There is a certain level of satisfaction you get from spending well over 16 hours in the course of two days working in your yard. Especially if you have a lot to show for it afterwards. We have a lot to show for it, that’s for sure.

There is also a certain level of pain.

Now I’m sure that if I hadn’t been exercising fairly regularly for the last month I’d be worse off than I am, but even considering that I’ve got aches all over and I can barely keep my eyes open right now. I also ate way too much this weekend (even considering the amount of physical labor), so I’ve got the whole “oh I feel fat” Monday Morning thing going on too. Not to a point where it’s affecting my mood or anything like that, but I’m definitely feeling bloated.

I can probably solve that by getting caught up on my water, though. Hardly drank any this weekend (silly, isn’t it? The time when I’d need it the most is the time when I drink more sodas…They are just so much easier than getting a glass of water when you’re on the go).

Waking up this morning with netgoth was an absolute delight. I can’t even tell you how much the yard work this weekend has affected our mood in a positive way. Very healthy stuff. I think just getting outside as much as we have recently has made a big difference. I love my computer games an all, but getting out in the sun on occasion isn’t all that bad either.

Machinal rehearsals start in full force tonight. I wish I could say I was more excited about it. Don’t get me wrong – I want to do the show, and I’m really jazzed about the cast and crew. It’s not that there is any kind of dread about the show itself. It’s just that with all we’ve been doing around the house recently I’m really energized and would like to keep the momentum going. Our current schedule has us off on Friday and Sunday (and Thursday this week – not sure about next) and meeting from noon to three on Saturday. Add to that the fact that Alex has a baseball game on Saturday morning and a large chunk of my ability to work on things Saturday is shot.

I’m going to have to make the most of my time on Thursday and Friday night!

The one big thing that wasn’t finished over the weekend on the fence was the staining/waterproofing. I got it done where the accents are going up to cover the gaps in the fence (you’ll see when pictures are posted), and I got a little more than one section done beyond that. There’s a lot of fence left to cover, though. I’m thinking that during the week I’m going to take my lunch breaks to get a bit done. If I could knock out two sections in a day I could be done in about 2 weeks. Not too terribly bad. I’ve got to call the city and have them come pick up the huge pile of trash in the front yard (old fence and brush – whee!) so that part is taken care of.

I’m also curious to see how well our grass transplanting experiment goes. I had to take out several sections so that K. could plant roses near the new fence, and I had the boys take those sections and put them into the big barren areas of the front yard. It will be really interesting to see if they take root. Of course, with as trashed and uneven as the back yard is I might just have to rent a commercial tilling machine and dig up the whole yard. Start from scratch.

But that’s a project for another day. Back yard first.

Of course, I still have to finish (say it with me)…THE HALL!

cue dramatic music

Yeah. Still not done. We completely let ourselves get sidetracked by doing the outside of the house and didn’t finish up what we started on the inside. Serious home decorating faux paus. I think that on Saturday it’s going to be my priority. There really is so little left to do in there that it’s silly we haven’t gotten it done yet, and it will be nice to have something we can say we’ve finished (because the back yard and porch are going to take a while yet, methinks).

There was a casualty this weekend, though. My beloved Converse now have bleach stains on them from when I was preparing the fence to be stained. Noooo! They’re also filthy. Need to run them through the wash and try to clean them up. In the mean time I have placed a bid on a new pair from Ebay. Black ones with the blue flames. Mmmm…Chuck Taylor goodness.

There is a rant within me, somewhere, about the idiocy of the people who are shouting about the “Liberal Activist Judges” or how the Democrats are committing some kind of unprecedented evil by using the filibuster to prevent a vote on certain judges. It’s so much bullshit I can’t believe they are even trying it, but they are. Yes, the manner in which it’s being done is perhaps different, but getting in the way of a President and his nominations is nothing new, and it isn’t a problem, either.

The President is not The King, you assholes. Checks and balances.

This is smoke and mirrors, my friends. They are using this as a front for pushing a “nuclear” option through to kill the fillibuster, and if you think they are only going to use it when it comes to judicial nominations you’re insane.

I’d write more. I’d point out facts. But you know? It’s just not in me. The political fire is going out and being replaced by smoldering, sad, ashes. It just seems to simple. I mean, even if you are a Bush supporter you can’t tell me that you’ve agreed 100% with everything he’s done. Why give him the power to railroad through any legislation that caught his fancy?

Bah.

And why does every picture of Pope Benedict XVI look like Hannibal Lecter to me? Seriously. The guy is kind of creepy.

Need to hunt down and kill more coffee. Later gang.