Room Improvement

I have spent the last week turning Meg's room from a baby's room into a toddler's room. When I first started the project last Monday I thought it would only take me a couple of days. After all, I wasn't painting any of the walls, and I only had to put together one new piece of furniture.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Things I Learned While Re-Doing Meg's Room

1. Carpet hides a multitude of sins. Nope, not just bad wood or paint. In some cases, as I learned, carpet can be used to fill in gaps between the wall and the floor. Behold, our portal to hell, er, the basement:


For a second I was thinking I would just knock a little more out and put in a laundry chute, but Ryan convinced me it would probably be better to have it fixed instead. He's so fancy.

2. There is no such thing as "just refinishing a floor." Refinishing a floor is a brutal endeavor that tries a person's soul and destroys their faith in humanity -- especially if they have to deal with carpet staples. I had to pull up about a million of them. There were so many I actually considered calling the guy who sold us the house and suggesting he get on medication for OCD.

3. It is possible to punch yourself in the face. Once again with the carpet staples. I was pulling them out with a pair of needle nose pliers and one just wouldn't budge. So, I pulled harder, and harder -- and hit myself in the jaw. Up until that point I was sure I was a weakling, but damn, I can pack a wallop. I'm not starting a fight with myself any time soon.

4. Wet paint is a magnet for cats and toddlers. It does not matter how many doors are closed, or gates are set up, toddlers and cats will reach the wet paint and get into it. Oh, and if it is on the floor (as this was), they will then track it through the rest of the house.

5. IKEA is Swedish for "frustrating." That is the only way to explain the fact they expect you to build an entire bookcase with just your bare hands and a mutant allen wrench. Oh, and little wooden pegs. Let's not forget those.

6. There is always something more to do. Meg's room looks great now. It's a room she can play in and access all of the things she needs with ease, and without the possibility of hurting herself. Her bed is toddler ready, and the carpet that apparently had been used as a litter box by our old cat is no more. However, now all I can see are the walls that badly need to be re-plastered and painted, and the carpet in the other bedroom that needs to be replaced. Also, we should probably redo the hardwood floors in the front of the house.

Maybe we should just move.

Nah, Meg would miss her room too much. And packing would DEFINITELY take longer than just a week.

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Two Years

I don't know why they call this age terrible.

I mean, yes, Meg now has learned to throw fits, and has developed a scream that makes even banshees plug their ears and say "what was that noise." However, she hardly ever employs either. It's like, even at this young age, she knows you can get better results with sweetness than with shrieking. To that end when she wants to get out of her crib, or down from her chair, instead of demanding she simply looks at Ryan or me and says "I want to hold you." How can we resist that? Of course, the minute she's lifted down, it's just a quick "thanks, chump" squeeze, and then she's on her way. All we can do is chase after her and listen to her laugh.

Meg is now ridiculously verbal, to the point people think we're lying when we say she's just two. Full sentences just fall out her mouth now. It's not just mimicking either, because she uses them in proper context. Last night when Ryan was running her bath she came in, looked at the water, and said "Thank you so much. That's great." That's my pattern of speech, but she's adopted it as her own. The funniest moments though are when we are out at a restaurant. When the waitress asks how things are she always says "great, just great" -- which is what Ryan always says. When the bill comes she says "I'll get it." And then, when the credit slip comes she says "I'll sign it and we can go." One day we actually should make her pay.

Music is now a HUGE part of Meg's life. Any time we are in the car she says "I wanna listen to music." Not just any music though -- either hip hop, or They Might Be Giants. Oh, or Weird Al, thanks to her cousin. I guess I should just consider myself lucky it's not Justin Bieber.

Meg's eating habits are really the only thing "terrible" about her right now. There will be days when she eats so little I think she's protesting for India's independence. Then there are days she will only eat fruit, or goldfish crackers, or olives, or drink milk. Everything else gets pushed aside or dumped on the floor to the waiting dog.

Oh, she will always eat candy though. The other morning, right after she woke up she looked at me and said "I like candy." I guess she had been dreaming about it.

How we love our girl.

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Whither Twitter?

Can you picture yourself tweeting when you are 90 years old?

What about fifty?

What about five years from now?

Really, how long will the average normal person use Twitter? Until death? Until Ashton Kutcher's death?

Don't get me wrong, I like Twitter. I like seeing opinions from around the world, and knowing that a global community is at my fingertips. I like getting to know people I never would have known otherwise, and learning from them. I like feeling like I can tap into humanity at any time, day or night. I like all of that. I just don't know how I, or anyone for that matter, can sustain it.

I don't know what would make me stop though. Trolls? Dealt with them. Spam? Blocked them. Unwanted attention? I'm sorry, I'm not sure what that phrase means. Something bigger, better and cooler? Possibly.

Really though, I think there will just be a time when I tire of it. Maybe it will be because of ads. Or because of time constraints. Or because there are just too damn many kids on it.

Or maybe I'll just feel I've said all I have to say.


Oh, yeah, right. Like THAT will ever happen.

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