Thursday Thoughts - I think you're sweet like rock candy

Essie Expressie, recommend. I hate the brush, but cannot deny the love I have for the punchy colors and the way it wears. This is my second time wearing the pink and it is perfection. Sometimes you need a quick dry polish, and this wears better than Sally's, which was my top standard for a quick dry. I have it in Trick Clique and just got it in the red this week, so I'm excited to try that. 

Don't you forget about me. 

End of dogs on the regular beach season tomorrow. We are sad. Dog Beach is only 10 min away, but in season we will go less because it's more of a pain to lose a parking spot, and the insane crowds over there mean it's like a 6 am or 7 am trip which I am not as keen on these days. If Ben didn't really love to run I wouldn't take them nearly as much.

Spackled several spots that I've been meaning to spackle for three years. Victory. I'm not great, but I'm passable, and I'll slap a coat of paint on it this weekend. I'm also an absolute fucking mess with things like this because I do not cover anything or remove anything I just start things and leave myself with a lot of cleanup.

Ben is happy for a laundry basket ride. Only when it's dirty.

PA Voters, Monday is your last day to register to vote in the primary. The primary is May 17. Only registered democrats or republicans can vote in it, not independents, because PA is a closed primary. Fart noise. If you are a registered democrat or republican, please make a plan to vote in the primary on Tuesday, May 17 - we have an open Senatorial seat and both parties have an array of candidates up. Make sure to vote for that and all other races - local politics impact your life more than a presidential election any day. Vote twice a year, every year. Believe me, I know that it feels like no one is listening to jack shit but less engaged voters is not the way to address that. For more info on elections and what is on your ballot, visit the League of Women Voters Education Fund site vote411.org - anyone can do this, not just PA voters - you input your address

Yesterday was packed AF and I did it all on five hours of sleep from the night before. I was up by 6, on the train, OPC, set up at my office, dentist appointment at 8, picked up a bagel, work, pick up salad for lunch, work, lyft to acupuncture appointment, killer painful but necessary appointment to address arm nerve issues and numbness, lyft back to work, finish up at office, train, home, eat, more work, return things to two stores, hair appointment, home at 9. Whew. Art outside of Salon Harmony below. Always a fun night with Kristi & Maria even if I am dog ass tired and delirious.

I've missed train reading.

Forever a fan of Philly street photos. 

Looking good, Philly. The news shows so much bad shit, but on the streets to me it feels like a comeback. 

Yesterday's out of home food. A bagel after my dentist appt from Philly Bagels. A chimichurri salad from sweetgreen. 

Home food of the week. Grilled cheese on rye, always a little burnt please. Breakfast burritos to freeze. If you eat bone in chicken thighs and are not making them in the air fryer, what are you even doing? Pre-heat air fryer. Season well. Cook skin side down for 12 min on 380. Skin side up for 11 or 12 on 380. My basket fits four perfectly. Serve with salad, boom and done

Billy Hicks turns 1 next week. I feel like securing a tiny cat hat. He would loathe it.

Testing Password keepers. So far I like LastPass best. It feels the most intuitive. 

For your perusal. The New York Times continues to whitewash right-wing extremism in Chris Rufo profile,  Mainstream coverage adopts Elon Musk's "free speech" framing - despite his anti-union, anti-speech, anti-worker history. 

What else...save public ed. Biden is republican lite. Defending Elon Musk's billions as if you might one day have them is a fucking joke. Close the racial wealth gap. Drink your water and stretch today. If you are woman of a certain age consider taking Magnesium/k Aspartate supplements. Peace. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Watercolor Eyes by Lana Del Rey

Thursday Thoughts - Is there a line that I could write that's sad enough to make you cry?

1.I was happy I made it into the city yesterday to do the Christmas Village and Dilworth Holiday stuff to see and stroll and support some small businesses. I missed that last year, and missed doing a DiBruno sweep close to the holidays as well so I did that yesterday too. It was a little of a now or never thing as I'm headed back to the shore tomorrow and will be there most of next week.

2. I'm pretty sure I stayed out of the city entirely last December, January, and February. Maybe I had a dentist appointment in Feb? Anyhoo the train was absolutely deserted if I did go in. I forgot what it was like to wear a coat and have three bags on a crowded train at the end of the day, shoes feeling too tight and everything generally sardine-ish. Add a mask to that and my claustrophobia was extremely close to losing my shit in a burst of sudden movement trying to get free. Also the scarf I'm wearing in the morning before my claustrophobic overheated breakdown was knitted by my Mom Mom when I was younger and is at least 30 years old. 

3. The Great Couch Crusade is back on. In 2020 we replaced the old sectional in our shore apartment - we searched for a suitable replacement for five years. Sat  on it in the store for an hour, fine. That damn couch is not hospitable for laying on. Our couches in Philly are about 10 years old. I would die for these couches but they are no longer suitable for the living room and will be moving to the basement to live out their remaining years down there. I jumped back into the game and ordered couches online (these in bayou spray, after arrival I will get a secondary set of covers probably in a different color) that look a lot like the beloved couches that are no longer made. They will allegedly arrive in March.

4. I was talking to my coworker friend this week about car and appliance woes (hers).It made me think about how when I was younger I could not wait to be in charge of everything and let's be real I still like being in charge of shit that relates to me but the pain in the ass shit and the bills are not what I was bargaining for when I thought about adulthood as a youth.

5. Totally digging Puma athleisure shoes lately. I got these with cousin Rob's friends and family discount code. Merry Christmas to meeeeeeee. I sold two pair of shoes on Poshmark this week and have two others up for sale. I also dropped off donations. Both things have been on my list for a freaking eternity.

6. Along with the closet contact papering project which finally happened Monday night. Between that and the Poshmarking shit and the basement reorganization Sunday I've cleared off some 2020 items from my to do list. Oi.

7. Not much else doing around here in Animal Town. The dogs love their electric blankets, why didn't I do this before this winter? They have one in Philly and one at the shore. Billy has been playing fetch and bounding around a lot this week like a proper dog. Gus sleeps most of the time. And Bruce is desperate to sit next to my dad constantly even though my Dad does not want to sit next to Bruce ever. 

8. I'm beta reading Shelby's book this week, and started something from Netgalley that I can't recall the name of at this time. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday!

9. Reminder: This via Keeley Shaw. Also restore some of the light people and things have sucked out of you by helping people who need it however you can, all the times you can, but please don't donate to the Salvation Army.

10. Ecards - 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Found Out About You by Gin Blossoms

TWTW - insert title here

Friday I spent the day cleaning up professional and personal shit in Philly with my PB&J lunch, then headed to the shore around 4:30. I was thrilled to see much of the door project done - ordered in September and in since January, I was at the it's about fucking time stage for the installation of those. They grouped them with the second set of windows (just the bathrooms, and two of the windows were probably 30-40 years old). I'm hoping they are fully done by Tuesday of this week. After that excitement it was Wawa for dinner as everything else was closed and I had nothing quick to make. I finished a book, painted my nails, and that's about it. 

Saturday I got 8.5 hours of sleep which was amazing. It's finally porch coffee season. I went to my second favorite indie bookstore - Bookateria Two, the used paperback store a few blocks from my house. I also got a Bungalow Bowl. We did a long beach walk. Boyar's BLT for dinner. I meant to do things but I couldn't put the Laura Dave book that comes out on May 4 down (get it!) then I got caught up in feng shui and looking for door colors. Our apartment door is set, ordered, on its way - it's the green (Fallow & Ball Verdigris) - the main house door is still up in the air. I'm partial to the orange here - salmon in a lot of natural light, which we have. That's Charlotte's Locks from Fallow & Ball. I did just discover there is an archive softer version of this I might be interested in - bisque. 

Sunday I went through every room in the main house making a list of what needs to be addressed in the next month, catalogued all of the bins under the beds so I know what is where for turnovers, purged what needed to be purged, figured out where new decor is going, and got rid of some trash. I took Bruce and Ben to the beach then headed home. I returned stuff to JoAnn and Target, hit Sam's when I was hangry and bought trash food, and had dinner with my brother & Aubrey and the kids. I caught a great sunset on the way home and chilled out until bedtime. 

It looks like I find myself back on TWTW and Thursday Thoughts posts. Insert shrug shoulders emoji.

If you missed it this weekend - Harriett's Bookshop's lease is up in July. There is a gofundme to get them a permanent space. A lot of true feminist, anti-racist work is shifting resources. If you have funds, please donate. If you do not have the money to donate at this time, please share the link, and also ask companies who pledged a commitment last to be a part of true, radical, substantial change in our  communities to achieve equitable spaces to shift some resources to this Black woman business owner who is a leader in the community. 

How to Plan for Home Remodeling While You're Away

Yesterday I thought it was Wednesday until like 10 am. Not cool. Did you ever feel like you have so much in your brain that it might burst? That's me right now.

Anyhoo as I do sometimes, I'm giving the floor to someone to talk about things I will not ever be talking about, in this case planning for home remodeling when you're away. Which may come in handy for me in the future as I am never doing a home improvement project in a house I'm living in again after my near nervous breakdown during the kitchen remodel. About the author: Alec Neufeld is a retired builder, now freelance writer and part-time general fix it man. He has strong opinions on the use of alternate energy and is also an avid sports enthusiast.

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Doing a home remodeling project and micromanaging everything is already daunting as it is. Even when you’re home all the time, the project can still go over the budget and so many things could go wrong along the way. Scheduling the project for when you’re away on a holiday is just too much of a risk, isn’t it?

Well, not really. You have to do a lot of work prior to the project but doing a home remodeling while you’re away is a great way to get around the inconveniences and hazards. All you have to do is plan for the project carefully and I have just the tips in this article.

Do a Lot of Research

By a lot of research, I mean A LOT of research. Thankfully, you now have the internet on your side. Searching for the most credible contractor to hire, the right parts and appliances to buy, and materials to use is so much easier to do when you have sites like Consumer Charts providing you with valid reviews and tons of resources.

Research is a crucial part of the planning stage. You want to go into the details and figure out everything before finalizing the plan for your remodeling project. Don’t leave anything to chance; write down the plan to the last letter and make sure you know exactly how the project will go even before it starts.

Budgeting is also something you can do at this point. Since you can also get quotes and prices online, figuring out an exact budget for the project isn’t going to be very difficult. Add up to 20% to anticipate changes along the way and you’ll be fine.

Inspect and Review

The next part of the planning stage is inspecting the property. This is something that many contractors will now do for free as part of their marketing. At the end of the inspection, you will get a more detailed quote – preferably in writing – and additional information about potential issues that need to be solved before moving forward with the remodeling.

Let several contractors inspect your home and compare the results. Make sure you mention that you are comparing contractors so that you get the best deal every time. Multiple inspections allow you to see the bigger picture and help you prepare for the project better.

Set Boundaries

Before starting the project, go through the plans with the contractor of your choice in great details. Make sure the person in charge of the project knows what you expect from the project perfectly. If you want to ask a close friend or a relative to help supervise the project if necessary, now is the time to bring that person in as well.

The contractor needs to know about your boundaries. What kind of changes are you willing to accept? Which issues need your approval? Will you be reachable on your trip? Figure out these details and you can start the project without a problem. You’ll have to live elsewhere during bigger remodeling projects anyway, so why not go on a nice holiday while your home is being improved?

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Enjoy what is now actually Wednesday. See you back here tomorrow for Thursday Thoughts.