80percentitis

I have heard other owners of old houses comment on their 80percentitis, and apparently it is a disease that is contagious. I have developed a tremendously bad case of it. You may have 80percentitis if:

• You take each of your projects just to the point where it doesn't look "bad" (of course, it doesn't look "good" either) and get bored or disenchanted
• As you survey your fiefdom you realize that this happens quite a lot
• Any time visitors come to your house you find yourself saying "and I need to finish that by . . . [insert small task here] but [insert random project here] came up and I couldn't wait to get started!"

Those are but a few of the symptoms. I've got it bad, baby! I have 80%-stripped wallpaper, 80%-yanked-up carpet, 80% primed/painted walls.

I can only hope there is a cure out there. ;)

Gopher-palooza!!

I spent the weekend with some of the most awesome people in the world. Several of my graduate school classmates and I got together for an informal reunion. Most of them I have not seen since 2005, and it was so wonderful to catch up! We ate too much, had some lovely refreshing beverages, talked until the wee hours, and enjoyed several D.C. sights, among them the Building Museum, Spy Museum, and the Newseum. There was an amazing Saarinen exhibit at the Building Museum; we joined a docent-led tour and afterward stayed around taking it all in. Scatter my ashes over the Yale hockey rink, please--it is just that incredible. But first take down all the flags that obscure the gorgeous structure.

Big shoutout to all my fellow Gophers, should you be reading this!!! I love you all! :)