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August 27, 2008

Wednesday, 8/27/08: Curly-cue


Wednesday, 8/27/08: Curly-cue
Originally uploaded by kayay5
The way this picture turned out is interesting. It's the new slipcover I bought for the free, ghetto loveseat I have. It's actually a dark chocolate brown-on-brown pattern made from the texture of the material, not from any contrasting colors. It's far more subtle in person, and the way it looks here must be due to the way the flash hit the material. Anyway, I really kind of like it. Gen, I hope you like it too! *g*

[Totally unrelated, I currently have two kitties licking each other's faces. It's absolutely the most adorable thing ever in the world, and I wish you all could see it.]


Theme: Details

Posted by kate at 08:40 PM | | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 8/26/08: Bookworm


Tuesday, 8/26/08: Bookworm
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I don't have even a fraction of the number of books Gen has, but I have too many for the few shelves I have designated for them. And can you believe I've acquired nearly all of these since moving into the apartment? It's a sickness, I think. I spent Tuesday unpacking and organizing, and I realized that I either need to buy another bookshelf, or give up one of my "knick-knack/picture frame" shelves in this bookshelf. I have a few more books to unpack, even. Decisions, decisions.


Theme: Details

Posted by kate at 08:31 PM | | Comments (0)

Monday, 8/25/08: Illuminated


Monday, 8/25/08: Illuminated
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I'm a sucker for details. I buy shoes with cute material on the inside that no one will ever see. Jackets with interesting lining. Clothes with special little touches. The detail on this light is what sold me on it. I'm still bothered by the fact the glass is that sort of dirty-looking tinted material (it looked frosted white on the box), but I do enjoy the fancy bit there. I'll see if the glass grows on me.


Theme: Details

Posted by kate at 08:27 PM | | Comments (0)

August 25, 2008

Sunday, 8/24/08: Panthers


Sunday, 8/24/08: Panthers
Originally uploaded by kayay5
Continuing with the weekend's tradition of school-related nostalgia, it has apparently been 16 years since I "graduated" sixth grade. That's an entire person-who-can-drive's lifetime! ACK! I feel old. Nowadays, sixth grade graduation seems to be a huge deal, but when I was there? We finished up the school year without any hoopla and moved on to junior high. *shrug*

I don't know if my year was the first class to have these plaques made up, or if they're removing them one by one to make room for the current class. Still, it was neat to see it hanging there, with all my elementary school classmates' names. The school finally took down the quilts we'd made (each student designed a square), which was sad! My mom now teaches at my old elementary school, so it's kind of fun to go back and see what changes and what stays the same. I know for a fact that everything is much smaller than it used to be. :D

Posted by kate at 06:07 PM | | Comments (0)

Saturday, 8/23/08: High School... again

So, it's been ten years since I graduated high school. SCARY. And bizarre. Out of my class of 650-something, about 250 showed up to the reunion. It felt very much like a freshman year Homecoming dance for the first bit, while everyone sort of trickled in and then stood around squinting awkwardly at people's name tags. *laugh* It was actually pretty nice, and I got back in touch with a few people I hadn't talked to in the last decade. I also got to hang out with a good chunk of my "group" from high school, all in one place, which hasn't really happened since I moved away, so that was fun. There were several people I would've liked to have seen who didn't come, but maybe I'll be able to track some of them down anyway. All in all, worth the trip home, I think.

Also going along with the high school dance theme: Em and Frank and Gen and I all drove together, and we met at my parents' house. My dad made us stand on the front lawn in a line and took our picture. Definite flashbacks. *laugh* Oh, Dad, I love you...

Posted by kate at 05:56 PM | | Comments (0)

Friday, 8/22/08: Peanut!


Friday, 8/22/08: Peanut!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I spent Friday at Jamie's, meeting baby Brendan. Isn't he the cutest little peanut you ever did see? Six weeks old and such a love bug! It was great to catch up with Jamie and to get to meet Brendan--I can't wait to see him again at Christmas!


Theme: Sun Son

Posted by kate at 03:34 PM | | Comments (0)

Thursday, 8/21/08: Neighbors


Thursday, 8/21/08: Neighbors
Originally uploaded by kayay5
It's so nice to have my grandparents right next door! I'm able to see them so much more often when I'm home than I would if I was driving out to Wheaton to see them.

I arrived from Canada on Thursday morning without too much trouble. [Left Nadine's at 3:15am, arrived at the airport at 3:45. The ticket counter didn't open until 4:00. I was through by about 4:02, but then security didn't open until 4:30. We waited while the security guards had a grand old time until 4:30, and I was through by about 4:33. Customs didn't open until 5:00. Again, we waited until they were open. I'd been at the airport for over an hour, had spent about five minutes total doing actual things I needed to be doing, and the rest of the time was spent waiting for things to open. Annoying.] /rant

I went to lunch with ex-coworker T, and then came home in time to go to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the rest of the family. Grandma and Grandpa had officially closed on the sale of their old house, so they took us to Emmett's to celebrate. Yum!

Posted by kate at 03:30 PM | | Comments (0)

August 23, 2008

Wednesday, 8/20/08: Wicked!


Wednesday, 8/20/08: Wicked!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
We spent Wednesday wandering around downtown Ottawa, and on a whim, went over to the Arts Center to see if there were still tickets available for Wicked that night. They were sold out, but we were reminded that there's a lottery held two hours before show time. So we filled the time downtown and headed back to enter the lottery. At first, there was no one there so we thought our chances were probably pretty good. Then, as the time drew nearer, flocks of people came. There were at least 100 others there, and 10 names to be drawn.

The sun was certainly shining on us, though, as they called my name about seventh out of the ten. Woohoo! We had seats in row A, close enough to see the detail on the already-amazing costumes. The last two times I'd seen Wicked, I'd been much further back, so it was really neat to be so close. I also went to the theatre for the first time ever dressed in jeans. *shudders* I know people do, but I always, always dress up. This time, it wasn't planned and there wasn't any time to go get changed. Oh well! It was a good time, and definitely worth the no-sleep I got afterwards. *g*


Theme: Sun

Posted by kate at 08:15 AM | | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 8/19/08: At long last!


Tuesday, 8/19/08: At long last!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I commented on how several of the gas stations had maple leaves as their logos, and Nadine gave me a questioning look. I pointed out the one gas station (I forget the name), and then said that the Canadian Tire gas station had also had a maple leaf. She laughed and told me that Canadian Tire is much more than a gas station. And boy, was it! It's a very cool *everything* store. I don't think there's an American equivalent to even compare it to, but it was pretty awesome.

And, um, the skies are blue and the sun is shining again after Monday's rain?


Theme: Sun (sort of)

Posted by kate at 08:08 AM | | Comments (0)

Monday, 8/18/08: Rain, rain...


Monday, 8/18/08: Rain, rain...
Originally uploaded by kayay5
It was a good thing our pool party was Sunday, because the skies opened up on Monday. All of a sudden, there was thunder and lightning and a downpour. After wandering out of the kitchen, we started hearing something clicking against the windows. Hail! There was hail bouncing off the deck along with the rain. It was actually pretty cool; the last time I saw a real thunderstorm was probably four years ago, before I moved to California. It seems that even when we get rain (which is rare), it just rains. No cool weather to go along with it. So, yes. Neat weather in Canada!


Theme: (lack of) Sun

Posted by kate at 08:01 AM | | Comments (0)

August 22, 2008

Ottawa

I uploaded a bunch of pictures from my Ottawa trip to visit Nadine. They can be viewed in my Ottawa set:


[Click to go to the album]

Posted by kate at 08:19 AM | | Comments (0)

Sunday, 8/17/08: Pool Party


Sunday, 8/17/08: Pool Party
Originally uploaded by kayay5
It was more than awesome to meet Vero and Minette--FINALLY!--at Nadine's pool party Sunday for some Fun in the Sun.


Theme: Sun

Posted by kate at 06:59 AM | | Comments (0)

Saturday, 8/16/08: Exhaustion


Saturday, 8/16/08: Exhaustion
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I arrived in Ottawa without trouble, but also without sleep. There was a point when Nadine and I were sitting in her living room, and we both were fading fast. We realized we either had to get up and do something, or give in and take a nap. We opted for doing something, as to not waste a minute of precious time. *g*

This is one of her adorably sweet and awesome dogs, and that's exactly how I felt. I could definitely have just flopped onto my back on the floor and laid there for a minute. Or several hours. Y'know.

Posted by kate at 06:54 AM | | Comments (0)

Friday, 8/15/08: Carpet!


Friday, 8/15/08: Carpet!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
CARPETING! After many, many trips to look at carpet and price it out and get estimates, I ended up going with Empire. Not only because 588-2300 EMPIRE! has been in my head since I was two, but because they A) install next-day, as advertised, B) were actually the least expensive by about $200, and C) MOVE FURNITURE. We didn't have much upstairs, just the beds and my dresser, but the other places required us to empty the rooms first. Where do you put things if the entire upstairs is getting carpeted? As you saw in earlier pictures, there was NO ROOM downstairs. None at all. And with them moving the furniture, I assume they put it all in one bedroom, carpeted the other, and then switched. That was definitely the clincher right there.

Also, their carpet met my requirements: soft, nylon, decent face weight, higher-quality pad. *nods* I'm happy with my purchase. They installed Friday while I was at work, and I had about two hours to enjoy it (and struggle up the stairs with the larger, two-people-required furniture) before I had to leave for the airport, but now we can actually MOVE IN!


Theme: Moving

Posted by kate at 06:47 AM | | Comments (0)

Thursday, 8/14/08: Box o' Random


Thursday, 8/14/08: Box o' Random
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I promise, this'll be my last picture of moving madness. At least for now. *g* Don't you love the random collection of junk? Metal roses, unused cat dish, flower pots, extension cords, etc. Can you tell we're organized packers? *laugh* We were, actually, until it got down to the last bit. The Junk Left Over.


Theme: Moving

Posted by kate at 06:38 AM | | Comments (0)

August 21, 2008

Wednesday, 8/13/08: Vacant


Wednesday, 8/13/08: Vacant
Originally uploaded by kayay5
In contrast? My EMPTY apartment. Goodbye, 4444, you were a good home! Also, I loved giving my address. 4444! If only I'd been living in apartment #4. Someone does. Lucky. Anyway, the apartment is empty and cleaned and our keys are turned in, and cross your fingers we get our security deposits back. There was no damage, so we'd better!


Theme: Moving

Posted by kate at 08:49 PM | | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 8/12/08: MORE stuff.


Tuesday, 8/12/08: MORE stuff.
Originally uploaded by kayay5
MORE stuff! OMG, I cannot wait to be rid of the stuff! WHERE DID IT ALL COME FROM?? Jeez.


Theme: Moving

Posted by kate at 08:45 PM | | Comments (0)

Monday, 8/11/08: Corridor


Monday, 8/11/08: Corridor
Originally uploaded by kayay5
Our carpeting wasn't replaced, so we couldn't move *anything* but the beds upstairs. Frustrating? Discombobulating? YES. Holy cow. We did not have nearly the organization unloading the truck as we had loading it, so everything was just kind of... piled. The number of times I climbed over the mountain of stuff to reach something, man. NOT the ideal way to live, for sure.


Theme: Moving

Posted by kate at 08:40 PM | | Comments (0)

Sunday, 8/10/08: Moving Day


Sunday, 8/10/08: Moving Day
Originally uploaded by kayay5
There was SO MUCH TO DO, OMG. We had lots of help, thankfully. Elaina and Danny came down from Santa Barbara, Phil came up from Redondo Beach, and Zen, Ryan, Jessie, and Sean all lent their much-appreciated helping hands. We have the best friends in the world. Really. I don't think we could've done it without Ryan's truck-packing genius! He made everything fit so perfectly that we managed to haul more than we'd anticipated. It was a long, hot, sweaty, tiring day. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Posted by kate at 08:20 PM | | Comments (0)

Saturday, 8/9/08: When in doubt...

... take pictures of the lion cat. Seriously, they are my default when there is nothing left to take pictures of. I apologize! Again!

On this day, we cleaned the condo like mad women with the help of S, shampooed the carpets, scrubbed every surface, and then rushed home to see Eddie Izzard at the Kodak Theatre. They didn't allow cameras in (not that I would have tried to take a picture, even), but I'd thought I might get a picture of the sign, or something. But I had to leave the camera in the car, and thus did not get any fancy shots. Anyway.

Posted by kate at 08:16 PM | | Comments (0)

August 12, 2008

Thursday, 8/7/08: And... GREEN!


Thursday, 8/7/08: And... GREEN!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
Paint! On the walls! Almost a week after we started painting, one room is FINISHED. Wow. I'm really excited about this room. I never thought I'd do green walls, but I love them. I have big plans!

The kitchen, however, is very blah. I don't like the pale yellow. I might have liked it better if it wasn't covering every square inch of walls/ceilings/molding. As it is, I'm making it my mission to get rid of it all. I'm not entirely sure what to do with the kitchen, though. There's not a lot of wall to be painted there, just that strip above the cabinets, mostly.

What do you think? Should I continue with the green? Paint it cranberry to match my couch? Do another color entirely?


Theme: Changes

Posted by kate at 10:41 PM | | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 8/6/08: Haircut


Wednesday, 8/6/08: Haircut
Originally uploaded by kayay5
Because my vacation is coming up, I wanted to get my hair cut. Part of me was looking at everything I need to get done before I leave, and I knew I just didn't have time to take an evening off from that. But the other part of me decided that a one-day break was not only okay, but necessary. So. I got my hair cut.

I look like I don't like it in this picture, but that's not true at all. I actually like it quite a bit!! But none of the pictures were turning out, so I was getting frustrated.


Theme: Changes

Posted by kate at 10:34 PM | | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 8/5/08: Final preparations

Everything was taking sooooo looooong to do. It was ridiculous! We thought we'd be *finished* by this point, and still no paint on the walls. Oy. But the final preparations were finished! The new part of the wall is primed, the moldings and floorboards are taped, and everything's ready for there to be paint.

You guys are going to be SO SICK of seeing condo pictures! I apologize. Except, as long as this place consumes my life, I'm not going to be able to stop using it for Pictures of the Day. =/


Theme: Changes

Posted by kate at 10:16 PM | | Comments (0)

August 08, 2008

Monday, 8/4/08: SUCCESS at last!


Monday, 8/4/08: SUCCESS at last!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I bought a new doorknob and deadbolt, and the guy at Home Depot assured me that the installation was easy as pie. Sure, you can do it yourself! No problem! Riiiight. Well, Gen did do it herself (while I taped off more of the living room), but it was not no problem. It was a lot of problem! She installed everything, and then couldn't get the knob to latch. Finally, after some time and a bit of creative finagling, it all worked.

The door and jamb still probably need to be replaced at some point, since it kind of looks like the door was once kicked in and repaired, but it'll do for now.


Theme: Changes

Posted by kate at 10:26 PM | | Comments (0)

Sunday, 8/3/08: Exhaustion already

The theme of the week is Changes, but this picture shows that change is slooooow in coming. We'd been painting for two full days by the time this picture was taken, and the progress looked like nothing! Zilch! Sure, we had primed and edged and painted ceilings and caulked just about every seam and joint in the place. But none of that work was obvious.


Theme: Changes

Posted by kate at 10:20 PM | | Comments (0)

Saturday, 8/2/08: Painting!


Saturday, 8/2/08: Painting!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
... And the painting begins! One of Dad's first tips (actually, I think it was in large print on the front of his packet) said that painting *always* takes longer than you think it will. Dumb me thought we'd knock out most of it over the weekend, and the rest we could handle easily in an evening or two after work. WRONG!

Day One consisted of preparations, taping, and priming. My cousin Phil came to help, which was unexpected and wonderful. He singlehandedly got a coat and a half of primer on the tall living room ceiling, and I don't know how he did it without complaint! The half-coat of primer that remained and the first coat of paint almost killed my neck; Gen had to do the second coat of ceiling paint to save my head from falling off.

Anyway, yes. Painting takes longer than expected.

Posted by kate at 10:17 PM | | Comments (0)

Friday, 8/1/08: Secret message...


Friday, 8/1/08: Secret message...
Originally uploaded by kayay5
This picture can only be explained by the fact that I was watching a first season Smallville episode at lunch, and also that I found this Secret Message Bubble Tape Dispenser while packing. I think I got it for Christmas last year, and I forgot all about it. It was kind of fun to play with it for a bit. Or maybe I'm just a dork. *g*


Theme: Random

Posted by kate at 10:09 PM | | Comments (0)

Thursday, 7/31/08: Painter's Kit


Thursday, 7/31/08: Painter's Kit
Originally uploaded by kayay5
When I mentioned to Mom Tuesday that I was going to start preparing to paint, she quietly warned me not to buy anything, because Dad had "put together a few things" for me. That "few things" ended up being a Beginner Painter's Kit, which was completely, amazingly awesome. There was just about everything I needed to paint, with the possible exception of a long pole for the roller, and a ladder, neither of which would've fit into the box very well.

The best part of the kit was Dad's five-page collection of painting tips, which were extremely helpful. One of them even reminded me that I'm not a professional painter. *g* The second-best item in the kit was that little red hand bucket there. It's got a magnet that holds the paintbrush for you while you climb up and down the ladder! It's light and easy on the hand and was definitely the most convenient tool we had.

Isn't my dad the best? THANKS, DAD!! :D


Theme: Random

Posted by kate at 10:06 PM | | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 7/30/08: Packing.


Wednesday, 7/30/08: Packing.
Originally uploaded by kayay5
This is the state of our living room. TERRIFYING! We've already taken over several trips of stuff to the condo. The sad thing is, there's SO MUCH left to pack! It's only been three years that we've lived here! How did we accumulate so much? Insane.


Theme: Random

Posted by kate at 06:57 AM | | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 7/29/08: Weh?


Tuesday, 7/29/08: Weh?
Originally uploaded by kayay5
When it's crunch time and you don't have anything to take a picture of, a picture of a cat never fails! She was all curled up and adorable on the bed, and the moment I turned on the camera, she woke up and glared at me. How dare I disturb Hour 22 of her daily beauty rest?

(For the record, as I type this she's curled up and purring on my lap, so I think she's forgiven me.)


Theme: Random

Posted by kate at 06:54 AM | | Comments (0)

Monday, 7/28/08: Buggy


Monday, 7/28/08: Buggy
Originally uploaded by kayay5
This week's theme was a non-theme: Random. Coming home from... somewhere, this little guy was just chillin' on this flower. He waited patiently while I searched for my camera, fumbled around, and took a few pictures. Isn't he cool?


Theme: Random

Posted by kate at 06:50 AM | | Comments (0)

August 07, 2008

Sunday, 7/27/08: Roommate Swag


Sunday, 7/27/08: Roommate Swag
Originally uploaded by kayay5
It's totally a tradition now. The giant Swag Bag is good for holding lots of things, including roommates. This year's wasn't as ginormous as last year's, but still sufficiently large. They had a different one each day, too. On the one hand, it was new and exciting to see what bag would be out and about. On the other hand, it caused much angst when that day's bags were "sold out" (they're free, but y'know). We spent all day Saturday trying to get Elaina the Buffy one! We were successful, but it was touch and go for a while there. And I'm happy to have gotten my hot little paws on this Supernatural/Smallville one. Yay!

Posted by kate at 10:51 PM | | Comments (0)

Saturday, 7/26/08: Geeksville!


Saturday, 7/26/08: Geeksville!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
So, Saturday was Comic Con. it was fun! The weekend felt like it lasted an entire week, there was so much jammed into a day and a half. We saw panels on Futurama, The Simpsons, Dean Koontz, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Chuck, Smallville, and Supernatural. We also saw the X-Files movie. All told, it was pretty cool. We already have tickets for next year--can't wait!

Posted by kate at 10:42 PM | | Comments (0)

Friday, 7/25/08: Beads


Friday, 7/25/08: Beads
Originally uploaded by kayay5
This isn't so much on the week's theme, but I was waiting for R to pick me up to head down to San Diego (he was a bit later than I'd thought) and I just started taking random pictures of things. I kind of liked this one.

Posted by kate at 10:36 PM | | Comments (0)

Thursday, 7/24/08: Not broke!


Thursday, 7/24/08: Not broke!
Originally uploaded by kayay5
July 24th was the day my condo officially became MINE--after almost a week of back-and-forth, fix this before we'll fund, fax that over right now... craziness. And I suddenly felt the weight of all that debt! I've gone twenty-seven years without owing anyone anything, and now there's this huge balance that will take me more years than I've been *alive* to pay back. But it's nice to know that however broke I may feel, I have at least eighty-seven cents here! Which will buy me... three gum balls and even leave change! That's gotta be good for something, right?


Theme: Comfort

Posted by kate at 10:32 PM | | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 7/23/08: Connected


Wednesday, 7/23/08: Connected
Originally uploaded by kayay5
I'm not even ashamed anymore to say that I absolutely have to have my cell phone with me to feel human. If I forget it at home, I'm sure I'll get lost or be late or get into an accident or *something* that will require me to have my phone, and I get all twitchy and anxious. Its presence alone is enough to give me peace of mind. Sad? Absolutely. Oh well.


Theme: Comfort

Posted by kate at 10:22 PM | | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 7/22/08: Mmmm.


Tuesday, 7/22/08: Mmmm.
Originally uploaded by kayay5
My addiction to Diet Coke is no secret. It has been featured in several pictures over the last two years, I know. But it is my comfort 'food'. Especially my stressed-out comfort food. It's probably doing horrible things to my insides, but hey. Everyone has a vice, yes?


Theme: Comfort

Posted by kate at 10:18 PM | | Comments (0)

Monday, 7/21/08: *curls up*


Monday, 7/21/08: *curls up*
Originally uploaded by kayay5
This? Is the most comfortable place in my entire house. It is my lovely pillow-top mattress with feather bed topper and soft sheets. Perfect.


Theme: Comfort

Posted by kate at 10:13 PM | | Comments (0)

Sunday, 7/20/08: Comfortable?


Sunday, 7/20/08: Comfortable?
Originally uploaded by kayay5
So, wow. I can't believe how far behind I am at posting pictures! This particular week's theme was... Comfort? Comforting? Comfortable? Something like that, and I'm ashamed to say I've actually forgotten what the theme was. *shakes head*

Anyway, Monet looks very comfortable, and also she is comforting, because I can snuggle her. Even though she hates it, she lets me. She's a cool cat like that.


Theme: Comfort (I'm deciding)

Posted by kate at 10:10 PM | | Comments (0)