I was shocked to see the latest post being in DECEMBER. Been too caught up in Facebook, experimenting with Twitter (Tavolavila), and general distractions of life.
A few quick updates…
1. Bathroom still not done. Not even started. Long story, but the short version: our household went down to a single income for six months, rendering a major bathroom remodel as an official “back burner” project. Now we are back to two incomes (hurray) and I’m waiting for the estimate for cabinetry (espresso colored alder) and vanity counter (Caesarstone “buttermilk.”). Found 6×6 matte ivory tiles for the shower, and settled on the Walker-Zanger seagrass limestone for bathroom floor and shower basin.
There were three luxury items I wanted–overhead rain shower, radiant heat floors and towel warmer. I’m getting only the heated floors. There’s not enough wall space anywhere for the towel warmer and the shower isn’t really big enough for a rain shower to make any sense (country house…more on that in a moment.)
2. Cooking. I’ve been feeling strangely uninspired for the last several months, sometimes just staring at the pantry and fridge feeling like I simply could not muster another weeknight meal. The constant struggle between wanting to wear a size 2 vs. my endless cravings for carbs just made me exhausted, frustrated and pouty.
I’ve been trying to stay mostly vegetarian during the week. I’ve also been visiting the farmer’s markets on weekends, hoping that the fresh produce of spring and early summer will inspire me. Sometimes it’s been effective.
3. Weight. My most-hated subject. Let’s leave it at that.
4. Tavolavila. I did one for a client (weird “out of context” experience) that was fun. Had a real-life chef in the audience, adding to the stress. But it went well. Looking forward to another Napa one later in the summer.
5. Work. Busy and squirrelly at the same time. Clients who bait and switch projects (please do this for us! never mind!), leaving me feeling out of sorts and insecure and untrusting. Looking for alternatives. Having a career crisis of sorts–do I want to do this for the rest of my life? But I remember my sage-friend Mary Ellen telling me that I NEVER have to answer that question. The question is not “what do I want to do for the rest of my life?” It’s “what do I want to do?”
6. Life. Been daydreaming a lot lately about all the above and rolling it up into a single issue of the kind of life I want to lead. I’ve never been one to simply float along in the wind. I plan, navigate, course-correct. And lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the wine country lifestyle. Our friends C&R bought a house a year ago in St. Helena, something I’ve been fantasizing about for years, if only to give me an escape from the cold SF summers.
The real estate market’s bottom-out gave me hope that perhaps picking up some land might not be an outrageous dream. Unfortunately, that dragged everything down with it–our investments, an income, etc.
What I want is land. Acreage. Space. Silence. An unobstructed view of mountains or a valley. I dream of 3-5 acres with a Dwell house on it. Friends coming over for a BBQ, an outdoor fireplace. Hosting Tavolavila events. You know, the usual.
But first, we have to fix our bathroom.