Thankful for a Productive Thanksgiving

How did you spend your Thanksgiving?

I had intended to relax with family and stuff my face, like most of the rest of America...

...but no. My brother, who was staying at Fort Mogerman (near Kitchenistan), decided to get all responsible and uncle-y on me. Rather than sit back and watch a meaningless Detroit Lions game, he forced me to clean the basement and lay the carpet tile floor I had purchased the week before. Talk about ruining the holiday!

All kidding aside, project Livable Basement was a true family success story. Rob's project management kept the whole thing moving along quickly while the entire family pitched in (my parents were in town too). After a few days of cleaning, organizing, and sucking in a lot of fine particulate matter, conditions were right to put down the checkerboard Flor tiles (we went with the recycled felt of their Fedora model). And with a couple days' work, the basement has been completely transformed from a cold dusty concrete hoarding zone with a low ceiling that I crack my head on, into a clean inviting soon-to-be office space with a low ceiling that I will crack my head on. Pretty amazing what a coat of lighter paint, new flooring, and the removal of tons of junk will do.

So now it will feel less like I have been banished when I move my computer and office stuff into the now livable lowest level of the house to make way for Cletus' nursery. That will also require some painting and decorating. I have some great Jay Ryan silk screened poster art that I have been saving since the mid-90s that I will be getting framed---cool kid-friendly designs (astronaut, animals, toys) that will brain wash him to slavishly love indie rock early in life. (Gooble gobble, one of us!)

So thanks Rob. Thanks a lot mom and dad. You too Jo-Elle. Argh. A productive holiday weekend. Blech.