Slap on, slather, stipple, swab.
July 31st, 2003
I'm painting the bathroom today. In the early days of this vacation, I had energetically started to paint the finally drywalled and primed bathroom. I got one coat on the walls and the bulkhead, and painted two coats on the ceiling. I hadn't done the cutting in around the ceiling, and it definitely needed a second coat.
Then I ran out of energy. In truth, I got distracted by other projects like organising the basement, experimentation with baking, sewing, and furniture reorganisation.
Chris and I went to a tile place on the weekend and decided that we'd get someone to come and install the floor, because it was really inexpensive and worth the peace of mind (for me) that we'd quicky lose if we tried to do it ourselves. See: handy, and not being.
I taped the ceiling, which was a big pain in the ass, and have finished one coat of cutting in, and I've slapped on another coat on the walls. The colour is the colour of glass that you find on the beach. A very pale aquaish colour. I think eau-de-Nile covers it (thanks, Neil!) although the colour name is "Water Mark" from Behr.
This sample isn't quite the colour that it looks like on the wall, but it's close. I am really glad that the room is so small because I am really kind of starting to hate painting. I love how things look when they are finished, but the interim steps can be so annoying. Rollie pushed the door open and snuck in behind me when I wasn't looking today and rubbed all against a freshly painted wall. I let it dry and then brushed him with the wire brush and it has pretty much all come off.
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The house has only shaken a few times today so far. That's a good thing. I can hear the engines of all the dirt movers rumbling around but I think they are concentrated on the other side of the field so it isn't right on top of me. It's kind of overcast and it smells damp so I am wondering if some rain is in the forecast soon. If so, that would explain these annoying headaches I keep having.
My normal low blood pressure has been getting worse as well. If I get up quickly I have to sit right back down because my vision greys out. I've always had this, but this week it seems to be worse. I am cripplingly tired as I mentioned earlier as well. Maybe I am getting the flu or something. I might be getting a sinus infection. I have been really stuffy lately and my teeth hurt in that sinus pressure way. The other option is just that allergies are wreaking havok again.
On the Plate:
This is a recipe inspired by the Milk calendar. If I was making it again, I would add garlic and more salt and pepper because it was kind of bland.
Pesto Chicken Pasta
I sauteed some boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6) that I cut all the fat off of and cut into small pieces. When they were brown I moved them to a bowl. I then added a little more oil and a diced onion and sliced mushrooms. When the onion was soft, I returned the chicken to the pan with juices, added salt and pepper and 2 c. of milk into which I whisked a tablespoon of flour. I cooked this over medium-high heat until it started to boil, and then I added 1 c. of macaroni (I would have preferred shells, but I didn't have any). I turned it down and simmered until the pasta was just beginning to be tender. I added a diced red pepper, and about 1/2 cup of homemade basil pesto (olive oil, basil leaves, pine nuts and parmesan cheese whizzed in the blender). I let it cook for about another 5 minutes until the pasta was al dente.
I didn't put garlic in my pesto and I should have, because otherwise, this meal was pretty bland. I'd probably do half milk half stock next time, and add some red chilis. I would also probably marinate the chicken in a mixture of vermouth, pepper, olive oil and garlic first.
Approaching Kilter is on a little hiatus because I haven't been on the bike lately due to some knee problems.
Books I have Read Lately:
- Sorcery Rising by Jude Fisher. I am kind of undecided about this one. There were a lot of main characters introduced and I had a hard time keeping them straight. Also, characters that you begin to like drop out of the action for long stretches of time while other characters get to do stuff. This book was basically all set up, with a dash of cliffhangers at the end. I am hoping that the second book will be less choppy and advance the story a little more.
(All links go through Amazon.ca because of the affiliate program with The Usual Suspects. I spend so much time on there, that this is the least I can do.)