Day 78: Paint, Paint and MORE Paint!

So today Ted is dropping me off at the apartment so I can start painting. It's a daunting process but it has to be done. I'm also going to receive the first of two deliveries.

I made my lunch and filled a water bottle so that I didn't have to leave the apartment with paint-filled clothes.

I had a box of things in my arms and went down the thick oak steps down to the hallway. There are two turns (like a circular stairway) in the stairs going up to our apartment. One is at the top of the stairs and one is at the bottom of the stairs. As I gingerly walk down the stairs, I noticed an unusually shaped bag in front of my landlady's front door. I was wondering what it was and thought I was on the last step but I wasn't. I was on the second to the last step and when I went to put my foot down on the floor, it wasn't there...the edge of the last step was there and I lost my footing and went flying! Luckily I wasn't hurt but I'm sure I'm going to have bruises. Oh well...that will teach me to pay attention coming down those unusual stairs! I'll have to be more careful when carrying items and going down the stairs.

Ted has to stop off at work to pick up his laptop and then he will take me to the apartment. I wait in the car for what seemed like a half hour but in reality was only minutes.

I don't know what time it was when I changed my clothes and got all of the exterior blinds (which my husband likes to call "shields") open.

I decided to paint the ceiling first. I tried using the "paint stick" that we purchased only to find that the paint was too thick for me to use in the stick. So I used the paint in the stick to cover up the blue "streaks" in the half bath. Once the stick was empty I cleaned the stick and the roller. Since I didn't have a long pole to attach to the other roller, I decided to only do the edges and trim out the light fixture so that painting the ceiling later on would go quickly.

It ocurred to me that our name was not listed on the mailbox and the entrance door to the apartment is locked. How are the delivery guys going to know which doorbell to ring??? I don't have any tape to put a note on the doorbell outside and I can't get the little plastic thing that holds the name out. I don't have a knife and a key is too big. UGH! I'll have to keep watching for them!

I was able to trim out the ceiling in the living room, the master bedroom and the hallway. It took a long time because I had to move the drop cloth and go up and down the ladder over and over and over again and all the while checking for the delivery guys. By this time it was noon and time for lunch.

I sat on the bar stool at the work table in the kitchen and had my sandwich and water while watching the traffic and pedestrians below. After the short rest, I was ready for round two.

Ted dropped by to see if I was ok and to tell me the delivery guys were on their way. Just as he was saying it, the doorbell rang. It was the delivery guys. Ted left and the delivery guys came up. I verified the delivery, signed three papers and paid the guy. He seemed antsy and almost didn't want me to check the delivery. With me not speaking German, that was not going to happen!

Since I was out of paint, I decided to change colors and trim out the doors, windows and ceiling edges with the "caffe latte" colored-paint. I needed to change it up a bit.

Once again, I started in the living room and began to paint the ceiling edge, this time with color. It's more interesting with color, I think. I've turned into my grandfather! I "freehanded" the ceiling edge with an angled brush using the dabbing strokes of a painter after using a small roller to get as close to the edge as possible. Again, up and down the ladder, over and over and over again until the room was two-thirds complete. My feet were bothering me so I decided to trim out the baseboards so I could sit on the floor. Around the sliding glass door and the radiators and the corners. It was a very slow process.

Normally, I would be anal and not move on to another area but I needed to stand up and not go on the ladder so I trimmed waist high areas in the master bedroom, the hallway and the second bedroom. These included doors and windows and light switches. It looked funny with the tops and bottoms of the doors not trimmed but hey, this is a work in process!

It was almost 5 pm when I ran out of paint and decided to call it a day. I washed up the paint roller, brush and pan and scrubbed my hands clean. I changed my clothes and patiently waiting for Ted. I walked around the apartment and closed the "shields" and most of the windows.

Ted finally came home and just as we were leaving, Dr. Schumacher showed up. I'm glad he did because I wanted to tell him that there were two tiles in the half bath that were cracked and I didn't want to be responsible for them. He wanted to see them. I was nervous about him seeing the apartment "crazily painted" but he needed to see those cracks in the tiles. He came upstairs and asked if the walls were all going to be that color. It looks darker when it's wet than when it dries. It's a pretty color but it could have been a shade or two lighter given that it's an apartment and not our personal home. But it is what it is.

I tell him I want to do the trim myself and he looks at the job being done (around the entrance door) and says the painting is "accurate" meaning that I'm not getting paint all over the place.

He looks at the cracks and asks me to write an addendum to the "check in" document. I will take photos of the cracks and include those in the addendum. I also talk to him about how dirty the white vinyl around the windows are. I mention that it's due to the electrostatic electriicity and that I will clean them. I also call to his attention the stationery windows in the kitchen. There is no way I can wash the outside of them which is going to bug the heck out of me but they are staionery so it is what it is. He understands I cannot clean them.

As we leave the apartment, he was putting our printed name in the doorbell outside of our door, in our mailbox and the exterior doorbell. I didn't expect him to do that and thanked him for it. It appears Dr. Schumacher takes a personal interest in his renters. That's a good thing!

By this time it's after six pm and I'm famished. We decide to try out the Guiseppe's Italian restaurant down the street. Of course, my feet are killing me but since parking is an issue it's best we walk. We wanted to sit outside but everyone was smoking so we chose to sit inside. It's a cute little place with linen-covered tables and and murals on the walls.

I ask the lady if she speaks Italian and she does. That makes it easier on us! She gives us the menus and asks us what we want to drink. I wanted an Ice Tea but again, no one serves it. That seems very weird to me, but it is what it is.

Dinner was terrific and the owner comes and asks us how every thing was. It turns out he's from Avellino, not far from the town where my daughter's aunt lives. Small world. He even knew where Sperone was! We had a long conversation about the US, Italy and cooking. All the while, my dear husband, patiently sat and allowed me to converse in Italian. I didn't bother to translate because he didn't seem interested to know what we were talking about. He's a gem!

I'm ready to go home and take a long, hot shower. Ted walks back to the apartment to get the car while I pay the bill.

Once home and cleaned up, I'm ready for bed but I had been wondering if the shipper sent me the information I needed. I checked my email before going to bed and there was nothing. I sent another email to her hoping that she would respond tomorrow as I was staying home to recover from all the "hard labor".

I'm ready for some "zzzzz".

Monday 06/08/09