"Poltergeist" was on the other evening. I started watching, to count the number of times they say "Carol Ann" in the movie (it's a lot). And as I watched, I realized poor Carol Ann has the same dilemma I do: Do you walk into the light or do you stay away from the light to get where you're going?
Certainly, there's a light at the end of the tunnel for the remodel. After a three-day weekend to decompress from the daily home invasion, I'm feeling much more centered. And Roni came over this morning and went through the house with me. I pointed out stuff that needed touching up/correction, and he was very adamant: "After all is through and the kitchen is in, we go around and fix every little thing that's not right."
So the overall impression taken away from our meeting this morning: The painting will be done this week (I would think in the next two or three days). Then, next week, the kitchen countertop, sink and faucet are installed, then the walk-through with the finishing crew, who will make everything pretty and shiny new. Hopefully, this will all happen before Kittie and David come down for the weekend, so I can employ them in handy tasks around the house.
From out of the blue, the company wanting the newsletter design dropped an e-mail today with lots of stuff for inclusion in the first newsletter. It's all about power grid system control software, so I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. It's kind of a challenge when they're expecting me to find pictures and graphics to complement the copy. I'm putting something together for them, and I'll have it to them by Wednesday, for sure. It does feel nice to be working on something new and refreshing, even if I don't understand the content of the piece.
Carmen and Miguel Angel are here today. They put a second coat on the bedroom, and I'm hoping that Miguel will get to the kitchen ceiling before they leave, as I'd like to see it once it's taped and mudded and ready for primer and paint. Also, once they get the kitchen painted, things are pretty much finished in the paint department, and I can start putting up the new lights and switching out the hardware. Also there is separating out what goes to storage and what goes into staging the place.
One thing I have finally done is schedule an appointment to kill Marcel. I've tried softer descriptions such as putting him to sleep, putting him down, but my emotional response (and my guilt levels) require me to be honest and say I'm killing the cat because (fill in the blank with any of a dozen reasons why he cannot be a part of this next phase of my life). It's very sad that he had only one person in the world that would tolerate his crap, and to all others he gave no quarter. When that person left, Marcel didn't quite know how to approach me. Now I had to be his friend, because I provided for him, and he knew I wouldn't put up with his bullshit. But I don't like him and he doesn't like me.
So the two of us developed a pact: I fed him and made sure he had water and a clean litter box. I petted him when I could and brushed him when he let me. But, beyond the shedding and yowling and arthritis and filthy matted fur and deafness, I just don't want him in my life. And when he started dumping and pissing anywhere he felt like, a line was crossed: Hard to sell a home when there's fresh cat shit in the corners and the rugs smell like cat piss. So Thursday, 2:30 p.m., Marcel goes in for his final shot.
But I'm feeling guilty because Steve left him behind, and I feel like I should take care of him, no matter how old he gets, how much pain he's in, how unruly is he or how much he drives me up the walls. But I must realize: I did not marry the cat.
Also, I realize that Steve had no allusions about my lack of affection for Marcel, or Marcel's lack of affection for me (for the first two years I lived here, he would lope by and look up at me with an expression that said, "Haven't you left yet?"). But, for me, Marcel's absence is going to make keeping the house clean and tidy so much simpler. And when I think of trying to take both cats cross country in the car, I realize there's no way I want to attempt that; traveling with one will be more than challenging for me.
Speaking of traveling with the cat, I have been scouring the Internet trying to find a back-seat cage for Patty. I don't want her to spend three days in a carrier, so I was looking at alternatives and found this amazing PetTube. It expands to fill the entire back seat, so she'll have lots of room. I unfurled it to let the cats have a look at it, and Marcel had pissed in it within an hour. After I cleaned that up, I collapsed the tube flat and won't bring it out until it's just Patty here. I want her to get use to it as a playhouse type structure (toys inside, maybe hidden treats), so it's not so threatening when she's inside it in the car.
I hear cleaning and packing up behavior below. Carmen and Miguel Angel are taking off now. The bedroom look fabulous. She apologized for not getting to the kitchen yet, but I told her not to worry. They do good work, and as long as all the work gets done well, I'm a patient man.
So the afternoon/evening is mine from here on out. I'm almost at the point where I'm going out and purchasing a new thermostat so I can install it and turn the air conditioning on! But the day is cooling off back into the upper 70s, so there's no immediate need. Maybe tomorrow.
I must remember to give Marcel some tuna Wednesday evening, as it's his favorite (tuna, nor Wednesday).
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