Home Project #492: Finishing the basement

So... its on.

PC and I have started the heated arguments discussions about refinishing our basement. At times, its been unpleasant, but I think we are starting to arrive at some common ground... finally.

Pretty much since we bought the house, this has been a topic of discussion. Mostly, it was me discussing it, while PC would stare passionately at whatever hockey/baseball/football game was on the television, but lately the conversation has become more engaging on both sides, such to the fact that my so-called dreams are now being scaled back to realistic plans.

The one thing I loved about the house when we bought it was the fact that the basement was unfinished - a blank slate - free to do whatever. we. wanted. - however, PC and I have different visions of what 'whatever' encompasses.

PC is of the opinion that the basement project, although it will be a lot of work, is pretty straight forward. Slap up some walls, do the electrical, plumbing, flooring, ceiling, sanding, painting... and VOILA, we are ready to move. in. the. furniture.

I, however, have my own dream for the basement. One that includes a kick-ass laundry room, built-in wall shelving units, a wine cellar, luxurious home office, state of the art theatre system, maybe a wet bar... everything this side of Hollywood, except the sign itself.

I know, I know. In projects of this size, you have to be practical, and PC has delivered on his end of the bargain. He really doesn't want anything too exciting, and for once, this is a problem (yes, its true, you can never please a woman).

The number one motivating factor in getting the basement done is actually to provide PC with an office. He's been working from home in third world conditions for over a year now, and I worry about the long term effects of bad lighting, poor air quality, etc. However, he seems to be managing, but I would hate for this to go on forever.

So... now, with the proper funds in place, we are ready to make it happen. We have already signed up to have the historic 130-O couches picked up with next week's garbage... and we are starting to clear out the other shit into the garage to make way for the delivery of building materials. BUT, while PC just wants to start, I want to take the time to make some actual floor plans and figure out what things will be like before we put in the first nail. (This so makes me my father's daughter - Mr. I won't put the car in the drive until I know exactly where I am going on the map - it was so frustrating to me as a kid, but the point being, he never did get lost!).

We did visit our neighbours last night as they finished their basement not too long ago, and I really fell in love with their layout. It basically had everything we I want, and it was actually nice to visualize the end result, as opposed to just imagining where the walls would be, and what it would look like after all the hard labour ahead of us PC.

I am starting to see that perhaps I don't need everything I was originally dreaming of... so this is a good thing, but I am still gunning for the kick-ass laundry room!

To be continued....

Coffee, Curling, Chiro

Here we are... Thursday and I haven't made a post since Sunday. Its been down right pathetic... and most of it attributes to that fact that I have been super busy at work, so much that I don't have time to make a coherent post (the days of boring old French training are long over), its back to the busy/crazy/political/frustrating world of government communications.

However... I am here tonight, in between periods of the Sens game, with a brief, mid to late week update. I titled this post 'coffee, curling, chiro', as this has basically been the theme of my week.

COFFEE
I am back on the coffee... hard core. I should have never even tried to go off of it, because its pretty much a non-issue. I love it and lately it has been the only excuse to get me out of the office for a 5 minute breath of fresh air. I actually use to take coffee breaks for granted. Long gone are the days where I could grab a coffee, have a short browse through the bottom floor of the Rideau Centre and saunter back to my office. Now its seems to be more of jog/run to Starbucks/Timmies and then right back to my desk, barely even noticing any of the books in the middle aisle at Chapters. Pathetic... but at least I get my coffee... still the highlight of my day!

CURLING
Back on the horse for one last weekend. Its the time of year in the curling world were teams dismantle or rejig their lineups for the following season, so everyone likes to try out so new combos before committing to anything serious. I was ready for the season to be over a month ago, but who could resist one more spiel before calling it a (rough) season! The nice thing about curling is that the majority of the people are fun, social, and entertaining, so you really can't go wrong wasting a nice weekend inside the club.

CHIRO
I have had an ongoing relationship with my chiropractor for two weeks now. I basically see him more than I do my husband lately, but the services he provides cost a bit more money than PC's going rate, however ... ACTUALLY, we will just leave it at that!

The chiro has me on some crazy treatment plan for my pinched nerve, and its actually been working out nicely (although it hasn't repaired the damage I did to the Escape!!!). I like getting an adjustment from the chiro because it feels great afterwards, except for the fact that I must go practically everyday for the first little while. After curling on Tuesday night, I saw him Wednesday... and he was like 'WOW, definitely a change in position here since you've been curling again'.

I didn't go to see him today, but my neck is hurting a bit. I think that these so-called adjustments are addictive, kinda like coffee, you don't necessary need an adjustment (coffee) but you want one because it feels (tastes) so good to have one. The chiro tells me I can continue his suggested treatment at my own will, but I think he damn well knows that he's got me, Mrs. Addictive Personality, for a patient, and I will be pretty much hooked on the adjustments after just a few, so that's probably the reason he prescribed so many in the first place!

Okay... now I am just rambling... but I think you can see what type of a week its been.
I am about to get back to the Sens game, and then try to watch some PVR'd shows before calling it a night - I think I need a coffee to get through the next few hours... and maybe an adjustment before my curling game tomorrow night - AHHH!

GO SENS GO!

Open Window Season

It's here... finally, my favourite time of the year.... open window season.

Since Friday it's been hot hot hot, not mildly nice, H.O.T. - I love it... because most of all I can shut the heat off and open the windows as wide as they go. I love having the warm breeze blowing through the house... it just puts me in such a good mood. If PC were here we would not doubt have the AC on, but I am taking this weekend to enjoy the warm weather, without AC!

This weekend, PC is playing hockey in Low, QC... while the rest of the neighbourhood is working outside to set up their patios, get their yards in order, etc. I spent the majority of yesterday scrubbing floors, and cleaning the house (while taking many breaks on the back deck in the hot sun). I managed to make a quite TO DO list for things I want need done around the house. The good thing is that I know PC can do them all, its just getting him back to the house and handcuffing to workbench that will become instrumental in making sure the list gets completed!

I will keep you posted!
Enjoy the rest of the nice weather!

Blaming it all on the pinched nerve.

Yesterday I had a free consultation with a chiropractor. I have never had any type of chiro treatment in the past so it was a whole new experience to me, and one that turned out to be quite educational and reputation saving.

Dr. Keith Ellard, from Glebe Chiropractic held a Discover Day in which he offered new patients a consultation, complete with a thorough exam and x-rays, free of charge. Obviously the FREE part was an effort to drum up business, but I also found what he had to say quite beneficial to my stiff neck and lower back problems.

The consultation was yesterday, and today, I returned to his office for a follow-up appointment to discuss the x-rays and treatment options, if necessary.

It turns out I have some work to be done on my neck - specifically I have a pinched nerve, which is not allowing my brain to receive proper signals from the nervous system (or something to that effect). I was not really into any of the chiro jargon that he was using, until he told me that the effects of the pinched nerve could result in random loss of balance, clumsiness, dizziness, etc., as the nerve endings on my spine are being pinched causing the brain to malfunction, resulting in the random loss of common functions.

DING DING DING!

Hold up Doc... let's define common functions for the general public. Do common functions include walking, talking, and say... backing up your car into the garage?

Yes... that's what I thought Dr. Ellard... backing into the garage door was merely a symptom of the pinched nerve, resulting in the loss of a common function, driving. I took it from here to draw my own conclusions, but basically if this problem had been corrected prior to yesterday's incident, I could have avoided the damage to the Escape altogether, and the fact that I am now the laughing stock of the neighbourhood!

The good news is that Dr. Ellard is the same chiropractor that PC has been going to for a few years. PC happens to have an appointment on Friday, and Dr. Ellard is committed to telling him that the damage to the Escape and garage door are a result of me not seeking treatment sooner, and NOT my own stupidity.

Dr. Ellard is my new favourite medical professional. I have a new found respect for chiropractic treatment and the work that chiropractors do. I believe they should start advertising, not only that they can correct errors to spinal problems, but also that they specialize in repairing marital issues, which result from lack of treatment.

I feel much better today about yesterday's situation, as I now have an excuse! I also believe I can milk this pinched nerve for all that it's worth. I will be telling my clients tomorrow: I wanted to review your communication products, but with my 'condition', I forgot - loss of a common function you see.... its highly common in patients with spinal cord conditions!

I love it!

BANG... oops!

Tonight after a long day of work, I raced home as I was hungry, tired, and just wanted to be in my comfy clothes, lounging around, enjoying the evening.

The drive was surprisingly not too bad, no crazy drivers on the road (expect me), and no need to lay on the horn, or flip anyone the bird - that translates into a pretty good drive to me.

As I arrived home, I backed into my driveway, like it was any other day, but to my misfortune, my everyday action would become quite unpleasant, and quickly!

As I was backing in, I was thinking mostly about what I would need to do first thing in the morning at work, when out of the blue my thoughts are halted with an immediate 'BANG'.

The following thoughts ran through my mind:
Was that a BANG?
It sounded like a bang.
That was bang!
Ooooooooooooops.

So I pull forward, and think that that the racks on the Escape have hit a chain or something in the garage. But then I smarten up and realize it must have been more then that... as I have backed in this garage easily over 200 times in the last 2 years and I have never heard a sound.

Like a good woman, I back in fully, immediately shut the car off, and push the button to close the door, but the BANG has not went undetected. PC is at the door within seconds, to which he asks:

Did I hear a BANG?
I heard a big BANG?

Panicking in his Tony Soprano type voice, he questions:
Did you hit the car?

Me... dumbfounded, I respond:
Ahhh, yeah I heard something but I think it was just the roof racks.

Although I was really thinking:
Easy Tony, I did not hit your Mafia car!

With his inspection already underway PC is up on the bumper checking the roof, while I am still trying to figure out what has happened. I look directly at the garage door as it is down and I see a slight peep of daylight shining through at the bottom. I point this out, to which PC inspects further, pushing the automatic door opener to get a better look. Sure enough there is complete separation between the middle of the door and the metal bar at the bottom.

I think to myself:
Ooooooooooooooooooooooops, major ooops.

But I am relieved that there is nothing more. PC gets out the hammer and realigns the bottom of the door, only to discover a further dent on the front of the door. Its not horrible, but its still bad enough... although the good news (at this point) is that there is no damage to the Escape.
I leave PC to further repair the door as I go inside to make dinner.

While inside, our neighbour from across the street makes his way over as apparently he and his young children have witnessed everything (PERFECT). He and PC discuss the incident only to further discover another, much larger, dent on the door, and one on the back door of the Escape.

Apparently, from what they can reconstruct the garage door was about half way up when I backed into it. It continued moving upwards while denting and scratching the top left corner of the back of the Escape. It appears that if I had been going any faster I would have shattered the entire window on the back door.

Perfect. Just. F#%$ing. Perfect.

So apparently my nomination for driver of the year might be in jeopardy after this one small incident - but seriously, it could happen to anyone... RIGHT?

I am super ticked at myself, I have never been so stupid in my whole life. To boot I have no idea what the damage for this major brain fart will be, but I can imagine its going to cut into my spring clothes budget.

Its been a bad day... so I am calling it a NIGHT.

Prayers are now being accepted for a better day tomorrow!
THANKS!

Coffee detox

This week I have been battling headaches... not migranes or anything serious, but the kind of headaches that rest on the front of your forehead, and although they are not painful, they are constant.

About Wednesday, I decided that I was coming down off a coffee high... a high I've been on for well over a year now.

Last weekend I was pretty sick and I did not want anything to do with coffee. I kept making my trips to Tim Horton's but for the green tea, not the coffee. I went 4 days without coffee, and on Tuesday when I finally returned to work, I didn't have time to retrive a coffee the entire day. I developed a headache Tuesday that reminded me of the headaches I had on Sunday and Monday... I didn't think much of them as I had been sick, but when the same type of headache showed up on Wednesday morning, I clued into the fact that I had not had a coffee since the Friday before.

5 whole days had passed and not a drop of coffee in my system. My body was telling me something... 'your coming down off the addiction' - at that moment I realized I was officially in COFFEE DETOX.

It was scary to think that the coffee was having such an affect on me... or more so it was NOT having the coffee that really affected me. I have never really owned up to the fact that I NEED NEED NEED coffee in the mornings. I like to think that if I wanted to quit I could, but since I like coffee, I don't want to quit, and that's why I continue to drink it, but again, if I really wanted to stop, I could (geez... I sound like my mother before she quit smoking 'I enjoy smoking, I don't want to quit, if I wanted to quit, I would, but I don't want to').

To test my theroy about the headaches, I waited things out until Friday morning, and when the headache arrived around 9 am, I dashed out of the office and secured a large coffee to soothe the pain. Sure enough, within 20 minutes my headache was gone and I was off to a productive work day (including overtime, which is a whole other blog topic).

I made the mistake of telling PC my theroy earlier in the week and when I asked him to make his usual Saturday trip to Timmy's for me this morning, the following conversation ensued:

Me: So... can you go to Tim's and get some coffee.
PC: No.

Me: Pardon?
PC: No, you're off the program.

Me: The program? What program?
PC: The coffee program.

Me: Coffee program.... oh no I'm not.
PC: Ah, ya you are.

Me: Nooooooooooooooo, c'mom just go get some coffee's and we will watch a movie.
PC: Sorry, I don't want a coffee, and neither do you.

Me: PETER, go get the coffee's.
PC: Why, you got a headache?

Ahhhhhhhh. My own information sharing processes working against me. PC held his ground and I never got my coffee today. I drank water, juice, and a pop today... all to avoid the coffee. Now I am on a mission to prove to myself that I don't have to have it everyday, and that I can function without it, but I can't get past the fact that I love watching TLC with a warm Timmy's on my weekends. Or how, just grabbing a coffee at work is a good excuse to get out of the office for a few minutes to clear my head. I even enjoy grabbing a coffee and browsing through Home Sense or Pier One. I love what I do when I drink my coffee, its not just about the coffee.

Drinking coffee has a type of lifestyle associated with it, and simply replacing coffee with water or a glass of juice doesn't quite do it for. Being in coffee detox or 'off the program' simply takes away a part of my life that I most enjoy. Its sounds silly, but I love the coffee lifestyle, and I may be on a non-coffee kick for a while just to prove a point (although, I doubt it will last long), but I am not about to change my lifestyle just because of detox!

Perks of the job!

I have been at this blogging thing for over a year now, and while there have been some highs of the job, I just recently received my first real 'perk' via Canpar express mail, Tuesday morning. I opened the package and was surprised to find the following:

You may recall my post Anyone feel like taking a leak on their keyboard? - to which I openly discussed how a university study showed that over half of workplace keyboards tested positive for traces of urine.

I mentioned (a few times) how disgusting I found these findings as I was thinking of my own workplace and keyboard. In my post, I referred to a product called Kleen Keys in which a company by the name of Vision Global Media Group is producing and marketing a medical silicone keyboard as a solution to avoiding the germs, dust, and traces of urine that sometimes can spread through a workplace causing god knows what kind of infections to employees and management. The solution in Kleen Keys being that the silicone keyboard can be sanitized using soap and water, which prevents the spread of bacteria and germs all together.

While I merely commented on the product, thinking it was just some sort silicone cover you put over your real keyboard, I did not expect the president of the company to contact me, nor follow up with sending me, not one, but two, Kleen Keys keyboards to try for myself.

I sent the company my information late Thursday night heading into the Easter weekend, and VOILA, Tuesday morning the parcel was delivered to my door. To my surprise the product is not a cover, its an actual functioning keyboard that comes with a USB cord and proper keyboard attachments. I was stunned to think that this keyboard would actually work, let alone be able to be subjected to soap and water. I am using the board as I type this post, and to my amazement the thing actually works, and works well.

The initial feeling of typing on a flatter keyboard is something that I have to get use to, but the part I love is that it does not make a sound when you are typing (however, in the office I almost want people to hear me clicking away so they at least think I am doing something)!

I just put the keyboard to the real test, detaching it and washing it in the sink with some dish soap. Believe it folks, you can wash this baby with your regular dish detergent and with in a matter of minutes the board is gleaming, and ready for use. You really have to see it to believe it, but you can roll the sucker up, throw it in your purse... practically do whatever you want with it, and I believe it will work.

Dead skin cells, chewed nails, eyelashes, and other natural germs no longer have a permanent home on my keyboard, nor will they spread to any other person using my computer, because as soon as I see the particals building up I won't think twice about washing up my board!

I love love LOVE this product, its cool, and best of all it's a pretty healthy choice (this coming from the girl who just got over a nasty cold that she probably picked up from someone in the office)! To boot... Kleen Keys is not only available in black, but this summer you can get the board in cool colours such as blue, green, or pink. Imagine having a pink keyboard.... its soooo me!!

I don't know... I had thought that Kleen Keys was going to be some knock off product that was just a gimmick, but I can definitely see that it's actually very useful, and the more people that use Kleen Keys in a common space, the bigger healthier advantages there will be for everyone involved.

Thanks Kleen Keys!

Sick n' stiff!

This weekend I was one sick kid. I came down with a cold sometime between Thursday evening and Friday morning and I pretty much suffered the side effects of the cold until Monday morning (so much for the 4 day long weekend I have been dreaming about for months).

The cold was one thing, but out of the cold came some severe stiffness in the neck area... much to the point that I cannot look left or right without a look of horror coming across my face - sheer pain.

Now... Sunday and Monday I thought this pain would pass, but this is not the case at all... I am still whining like a two year-old over this.

It amazes me just how much a stiff neck can really hinder a person's day to day activities. Take for instance driving... a fairly easy task for me, but throw in a stiff neck and suddenly I become beyond dangerous as I can only look straight ahead at the intersection, not left or right. I am pretty sure the horns I heard honking on my way to work this morning, weren't only for the Quebeckers on the road!

Showering, blow drying my hair, getting dressed, these were all tasks completed with tears in my eyes. These are the days I really wish I had my own personal stylist and make-up artist... things would have been much easier.

Making supper last night was no walk in the park either. I had made a cheese n' garlic tomato/hamburger/macaroni casserole (mmm mmm) - preparing it was fine, but putting it in and out of the oven three or four times just about did me in. The pain of having the hot air burn your face when the oven door opens, yet you can't lean in and out fast enough because your neck won't allow you too - GOOD TIMES my friends, good times!

The good news in all of this is that I've made an appointment with the massage therapist in hopes she can come to my rescue but I can't get until tomorrow evening, so for the rest of the day and tomorrow, I will have to live with my stiff neck... perhaps numbing the pain with a stiff drink!

Tis' the season... the paid holiday season.

It's a short week, which means that technically tomorrow is Friday... so I believe this calls for a big ol' YAHOO, a little two-steppin' happy dance, and why not throw in a shot of tequilla for good measure!

I love Easter, not because of the chocolate, but rather.... the 4 day work week TWO weeks in a row. Friday is a holiday, and the government deems Monday as a holiday too. I have no idea why this is... but I am not about to question it.

I love what Easter symbolizes... there is the whole religious thing but more importantly the start of long weekends. Easter is just the tip of the iceberg... up next is May 2-4, then Canada Day in July, the Civic holiday in August, Labour Day in September, Thanksgiving in October, Remembrance Day in November, and then Christmas & New Year's to round out the year.

Its almost the same feeling as hitting the jackpot in my world. The fact that you are given free time, a few days away from the office, away from the hoopla to do what. ever. you. want.

I couldn't be more excited about the long weekends and holidays to come - not to mention the two or three weeks of vacation that I will be taking at some point between all of those other mandatory holidays.

I love life... no let me rephrase... I love holidays!

Anyone feel like taking a leak on their keyboard?

This AM in the Ottawa Sun, I read a disturbing article stating that a study done by the University of Arizona concluded that half of workplace keyboards tested positive for urine.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, gross.

I mean food crumbs I could see, but urine... seriously gross. As I am presently typing this post from my workplace keyboard (on my lunch hour), all I want to do is cringe, and heavily apply the One Step hand sanitizer. As I look closely at the keyboard, I see particles of dust, eyelashes, and god knows what else, thus making me think... what the 'H' is on my hands - that would be the same hands that I touch my face with, scratch my neck with, and run my fingers through my hair with?

Gross. Gross. Gross.

If you sit and think about it, while working we sometimes sneeze in the middle of typing out important documents, but sneezing never phases a person, we cover our faces and then go right back to typing. Mix these sneezing germs with the urine on the keys, and who knows what type of poison you have just created for yourself. Then... let's not forget to rush off to that meeting down the hall, shake a few hands of senior management, transferring the poison (and who knows what they have just given to you), then return from your meeting and re-work the same document you were typing out earlier.... making a third melange of the germs on the keyboard... yum yum. By the end of the day, one can only imagine what you are taking home for dinner that evening to share with your family and friends.

Gross.

Apparently some company has come out with a product called Kleen Keys, and supposedly you can wash this keyboard with soap and water which would help eliminate the germs, including the traces of urine... but I can't exactly see my workplace management signing up for 45,000 of these to solve the problem in our Agency.

However, the article does make a good point in that keyboards are common carriers of germs, which lead to flu outbreaks, and other sicknesses that force employees to stay home from work. Perhaps if employers invested in a product such as Kleen Keys, absenteeism would decrease while productivity increases, thus making it worth while to invest in the solution.

I don't know... I have hard time seeing my colleagues and I fighting for the sink in our already dirty kitchen just to scrub down our boards before a big day of work, but ya never know, it could happen.

What I do know is that I will never look at my keyboard in the same way again... and I might as well order myself one of those chairs with the bucket under the seat as apparently going to the bathroom and washing your hands afterwards clearly isn't enough to keep the germs to a minimum.

Gross. Completely and utterly gross.

Short Weekend Recap

This will be short as I am tired... but I am slowly recovering from a looooooooooooooooong, yet entertaining weekend.

PC and I curled in a fun mixed spiel this weekend... and of course, it was a great time. As many of you may know PC is not a curler (although I must say his shot making was pretty impressive this weekend), however seeing as this spiel was sponsored by Mr. Keith, as in Alexander Keith... it didn't take much persuasion on my part to get him interested. To make a long story short, there was free beer Friday evening (all evening long), and by the end of the night PC had become a real estate agent, ripped a good pair of jeans, cut his leg wide open, and bruised his hand. Needless to say he doesn't remember a thing, and the details are little sketchy for me as well, but we concluded our conversation late last night by saying we had a good weekend, and we are leaving it at that (even thought I believe it would have been cheaper to buy all of our beer that night than to replace PC's wardrobe and pay the medical bills the next day)!

This morning, we bolted up at what we thought was 9:00 AM to get ready to take Grandma Coleman out for brunch for her birthday. However... our satellite alarm clock radio had a mind of its own, and although Daylight Savings Time kicked in three weeks ago, our clock decided to spring itself ahead another hour last night, making it 8:00 AM instead of 9:00 AM, losing another hour of sleep in my lifespan (I believe the DST patch was never applied to our clock!). PC made a few phone calls at 9:00 AM wondering why some people were annoyed... only to discover it was really 8:00 AM. Oooooooooooooops! It was a great start to the day as you can imagine (and it was a coincidence that it was APRIL FOOLS today... right?), however, at least we were ahead of schedule for once in our lives!

In other news, I just spent an hour on the couch watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition and sobbing on and off over the story of a family I don't even know. I now have a headache and I am exhausted beyond the point of repair. These reality shows don't usually get to me, but the Extreme Home Makeover one takes reality to a whole new level. You just feel so helpless for these parents and their children, but its so great that Ty and the gang at ABC can really change their lives. I love it and hate it all in the same breathe.

Its pouring rain outside right now, and its fitting for my mood - time to call it a weekend.