It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.
Tile Style
My husband and I are still in the planning phase of the addition of a second bathroom into our five bedroom house. (I know, it’s weird.) I have been fantasizing about a second bathroom for years, and have obsessively torn photos from magazines and newspapers for inspiration. One of my favorites shows a hexagonal tile floor with a Grecian-style border. Sadly, only a tiny bit of floor is shown in the photo, so I was going to have to figure out the details on my own.
That is, until yesterday when I walked into the vestibule of Tammy Strobel’s apartment building and was hit with exactly the tile pattern that I want for my new bathroom. Which, (and this is very important) shows how the border maneuvers in the corners. I know Tammy thought I was on the weird side of nutso, but I snapped a ton of photos for reference.
It’s a good thing my husband and I are taking our sweet time with this project, or the tile would be finished by now.
Choosing a Microproject Over Routine
I have written before about how I could do house and yard work every waking moment without ever finishing the job. The dishes, laundry, cooking, organizing and gardening are on an endless loop that can make a gal go postal if she’s not careful. (And yes, I do the majority of household maintenance, as my husband works 44 hours per week and I work 16.)
So sometimes I ignore the general household duties in order to tackle a project that will actually have a lasting effect. (Dishes so do not have a lasting effect!) Just today I pulled everything out of the medicine cabinet, scrubbed it down, tossed empty vials of goo and reorganized everything.
The result is lovely, non-crowded and will be a delight to behold when I open it up every morning. And had I spent the same amount of time doing dishes, they would all be a post-dinner mess at this point anyway.
Library Geek, Thy Name is Katy
I am such a library geek that I am even Facebook friends with my favorite reference librarian. And when I saw that her status was to come in to The Belmont branch today to get your picture taken with your card I got all tingly and excited.
Why would I be so excited to have my picture taken with my library card? Because I still have my first library card from 1977, which is adorable as my signature could best be described as “chicken scratch.” And yes, I also still have my card from the eighties, which is silver and rather rock star cool.
And perhaps I did dress a little nicer than usual today, and maybe, just maybe I spent a few extra minutes on my hair. But I really want The Multnomah County library to use my photo on their website. The photo taken of me posing with my three library cards!
It would be better than when I was in The National Enquirer.
Rock star cool. Non-Consumer style.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Neat idea with the library card photo! I’m lucky to live in an area where I can join several different library systems. I have three different cards on my keychain right now. I don’t think you can ever have too many library cards. 🙂
Is it Joanna? I loved working with her when I subbed at the BEL branch, and she even invited me over one year for a Passover seder when I had nowhere else to go. She’s a total sweetheart, and an information junkie like me. <3
Love your blog, classy. Good luck on that bathroom tile project. Are you planning on doing it yourself or hire someone to lay it in for you. If you want to keep your sanity I suggest the latter. I learned a bit from our father who was a tile man. Those little square tile in a cramped room like a bathroom is a BEAR to work on. the tiles you chose are really unique looking and would look great in a bathroom.
My husband will be doing all the work himself. And since it’s a brand new bathroom, he will be doing the tile work before the sink or toilet are installed. Hopefully, it won’t be too difficult, as he’s a super handy guy.
-Katy
I’m with you! Micro projects give a feeling of accomplishment that routine just can’t match. It’s simpler for me to go ahead with the micro project then “bundle” the household tasks. For instance hand wash dishes from two or even three meals at a time. This also saves money in hot water usage and dish soap. Cook double batches then freeze one for later is another great time saver.
I dont have my first card since we were military and just used our IDs but I have just about every one since and I have the first ones that the kids and grandkids got as soon as they could wrote their names! I’ve lived so many places I have a stack of them since that’s the first thing I do on a new place.
Katy, I wanted to send you something on Grants Pass Do you have a mailing addy that you give out? I volunteer for the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors bureau…. They have some cool info.
Hope everyone took advantge of free entrance to the National Parks yesterday…..we went to Crater Lake beautiful day!!
I’m a Multnomah County Library patron from way back–starting when I was a little one in the late-60’s. I don’t have my first library card any more, but I still remember what it looked like. My first card was really heavy manila-colored cardboard/cardstock, with a metal plate on it’s face, which had the card number embossed on it (the card numbers were way shorter back then!) It was my prized posession–I was so proud of my card, and that my mom let me walk the block to the library to chose my own books.