Well, it's been busy. We've had our first visitors from the mainland, although they were staying at a hotel and only came over to hang out.
Last week and this week have been rough. We noticed a smell in the vicinity of the wet bar off the living room area. Turns out, there was a leak under the sink.
Then we looked at the water bill. It looked like we were running the jacuzzi all day, everyday. And Tesla Pete hasn't used the dang thing once (I'm beginning to think of suing him for jacuzzi neglect or invite a few girls from the strip joint over to use it to give him an idea or three, but those are topics for another entry).
So, we've had the handymen by. They confirmed our assessment and went to work. This condo is built to withstand some nasty storms. The trouble is, that means the walls that are important to structural integrity are concrete.
So, there's been jackhammering. There's been cursing. And there's been a lot of time spent with successive plumbers. We have now graduated to the professionals. They just left this afternoon, and from what they told me, it's looking like while we've identified and patched a small leak, the real culprit is hiding even deeper. Possibly a two-day evolution. Possibly involving marble tile removal from flooring and fridge movement. Everybody's been understanding and helpful in this process, mind you. It's just the nature and complexity of the issue has had most everyone scratching their heads a bit.
However, we love the place. I've gotten a pub height, circular table with a built-in lazy susan and four matching chairs for the entertaining area in my room. Still need a privacy curtain for the room, but that's this weekend's task, I hope. Armoires are apparently at a premium right now on the island, so that's still on the "I'd like it but can't find it" list, so this weekend I'm rigging up a temporary stand-in, so I can empty the guest room closets and start preparing them for visitors. TP's still got a bunch of art left to hang, but aside from my small leftover items, we're beginning to get the place looking like it's being lived in.
This weekend, we're buying a grill. And I mean a grill. Something that chars meat on the outside, but leaves it red and bloody so that we can eat as men should.
I've been working on some side projects and actually getting some writing done, but mostly I've been babysitting handymen and plumbers. It's been a bit of a pain, but I think we've finally localized the problem (right where I said it was--Josh is a pipewhisperer), and, God willing and the creek don't rise, we'll soon have it fixed, hopefully without too much trouble.
TP and I each have a few boxes left to unpack in the guestrooms that we've been putting off. I'm going to be doing mine this weekend, once I get some storage containers. Hopefully, I'll have video (yes, this time during the day) to show you all by Sunday night.
I've been getting into quite a few heated political discussions of late, and while I don't want to drag that stuff into this blog, I do want to say this: I think friendships are about people. I think friendships are about trust, respect, and that takes precedence over other junk. I lament the fact that some days we let our political frustrations take precedence, as I think that's just plain screwed up priorities, and we'd actually probably get a lot more done if we talked as friends and hashed them out, as friends do.
And that's all I've got to say about that.
Our first houseguest will be here in a little over a fortnight. Since everybody in this blog needs an alias, we'll have to give her one at some point. I've got one that I'm toying with, but I'm going to wait til I've gotten approval (Yes, you might get to approve your alias if you get mentioned here, but I reserve the right to preemptively dub you with a moniker that I deem fit; it is my island, after all). I'm a little excited about that.
And it's not too long before the Time Traveling Birthday Crew will be preparing for their trip out here. This will go down in June, and will be the full-stage test of me and TP's abilities as hosts. This will also be a whole lot of fun, because the North Carolina Sisters (individual monikers to be determined at a later date) are always a hoot and two hollers.
Lately, I've been staying home a lot. Doing more cooking. It hasn't been because I'm trying to stick to a budget (although I am doing pretty well on that front), but just because I've been working on some stuff and not really feeling the yen to go out. So, tomorrow, I'm going down to The Beach on Gun Beach, having a few beers or cocktails, and reading a book, maybe snapping some photos. But getting out and seeing some stuff. There's a really nice beach to the south towards the main Navy base that needs to be checked out, too. And just north of that on the way back is a really nice local bar/restaurant called Shoreline. Wonderful menu, entrees and tapas...just amazing. Have eaten there twice and will definitely stop again on the way back from the beach.
Two big ticket purchases are looming on the horizon, and one I'm trying to put off and shouldn't, while the other is just danged expensive and shouldn't be put off: the new cell phone and the elliptical, respectively.
The pain with the elliptical is simple: I had a hand-me-down one from The Bear and Mrs. Bear back in Fairfax, but it didn't seem to work. Then, as the junk guys took the two Othello-furred-and-torn-to-hell-and-back couches away, and were preparing to take the elliptical away, the dang thing started working. But I'd already had my household goods taken away, and there was no way to just ship the thing out on its own that was affordable, so I let it go.
Now, I'm looking at prices on new ellipticals and wishing I'd worked a little harder at adding it to the manifest, even if it'd been a little extra cost. But, all of that is useless noise, the important thing is: Josh needs an elliptical. A former coworker swears by the damn things, and they worked for him. I hate treadmills, but I think the elliptical will be just right. Treadmills don't adjust to spurts of energy or allow for you to dog a quarter mile. Ellipticals do. And though I've been a decent runner since high school, I've never kept good pacing.
The iPhone...I'm gonna be honest, I want it for the internet functionality more than having a cellphone. Being out here and untethered from the Crackberry has been seriously liberating. I've got a landline, and I love the fact that when I leave, I don't have a leash. Trouble is, it's become so ingrained in my behavior to pat myself down for things--keys, wallet, phone, etc--that I still find myself looking for it. And, honestly, it'd be nice to be able to have it. This is the longest I've gone without a cellphone since I first got one. I'm surprised how little I miss it, and yet the ways in which I miss it are subtle and diverse. So...I've been putting it off.
There's one last thing I'll say before closing, a little bit of wisdom I've learned and unlearned through the years: be you. Just be you. It really does work. Well, unless you're cranky all the time, but then, if you are, why are you here? :P
Anyhow, here's to the start of the weekend out here. I hope yours goes well, and that I get some more accomplished around here. But, with luck, we'll see more shaky camera video of the condo here in a day or two. Watch this space....
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