be getting to the window frames. Then get to the floors. 

I admit my health problems slow me down a bit. First few hours I am awake I have gut problems. Not crippling or extremely painful but fatiguing. Then I have to give myself a solid stopping point, which is 8 PM. If I keep going after that I'll have immense difficulty getting to sleep. Then wind up just waking up later. Wish I could keep going until I was completely exhausted like I used to. 

Only reason I keep writing is to keep my motivation and organization up. Nobody reads my blog. Hell, I write it and even I never read it unless as a reminder of a date, detail or reminder of plans. Can't quite imagine why anyone would read it. Boring as hell. 

Cold in May

Middle of May and it's cold. Right now, almost 9 AM and it's 45 degrees outside. I'm wearing a sweat jacket and had to turn the furnace on. 

I can imagine what the climate change deniers are saying. No grasp that this is a sign of climate change. They better enjoy it while they can. 

I expect some truly massive storms later this year.

Checked some of the areas I plastered yesterday and really proud of one area. In the office, the walls are basically not textured. Once you cut into that and have to patch it, it is really difficult to make it blend in without texturing the whole room. I managed it! It blends in so well that once it's painted it will be almost invisible!

Of course, the areas I expected to crack have cracked. I'll get to those spots today. 

Now I can start painting. I'll start with the office. I can paint the whole office except for a few sq ft which have to have plaster touched up. Get daughter's room done, which will take more effort because of the murals. Since I will be here when people come look at the house, I can offer to paint over the murals if they prefer. That would make me rather sad but just have to deal with it. Can do most of the hall, again except for a few sq ft. Can get the bathroom walls done today. Maybe at least some of the tile in the kitchen. 

Have to go through and re-label the circuit breakers. After resetting the cables, they're not in the same places they were. That's not difficult but annoyingly time consuming. Have to run an extension cord and a lamp from each room while I turn each circuit breaker off and label them. 

One big job is going to be painting the window frames inside and out. If time is an issue, I'll do the front ones first, so I can take pictures and get the house listed. I can still keep working on the rest afterward. All the trim areas are going to be difficult but worth it. 

I do expect that I can be done with everything or close to it by Sun evening. 

Politics and society- Funny how people call me confrontational. I always focus on facts and logic. I refuse to argue with people that argue for the sake of argument and have no facts, no rational thought processes going on and willfully ignore or try to invalidate facts using what amounts to opinion and superstition. They are the ones who become overly aggressive, insulting and even violent. 

I have been called a Communist, a Russian puppet/troll/agent, an idiot, a moron and worse. All for presenting or demanding facts and evidence on various subjects. 

Yes, a civil war is coming. It's already here but will explode sometime soon. Probably this year. Most likely in the heat of the summer. That's when most riots occur. Explained why to someone not long ago. This civil war is going to be between those who can think rationally against those who cannot. This will have a lot of crossover because some people can think rationally on some subjects and not on others. The media is making all of that worse instead of better. 

Interesting thing on that is that the MSM (main stream media) has lost 40% of it's viewership in the last few years. They don't state those numbers. They just report percentage of existing viewers. They have also increased their advertising rates, so they are charging more to reach fewer people. I'm surprised their advertisers haven't called them out on that. However, to a large degree, the advertisers have changed. Big advertisers now are weapons and airline manufacturers. That's not pushing for direct sales. That's pushing a political agenda. Building support for war machines. It's also a bribe to news outlets to cover warfare favorably. Boeing and Raytheon are huge advertisers on news channels. Their viewers never notice, never ask questions. 

Most Americans are not remotely aware the dollar is falling internationally. Why? Because it's not reported on MSM. All they hear is how great the dollar is doing. More and more countries are turning away from the dollar. Now, while the US is spending $trillions on warfare and becoming more nationalist, China and Russia have been investing money in the "Belt and Road Initiative" which increases global trade and creates millions of jobs globally. Peacefully. Which improves diplomatic ties with other countries. Americans will never see the fall of the dollar until it hits rock bottom. You can even tell them but as long as their paycheck appears the same and their stocks are up, they will remain in denial. 

Walls

I got the walls all closed up today. Sheetrock is all done except for one spot in the hallway. That's a small spot.

Most of the plaster is done. Have to do some touch up tomorrow because some places had to have some pretty thick plaster. I know that will crack. Plus a few spots kind of sink in a bit, so need another layer once the first layer sets. 

Got slowed down by a couple of mistakes I made. Like cutting through and electrical cable with the angle grinder, making me have to rewire an outlet. Bummer. Just glad I had all the supplies needed. 

Someone adopted the dog today. They seem like they will give him a very good, loving home. The girl was the main one who wanted him and she is a pre-med student. I miss him already but it can't be helped. 

So, tomorrow I can start painting in the rooms that do not need touch-up plaster. 

Already moved the bed and plastic sock drawer into the living room. This is where I will be sleeping for a while. I may move the bed into another room to make the first impression better when someone walks in. 

Going to give it a real solid push to try and get the whole house and yard finished by Sunday evening. 

Chills

Well, that's not good.

Woke up sweating and with chills. I got chills. They're multiplyin'. That and a backache. The chills and sweating have stopped.

That's okay. Still going to get the rest of the sheet rock done and start on other tasks today. 

Before I finish my bedroom, I have to move the bed and everything else out of the room because of all the dust that it will generate. Probably a good thing. What I have intended all along was to consolidate everything into as small a space as possible before putting the house on the market. Leave most of the house empty for people to view it. 

Think my best bet is to start at the far end of the house at the office and daughter's room and work north. That will make it easier to contain the mess and keep tools and such consolidated. 

Almost

After writing earlier, came down with diarrhea. Not sure why. Know it's not food poisoning. That interfered with getting things done. I did eventually force myself to get some stuff done but still feel like crap. 

Did not completely finish the sheet rock today but I am down to just my bedroom. Got the pass through between the kitchen and living room closed up. Which I guess is really two rooms, opposite sides of the same wall. Each room had to be done separately. 

So, I can get the bedroom done tomorrow morning and then start on either tile or painting in rooms which are dry. 

Who knows? I may be able to finish the inside of the house by Fri evening, after all. Okay, I doubt that but close! 

The parts I am saving for last are the bathtub, sink and counters. Because the special paints on those have to dry for as long as 3 days with no use. Oh and refinishing the floors. That's going to be a big job. 

Okay, let me shoot for Sunday as being finished. Probably more realistic. 

I am going to be really proud of the house when I'm done. 

Licensed!

Just checked and as of today I have my AL nursing license! I've been checking daily and it just came up with today as the active date. Funny thing is that it expires 12/31/17. I guess all licenses in AL end on that date. Bet they have problems every January. 

Got to Home Depot for the sheet rock and couple of small items.

Crap, the cost of those small items sure adds up.

Glad I'm almost done with the house. Funds are depleting. Not dangerously but enough for concern after I get to AL if I'm not careful. Glad I worked a couple of shifts. On the schedule for one more next Fri. I may pick up one more. Four shifts would offset the mortgage and child support. So damage would be minimized. 

Taking a short break, then get back to the sheet rock and plaster. Want that completed today. 

Almost

Got most of the sheet rock done today. I have 2 closets and 2 rooms left to go. Plus some touching up. Got slowed down because some places were a bit more complex that I anticipated.

I was not exactly slacking. I did the living room, dining room, laundry room, daughter's room and the office. Yes, I had a lot of holes in the walls. Didn't look like it in most rooms except my bedroom. 

On the up side, looks like I did a good enough job in the office that I won't have to plaster the whole room as I had feared. 

I also installed the outdoor outlet for the back yard. Ran to Walmart for the wall anchors. Only need to install a couple of brackets for the cable, which will only take a few minutes. Cable is hooked up and outlet works, brackets are for electrical code and safety. 

I may have to go to Home Depot for some larger pieces of sheet rock because I only have smaller pieces remaining. One of the rooms left is the kitchen, which needs a large sheet. 

I'm guessing I won't be done by Fri evening as I had hoped. Maybe over the weekend.  

No sheet rock

Okay, I did not get the sheet rock done today. Or the plaster. 

I did finish the wiring to the service entry panel. That took a bit of work but finally done. I do still need to install the outdoor outlet box. Unfortunately, I shipped my wall anchors or gave them away. Get some at Walmart tomorrow.

Got the light fixture installed in the laundry room. I have not had a working light in that room (unless I used a lamp) for as long as I've lived here until now. Very happy that's done. 

Had to run to Raks, much as I hated that. They charge way too much. Two of the conduit connectors I had on hand were the wrong size. 

The heat got me for a while. Plus humidity was down to 9%, officially. So my sweat dried so fast it never had a chance to cool me down. Once I got the power back on it took a couple of hours for the house to cool off. 

Still not feeling great. Definitely some kind of infection in my system that wasn't specific. I know some was respiratory but not completely. Still have joint aches. Walking hurts my knees. But better than it was. Had some bowel problems as well but won't go into that. Gone now.

So, I'll get the sheet rock and as much plaster done tomorrow as possible. I think I can get all of it done in one day. I hope. If so, then do the tile work in front of the fireplace. Have to paint the rest of the kitchen before I do the tile in there. 

Being done with everything by Thur or Fri seems less likely, as little as I got done today. It is still possible, though. If not, then finish on the weekend and I can still get the house listed early next week. 

Lack of sleep

I was awake last night until after 2. Yet woke this morning before 8. So only got about 5 hours of sleep. No idea why I woke so early.

Not feeling too tired from it. Get moving on the rest of the wiring here shortly. 

Sprained my right thumb yesterday all the way down the wrist. Not sure how that even happened. Not bad, just painful. No affect on function. I will expect my grip to be slightly weak. Not the first time I've done this. Just avoid heavy lifting, which I wasn't planning today any way. 

Still hope to get the sheet rock finished today. If that happens, I think I should be done with the house by Thur or Fri evening. Put the house on the market next week. 

It's a scary thought.