Could anyone recommend a good Metro-area contact for house painting? I don’t have a whole lot needing done, mainly shutters, and touch up a few spots here and there. I don’t think anything’s been painted here except the front door — which I did shortly after buying the house and have touched up a couple times since. I’ve checked out several companies, but don’t really know anything about any of them. I always prefer to hire by referral anyways. For the most part, small area companies or “do it yourself” (independent) guys do better jobs — besides, I like “helping out the little guy.”

LOL, that’s what I told someone yesterday when talking about the amount of land surrounding my house. He asked if I had a front yard — “No, just a couple of parking spaces.” When asked about the back, I said “Not really, it’s more of a mud patch.” He gave me an odd look and I explained, “There’s no grass unless you count the weeds around the privacy fence, but every time it rains there’s an excellent mud patch.”

hehehe

That’s one of my pet projects this summer, to transform the backyard into a garden. I’ve gotten a bird feeder but haven’t assembled it yet. I’ve already started shopping for all sorts of yard markers and sculptures to put back there. There’s really not a whole lot of room. There’s an embankment and a privacy fence was run across in front of it when the house was built. My actual property line goes up the embankment into the hill behind the house. Not a whole lot can be done about it, so every spring I throw some assorted seeds back/up there so it will have some pretty wildflower landscape. Jessie and I periodically leave out food for the birds that nest in the trees behind the house — all the more reason to put up a nice set of feeders, maybe even a bird bath.

Yesterday I saw the most beautiful pair of cardinals. I want to encourage more birds to nest in the area … maybe even put up some hummingbird feeders and some nice wind chimes.

Even though Jim’s Army and not Marines, I can still see him doing this:

*grin*

Attennnnnnnnn… tion!

Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter’s body, I will remove them.

Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four:
I’m sure you’ve been told that in today’s world, sex without utilizing a “barrier method” of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is “early.”

Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don’t you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which features chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. On issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

Diiiiiiiiiissss… missed!

I had a weird dream last night. I dreamed that I was back living at my parents house — only parts of it wasn’t their house. There were some parts that were my grandfather’s house. I remember hearing the grandfather clock chime. I think I was around 12 years old or so, I was playing outside with my brother. Then suddenly I was grown, and for some reason I was “training” someone who looked like me how to “be” me. This was weird in the fact that she looked just like me, but at the same time looked nothing like me — this made sense in my dream, really! ;P She was my height, with tan skin and blond hair. (Two things I’ve *never* been: tan or blond!)

I woke up afterwards feeling very odd … I don’t remember what the purpose of training the look-alike, but I remember explaining what to do, or not do, in order not to upset my father when he’s in his “moods” …

Ok, not really … but I figured this would give Mara a giggle, and a chance to see her new feed toys in action.

A couple things:

1.) Per request, I’ve added a new link category called WP Plugins in Use that list the WordPress plugins used on this site.

2.) Someone left me a message on IM asking when the new AMO interface would be unveiled (I’m sorry, you didn’t leave your name and I didn’t have it in my history). I’ve been told that it will be soon. I received a note from one of the mods that the Addons queue will be locked down for the move and all Addons awaiting approval (over 300!!!) will be reviewed at the time — which can only be a good thing, as one of mine is awaiting approval.