Bright and early at the Georgia Aquarium. The glass was clean and the fish were hungry. Which reminds me, I never did find out if they serve fish in the Aquarium diner…

Afterwards we dove back into house work, painting and more painting. Tomorrow we take on the trees and the baby panda.

I’m exhausted. My parents have worn me out, worn me down to a little lump on the couch, watching stupid Gray’s Anatomy*. Today was the day they had slated as “project day”.

As a house warming present they gave us a reverse osmosis water filtration system for our kitchen. While SB and my dad installed the new sink system, my mom and I prepped the foundation of the house for painting. This meant ripping off all the creeping vines and cutting down the decorative grass and applying organic weed killer to everything.

We spent the afternoon, painting the foundation with a special paint sprayer my parents brought down with them. After two trips to Lowes and two to Ace we ended with a fresh, dark brown foundation and tasty drinking water. (I’ll post a before and after photo tomorrow.)

Since there are so many more projects to be done, we are going to spend some of their additional vacation days working on things like pruning trees and painting trim. I’m glad to have them here, bringing their go for it attitude.

Now where’s my pillow?

*That show makes me cry everytime. I can’t explain it. Why do I keep watching it? Why can’t I see beyond their tear jerking tricks?

Things I’m not blogging about today include:
- corrupt electronic voting and lame Georgia voting laws
- the powerlessness and deep frustration over the overwhelming approval to ban gay marriage
- have we lost all humanity?
- how I really don’t want to blog today
and finally – my parents arrival for a five day visit

Instead, let me tell you how I fought crime and won. Only, it wasn’t really a crime, it was more of an act I approve and partake of and there wasn’t a fight but a civil and pleasant handing over.

Post huge project day (it went well, yay!), I got to work from home. Sitting at my home office, staring out at the curb, I watched an old man walk by, pausing to look at our garbage containers. I looked back at the computer briefly and when I turned back to the window the man was walking off with our recycling bin.

“Nooooooooo!” I lept from my chair and ran for the front door, instead of flinging the door open, the knob came off in my hand. Stupid broken door. Then I realized I didn’t have shoes on. To the back door!

Bright red crocks on my feet, successfully let out of my house, I ran down the driveway. By this time the old guy had almost reached the end of our block. “Wait! Wait! Stop! That’s my recycling bin!” I yelled, my arms flailing above my head as I ran down the middle of the street, in my pajamas with severe bed head. Now who’s the crazy person here?

The thief turned at my calls, looking surprised. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” he said as I approached, huffing and puffing. “I thought you were throwing this out.”

Sigh. I must interject a detail here. You see, we have yet to receive the city issued recycling bin, even after many phone calls and many false assurances. Instead we use a regular plastic tub, like the kind you might use to store junk in your attic or basement.

“That looked like a bin I could put some stuff into.” he said, handing the bin back to me. I told him I completely understood, that I condoned reuse and had grabbed stuff off the curb many a time.

We then got to talking about garbage collection, politics and the neighborhood. It turns out he lives just around the corner from me and has lived in the hood for thirty years.

Not only did I get my fake recycling bin back but I made a new neighbor friend and I thwarted crime.

Tomorrow, well, today actually, is the big day for my work project. The final day, where it all comes together in splendorous wonder. I’m looking forward to going back to eight hour days and real weekends and ofcourse more time for blogging!

I’ve really enjoyed all the fun comments I’ve already received this month. Yay for new readers.

Leah‘s comment about getting lost in Chicago reminded me of the time, late at night when we were driving around Chicago with Crazy Rosie and Matt behind the wheel. We were in a bad part of town and Rosie started yelling “Floor it! Floor it! Just run the light! Whatever you do don’t stop!!!!” SB and I were in the back seat as we whizzed under the L, the support posts blurring together. That’s the night that I learned that sometimes you’ve gotta break all the laws in the name of safety.

I’ve been slowing leaking my Asheville trip photos. I put together an album. Fall in Asheville.

Now get out there and vote!

The Biltmore Mansion is covered in stone faces. Almost every corner has a little head sticking out, some clothed in finery others in feathers or fur or even scales. No photos allowed inside the mansion but the grounds are open season. We had a great time exploring the largest private residence in the country. The house is open for you to tour at your own pace and we spent hours studying the finer points. Now where’s my indoor swimming pool and servants galore? I guess I’ll have to settle for photos.