Look, Ma, No Posts!

Sorry for the whole not blogging thing. My mom is here visiting, which is great. Also, we found a house! It's not a colonial house like I wanted, and in fact the exterior is mildly hideous in a peculiarly Asian-urban way. I think it was built in the 70s. Its other defect is that it will be a longer commute for John and I'm worried we won't see him. That said, it's awesome. Bigger overall than our current place, and with that space divided up more optimally, so that the bedrooms are bigger (strangely long living dining room, though). The kitchen has a super-high ceiling and a big strip of open space at the top of the wall, where you can see trees. It's the last house on the block and is next to a playground and park bordered by some black-and-white houses, so it's very quiet and green. W00t! I have been visiting home furnishing type stores, and planning things. There are no built-in closets, so we need some wardrobes and the like. I'm putting up some molding (chair rails in the living and dining rooms) and having it painted one color on top and another on bottom. This is the first place I have ever lived where I could paint the walls, and it's something I've always had decided opinions about, so I'm very happy. I'll treat you all to a nauseatingly detailed before-and-after. Unfortunately I'm still weak and feeble with the pleurisy thing. They put me back on steroids, but...bleh. I think Gary Farber and I should start a Club For The Preservation of Victorian Ailments You Thought Didn't Exist But Are Actually Extremely Painful.

Comments

[The Modesto Kid]

Sorry about the Victorian ailments.

a strangely long dining room

This is an excellent opportunity to buy a long, narrow cherry or mahogany table with fancy bas-reliefs on the tops of the legs and matching chairs, and serve opulent banquets to large groups. (Note: I saw two tables that fit that description when I was in Guangzhou, they seemed pretty ridiculously inexpensive compared to the quality of materials and workmanship, like 20% or less of what a comparable furniture item would cost in the northeastern US.)

[Gary Farber]

Congrats on finding the house! Sounds relatively splendid.

Do you think it's possible that all Victorian Ailments You Thought Didn't Exist But Are Actually Extremely Painful are best treated the same way? Okay, probably not, which would give me no reason for passing along this, but, alas, I've not previously been looking into pleurisy, having a surfeit of my own complaints to obsess about (damn toothaches; I should just get someone to knock all my teeth out, and get it over with; I'm sure volunteers to punch me in the face can be found).

Oh, and my favorite quote from that story I just linked to?

"It's considered one of the worst types of pain that human beings can experience," says Hyon Choi at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada

They kept telling me that about my kidney stones, too. I feel so blessed. As do you, I'm sure.

[Troy McClure]

Clearly, you don't remember me from my telethons "Out With Gout in '88" and "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House."

[Matt]

If if makes you all feel better in your complaining (I do a fair share myself!) when I went to the Mutter Museum recently (perhaps the 2nd best collection of mutant babies in the world!) one big display was of letters Ben Franklin sent to people around the world complaining about his kidney stones and other such things. So, you're in good company.

Two questions on the house. Are you sure the long 'dinning room' isn't a hallway? And is the 'strip of open space from which you can see trees' a hole or a window?

[belle waring]

the long dining room is indeed a room. it's 2+m wide. the open thing is like a window, but no glass, so more just a rectangular space. very wide eaves ensure that rain doesn't just blast in, although I think that in a real storm water will come in a bit.

sorry about the teeth Gary, that sux.

[Nakku]

The open space is a Creepy-Crawly Access Portal™ as required by law in the tropics.

[belle waring]

that's true, Nakku, but the singaporean government does run around spraying poison all over everything all the time, so the mosquitoes are usually fine. snakes and lizards...yeah, pretty E-Z access. this is why I like that what yard there is is paved with tiles, rather then extensive and full of lurking black cobras like the yards up near bukit timah.

[Matt]

My guess would be that there are not so many robbers in Singapore but if there were one (perhaps cleverly thinking that since no one thinks there are any it would be a great place to be one) would he fit through the hole? Otherwise it sounds pretty cool, and might help if your forget your keys.

[Andrew John]

Congratulations. Does the long commute mean you are moving out east somewhere, then? And my experience is that the lizards get in without any need of a CCAP. There's one that visits my desk every night, and not a CCAP in sight.

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[Sociology Dissertation]

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