Progress??

The plumber came today, banged around in the bathroom for half an hour, and then left. He'll be back tomorrow with more tools and supplies, but nothing got done today. The demolition crew didn't remove the vanity or tub yesterday because they got worried about the plumbing connection under the sink. The plumber confirmed today that it is so old and in bad shape that he is worried about ending up flooding our house while trying to pull the cabinet out! He's coming back tomorrow with the jaws of life (I assume), and he'll need to shut the water off all afternoon while he cuts the pipe and rebuilds the connection. Or something like that. It sounded like, "plumber, plumber, $$$$, something, something, pipes..." to me. Anyway, that pushes the electrician back to Friday and the walls to next week. Fun, fun, fun!

Tu(n)esday

Old Crow Medicine Show, one of my favorite bands, finally put out a new album last week, four years after their previous album was released in 2008. They've had an original member leave and one come back and new guys have joined in that time, and now they're ready for a fresh start. Carry Me Back (you can listen to it here) lives up to all my expectations, so I couldn't be happier. Banjos, y'all! Who doesn't love banjos?

Ain't It Enough


Carry Me Back to Virginia


Mississippi Saturday Night


Steppin' Out


Levi

Here's a link to the backstory behind this song.

Let the Bathroom Exorcism Commence!

This week, we (well, contractors) are demolishing our only full bathroom and rebuilding it into something usable and attractive. It's going to be painful, annoying, and dirty, and then it will be the best thing that ever happened to us – once it's finished. And afterwards we will have to pay the bill and it will become painful again!

Before we embark on this harrowing adventure, here are some more "before" photos to remember the old green gal by:

Are you happy now?!?!

I know, I know, I know... I haven't put up a post or any photos of the girls in ages. I know! All anyone wants to see are photos of the girls. Girls, girls, girls!

Fine, here you go. Are you happy now?

Here is a link to the Snapfish album that has all 376 photos of the girls (I can't possibly post them all here)...

... on vacation in Indianapolis with my family,

... hanging out with Big E Smalls in New Hampshire,

... and playing in the kiddie pool out in the backyard this morning.

Enjoy.

Tu(n)esday

I just LOVE this video - the old footage of the band members as boys and playing together in their early days, followed by video of their children at their concerts. Most of them went to the same high school and have played together for years, and The Walkmen have been a band since 2000. It's so touching to me to see the close friendships of men, perhaps because they usually gloss over such deep feelings. It's a lovely video and song, and the rest of the album is excellent as well.

Our children will always hear
Romantic tales of distant years
Our guilty age may come and go
Our crooked dreams will always glow

Stick with me, oh, you're my best friend
All of my life, you've always been

Remember, remember
All we fight for
Remember, remember
All we fight for

Don't leave me, oh, you're my best friend
All of my life, you've always been
Don't leave me now, you're my best friend
All of my life, you've always been

Remember, remember
All we fight for
Remember, remember
All we fight for



Here's another recent video of them on Jimmy Fallon playing The Love You Love, which is also from their new album, Heaven.

Photographic Evidence

Just after I mentioned in my last post that Kate is quite a fan of the Chrysler Building in New York City, she spent the afternoon in the kitchen building a replica of Manhattan out of canned goods. But of course, no tin can NYC would be complete without her model of the Chrysler Building. How many three year olds do you know with their very own Chrysler Building? Just one, I bet!

After the photo shoot, she went on to add a paper towel version of the Empire State Building and a Duplo Central Park. (There is a matching model of the Empire State Building that came with the kit, but Mike's not finished putting it together yet.)

In case you missed it in the previous photos, that is indeed the Statue of Liberty perched on top of the tomato paste. As Katie sez, "It's Wiverdy Enwightening the Wuhld! She's my best friend!"

So start spreading the news. Kate's leaving today. She wants to be a part of it: New York, New York! Oh well, if she can make it there, she'll make it anywhere, I guess. Or so I've heard.

Great Gatsby, that Art Deco looks hot!

Excellent! Baz Luhrman is a great choice for director - he has a kind of manic, festive style that makes the party scenes look perfect and will push Gatsby's suppressed passion to the edge.

And here's my prediction that Art Deco is going to be the Next Big Thing. The whole Craftsman style craze is winding down, so the logical next step would be Art Nouveau and Art Deco. You heard it here first! Start stockpiling Lalique, people.

Art Nouveau
Emile Tassel House by Victor Horta

The "Cwyswer Biwding"
(Kate's a big fan)

Art Deco design

Tulsa, OK happens to be a mecca of Art Deco architecture. Here's a detail from the Boston Ave. United Methodist Church:

Built in 1929, when Tulsa was booming with oil money and Progressivism

Mirrored bed side table from Pottery Barn

Light fixture from Home Depot

And yes, I'm just writing all of this propaganda because this is the light fixture we bought for our bathroom this weekend!