The Solution

So, I've been trying to get the linoleum glue up off of the concrete floor in the master bathroom. It's proven to be a Royal Pain (tm). I've scraped it. I've scored it. I've heated it. I've melted it (and gagged in the process). I've ground it - and created a dust storm. It's been a huge problem.

Joe Barron suggested using muratic acid. I didn't know about that particular kind of acid, but I felt confident that I could probably find some kind of acid or liquid to eat up the glue.

I went to the hardware store today and found something that held promise. I brought it home and mixed up a little bit of this stuff. Then I poured it onto the stubborn glue and spread it around, evenly. I had to wait at least an hour, now, before I'd know if it worked.

I gave it 90 minutes, then went and checked on it.

I grabbed the scraper - which had stopped being useful with this glue a couple weeks ago - and pushed it into the gluey area.

A curly peel of glue glided up in front of the blade as I pushed it!!! It had worked. I plan to leave the stuff on the floor for at least two hours, to make it easier to work with. As I walked away, one thought just wafted through my mind. I'd probably not have even noticed it given some other circumstance. The thought was,

"I do believe that I have found The Solution."

I walked a few more steps, paused, then burst out laughing

magic time

This past week contained, for me, one of the most amazing, kick-ass days that I remember. It started out on Thursday night with Dinner at Phil's. I got there early and started sipping on wine - a good start. Phil's neighbors - who are Wycliff bible translators in Papua New Guinea - were there for dinner, too. I'd met them once before and really enjoyed them. This night, however, we got to know each other a lot better. I stayed there, at the dining room table until about 10 p.m. talking with them. The coolest thing was discovering common ground between barbershop singers and bible translators. As translators, these folks have to learn the local language (which is most of the time, strictly an oral language) and then figure out a way to write it. This is where the common ground - vowel sounds, consonants, and so on - is. They were fascinated to hear how barbershoppers think about sounds since there is this unexpected common ground.

It was neat

I stayed at Phil's much later than I usually do - 10 p.m. or so. When I got home, I was still full from a great dinner. As such, I didn't snack at all, and eventually went to bed. The next morning, when I weighed myself, I had broken the 185 Pound Barrier for the first time - weighing in at 184 pounds! I was quite pleased. In fact, just before I weighed myself, I'd been in the bathroom looking in the mirror, and noticing a slenderness in my face that I'd not noticed before. So that was great.

Next, the boss was out of the office on vacation this day - Friday. His absence always encourages those of us whom he supervises to take the day "easy." I intentionally come in late and do things just to spite his memory. This is not a good situation, and I'm glad that I'm going to get out soon. Anyway, Joe Barron and I spent a bunch of time out doing errands - one of which was job-related. It was a beautiful day and we just chilled and took it easy.

Another part of the kick-ass-ness of this day was that I decided to cancel my Dish Network subscription. I'd been thinking about doing it for quite some time, and finally did it. I hadn't been watching a lot of TV lately, and would get behind on watching the shows that I'd recorded - which added stupid stress. Feeling that stress, I'd look at myself and the ridiculousness of being stressed about a TV show backlog! Not only that, but spending $40+ per month for the service was gnawing at me. I wanted to simplify. So I did. The interesting thing here is that, even with cancelled service, I still get the NASA Select channel (as well as a christian channel). So, that makes me as pleased as can be. In fact, it felt like a part of my Holy Mission of getting to Portland. Every step in that direction makes me feel *great*.

So, in response to cutting my Dish service, Joe and I went to Best Buy - him to look at the [new] iPod Shuffle and me to buy some DVD movies. Well, the iPod Shuffle was not in the store, so Joe looked at movies with me. He'd wanted to get a copy of John Wayne's "McClintock" for a while. We ended up with Joe special-ordering that movie, and one of mine ("Bookies") since they weren't in stock. I bought about six other DVDs totalling $120. Well, that takes care of the next three months of freed-up Dish Network service fees . So, that helped to make the day great, too.

The rest of the work-day was easy and fun and the evening proved to be just as good. I picked up Max and we scored some nice pot, then went to Wings 'N More to meet up with some theatre folk celebrating Chad Morrissey's 21st birthday. Our group was put on the outside porch and it was pretty darned chilly at times. The chilliness depended on where one sat with relation to the outdoor heaters there. But it was good times, nonetheless. The rest of the group went out to Northgate to bar-hop, but I wasn't planning on doing that. Instead, Max and I hung out for a while at my place. Adam (otherwise known to me as "A-DAYUM" - on account of his youthful cuteness) came over and we continued to be stoned. They left after a while and I topped off a great day with some self-gratification.

I think that the best part of the day - and the days since - is that I feel such energy behind my plans to escape this town. I called Jeff Ozvold this weekend and told him that I look at everything that I do, now, as either contributing to or detracting from my goal of moving to Portland. I've gotten back to the master bathroom renovation; that especially feels like working in the "right" direction. Everything that I do to make this house ready to sell is - and it feels great to do each task. I hope to lay tile by the end of the day.