Left behind by the laid off

Left behind by the laid off
Originally uploaded by Deluxx

About 60 people at my company were laid off a couple of weeks ago. The woman who had the awful task of cleaning out some of the offices couldn't bring herself to throw away some of the more personal items, so she put them out in a common area. Desk toys, mugs, CDs, books... I helped myself to these little windup toys; I felt they needed a new home. They now live on my desk.

Unfortunately, it is only a matter of weeks until my desk becomes significantly smaller. My group at work is going to be the guinea pigs -- sorry, pilot group -- for testing out the new "open plan" office space that everyone will enjoy in 2009. Soon I will give up my private office for a 5 x 2 desk in a large open space. The upside is that we will be issued bitchin' new state-of-the-art technology. Since my favorite color is "shiny," this is good news for me. It's my silver lining to a big cloud involving a complete lack of privacy, high levels of ambient noise, and a physical closeness to my coworkers that I am less than thrilled about. But more on that another day.

The point is, I am only foster mother to these windup toys, I think. I doubt I will have room for them on my new desk. I'll have to find a suitable new home. Feel free to submit an application, and be prepared for a home check.

We feel safer here

We feel safer here
Originally uploaded by Deluxx

The dogs go into their "house" happily every day. They seem to enjoy sharing a single crate and willingly go in it each morning before the contractors come. I think they prefer to supervise from afar.

About the kitchen renovation

During: there go the cabinets. And the plumbing.
Originally uploaded by Deluxx

Construction on the kitchen remodel began on January 7. The picture you see is from January 8 -- shocking to me when I came home from work. Things have happened very quickly since then.

We've had some bickering with the contractor and a couple of minor disasters (such as the window getting broken 2 days after being installed)... the whole downstairs is a complete mess and covered with plaster dust... and living without a kitchen takes some getting used to. BUT. He started early, and it's progressing fast. Generally, we feel confident that he knows what he is doing. And I am starting to visualize what will be.

New lighting has been installed (fantastic), both windows are in, the new door to outside is in, and yesterday he refinished the closet to hold the refrigerator. He's begun prepping the walls to paint, and then the cabinets will go up next week. I have to say, this guy moves fast and that is a huge, huge plus!

The thing about doing a kitchen renovation is that we have to make 1,209,394 decisions. NOTHING is simple. Need a new window? Sure, contractor says get an Andersen 400, 42x28. How hard is that? Except: do you want grids? if you want grids, on the outside or the inside? or both? removable or permanent? what kind of hardware: traditional, modern, retractable? what finish: nickel, satin nickel, polished chrome, bronze, or white? painted or not painted? on the outside or both sides?

And that's just a window. There's also a sink (undermount or over? square or D-shape? big or small? single or double?), faucet (don't even ask), floor tile, backsplash tile, appliances, etc. Even GROUT was a decision! (what color? what texture? sealed or unsealed?) I like choosing things for my kitchen but this could make a person crazy.

We'll keep an eye on things from here

We feel safer here
Originally uploaded by Deluxx

Nelly and Barkley love their "house." Every morning the happily go in and sit down to watch TV while the construction continues downstairs. I am amazed and amused at how readily they just settle in. I am concerned, however, that Barkley is becoming addicted to the soaps. And he is clearly head-over-paws in love with Meridith Viera. Nelly uses the time to work on her poetry and contemplate the upcoming elections.

Lot chose to do what?!

As one astute commenter said, watch as this young preacher "goes all Chris Farley" when he makes a slip of the tongue. Now this is a sermon I'd get out of bed for on a Sunday...

No oogling

No oogling
Originally uploaded by Deluxx

I made passiveagressivenotes.com with this beauty!

Baaaaaaaaaah Humbug

Baaaaaaaaaah Humbug
Originally uploaded by Deluxx

We were treated to a backstage tour after the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. There we saw, among other things, the sheep in their underground pen, awaiting their call for the next show. (They appear in the grande finale scene, a lifesize creche. There are camels, too.)

See the rest of the photos (taken, unfortunately, with a cell phone) here.