The Virgo Times

*Crickets*

Today has been BIG.  First, I drove J to camp this morning.  It's his first time at a sleep-away camp, and he'll be gone for two weeks.  Two weeks!  My baby!

I didn't know what it was going to feel like to leave him there and drive away, knowing I wouldn't hear his voice or hug him for two whole weeks.  When we pulled into the camp's driveway he went completely silent, and then he said, "I'm a little scared."  I was afraid I might cry, and I definitely didn't want to cry in front of him.  In the end I didn't, but I did get a substantial lump in my throat and I was grateful for my sunglasses.  When I left he was kicking a soccer ball around with another boy, which I felt was a good sign.

Still, I sent him an e-mail as soon as I got home, because I miss him already.  (The staff print out the e-mails and give them to the campers at mail call.)  And then I mailed him a funny card.  Two weeks seems like a long time right now.

Second, the furnace/air conditioner installation is FINISHED.  I never imagined I would be so excited about HVAC equipment, but this thing is amazing--it makes almost no noise at all.  I can stand right next to it and hear nothing.

So, no ten-year-old and no noise from the air conditioner.  My home is now eerily silent.  I need to go turn on the radio or something.

Furnace, Day 2

The furnace installation continues.  This morning a crane arrived to lift the new compressor up onto the roof of the building, which caused a lot of excitement among my neighbors.  In order to install the new furnace, the contractors had to remove the washer and dryer (which are right next to the furnace) so they'd have room to work . . . and in order to remove the washer and dryer, the powder room toilet had to be removed.  The toilet is now sitting in the hall.

I never would have guessed this installation would be so lengthy and involved, but that must be why it's so expensive.  (And, possibly, why it was all done so badly in the first place, eh?)

So, the contractors are working away, J is playing games on the Wii, and I'm resting as much as possible so I can recover from my nasty cold.  I feel kind of sorry for the contractors, having light saber battles and noise-blowing as the background music for their work.

A Furnace to Love

Thanks for the kind words, you guys.  It feels good to be back.

Today is all about a project I haven't mentioned yet:  replacing the furnace/air conditioning unit.  Technically this is not my project, because I'm not doing any of the work, but I am paying for it.

The original unit is only three years old, but it was poorly installed and there are all kinds of issues.  First, the unit is entirely the wrong size for my home.  Second, my bedroom is hella cold in the winter, and the only way to fix that problem is to tinker around with the airflow.  Third, the unit has a refrigerant leak.  The cost of locating and repairing the leak plus the cost of tinkering with the airflow turned out to be only slightly less than getting a new, super-efficient-and-quiet unit.

I wasn't planning to borrow several thousand dollars from the credit union last week, but that's exactly what I did.  I wish there were some way to recoup this cost, like going after the contractor who did such a miserable installation job.  I thought about doing that, but decided against it.  I don't want to invest my time and energy in trying to get him to do the right thing.  Plus, there's plenty of blame to go around:  the developer, the general contractor, and my home inspector all failed to pick up on the HVAC guy's mistakes.  Really, I'd rather just pay someone I trust to get everything working at maximum efficiency and then get on with my life.

So today there are two nice guys in my living room installing an expensive piece of equipment and reconfiguring the return ductwork.  My energy costs will decrease, my home will be more comfortable, the fan won't drown out our conversations any more, I'll get a nice tax credit for installing energy-efficient equipment, and the HVAC company can repair my old unit and donate it to someone who needs a furnace but can't afford it.

I certainly wouldn't have planned it this way, but it's all working out fine.  I love that.

Failure to Blog

I tried to write a post two months ago, and couldn't string sentences together to make any sense.  That's how bad the winter was, I guess.  I don't know why, but for some reason winter felt like it would be the end of me.  When the enormous, filthy snowbanks finally melted, I realized just how tired and frustrated I was.  It took me a while to feel better.

I think maybe I have been having what is popularly known as a mid-life crisis.  Though it doesn't feel so much like a crisis as a . . . mystery, precipitated by the fact that pretty much everyone I know is on the verge of a major life event.  Since I'm not planning a wedding or a baby or a graduation or a new house or a new job, what am I supposed to be doing?  What's next?  More of the same until I retire?

Heck if I know.  And I don't really want to think about it any more, because what would be the point of that?

SO.  This means projects, lots of projects:

I painted the bathroom a blue called "Healing Waters"--a color I found at a big box home improvement store and had matched in Benjamin Moore's Aura formulation.  (The Aura paint has amazing coverage and is low-VOC and scrubbable.  Big thumbs-up for that paint.)

For my next painting projects, I'm pondering "Butter" for the kitchen and "Bee's Wax" for the dining room (both Valspar colors).  Painting will be a great project for when . . .

J will be at summer camp for two weeks.  We have a long, long packing list full of things that need to be bought.  And then we have to attach name labels to all those things.  And then pack them, somehow.

There is a small island of weed-infested grass between the driveway and the alley that I want to turn into a flower garden.

See?  Projects!

Friday. Yay!

Today is better, because it's Friday!  The office was mostly empty today, and I finished up a couple of tasks that had been hanging around and irritating me.  I also did some speculating about what I could conceivably do with my frequent-flier miles, which was fun. 

The kitchen isn't finished yet, but the lower cabinets have been installed and the electrical outlets are done.  The countertops are in the works and should be installed next week.  (The granite guy is pretty busy, apparently.  That makes me happy for him, even though it means a longer wait for my stuff.  He's a nice guy and I'm glad he has work.)

I decided to take up an old hobby--cross-stitching--for relaxation purposes, and I'm working on gifts for M right now.  One is a sappy sentiment that he will love because he's such a romantic softy, and the other is an inside joke (which he will also love).  I'm pretty sure he'll hang them both over his desk and tell me repeatedly how much he loves them because I made them.  He's such an excellent boyfriend in that way!

So right now, I think it's time to make a cup of herbal tea, light a good-smelling candle, settle myself on the couch next to J, and pull out my stitching.  The week is now officially over.