not much exciting to report this week.

work is busy as usual... i'm enjoying the temporary office (lots of space! a window! whee!), but have been in back-to-back meetings all week so i've barely been in it. looking forward to taking a day or two off next week, so i can enjoy the last bit of summer... i'm thinking a day trip into the city might be nice.

the shoulder is not screaming anymore, which is glorious. the spasm has gone down, and physical therapy is helping a bit with the herniated disk, so i've only had to take an advil a couple of times over the last week. compared to the heavy duty meds from a few weeks ago, that didn't even make a dent in the pain (threw those suckers out... what a waste of time), it's an absolute miracle. i might even hoop a bit this weekend!

step #2 in having a non-toxic house, complete.

so, the nasty trees got ripped out a few weeks ago... yesterday was step 2, the installation of a sump pump and industrial-strength dehumidifier in the damp lower level of the house. what an amazing difference. i'm going to have to completely redo the bathroom, including drywall, since they had to rip out part of the wall and the baseboards and such in order to seal off the moisture and build a drain... but it's worth it. especially that dehumidifier -- within hours of installation, the whole downstairs was dry and didn't feel humid or smell musty anymore. amazing!

figured i'd entertain you with some "before" photos... these were taken the day before the contractors came.

one corner of the bathroom -- this root was running along the wall, i pulled it out so you could see how long it was.


the corner next to it... a whole network of spidery roots invading the bathroom. and yes, the baseboards are rotting and moldy. the amazing thing is, it looked that way within a month after i moved in. have i mentioned that i hope the previous owners have all sorts of horrible things happen to them? 'cause i do.