and on this day... january 27th

a name was chosen for baby gallery
but i'm not telling you until the official birth:)

pretty dead

dead of winter, not a leaf on a tree any where
but sun broke through, blue skies for a minute

look at this, i think i can!

this marks a moment of a sense of pride and accomplishment
lots of encouragement after a dark and exhausting period of hard hard work...that the outcome will be worth it!!!!


but right now, i'm back to the dark and exhausting period.
staining, patching, painting, until my knees red and feel like ground up bones, my butt muscles go numb and my back so tired from being bent over i have to stand up real slow like when you do yoga,
vertebrae by vertebrae.
i'm too tired to take my epsom's salt baths and watch 30 rock in the tub.
and i sigh a lot and sort of sound like a horse.

i guess this was my sign today that yes it is and yes i can:)

i know its early...

whose is gonna be my date for this??
it will make you my valentine by default:)

new(s) to me

haven't checked the radar for a while
these gals playing with akron family in march
i need to go get a ticket, if there still are some
billie holiday by warpaint

speaking of LA
i'll be back there from jan 30th- feb 14th
so much for my "i'm not getting on a plane to california for at least 2 months plan"

a pattern is forming

i've learned a few things
whenever you take on a project... demo/reno/construction
figure out what you think it's going to cost
then double it
figure out how long it's going to take
then triple it

finished the oak floors today
(after breaking 8 drill bits yesterday, sunday was no funday)
on to the plywood sections
which by the grace of god should be a lot easier and go a lot faster.
clean, condition and stain and we have effing floors dammit:)

assessment day, planning, tetris, and taping

we did all this after the first day!

this is what we finished today
hooray, got some decent drill bits that didn't break in every other plank!

crescent corner diner

went to astoria 3 times last week.
my toes were like little frozen rocks after we picked and sorted all of the flooring scraps for the space at the big warehouse. warmed up over hot coffee and chicken souvlaki with homemade pita and tzatziki at a little diner on the corner, reminded me of home (detroit home...)

how to hug a girl

deep in the online thesaurus looking for gallery names a link came up on my page for the wiki how to hug a girl i couldn't resist
the directions are accurate? funny anyway, but i love the tips and warnings:

tips:

• Try to have good hygiene.
• Just do it; the rest will come naturally. If you make a mistake, try to recover casually and don't worry about it.
• As your relationship develops, you may hug more and more often. Experiment with hugs, but remember to keep them a shared experience and not a selfish indulgence.
• "Couple" status is not a requirement for hugging a girl, but you should at least be on familiar terms with her. Hugs between opposite-gender friends are often reserved for more significant moments, such as when parting before moving away, or returning after a long absence. Still, as long as you are respectful toward her, an occasional hug is probably fine. If it is too awkward for one or both of you, it may be best to avoid initiating one, but don't rule out the possibility of a hug being appropriate at some later point.
• Don't hold her too tight, so don't squeeze her. Hold her firmly enough so she's comfortable. Just give her a light squeeze.
• Some hugs are like a teddy bear, others are like a fortress. Sometimes they are both. Keep that in mind.
• You may want to whisper something in her ear while you're hugging.
• If you know your girl well enough, she may be flattered if you pick her up and spin her, but some girls do not like that.
• If you must pat her back, make sure you don't do it too hard. You don't want to hurt her! However, some girls are uncomfortable with back-patting and are unlikely to hug you again any time soon.
• BE GENTLE! Girls are delicate, however tough some may seem, they are delicate...handle with care.

warnings:

• Don't smother or grab her too suddenly.
• Don't touch her butt. Keep your hands on her back.
• Don't say anything to make her uncomfortable.
• Try not to have bad breath. Don't chew gum because you may plan to kiss when hugging.
• If this girl is your girlfriend, don't try to hug her 24/7 even if she seems to appreciate it. Kiss her for a change!
• Do not ever force a hug; girls may think you're weird.
• Don't move your face straight toward hers as if you're going in for a kiss; this might confuse her!
• If it is just a friendly hug, don't hold on for more than 3 seconds and laugh when you let go.
• Some girls may give a loud, involuntary squeal if you scare or hug them from behind. So, unless you know she won't mind it, don't sneak up on her. If this does happen, don't tease her about it unless you know her sense of humor well enough to be sure she'll take it well. In some cases, squealing is an involuntary body noise kind of like burping or farting—in other words, to some girls it's rather embarrassing—and responding with anything more than a smile might be interpreted as, well, mean.
• If you hug her from behind, she might think that she is being kidnapped, and you could be hurt in the process of hugging her.
• Do not play with her hair during a hug if you two are not "close". This may result in an awkward moment between you two and end up with you having to get close to her again. This can be an annoying gesture to the girl and the girl may think you are trying too hard to get her.

working hard, and having a little fun

it's getting down to the wire, time is flying by with the space...
not that i can even keep up...
i am exhausted and totally on autopilot!
painters started today, and we are laying floors next week.

in our search for inexpensive and re-used materials we have poked through the 2 demo/salvage places in the ny area. (its pretty weak compared to the luxuries of endless aisles and outdoor yards of urban ore and omega salvage i used to comb through regularly...)
but we have found what we needed, and more to inspire us and keep us plugging along!
also met some really nice people along the way, thank you thank you for your help...




siren sconces, set of four $1750




tugboat bar $17000, this would make the best bed!


boys in the front, party in the back

hello again 2010

it's cold outside
i want to stay indoors (more like in bed) mostly
here's a little mix to keep you company
xoxo
karebear

time capsule

during my renovations i demolished a wall and exposed the brick beneath. i also exposed a few holes that now need to be repaired.
i was hoping there would be some secret stash of money, but no dice:(

it then occurred to me to leave something for someone in the future.
who knows if anyone will ever find it, but it will be fun regardless.
if you have any great ideas of what i should put in there
let me know, group participation always encouraged.

so far on the list, a noise maker, a budweiser and a smushy rubber boob. i want those peeps to know we liked to par-tay!
maybe someone can think of something smart to put in there?
that's obviously not my forte

2010, i mean twothousand and ken

this is the year, two thousand and ken.
we left the house with flasks, metrocard and a tight budget.
i did great because a silver fox bought me drinks and noise makers at rosemary's greenpoint tavern
he even tried to give me some cash money, but that made me feel weird, sorta like a hooker.
ken and jorge thought i should have just pocketed the dough and bought them drinks. they were right, sorry dudes!
next time i'll take one for the team.


hilarious, this was matt! he had us splitting a gut all night.
i can't believe that perv left us for home sweet home,
not his house, the bar...
duh, it's matt we're talking about here.

next stop cameo gallery for beach fossils and surfer blood.
fun and dancing and more drinks!




jamisons and gingerales son




ken drew this portrait of jorge, striking resemblance we all agreed.

i'm totally sure that girl was not talking about me teabaggin a flamingo's sack

ken was over budget before midnight and all the whiskey was gone.
michelle sneaked him drinks and all was good.
one more stop before home... a snack maybe?
we totally justified blowing our budget by splitting a burger at dumont.

i mean that's sensible right?
well for sure it was delicious...