Monday, October 10, 2005

Joaq on Oprah

I saw Joaquin on Oprah today. And I'll say what I say everytime I hear him sing as Johnny Cash. "Damn, that guy sounds just like him!"

I'm so grateful she addressed the issue of the "head banging incident" and there was no mention of his visit to rehab. I know a lot of people are wanting to hear about it and I hope he does the right thing and let them wonder. It's his business, it was his choice and for whatever the reason, he did the right thing.

Reese Witherspoon was on and she's so cute. That woman has a lot of fire, though and I'm so glad to hear her speak out publicly about paparazzi. I've already had my say about the issue, except I'd like to add….
Let's take photos of them and publish them as wanted posters in the actor's trades. That would really let them know what it feels like!

The only thing I'd like to say about the show is…the Joaquin segment was too short! Needless to say, "a little Wok goes a long way."

To read more about his appearance with Reese on the show, check out Oprah's homepage.
Keep shining, Joaquin.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

While Mom Was Out Part II

I've always been a big fan of the show "While You Were Out." I've even fantasized about hanging out with John Bruce and Evan Farmer, even wrote romance story about them. Then when my mom goes out of town for five days, I get the bright idea (actually it was her idea) to redo her now spare bedroom.

My stepfather died in a nursing home in February after a long battle with emphysema and it was his bedroom. The room has only been painted once since my parents bought the house and my father put up vinyl wallpaper after that which was beginning to peel in places. Mom started making plans to redo the room, remove the wallpaper, paint the walls, and pull up the carpet. Possibly even replace the carpet or not, which depends what we find underneath. My mother suffers from anxiety disorder (actually, I do most of the suffering, but that's another story) and I couldn't face trying to paint the bedroom with her looking over my shoulder, worrying, questioning every move I made, and finally driving to me straight home to finish off an entire bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

So when I discovered she was going out of town I think, here's my chance. The minute she was on the highway, I was ripping off wallpaper. It wasn't so bad actually, Dad had used the self-stick kind so it came off pretty easily. Sunday I went back to sponge off the stubborn pieces and remove the tape that bordered the ceiling. I'm still not quite sure what the tape was for, but it's been up there quite a few years.

I planned to get an early start Tuesday morning, but didn't wake up till 8:30 which was the time I planned to be at the home improvement store.

And that's the thing I learned first and foremost….PLANNING is the key. Which is one of the details about any project that seems to escape this ADD possessed mind. The thing with me is, if I start planning something, I get so focused on the planning stage, I never get around to beginning the project.

So since I get up late, it's about 12:30 before I get the paint and get to her house. I move the furniture away from the walls, throw old sheets and plastic sheeting over the furniture, then put tape on the baseboard, which is not painted but stained, and start painting. Then I realize why these things need to be planned. I knew that white paint is hard to cover a darker color, but this is ridiculous. I'm painting over robin's egg blue, a dirty blue at that and the ceiling is an off-white. It becomes evident soon after I get through two walls that one gallon will not be enough. At 3:00 I go back to the store for more paint. By then I'm regretting the decision to buy the paint at that particular store on the morning I started painting.

By 5:00 I'm tired and ready to quit. I've got most of the room painted with one coat, all I lack is the ceiling and behind the bed, which I couldn't move until I was through with the wall behind the dresser. That was another thing. On the tv shows, they always move all the furniture out of the room. That was not an option here, since Mom's house is so small.
I left, went home and came back to spend the night.

The next day, I got up early and after my sinuses adjusted to the paint smell and I could see well enough, I put on a second coat. Stretched that second gallon of paint until I was dabbing what was left in the bottom of the can. I put the furniture back, pulled all the tape off, vacuumed the rug and left. The room looked like a hotel room. It was sparse, clean and emptied of all reminders that my stepfather had spent his nights there with his oxygen machine. And I learned a lesson about painting. If you spill latex paint, don't try to wipe it up. Wait till it dries, spray it with 409 and then peel it off. You just smear it if you try to wipe it off and it's impossible to get off. Of course, if I wanted to spend an extra $5 for the special paint wipes, I could have. Next time I will, believe me. I get crazy with the paint brush at times and I do not have very good control. Fortunately, she wanted to get rid of the carpet, so I didn't have to worry about that! That's the next project on her list.

Mom was ecstatic. She kept talking about how pretty it was. Now I have a real problem on my hands. She wants me to paint her other bedroom, which is all wood paneling. Which means sanding, and more painting…. Does anyone know Evan Farmer's number? Tell him I'll buy him all the Red Bull he can drink.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

While Mom Was Out!

Ouch!
Stop me before I paint again!
That's what I've been doing for the last two days, in case anyone's wondering. I know some of you have missed me. You have, missed me, haven't you????

Anyway, I was going write about it, but my arms are very sore and tired. Perhaps tomorrow. Before I go to Mom's to catch the look on her face.

I was also going to post this last night, but Blogger was down for maintenance, so I hobbled off to the couch, ate macaroni and cheese, onion rings and a Kraft's Sundae Toppers pudding. Then I watch "That 70's Show", a remake of "A Little Princess" and cried even though Shirley Temple wasn't in it. It's a movie that's a must see for any woman who's ever had a father. Fell asleep watching "Kate and Leopold". What can I say? I love fairy tales.

So before this turns into one of those boring blogs about my life (too late!) I'm off to Mom's!