melodious twang

[freckles_and_doubt]

Right, well, then. That seems to be it: the official length of contiguous time during which I can handle the degree of stress occasioned by orientation and registration in evil-minded tandem is, in fact, four and a half days. At around lunchtime, when yet another crisis reared its ugly head, there was a sort of audible snapping noise in the key of F#, and I gave up. Cancelled the activity. Ignored OL meeps of complaint. Made unilateral decision to save self, and all else concerned, additional stress, and simply opted out. It was a silly part of the programme anyway, and I was planning to ditch it next year come what may. I am become ruthless in the pursuit of my own sanity, which incidentally was materially assisted in the last two days by (a) random chocolate from wolverine_nun and (b) random chocolate from herne_kzn. I am now hermitted in my office with the door locked, defiantly blogging, and let the rest of the bloody programme go hang.

My sanity is also being materially assisted not only by the haven of the jo&stv abode, but by Supernatural. The above image of an evil-minded tandem has irresistibly recalled the particularly goofy Season 5 episode I just watched, which features whole chunks of Sam & Dean mugging for the camera in a sort of 50s zany sitcom setting, including above-mentioned bicycle made for two. David M complains that whenever the Supernatural writers run out of ideas they fling in a meta episode. My known proclivities in the direction of narrative self-consciousness being what they are, I acknowledge the justice of his statement and joyously celebrate its truth. The meta episodes tickle me no end. The convention one cracked me up completely. This series is actually beautifully layered.

I am led to believe, via my daily ELB (Evil Landlord Bulletin), that the house is currently without a functioning toilet bar the smelly chemical toilet near the gate, and will moreover be without water for several days while plumbers plumb merrily. I clutch my temporary haven close to my chest in devout thankfulness, and shudder.

Comments

[schedule5.livejournal.com]

Please remind me again what the son-of-the-bride-of-the-army-of-reconstruction are actually doing? It sounds as if they're building a whole new house.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

The Son of the Bride of the Return of the Army of Reconstruction are engaged in the following:

1. Building an extra wall a metre out from the outside wall of my study and the main bathroom, roofing it, knocking out the inside walls, replastering, repainting and reinstalling the bathroom in a larger space with a shower as well as a bath. Progress: are knocking out inside walls, they've worked like demons and it's gone very fast.
2. Digging up the entire back courtyard, front patio and the floor of the shed, levelling and repaving in tasteful sandstone. Also, removing small, pointless walls of various sorts from the back courtyard. Progress: entire back and part of front of house a blasted heath. Silly walls gone. Giant holes everywhere. Lawn dead. Tiles arriving next week, although they go on right at the end of the whole thing, for obvious reasons not unrelated to builder mess.
3. Retiling the kitchen walls and the bit of floor where the Aga used to be. Progress: all old tiles ripped off wall and floor. Tiler starts on Monday.
4. Rewiring the house, relocating about 60% of the light switches, embedding all electrical cable in walls instead of in external conduits. Progress: done, except for a few extra bits in my study once it's finished. House liberally coated in brick dust from the angle grinding. Electrician laughed hysterically when assessing the old wiring.
5. Various small, odd jobs we keep on thinking up, like new outdoor taps and replacing my cracked toilet cistern and relaying the bricks where I park, etc etc etc. Progress: we keep thinking up new ones, so more or less continuous.
6. Sanding and sealing the wooden floors. Progress: happens last, at which point I probably flee the country, let alone the house.
7. New fitted desk and bookshelves in my study. Progress: gave the nice carpenter man the specs yesterday, he'll do the work at the end of Feb.

Not an entire new house. Just feels like it.