In a Western Place

M’s continuing to work on the kitchen while I’m working on the bathroom. As you can see, the cabinet restoration project is coming along (see the top drawer for comparison!)

Our first appliance has arrived: a dishwasher! Now we need to throw on our plumbing hats and figure out the whole installation thing. Oh and I didn’t know this… dishwashers are tested in the factory, so they may arrive soaking wet. Had there been a warning on the box, I could have refrained from making an ass of myself during a panicky call to Lowe’s.

As for the bathroom, we installed one of those curved rods for extra showering width, in addition to a water saving shower head. Over the weekend I applied the first coat of paint while testing out the squatting limits of my new knee. Wow, it’s bright.

Our first project in the new house is to overhaul the kitchen. Before we move in. Which is in less than 2 weeks. Yes, we’re crazy.

Before: usable, but out of date.

Presently: A duststorm.

We’re refinishing and rearranging the cabinets, adding new appliances, adding a tile back splash, installing a dishwasher, replacing the counter tops, floor, sink and lighting fixtures, and painting. Oh, and did I mention that we’ll be doing all of this all by ourselves? Yep, just Matt, myself and the occasional friend to help with lifting. Yes, 2 weeks… good thing M has the summer off!

M’s band, Vitamin Party, and puppet project, Animal Trash, collide in a new music video. Check it out:

Hooray, the weather has taken a turn for the better and everyone’s happy again! I heard a rumor that we might hit the 70’s over the weekend — that’s a heat wave! Here’s a sunny scene from this morning (city is closer than it appears).

Sure beats this crap (taken yesterday during one of our many unexpected your umbrella is useless downpours).

Happy Memorial day weekend! If your bored in the Bay Area, feel free to stop by our house. We’ll put you to work!

M couldn’t accompany me to pick up the keys last evening so I braved rush hour traffic and walked into our new home (as the official homeowner) all by lonesome. Maybe I set my expectations too high, but receiving the keys was fairly uneventful. Like, hello house, I guess I own you? I did spend a good hour in the new place, measuring for the new appliances and introducing myself to one of our next door neighbors. I especially enjoyed the warm evening sunlight bursting through our windows, something we rarely experience in San Francisco this time of year. As a matter of fact, after I returned to our current residence in the fog I had to turn on the heat. I’m definitely looking forward to our significantly lower gas and electric bill on the East Bay.

I snagged this shot during my commute back into the city. It’s my favorite view of the Bay Bridge, taken from Folsom near the Embarcadero. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, the Bay Bridge (not the Golden Gate) is a 5-mile long double-decker bridge that connects Oakland to San Francisco. Soon my life will revolve around getting stuck in traffic over this thing on close to a daily basis. I predict an increase in meditation mp3s.

A hiccup at the title office (don’t get me started) postponed our closing by a day. Alas, we’re finally getting our keys today! Then, crap… we gotta move from point A to point B!

We caught 2 issues while signing, but that shouldn’t stop up from closing on Monday and receiving our keys on Tuesday. Joy!