(no subject)

[swingchickie]

i'm feeling a little bit better about the whole "i have roots growing in my house" problem. well, not better about the problem, because that sucks... but better about the fact that it can be fixed and that i shouldn't have to pay for it. my handyman was over yesterday to re-wire some of the miswired outlets, and he asked to look at my trees near that area of the house... when he saw the massive maple tree at the corner, which spreads out in all directions really really far, he confirmed it: there is no way that the root problem is new, it was hidden by the previous owners. that makes me so upset. what also makes me upset is that the big ol' tree is probably going to have to come down. i'm not thrilled about it. but cutting down the tree would do a few things: 1. stop the roots from growing into the house and tearing the foundation apart, 2. get rid of the dampness in the house (the sun would be able to hit 1/4 of the house that's covered by the tree), and 3. grass could grow in that area (it's so big and shady, it's just dirt and big gnarled roots under it). i just want to know what rocket scientist in 1955 thought it would be smart to plant a maple tree right next to the house. meh.

mom is through the roof over this, she wants me to just get my money back and move. (preferably to a brand-new townhouse that won't have any maintenance issues.) but this is my home, i've already put so much love and energy and money into it and it's alllllll mine... i just want the problem to be fixed so i can go on living happily here. this is where my heart is, it would break if i had to move... so i'm looking into what my legal rights are and we'll figure it out. *heavy sigh*.

in happier house news, the rest of it is coming along well. yesterday morning (i am such a loser) i got up at 5:45am to hit home depot when they opened, so i could get the paint i wanted for my front door. the night before when i'd been there, the line for the paint department was at least 10 people long (right before closing), so i couldn't get it then... so i figured if i hit them right when they opened, i'd be able to get my paint, bring it home, paint the first coat, and give it enough drying time before i headed out for the afternoon. which worked out perfectly --

this is the house when i moved in:




this is how it looks now! hedges trimmed and my preeeeeeeeetty front door! (yes, it's getting a second coat of paint next weekend to get rid of the patchiness.)




the funny thing is, it's taken me weeks to find the right shade of blue, i had it in my head but couldn't find a corresponding paint swatch... then i found one close enough in home depot (an interior paint), and had them color match it for exterior use. so i finished the door, stepped back, and saw something out of the corner of my eye... it was one of my evening bags, that was the EXACT shade of blue i'd been searching for! how freaky is this???



ooh, and my handyman installed the new light in my foyer, which is SO much better. old fixture (yes, it was really hanging out of the ceiling like that when i bought the house, i told you these people didn't take care of the place):




new fixture, the sputnik lamp i bought before i moved in!




in non-house news, went to the last BBQ at jeremym's delaware place yesterday... soon he will be moving into his swanky new digs in center city, and throwing bigger and swankier parties.

in the evening, met up with sarcasmoscorner for jonathan coulton at milkboy... he completely rocked my socks off. anyone who can open his set with a folk-ballad rendition of "baby got back" gets instant fangirly love from me. (so fangirly that i dorked out and got all bashful and couldn't even say hi to him afterwards.) there were a few fans in the crowd, but the entire room was gaga over him by the time he finished... and just the fact that he played "skullcrusher mountain" made. my. month.

i should stop typing and jump in the shower... big, BIG day ahead filled with lots of important things. more to follow. for now, i'll leave you with a picture of a fat, sleepy cat in the sink:

Comments

[bohemianrapsody.livejournal.com]

Great door color. It really pops and goes so well with the 50's achitecture.
Sorry about the root situation. Our sellers also lied about water not coming in the basement. There's NO way they weren't aware of a small torrent coming down the wall when it rains heavily. We dug a small drain ditch but need to put gutters on. Grr.