Priming to the Oldies

I sometimes give my Favorite Panamanian what we used to call in the Army, “A ration of s----“ – (which means a hard time about something they do) for staying up into the wee hours of the morning whenever one of her cleaning frenzies grips her. I am now completely without basis to complain going forward after last night’s adventures in the new addition. I had steeled myself for a difficult evening after agreeing to go tile shopping with her and Deckzilla Dude after work.

A few weeks ago she purchased the tile needed for the new bathroom but her design calls for something called “rope tiles” and bullnose tiles. I now know more than I ever bargained or wanted to know about the aforementioned items. After two Home Depots (including a regretfully short FaceTime call with the FBR) we finally found the rope tiles but the bullnose is still in the wind. Since we were already at Home Depot I stopped by the paint department because the plaster guys strongly recommended we apply a good coat of primer before we tried to paint the walls and ceiling in the new addition. I had no problem finding that and my wife even made a final decision on the color of paint for the walls so we were on a roll, albeit a very expensive one.

What I looked Like Around 1AM

I wanted to get the priming done as soon as possible while the rest of the room is still unfinished. I know myself and my tendency to distribute paint in a pretty wide arc. While most of it does end up in the target area my wife does not allow me to do anything outside large muscle movements involving broad strokes. Since Deckzilla Dude is making noises of putting down the floor in the room I knew my ability to be messy was drawing to a close. We got home a little before nine and after unloading our haul I headed straight to work on the walls and ceiling.

Room This Morning

My wife was smart enough to stay out of my way since she didn’t want to end up with a coat of paint on herself. She was very supportive though and tuned the TV in a nearby bedroom to the oldies. This was perfect work for me because it was all brute force and ignorance, not requiring a fine touch at all. The music was a welcome addition to the environment and I found myself remembering some ancient times when these songs were current instead of what we both were now. It was a little challenging working around all the construction debris but I finished the whole thing in one go. Of course that ended just before 1AM. I’m sure neighbors driving down the streets late at night wondered what the hell was going on. There are no shades in the huge windows and the lights were blazing while I worked.

When I wandered downstairs for the cleanup I walked by a mirror and saw while most of the paint ended up on the walls and ceiling I had not neglected my face and hair. Luckily the white paint in the hair is almost not noticeable anymore with so much white already up there. It was a long night and the first time I can remember that I didn’t spend a single minute in the Man Cave. All I have left is the ceiling paint since everything else will require a modicum of care that last night’s experience demonstrated I lack the capacity for.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé & MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involed in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rdmusquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals – female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at work; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues