Resistance is futile!

"Resistance is futile!" Dumps WND From Its Blogroll...

...in response to this.

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At this exact moment, it is 4:56 and 7 seconds on 8/9/10.

Whoa...

The master bath is soooooo much better now

The photos don't do it justice - just can't really capture the true colors with this camera.  But anyway...

Notice as you approach, the bedroom walls have a soothing soft green paint now:

That's also a new light on the wall, but that's a story for another day.  This is bathroom day.  Come on over:

We're on a budget, so some things have to be put off for now, like the window and shower door.  But it is still a whole new room!

Not that you can really tell, but that's a new Kohler commode.  It will flush anything, just like in the commercial.  No need for the sexy plumber lady to come over here!  See that trim around the paper holder?  Wondering what is up with that?  Well, apparently they don't make new holders like they used to.  All the holders we saw sit deeper into the wall than the 33 year old holder we were replacing.  And for some reason, there is some extra wood in the wall there.  So, our choices were cut into the wood on the exterior wall, or make the new holder a frame to stick out a little.  So I cannibalized some trim from the old vanity and build a little frame.  Since it was reclaimed, it matches the existing window, door and baseboard trim.  A decent solution for now, if I may say so myself...

And check out this tile:

The colors in the photo really don't do it justice.  In real life, it is so rich with reds, pinks, purples and greys.  LOVE it!  And love the grout, which is hard to see, but it really accents the purplish tones of the tiles.  And the hues really compliment the espresso stain on the vanity:

Again, not the best color reproduction.  We should probably invest a better camera with a much better flash.  Any suggestions that won't bust the budget?

Anyway, we went with a lower profile vanity.  This one gives back a few inches of floor space, which really makes the room feel quite a bit bigger than before.  And it still has plenty of storage.

Here is another view:

Again with the color.  The walls are actually a very nice soft plummy lavendery color, and not nearly as pink as these pictures suggest.

But the best thing of all is: NO FLUORESCENT LIGHT BOX!

Whoever originally thought that putting fluorescent lights in bathrooms inside huge bulkheads with nasty plastic lenses was a good thing: I hope you are burning in hell now.

Also, the new mirror is a medicine cabinet.  Much more convenient than before.

All in all, a huge transformation!  Now... what to tackle next?

Welcome to our new home

Ding dong!  (Actually, more like a grandfather clock chime before the hour bells).  And the front door opens...

Come on in!  Welcome to our new home.  It's pretty empty right now, but soon it will be filled and full of happiness and joy!

To your left, there is a hallway that leads to the bedrooms and guest bath... But first... Ahead is the living room:

And check out the fireplace on the other side of the living room:

Come on in and take a closer look at that stonework:

And if you look back, you can see that skylight above the foyer:

Come check out the other rooms:

Step up into the dining room:

And through these pocket doors, into the den:

OK. back to the dining room:

And did you see this huge window in the dining room?

You're right, it is awfully bright - it takes the eyes a minute to adjust...

Behind you is the kitchen, laundry, a future bathroom and the garage.  First, check out the laundry:

Behind that is the site of a future bathroom.  The former owners did manage to install a toilet, but so far that is the only thing in there:

And of course we have a garage.  Look, our new SUV fits in here, no problem:

And there are closets in the garage:

The previous owners put in shelves and left us a few things:

And there is a workbench.  Look, I got some new tools!

OK, back inside.  Have another look into the den from this side:

So here is the kitchen:

Look up at those skylights:

Again, it takes a minute for the eyes to adjust to all that natural light!

Look at all this workspace:

And the stainless steel range with ceramic cook top.  Someday, we'll replace this with natural gas (we already have gas heat).  But this will do for now:

So let's go back through the foyer and down the hall to the living areas:

Check out the big linen closet in the hallway:

And here is the first bedroom, which we will use for our office:

Come on into the room:

You're right, it is a little dim in here, as the sun is on the other side of the house right now.  Let's flip on the light and... OH MY GOD, THE COLOR!

Yes, the walls are pink.  And not even a nice pink.  And the curtains... well, this will all go very, very soon.  I promise!  Hey, check out the closet space:

OK, so come see the second bedroom, which we will make the guest room:

Yes, it is the same color.  And with a matching wallpaper border, even.  But hey, no curtains!

Wow, let's take a closer look at that wallpaper:

And more closet space:

OK, let's check out this guest bath:

Oh.  My.  There is... carpet... and linoleum... together... doing some sort of French curve thing... well, that will go away eventually:

And the vanity... is... brown... (yes, those are my feet.  what do you expect on this blog?  I'm standing on the tub to take this picture):

Speaking of the tub, here is the shower contraption therein:

And the wallpaper... wow...

OK, enough of this... into the master bedroom, quick!  As you walk from the hallway into the master, there are closets on either side.  Here is the left closet (as you face back into the hall):

And as you come around the corner, you can see the closets and also the master bath:

Oh my.  The master bath looks even more... interesting... than the guest bath.  Let's check it out!

Yes, that is a fluorescent light box.  And check out this vanity:

And check out this wonderful toilet, complete with interesting riser base:

I tried to get a closeup of just the wallpaper.  But the camera said "no."  Oh well, check out the view from the master bedroom window... you don't even need to think about the bathroom behind you when you see this:

Come, take a closer look.  See our gazebo?  There's a hot tub in there!  And look at that rhododendron!  

OK, that's all for today.  Come back later, and we'll show you some of our updates!

Hmmm... blog software is highly updated since last used... need to check all the new stuff out. And, you know, maybe post something... except I almost always just post quick links and short commentary to facebook instead of bothering with the blog. Hey, look for me on facebook - dvgulliver

Follow up

Ok, ok... I can't just give up on the blog.  I have too much invested in it - not money, but work, sweat, tears...

But lately it has been so neglected, it needs to be reborn into something cleaner, up to date, and functional.

So... talk to me, peeps.  What do I need to do with it?  And whatever I do, it has to be done in a manner that doesn't take a lot of time.  I spend too much time online, basically doing NOTHING, and not enough time living life.  So I'm not putting a lot of time and effort into this.

But the blog will live on, and every so often I will write something that I hope is worth reading.

What to do?

I am thinking of getting out of the blog business.

I don't post much anymore.  And few people come here looking for updates.  And I feel quite powerless.  And hosting this costs money.

Is ANYONE reading?

Does ANYONE care what I have to say about ANYTHING?

Yes, we can and should have a litmus test somewhere

Wow... this makes no sense to me.

Anyone else see the irony of harshly attacking a fellow Republican for... harshly attacking fellow Republicans?

Seriously, though: I strongly believe in Reagan's 11th Commandment - but you have to draw a line in the sand SOMEWHERE, where you say "once you cross this line, as far as I am concerned, you are no longer a Republican worthy of the 11th Commandment."  Where is that line?  Well, it varies for all.  For Bob, it was supporting the largest tax grab in Oregon's history.  I can respect that.  That's a well defined line.

If you have no line, then what is to stop democratics from just saying "oh yeah, we're Republicans now" and demanding party support?

Draw your line - and defend it!

Jack, it is time for you to realize: the era of playing nice is over.  We are in the greatest crisis most of us (all of us born after 1945) have ever experienced in our lifetimes.  Playing nice will destroy America.  We need to fight hard and win without any more "compromise" pushing America further to the left towards the precipice of outright socialism.

Sad News

Just heard that Oregon Treasurer Ben Westlund has died.  Even though he and I had opposite views of issues, I do believe Ben was a decent man.  I didn't work with him much in the capitol, but when I did, he was always jovial and gracious.  His family is in my prayers.

good news, bad news

Well, we may have lost a good congressional candidate, but we gained a good county commissioner candidate.

I think this is a smart move for Leiken.  I just don't think Defazio is vulnerable enough right now.  Don't get me wrong - I think Leiken is a great guy and the best potential challenger for the seat.  And Defazio has to go!  But right now, it looks like Defazio is still too entrenched.

This move allows Leiken to expand his political experience outside of Springfield and sets him up for a number of 2012 and 2014 options.  I'd like to see him run for treasurer in 2012 and help turn Oregon's finances around.