Monday, July 24, 2006

Bright and Gaudy

I woke up at 8 a.m. and got ready to head out the door. I had to get my car smogged and renew my registration. That took up roughly an hour and a half of my precious time. Afterwards, I headed to the local library and perused the bookshelves. I love my trips to the library. I love the idea of so many books in one place, each of them there for my very own pleasure. I love books, whether they are classics, contemporary, or bland books. Every one of them is worth reading, even if it's simply reading the jacket. Like my fancy for thrift stores, you never know what you're going to find in a book. Books are my escape from the mundane life I lead.

On today's trip to the library, I borrowed The First Man by Albert Camus (one of my favorite authors), The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant (author of The Red Tent, a great book), After the Quake by Haruki Murakami (a great contemporary writer whose works include my fave, Sputnik Sweetheart), and The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I don't think I've ever read a Hawthorne book before, so I'm looking forward to that one. I've read a great many classics in my youth and have always been partial to classic literature, but recently I've been reaching out to new and contemporary authors and their works. Haruki Murakami is an excellent writer, as is Jeanette Winterson, author of The Passion. It's funny how I stumbled upon these authors. I owe it all to Ange, an Aussie whose love for books possibly rivaled my own.

BB & I are still working on a house we started last Thursday. The homeowners initially painted their home with vibrant (i.e., BRIGHT and GAUDY) colors. For example, they painted the living room, family room, dining room, and kitchen bright yellow. They also painted the guest bathroom lavender, the children's rooms brick red and purple, the master bedroom green, and the master bath light green. I'd like to know what they were thinking when they decided to paint their home with those colors in mind. They now live in Iowa and are trying to sell this home. Unfortunately, it's been on the market for a while now and their real estate agent confessed that a lot of potential buyers refused to even enter the home after setting sight on the very yellow living room. I don't blame them. I wouldn't buy this house too unless I got some sort of incentive. Anyway, we primed the entire house and painted it bonjour beige, which looks like mocha frap (at your local Starbucks) if not a shade darker. I love the new color. The house looks brand new. I'm sure it'll sell now that it won't blind potential buyers. Anyway, we're hoping to finish this project by Thursday. I really want BB & I to take a break from painting in order to spend quality time together. However, another real estate agent has two projects lined up for us. Sigh. I am very grateful, but physically drained. I may simply be lazy. I admit, I am lazy. Sometimes, I miss those days when I simply bummed around at home on my days off from Big Company. But, I'm doing all this because I love BB. You see, BB loves to paint, and I only want to see her happy. We also need the extra income.

Lucas is vacationing in Vermont next month. Jacob, on the other hand, won't be joining Lucas because he has to watch the dogs (or so he claims). I wonder if Jacob is planning another secret rendevous? The last time Lucas left to visit family in Vermont, Jacob strayed. When the cat's away, mice will play. I wonder if Lucas knows of Jacob's previous affair? I wonder if he trusts Jacob? If Lucas even suspected that Jacob could, would, or did cheat, I'm sure that Lucas wouldn't leave Jacob alone for even a week. Hmm...interesting. And thus I leave you with today's words of wisdom.


Trust your intuition. If your gut reacts, something fishy is lurking around the corner.

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