laylalex

We are having an excellent drainage system put in. We have had a very rainy winter, so leaks have popped up that needed to be dealt with. It kind of focused our minds that even though we may be moving to the Valley, anything can happen. Our contractor recommended cement over tile for our house, so we will see if we regret it! Ice ball maker will be ordered to arrive after the fridge comes tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up about shrinkage -- it makes sense, but it never would have occurred to me.

It got split from the induction stove thread, where you convinced me that that was the way. Ordering the craft ice maker separately too! Do you mean Vantablack? https://www.surreynanosystems.com/about/vantablack Walls went in first because there has been considerable work involving re-routing pipes beneath the earth floor. Getting walls up sooner allowed for the workers to keep at it instead of having them around idle. The floor had to be dug out to the tune of over 10 tons of dirt. We were the only unit of 4 not to have a finished room there. It adds over 200 sq ft to the property, which is great. Currently we are planning on it being a hobby room. My contractor is amazing -- great communication, great work ethic, great finish. No complaints at all. He trained as an architect in Panama before he came here, and it shows. He's also very affordable. My broker introduced us -- he'd redone my broker's kitchen and bathrooms so I had a personal recommendation.

I'm sure you were all waiting for an update... We selected a hood and it is arriving on Wednesday, along with the induction range and the fridge. Now we have moved on to different, equally thrilling dilemmas, like which toilet will we select for the powder room. We have narrowed it down to two, and just waiting on the contractor to tell us whether we need a 10" or a 12" rough in. We have a definite aesthetic for the powder room -- dark fantasia, aka the GothBog (as my husband calls it). We already chose a black sink to go along with the Benjamin Moore Salamander paint (walls, ceiling, and inside the large walk in closet off the GothBog). After briefly considering a gold toilet (!) we decided to match the sink and have a black one, too. Next up: choosing a suitably witchy mirror. House is looking great -- kitchen cabinets are partly in, counters are in, all the floors are finished throughout the house, all paint is done (except for touch ups). Bathrooms have showers now but no sinks yet. The "basement" has drywall up, and the cement floor goes in this week. Laundry room and the new "basement" both have utility sinks. Still need to finish the fireplace in the master bath, still need to get ceiling fans up in two rooms. Still need to get built ins in both the studies (mine are considerably smaller). Shooting for mid-April still, fingers crossed! We also found a vintage console long enough (90") for the 83" television which is in my future. I bought too many rugs the other day. Basement construction shot from the middle of last week -- MUCH further along yesterday when we were there:

Personally, we prefer PG Tips in this household to Yorkshire but it is definitely a matter of personal preference.

Kind of sounds like it to me. OP, I mean this without judgment but if you are having a hard time getting a job where you are, why will it be easier for your husband? I think it's great that he wants to contribute financially to the marriage ASAP but you have an obligation to make sure he doesn't become a public charge if you bring him here and he can't find work.

Very affordable too! I am not above a bargain, contrary to any rumors you might hear.

That's good stuff -- I have tried it. I have eczema on my hands sometimes, and what I find works really well is O'Keefe's Working Hands. Not very glamourous but very, very effective. I prefer the tub over the tube -- consistency is better, I think.

Sending you and Zach much love. Blue chose your family well -- he knew he would get the love and kindness he deserved for being such a good boy. Hugs to Chloe and Cocha, who will be missing their big brother now too. ❤️ It's never easy, no matter how old they are.

I thought we had compromised on 75", but when we got back in the store it was suddenly 85" again. We have a 65" one at the moment which seems well-sized for a living room, but he says nope, that is going in his study and a bigger home needs a bigger set. I said his money, his choice. We have a 52" one in the bedroom now and it is a great size. Really hoping that in the new place there is NO TV in the bedroom.

I think this is a eloquently simple way to put it. My dad had been a Carter supporter who couldn't bring himself to vote for either Carter or Reagan in 1980, he tells me. He didn't support what either stood for. But he deeply admired what Carter did after he left the White House, and how he lived a life that was true to his faith by putting philosophy into concrete action. May his passage be comfortable, and may his loved ones take comfort in having known his love.

I have to say that as I am closing in on my late 30s (I maintain that 37 is still mid-30s) that I feel far more together than I ever have before. In my prime, so to speak. But what I hear from older colleagues and relatives is that 40s are even better than 30s, and that what I am starting to feel now gets even better. I am good with that! Frankly, and nothing to do with his politics, but I think Don Lemon has zero business saying when a woman is or is not in her prime. A woman is in her prime when she tells you she feels in control of her life, confident and excited to crack on with the business of life. This could very well last for decades, much like it does for men.

I thought I made an excellent dad joke! Unfortunately someone thinks he has cornered the market on dad jokes in this marriage and his nose was a little out of joint, methinks.

Bought the fridge (no craft ice maker!) and induction stove yesterday, two things down. Alex had struck up a rapport with the sales manager (this is a recurring theme in my life: I go somewhere with my husband, and by the end he's charmed everyone and I look terminally boring by comparison) and they were talking televisions. Specifically how I am resisting an 85" TV, when Al's reasoning for having one is basically: (1) because it's cool; (2) because I want it; and (3) because I'm a man. Anyway, Al says to the manager something like, you might say when it comes to televisions, I'm a size king. I had to smack his arm -- lightly. (I am not a monster!) I got him back when we were talking at tedious length about buying an extractor hood for the stove (truly one of the more boring purchases I have made recently, and I had to buy a lot of DayQuil last month) in the President's Day sale. He groaned when I said, "Now is the winter of our discount vents." Well, I thought it was funny if a little too clever/dumb.

There are so very many reasons, but I wanted to share this moment from today: The phone rang this afternoon around 3, and I saw his name on the screen. I got a little nervous -- we don't usually speak during the day, just chat online on and off all day long -- but when I picked up the phone he said: "Hello, my sweetest. Don't say a word -- I just wanted to tell you how much I love you, perfect girl. Now go back to work and make more money." Then he hung up. ❤️ He's the best.

Sempra (parent company) is regulated by the state, as it should be. You may not be aware about what happened at Aliso Canyon a few years ago, but it was the biggest gas leak in US history. Understandably things have gotten under a lot more scrutiny in terms of gas storage around here. On the other hand, things are probably moving too slowly there. Everyone wants it to work better, but there are bottlenecks. The state and local governments are NOT happy about what is happening. The governor has asked for a public inquiry into what is going on, and the state is looking into rebates. This article from CalMatters is a good, evenhanded discussion on what has been happening here: https://calmatters.org/economy/2023/02/gas-prices-utilities-commission/

We have had really, really low gas bills a long time. I remember in my first apartment out of college my bi-monthly bill hovered around $4. The last one we paid before the gouger was about $35. This round from SoCalGas was o_O. This isn't necessarily a "California bad" story because SoCalGas is, well, a private company. A private company which has a monopoly. My husband comes from a country with competition in the natural gas market, and rates are (in his recollection -- he hasn't lived there in over 5 years) accordingly lower. Same thing with internet -- lots of providers over there, and here we're stuck with Spectrum in my current home AND where we're moving to.

LG, either LRFGC2706S or LRFLC2706S. The latter is in this video: We need a counter depth and I prefer French doors. We bought the place with an almost new GE behemoth in the kitchen, so big that it seriously reduces space. So it is going to the garage for stuff from Costco runs, like meat and seltzer. Just two of us except when we have company, so we don't need to have a ginormous fridge.

Wait wait wait we can't talk about ice makers/fridges here but we can talk about weed eaters and chain saws and (tooth) implants??

So after much consideration, we are going with a fridge that doesn't have the craft ice capabilities (in the freezer, for clarification!) and are going to get the craft ice mold recommended by @LIBrty4all. Really appreciate all the input from everyone -- we both agree that with more gadgets in the device there is more opportunity for things to go wrong, and badly. Now we just need to agree about a TV....

I took the earlier advice about Samsungs and we went into the buying process with the mindset that we wouldn't even look at one. The craft ice thing is fun and kinda bougie to have in a fridge, but I don't see it's necessary. I tend to be a little bit more frugal than my husband is, which I've known about for years, even before we got married. I feel like a perpetual buzzkill -- why do you need an 85" television? Why do we need three sets of dinnerware when we already have two new ones? Why do I need craft ice made by the freezer itself? Does my stove need to communicate with my phone? Some single malts definitely benefit from a drop or two (or more) of water, in my opinion. Not all, and I don't claim to be a connoisseur. I just know what I like, and I like how some open up a little with a bit. Uhhhh, so UFOs, right???

Trust me, it is me who wants the more economical fridge choice, but it is pure projection: "If my wife wants a refrigerator that makes craft ice* for whisky and has a screen in the door to look in at food and a strange little snack door which makes reaching the snacks she** likes happen more quickly, she should have this." *Those large-ish ice globes of very clear ice **Read: he likes

Yes -- I thought of you when I was trying these! Dove is one of the samples, I'll let you know what I think of it. They are a little similar to the Lush massage bars (I remember them too!) but a bit more luxe. I really love the no-waste packaging on these -- the label was a thin strip of cardboard, and then everything else is wood, cloth or the bar itself.

It's my thread so I think I can derail a little bit. Kate McLeod stone update: I've used it twice now, and I am getting the hang of it. The first time, like a lot of people apparently, I had too heavy a hand and I ended up greasy. Yuck. Second time I followed the directions more closely, warming up the bar and then stroking it on my skin lightly before spreading it and rubbing it in. I went back to cover areas (elbows, knees) that needed a touch more. Very light this way, and I totally understand the concept of this being a daily self-care ritual. It smells great going on, but then the scent dissipates so it's more aromatherapy than something to keep you perfumed through the day. Over the weekend I tried samples (obtained when I bought the Kate McLeod stone) of the Ilia liquid powder eye tint in a variety of shades: https://iliabeauty.com/collections/liquid-powder-eye-tint I think I got six shades with about 2 uses per shade, and I have tried Adobe and Dim so far. These are great! Subtle for a monochromatic look -- swipe a little across the lid and work quickly to smudge it out because it dries fast. I might get one or two when I have used them up.

Actually he's been at a Super Bowl party in Porter Ranch since about 3, so no. I've been busy going cross-eyed looking at fridges on Consumer Reports while he's been out. I think I am officially middle-aged now based on that last statement.

Distrust of how the government is handling these UFOs may be the thing that brings people of all political stripes together. Not on my bingo card for 2023!