What’s in a name?

How I am addressed is often an interesting tale. My professional pseudonym of “Dj” is not my legally given name, and more curious is why just a colloquial nickname became associated with my professional career. Today, there are few who even know my legal name, save the classmates on Facebook. However, this is not the story I plan to share for this post.
 

More A Matter Of Self Than Circumstance

I am no marriage expert. I am not a counselor. I have not performed or assisted in any scientific studies on the topic. My profession does not remotely work with the subject matter. I have no credentials to qualify me to discuss the matter.

Tails From My Dark Side

It’s the middle of the night, and I’m angry and scared.

Hidden Blessings

When Kristina and I eloped to Mount Rainier, we had several mishaps, beginning with nearly falling of the mountain. Those details can be found in a previous post. But this started a phrase, “The Unexpected Blessing,” where we look for the blessing in troubled times. In truth, we used the phrase prior to this, but the events caused us to adopt it as a family philosophy.
 

How You Doing?

At the beginning of the year, I recreated my FaceBook profile and destroyed the old one. This post is not about why I did that but rather the connections I lost when doing so. Today, I worked through some old lists, my phone contacts, etc, to reconnect with many people who slipped through the cracks of my profile upgrade.

Moving At The Speed Of Life

I have so many thoughts, and so many blessings have occurred I’ve been unable to share. I want to write more blog posts, but life keeps getting in the way.
 

Perhaps I can use my own blog as a notepad of outlines for future things to discuss. Then maybe those who have remained loyal to reading my sparse and inconsistent statements could even vote on what I should detail when I find the time.
 

Top Thoughts:
 

• More details about our misadventures of elopement
• The adjustment to married life: the good and the out-of-practice
• My Wife: Incredible Blessing and Unfairly Outcast
• Rachel’s new boyfriend and how a seasoned dad handles this new hurdle
• Kara’s surgery and details about RETT and the trip to Houston
• A Visit from Russ (and the Price of Admission)
• Social Media and my new personal policies on FaceBook
• Home Improvements, New Purchases and how to keep it all in balance
• Reasons for Stability: A View of the Social Value of Money
• Secrets I’ve Kept Private (but am willing to announce)
• Wedding Photos, Slideshow…Better Presentation than a FB Album
• Summer Movies – and my plan to sneak away and watch them
• How Apolitical I’m Feeling Lately
• Next School Year: The Challenges
• Thoughts on lightening up, smelling roses and just laughing more
 

Okay, that’s my running list. Tell me what you think and what you'd like to have to discuss, explain or just plain rant about. I promise to set aside some time and post a little more often.
 

Project Post-Mortem

The room-makeover project was a wonderful experience in many ways. As I mentioned before, it was nice to see the results of my efforts in an obvious and tangible way. So much of what I do at work and in my relationships don’t have that sort of real evidence. It was a great reminder that a good effort made does yield a good outcome.

Secondly, this was a physical work effort, something I’ve been unable to do for several weeks. That measure may be shy too. Not only am I healed from my surgery, but I now realize how much I hurt prior to it and did not recognize it. To be physically normal again is an amazing blessing and is having a “runneth over” effect on my psyche as well.

Perhaps it’s Providence that I was in so much pain while I was recently engaged. I’m convinced we were not meant to be – or at least we were not joining together for the right reasons. That said; I can see where much of my physical pain created anger, frustration and reactions from me that probably would not have ordinarily been there. In truth, that uncomfortableness probably is the blame for our break-up, which is both sad and fortunate.

As I said, there were unspoken issues that would have made our coupling difficult, but at the same time, it is heartbreaking to think we called off a lifetime together over a hernia. But alas, I now look at this somewhat like a vacation. My three-month engagement was beautiful, exciting, thrilling and wonderful; it was a great place to visit, but living there isn't something I will do. Just because the vacation comes to an end, doesn’t mean I feel bad for not having moved there. I don't have to be angry that the vacation is over. I still think of the visit fondly and with beautiful memories. Vacations are often high points of life that are remembered always.

But now it is back to reality and living where I am, no longer on that vacation. There are many wonderful things about “living at home” too. It’s comfortable; it’s safe; it doesn’t have to be about the next big thrill. I am free to be “me” again – and now that I am no longer in pain, I really have returned home to the me I really am.

So, all of that from painting my bedroom. Not to mention, I have a great looking room too. I wonder what revelations my next home project will bring.

Bedroom 2.0 - Day 3 and fini

The painting is complete. I’ve even hung the décor back up. However, the weight bench I planned to buy won’t fit in the remaining space. I might have to go with a smaller one, which is fine because I doubt I work over a 300 lb press. But we’re not talking about my training; we’re talking about the room.

Anyway, the photos don’t really do the room justice, but it gives a bit of an idea. The room is a tad darker in reality; I suppose the flash lightens the image a little more than normal. At any rate, I shot the first image outside looking in through the doorway, then the others inside the room, corner to corner, starting at the entryway and then rotating to my right each shot.

I stayed close to the budget (over about $40) but did not purchase a headboard. So, there are two more additions to come over the next few weeks: the headboard plus weight bench, if you weren’t paying attention.

Anyway, I’m very pleased. Even when my fiancée lived here, she wanted to paint the room. I agreed it needed some pizazz. However, I suppose this was my way of “remarking” the territory. Nonetheless, it is nice to complete a project and actually get to observe the fruits of my labor. This was beneficial in many ways.

Picture 1, From Entryway	Picture 2, Looking to the bathroom door
Picture 3, All three doors; far left is entry	Picture 4, Where the weights should be

Bedroom 2.0 - Day 2

Well, I had to take a couple of days break from my inspiring room project. There were just more important issues with which to deal, specifically some special daughter-time and a friend in need. So tonight I took back to the paint. Of course, having a water main break down the street causing the water to be shut off in the house made for an interesting start. But all turned out well.

Not a lot done tonight, but I did apply two coats of paint to the accent wall behind the bed. I’m still waiting for it to dry so I can touch up the edges and move the bed back. However, I think the simulated pictures are fairly close, although the real color is slightly more purple than I expected, but then again it’s not yet dry in the picture.

Computer-Generated Wall Color

Still wet after 2 coats

Slow and steady wins the race...

Bedroom 2.0 - Day 1

Last night I bought paint, curtain rods, sheets, a new bedspread, sham and accent pillows. My original estimate is now almost blown, so I may wait on the headboard for a week or two. Plus I'm still planning on a few other additions, so the final revealing may be after Thanksgiving.

Now, it was too late to paint anything large scale, like the walls. However, I did change out the linens and paint doors, two coats. So, the pictures below in the top row are real, and the ones below have predicted wall color by PhotoShop. It will be nice to have this complete because I don't think the photos do the red accents justice, and comparing them side-by-side make them appear to fight much more than they do in real life.

Painted Door	New Bed Decor
Real Doors, Generated Wall Color	Computer-Generated Wall Color

Not too bad for one day. Of course, one problem with painting with red is drips outside the splash sheet are harder to get out of the carpet. More to come...

Alone In My Room

So, I thought I'd give a quick update. I used the Behr website to select a color scheme. This is not final, but a general idea of what I'm thinking. My sister's suggestion of accenting with red is interesting. I'd probably use a darker red, and I might paint the interior side of the door red. Also, for these pictures, I deliberately darkened my existing bedspread to closer match what I'm thinking as a final result.

Blue/Gray No Soffits Painted	Blue/Gray with Soffits Painted
Reverse Corner with Door

There is my idea at the moment. I am still unsure what to do with the soffits. I also think the website program tends to be a little brighter than reality. It was close when painting Rachel's room, but I remember thinking the result was just slightly darker than the computer mock-up.

I'm looking for a little feedback and other suggestions, but I will probably settle on paint colors in the next day or two. Worst case, I don't like it and paint again. Give me your thoughts, please.

Go To Your Room!

This may not be an exciting topic – or perhaps some will find it a refreshing change. However, I thought I would share the plans for my newest project at home. As most know, I recently purchased a new house late last spring. I absolutely love my new house, but now I can’t just call the landlord when I want something done – not that I did much of that previously.

It’s interesting to note what one does and doesn’t have when moving from bachelor-style renting to home-ownership. And in all fairness, this latest project was inspired by my former fiancée who had several good ideas for decoration when she lived here. So, I am starting with the Master bedroom. Part of a schema has been started there anyway; now I’ll just finish it out.

As I said, it is interesting what is missing. I have no curtains anywhere in the house. Now, the blinds that I have in the living areas may mean I don’t need them everywhere. I’m sure there is a wide variety of opinion on this topic. However, in the bedroom, there are times one needs to “black out” the world around. While I was recovering from surgery, that early morning sun pierced through my blinds quite easily, making the additional rest I needed not so simple.

Last night I purchased two panels of Roberta-textured thermal curtains. They are black, but because of the textured style they have more of a peppered look. And honestly, I’m not sure what “Roberta” means in this context, but they’re going to look good. However, what I forgot to buy with them was curtain rods. But Lowes is only a mile and a half away.

I also plan to paint the walls and neutral-ish blue-gray of some sort. I’m still picking the color. I’m struggling with exactly how much to paint. I may do two tones on opposing walls, like navy versus gray – or I might just hit all four walls the same color. Besides just the color and number of walls, I must decide what to do with the two 4x20 foot soffits in the room. I’m not sure whether those are “part of the ceiling” or whether to paint them as well.

Finally, I will replace my bedspread with a gray-matching one. Also I will find a headboard to match the recently-purchased dresser pieces that are in the room now. Ironically, one of those pieces is sitting empty, but that story has been told enough.

If I tabulate only my expenses from last night forward, I think the whole renovation of the room will cost under $500. Of course that mainly depends on the headboard I choose. Curtains and paint won’t come close to that figure; the bedspread could be a factor but shouldn’t be too pricey.

Anyway, this is what I will be working on in my spare time between now and Thanksgiving. Please feel free to share ideas with me, and I will keep everyone apprised of the progress.