Warning: Rant Ahead.
Well, that was the last straw. I came back inside, and it was like something went off in my head. Like a Girl Scout from Hell, I filled buckets of ammonia and took them and the shop-vac to clean all the walls and woodwork, and the edges of the downed Dining Room Ceiling. Then I tackled the yard, cleaning out years of dead undergrowth and installing a new light. As the sun went down, I took Grace for one more walk, then with shopping list in hand, made tracks to Meijer: The home improvement department.

I am taking a break right now. The finish coat for most of the Dining Room (except for behind the piano) is drying, an off-white satin. Next, I'm going to move all the living room furniture into the dining room in preparation of painting the ceiling and walls there. The same satin for the walls, a brilliant white for the ceiling, and a brilliant white semi-gloss for the trim.

The sooner I see this city in my rearview mirror, the better. An awful job in an environment that would be too-kindly called "in transition". Most of my non-work friends live somewhere else. And if there are balanced, eligible guys in this town, then I don't know where or who they are. Without even trying, all I seem to attract are some kind of nutso. I gave it a shot, maybe it was or wasn't my best one, but who knows and I don't care: All resources will now aggressively focus on moving on.

I'm scuttling a lot of ideas I had for this place. It is a cute place. New wiring? It doesn't need it. A ceiling fan in the kitchen? Nope. Adding insulating? That can be the next owners' project. We'll keep it Wal-Mart cheap. That's what people in this town like anyway.

I usually think of myself as having a positive outlook. Sorry to appear otherwise. I've had it.