Over this past summer, Matthew and I spent a lot of time renovating our first floor apartment. We started with fixing up the kitchen. Then our tenant told us she was moving out. After she left, we took to renovating the rest of the apartment. It was a big undertaking, one which we would not have gotten through without the help of a generous group of friends. In late August my grandmother passed away and then Matt’s appendix ruptured, so we lost a week and a half of work. For that reason, there is still some work left to do, but it was definitely good enough for our new tenant to move in this week.
I created a gallery of the goings-on. Here are some of the dramatic before-and-after shots.
The living and dining room had ill-fitted carpet and dark wood-paneled walls.
Painted walls and laminate floors open up this space.
The kitchen before renovation was cluttered and the cabinets were decades old.
The new kitchen has new cabinets against the back wall and a more spacious feel. The blue walls add a cozy touch.
For more photos of the dramatic changes, see my flickr gallery.
One thing we’d like to do in the near future is to order and install a plaque with the “historic” name of our home: The John D. Wood House. The following link is to the official historical record for the house.
Historical Record (Ignore the coffee stain on it.)
We think this would be a fun idea, but I’m now wondering if naming it after the first guy who lived there really makes any sense. How do houses get their names? Or maybe we could make it the John and Sarah Wood house? I guess we’d have to find out if these people were worthy of having a house named after them.
I suppose we can call it anything we want, since we own it.
In a few hours, I will be heading to the airport to fly to Chicago for a literacy conference. I won’t be a part of the conference, but rather helping sell books at an exhibit there. I did this back in November in Providence and it was a lot of fun.
I haven’t been in a plane in quite some time (can’t remember the last time), and so I have that anxiety that comes when air travel is not a habit. I am trying not to pack too much. For a few hours yesterday, I resigned myself to the fact that I couldn’t bring my camera. But, I decided to fuck it and bring it, because I really feel lost without it.
I just finished a book by John Robison, which was actually a gift I had given to Matthew for Christmas. I borrowed it from him after he quickly finished it post-Christmas. John Robison is the brother of Augusten Burroughs and lives in Amherst. He grew up in Shutesbury, just around the corner from where I work right now. The book is his first and it is about his life with Asperger’s. It’s a quick and engaging read; I highly recommend it. If you do get it, consider the hardcover edition. The paperback edition that I purchased removed expletives so that younger people could read it and learn about Asperger’s, or just growing up different (and all the bullying that comes with it).
Now I am between books and don’t know which one to start. I’m thinking that I’d like to switch to fiction, so I am considering Andre Dubus III’s latest The Garden of Last Days, which I received as a gift. I also received two nonfiction books that are en vogue right now–Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. I heard about them at JBo’s tea party in December and put them on my Amazon list.
I also got Obama’s The Audacity of Hope, but I have already decided against reading it next. Something about reading Obama while in Chicago seems awfully cheesy.
I think I’ve settled on Ande Dubus III. I don’t know anything about the book. A perfect escape.
I won’t have any computer access for a few days as far as I know. Back on Friday night.
I just posted over at Sound Check about an in-studio I had the chance to attend this past Monday night.
People were asking me all week what I was doing during my week off.
On Monday it was about 60 degrees in the shade. I scraped and painted the floor of our front porch. Our doorway is on the right (the one with the cute home plate mat — which was an engagement gift from Jennifer Myszkowski. We also got a cute new floor mat for our wedding from Alyson and Bill. It has monkeys on it. We are saving that one for when this one wears out. But, enough about the doormats). One of our tenants gave me the news that it was going to rain that night, so I only got to put one coat of paint on the floor. When the weather gets warmer again, we plan to do more painting on the porch.
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well, rumor mill, whoever and wherever you are.
Yes, I’m leaving my current job as of this Friday and it’s with a very heavy heart. I’m moving onto a publishing job, also in the valley. I’m not moving or anything.
On Friday, Matthew and I went to check out a new lunch place in downtown Springfield. It’s in the spot where the Main Street Frigo Foods used to be. We had low expectations, considering the name of the place. Yes, it’s Dillweedz. We were pleasantly surprised by the sandwiches and pleased by the portions. Thumbs up. I really wish they’d change their name or explain its significance, though.
I enoyed the decor, from the shiny, dark hardwood floors to the brightly painted green walls. Floors not pictured.
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My friend Tony experienced something quite shocking in the city of Holyoke a few weeks ago. When I first heard the story, I was, quite honestly, in disbelief. It wasn’t until yesterday when he sent me this testimony that I was able to see the horrifying event unfold. Many of you who read this blog also know Tony so I thought you should read this.
Here is, in his words, what happened.
My name is Anthony Jones. I am a 29 year-old college educated, professional African-American male who resides in Northampton, MA. I am writing to discuss a complaint against a public establishment in Holyoke named The Clover, as well as against the Holyoke Police Department.
Recently, my partner and I were out for the evening when we decided to go to The Clover Pub in Holyoke for a couple drinks. As we thought this establishment to be friendly enough (as it is in gay marriage friendly Massachusetts), my partner and I kissed one another on the lips. We were told that this behavior was “unacceptable” in this bar. We were told to stop. As I believe I have the right to kiss anyone I want, I asked why we were being asked to stop kissing. We were told that this bar was not “that kind of place.” I explained that what we were doing was not inappropriate. My partner and I were asked to leave. I said I would not leave the bar because I kissed my boyfriend and because we did nothing wrong.
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More photos from the Big E here!
holyoke, home improvement, western mass | kristen September 18, 2009 | 
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