New Rule for Remodeling

Buy the bathtub drain, first. Aaagh!

Since it's the hall bath that I'm working on, it won't have much regular use, unless I'm lucky enough to have guests in the house. So, I decided against replacing the existing shower/tub combination with a whirlpool or walk in shower. Plus, with a 3 wall enclosure that spans 58x30 1/4, there isn't much (fancy stuff) available in the size range. So, I decided I would replace the existing, scarred and scratched tub with another cast iron tub, about 14" deep. That way, it is easy to step in (for shower users), but it still counts as a tub (and will be handy for bathing small children). Home Depot and Lowes ususally have something in stock, so I didn't worry about the tub.

Through the magic of CostCo, I procured a beatiful set of oil rubbed bronze faucets for both the shower/tub and sink. And, a matching bronze toned vent fan was on clearance at Home Depot. Then, I went to Lowes to pick up the tub. Turns out that, due to the increase in upscale bathrooms, my plebian tub is now a special order item. (Potential 3 week delay!) Ran over to Home Depot, and they had a 14" deep Kohler tub in stock, perfect. However, they didn't have the tub drain and they could only order it in chrome or gold. No problem, I'll just go online and pick it up.

Except...they don't make a drain in oil rubbed bronze or black. (All the vanity fittings are black, so that would make some sense.) The drain is only available in chrome, gold, or for about $150 extra - brushed chrome, vibrant bronze (very very vibrant), hammered nickel (+$225), and a couple other (don't match what I already have) colors.

So, I have the tub in my garage, demo is to start on Monday, and there is no drain. Do I give in and order the gold (horrible!) or chrome? And, if so, what should I do with my faucets? Try to return them (it's been more than 60 days) and start over?

Sigh....what did the leader of the A-team say? "I love it when a plan comes together."? Sadly, my plan is not. Instead, it seems to be falling apart. :(

Is it possible to shop to excess? While the answer to that question is beyond me, I can say that I had a great time with B, S, and K during their weekend "girl's trip" visit.

While we spent most of Saturday at Bellevue Square, we started off our morning with a trip to the Rack. (the Nordstrom Rack, that is). For some odd reason, they do not have the Nordstrom Rack in Canada. Or, at least, not in the 2 stoplight towns in British Columbia. (No offense to eastern BC, but even their "big" town is barely equivalent to a US suburb.)

Watching them dive into the Rack's dis-organized fray was both exhilirating and a tad scary. Like deep sea pearl divers, K and B were able to surface with several very nice pieces on their first try. To be exact, within 2 minutes of entry into the store, they identified several brand items for evaluation. Once we escaped the gauntlet of the cute Japanese girl scout, her little brother dressed in a cookie costume (too cute!), and supervisory mom, we headed to the Bellevue Square, which is a mecca for higher end merchandise.

In a stroke of luck, it happened to be a Nordstrom preview event day. As a result, we were all able to have MAC makeovers by very good make-up artists. At the end of the day (about 7pm), we staggered under the weight of our parcels as we stumbled back to the car on the verge of exhaustion. While we attempted Ikea in a quick trip for sheets, the staggering volume of merchandise overcame our endurance, and we slinked back home to wait for delivery pizza. (The slinking was due to a combination of our extreme beauty - we looked GOOD - and tired feet.) After a small gloat over our new treasures, we crawled into bed about midnight. I went to sleep, immediately. (No surprise?)

Then, on Sunday, I took the crew to Salty's at Alki for their Sunday brunch. Yum! The concept of moderation is not compatible with Salty's and we all ate a bit too much at their delicious buffett. More crab legs or fresh oysters, anyone?

It was much fun - and I hope the Canadian contingent comes again, soon!

Airport Rating

Phoenix Airport (PHX), Terminal 2 - Not Satisfactory

Unless you are a fan of the faded yesteryear, terminal 2 lacks significant charm. New carpeting cannot compensate for the dingy leather seats, slightly damaged "sound absorbing" ceiling tiles, and absence of all flight related personnel.

With a 5 hour wait due to "plane delays", the consensus of the comatose, befuddled, and slightly irate passenger group is....all Alaska airline personnel are electing to hide. With exhaustion and excessive traveling dimming any moral outrage that I might normally possess*, I can only speculate on why they have yet to formally tell anyone that the flight will be delayed for 4 hours. Perhaps, since it is not yet our official departure time, they are hoping to "borrow" a plane?

(Note to Alaska Airlines: Planes can be quite expensive, someone may notice if your fleet has a sudden addition, and their fleet is short a plane.) (*my stock of moral outrage is usually quite low, due to a sadly inappropriate sense of humor.)

However, their subtle ploys of avoidance and silence will not work! One of my fellow passengers has a connection in the Seattle airport. He has been receiving regular updates, and through his pipeline of information, we know that the plane has yet to leave Seattle. It is "broken" and they have not been able to fix it. While certainly not reassuring, I feel strongly that all the PHX passengers would prefer the plane be repaired (and gently tested through the flight from SEA to PHX) before we board.

Enough with the babble...where can I be found over the next month or so, you ask?
UT (3/26), NV (4/3), DC (5/12), OR (7/31), CO (8/13), OR (8/21)
Ship passing in the night - L (WA, spring break)
Special guests - A&M (5/16)

Wally has nothing on me! :)

On the road, again...like always.

Forgot to update my travel schedule.

3/16-17: Company!!! (B and amigas)
3/26-27: UT
4/3-7: NV - Carson City
4/10-12: WA - out and about
4/18-19: WA - out and about
5/14-16: DC
5/12-20: Company!!! (A and M)

La casa de los ratones. I hear scratching in the walls. I know it is completely mental, as the rats are in the crawlspace under my house. Still....any sound has become suspicious. After all, who really knows what evil those pesky rodents have invited beneath my home?

While the trauma of rats is overwhelming, my real dilemma is much simpler. Should I proceed with my original plans to install heating under the tiles in the bathroom floor? (And, yes, it will be a new tile bathroom floor, not the dingy pre-1970 vinyl that currently lurks there.)

I was already on the fence about this, as it seems excessively decadent (and a little wasteful). But, I had found a system that would allow me to turn the heat off, when I didn't have guests (and the bath would be used infrequently). So, that allowed me to justify the possibility.

But, now...would I be providing central heating for the rats in the crawl space? If so, it might be even more difficult to eliminate them (despite my excessive predujice). And, should I succeed in displacing the current crop, ceiling heat (from their perspective) might make my crawlspace the happening place to be. I really don't want to attract a new set of rat residents!

What should I do???