Lumberjack with pretty feet

And the internet wins again.

This past weekend I finally did a few things that were long overdue. For one? I got a freaking pedicure!

I never do red. So mainstream of me.

It's probably been over a year since I've gotten one and, as with getting my hair cut, after I have it done and realize how much I needed it, I promise myself I'll do it more often. And then I don't.

Only time will tell.

The next thing I did that was long overdue has to do with a very large, ugly bush. Let's all get the giggles out of the way now. LARGE UGLY BUSH!

Ok, on to the story of said bush.

The first time I pulled up to my house (which wasn't mine yet) for an open house, my first thought was, "Holy crap, that large, ugly bush has got to go."

I mean, come on.

I vaguely remember asking the property manager if I could remove it and her telling me I'm not allowed. And then lately there have been break-ins in my neighborhood and what better place to hide than behind the LARGE UGLY BUSH, right? My agenda was clear: chop down the bush!

And so, saw in hand...

BOOM!

As you can see, there's still a stump there. I don't have the necessary tools to dig it out, but my brother suggested using the Jeep's 4-wheel-drive power to do it. Not surprisingly, I've already gotten an offer from a friend to do it for me...in exchange for beer. Aaaand...done.

Come spring, I plan on planting something much more aesthetically pleasing in the spot than the large, ugly bush. Suggestions welcome. Clearly, the HOA's landscaping company pretty much sucks at choosing greenery....and trimming it.

They trimmed this dude a couple months ago and left it like this.

Now, had they trimmed the large, ugly bush like this, I would have kept it.

I mean, who would burgle a house with this out front?

NO ONE!

Of canine injuries and awesomely bad 80s jams

This past weekend I was tasked with the duty of dog-sitting Rocco again while my brother and some other mutual friends of ours went camping...and didn't invite me. But I'm over it...whatever!

An overview in pictures because, you know, if you can't say something nice and all that.

Lunch with the lovely ladies I'll be running City of Oaks with in November.

I didn't take a picture of it, but I also got a $50 parking ticket, which I've contested. Parking in Chapel Hill can suck it.

 Pippi vs. cat.

I made this one small. You're welcome.

(She got out the door to chase a cat while I was bringing Rocco in from his morning walk. Just from running at full speed a short distance to chase the damn cat into a sewer, all her claws started bleeding. I don't ever have to trim her back claws because they stay short, so she must just run with her claws at an odd angle).

Also, ever since this incident, every time we go for a walk she has to check out every sewer we walk past. She learns her lessons the hard way, this one.

high-tech dogshaming

Yes, that's how I spent my Sunday, followed by lots of wiping up of blood spots and washing rugs and blankets and towels. Dogs are AWESOME!

The high spot of my weekend?

iTunes is my hero.

I may or may not have sang out loud with headphones on...to the dogs (ha HA...payback!) 

Did YOU enjoy your three-day weekend?

Home Improvement failure

Ever since I bought my house, I've had all kinds of ideas about how to make cheap home improvements. I've really only so far mentioned the successful projects. Last weekend I had a rash of unsuccessful projects and started my week off feeling like a total failure. At least at work I know what I'm doing...usually.

Late summer last year, I bought a cheap ($30) 5-shelf bookcase from Target.

Laminate/wood composite crap

It's one of the ones that is literally held together by the cheap fold-out backing, which is nailed onto the frame. Basically: if you ever want to move it after you build it, good luck!

And that's just what I tried to do: move it. By myself. The bottom collapsed.

Now I needed a place to put my books! Soooo I decided to take the hand-me-down TV stand I was going to try to sell on Craigslist (also made of laminate and not selling anyway) and paint it.

Let's just make a long story short: you cannot paint laminate furniture...at least, not successfully.

The other project I wanted to attempt was making a "rug" out of a canvas drop cloth. Sounds really lame, right? I know, but hear me out. Several posts on Pinterest told me it was possible and people have been successful. Since I will soon need some area rugs and I can't afford them, I figured buying a $10 drop cloth and using some leftover paint was worth a try. I had it all laid out and ready to go and then I got cold feet. My confidence was shaken. I just couldn't GO ON!

Ok, it wasn't that bad. I only softly wept...and then consoled myself with frozen yogurt.

There was one "home improvement" project that was successful, however.

FLOWERS!

Too much?

Take your head off and have a drink!

My weekend started off with The Hunger Games FINALLY! It did not disappoint. Pure amazing. I was a little miffed about a couple of parts that weren't like the book, though, and I was wishing my SIL had read the book so we could discuss it. I immediately texted Alyssa, who confirmed the one part that was bothering me the most. It was that important.

In case you saw the movie but didn't read the book,
that's not where she got the mockingjay pin from!

I spent the drive home trying to not throw up. I thought it was maybe the camera angles in the movie that gave me motion sickness, but when I felt that way almost the entire weekend, I figured it was something else. As a result, again, no long run this weekend. I'm working from home tomorrow, so I'm going to try to get in an hour of running tomorrow and another day this week.

And now, on to the open house!

Dining room...six chairs that all are different.

 

Stairs look like they're from a horror movie. More lighting
Please!

 

My first indication a single man lives here currently. So gross!

Master bedroom. I've never lived in a master bedroom! I'm going to be fancy.

Guest bathroom says "Hi, I need a makeover!"

Guest room closet. Go Red Sox!

Jeremy and I were going around opening all the shades. We're totally related.
Oh, this is the guest room, for when you all come over to visit :)

Dear Kitchen: Don't worry, I will make you pretty!

Aside from the fact that most of the light fixtures need upgrades (and a few need to be added), and we'd need to install ceiling fans, along with all the painting that needs to be done, the house is in really decent shape. I was surprised at how clean all the carpets are and at all the yard space the house comes with. There are still a few questions that I've e-mailed to the Community Home Trust people, but I've asked to put a reserve on the house (since I'm the first one on the wait list and I don't want anyone to take it from me), so this may just be my future home!

On a more random note, WTH is a "lilduval"?

Saturday night I followed the home awesomeness with some hockey awesomeness. Nicole and Mike, whom I met in February at the Myrtle Beach marathon (through Alyssa), invited me to a Hurricanes game. It was a great time, although there weren't enough fights for my liking. Perhaps the best part was during the breaks, about 10 random mascots came out onto the ice and it was comedy gold. During the first break they played a very short hockey game, and during the second break it was musical chairs...with three chairs. Nothing is funnier than a bunch of people dressed in huge costumes falling all over the ice. I promise you.

aaaand...cue hilarious laughter.

The best comment of the night goes to Nicole, who wondered, "Do you think, at the end of the night, they all take their heads off and have a drink?"

I bet they do.

Sunday started off pretty lame, but then I realized...I need to start packing! And then I started panicking, which sounds almost the same, but it's not. I went to town on my closet and dresser, and the result?

Goodwill is getting a ton of my amazing castaways, including a couple swimsuits
from when I was on the swim team in high school. I'm so awesome.

That's ten years of cell phone gold right there. Now, what to do with them?

Have you saved "mementos" thinking you may want them someday? (No, that's not why I saved the phones. I just don't know how to clear them so some evil genius can't hack into them and steal my identity.

Have you ever dressed as a mascot? I want to know what it's like in there.

Do you know what a "lilduval" is?