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[darkemeralds]

I'm back from my travels. Jet lag is pretty well over. My 50th birthday is tomorrow and look! Here's my new bathroom!





Poor Ed--my contractor and incidentally my brother-in-law--has worked the past 21 days straight, trying to solve the string of problems he's encountered. He's taking an overdue break today.

The water, he assures me, will be back on tomorrow.

For the last month I've been living in hotels and at friends' and relatives' houses--on two continents. I just had to come home and sleep in my own bed last night. It was heavenly! Right up until the whole going out into the freakin' street at 6:00 on a cold, foggy winter morning to pee thing.

The place is a huge mess. For instance, this was my back yard last year at this time:


Here it is this morning:

You can see the old bathtub, the old water-heater, and a good chunk of...what is that large sheet of plywood? No clue.

It's not all bad news, though. The wiring and plumbing are complete, and the pink clouds of insulative coziness are mostly in place.



And, best of all, the Bathtub of Resuscitation is in the house!





Here's my 11-year-old niece, the soon-to-be famous actress, posing in the tub for scale:






(She pretty much idolizes Summer Glau.)



I was hoping to have a nice long 50th-birthday soak in the Bathtub of Resuscitation. Maybe for Christmas?

[Poll #626735]

Comments

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Noooooooo! if we can't soak, we must have showers! Also, for your 50th, you have to get tattooed. really!

Your niece is very pretty--I look foward to seeing her on some Oscar night.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I look foward to seeing her on some Oscar night.

So does she, I'm pretty sure!

Well, there's a shower in the gym at the office. I could get up very early, throw my gym bag together, sneak in all stinky and gross, and emerge presentable. It's not like living out of a suitcase another few days is going to kill me.

Or I could drive over to dear Mama's and have some dinner involving actual cooking, and a take a nice shower, and see my nearly-estranged cat.

Hm...

[tehomet.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! And many happy returns, to one of my favourite people. Have a great day and a joyful year. :)

And running water, too. :)

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

Here's to hot running water for the next half-century, uninterrupted.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Err, happy new decade! And your niece is a star, you should pay her more than Scale!

Sigh. Every construction project EVER has taken longer and cost more.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Thanks! There are many downsides to growing older, but I'm also finding many unstoried advantages. Really, we should have more stories! It's liberating, I've gotten smarter and calmer, I'm more easily able to compass life's upsets...and I've grown less concerned with things I can't change, and (obviously) much freer with money--also, I earn quite a bit more of it--and you know, it's not all bad.

My niece is consciously dedicated to a performing career. Rides two city buses to get to her arts magnet middle school. Is just unutterably dramatic and attention-seeking. Has the advantage of, so far, being rather pretty. And skinny. That won't hurt. Not sure yet about actual talent, but I don't observe that counting for nearly as much as one might wish in Hollywood.

Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, but she's determined to have it and I'm not gonna try to talk her out of it.

As to building projects going over: yup. I planned on it. I hoped it would be done by now on the budget I specified, but I knew better in my heart.

[sffan.livejournal.com]

Just in case I forget:

Happy Birthday!!!

I hope you have a great day.

I'm not sure how to answer your poll...shower might beat out broadband.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

And shower beat out broadband, but not until I'd taken several pleasant hours to get kind of caught up on my correspondence and LJ and shopping and research...

So, a good compromise.

[thecaelum.livejournal.com]

Welcome home! Your niece is absolutely adorable.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Thank you. And yeah--she's a pretty one. Also? Knows it. When I phoned over there to ask if any of the four of them would like to come and pose for a few pictures, she was all, "ME! ME! ME!"

Heh. Her aspirations as an actor are probably quite well founded.

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

Well, whatever you do, don't go out into the yard. Don't even look out there!

I vote at home with the broadband plus going into work just a little early for a shower.

Although the thought of having to go outside to use a portaloo is pretty horrifying ...

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I ended up staying online at home till I could stand it no more, then going to my mom's for a hot shower and to visit my kitty.

Am stopped at home again this morning for a few minutes before going to the office.

[merrymaia.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!!!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly!

[gabrita.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, Em! Hope it is fab :-)

Your new bathroom cracks me up. It's actually pretty nice looking, you know. It could have been a gaudy anti-freeze green colored one!

Your niece really is Summer-ish in that last pic, wow!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Yes, tasteful beige is never really out of style, is it? All this one really lacks is a crescent-moon motif on the door.

And thank you for the birthday greetings. I'm having a fabulous day.

[roseambr.livejournal.com]

Well, I respectfully submitted my vote for shower and a visit with Monsoon. Heaven knows you will have lots of opportunities for internet work/play. Here I sit on my new laptop, discovering that I can access the net, recieve emails but not send any. I attempted to send you a nice email with a birthday wish and it just won't send. I guess I'll have to break down and make the dreaded call to the support line for my provider. Anyway, know I'm thinking of you on your Birthday and wishing you lots of enjoyable moments.

Getting older stories? Sure! Lots! MOstly about feeling freer to relax and enjoy life rather than feel driven or worse, not driven but needing to fake it! I'm loving being older and more mature in my life style, looks, priorities in life. It's just so much easier! So, enjoy it!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I did end up with the shower-and-Monsoon option, but not before having spent a number of pleasant hours online getting caught up. Best of both worlds.

Congrats on the new laptop! I suspect your send problem is simply a matter of designating the right email server in your settings--seems like maybe you have it fixed already, since I have a couple of messages from you.

I'm enjoying the age thing myself. No need to fake stuff anymore. It's great!

Let's get together again soon. Well, maybe after Xmas at this point, huh?

[str8ontilmornin.livejournal.com]

You are sure to have thee swankiest bathroom when it's finished! Although freezing out to the outhouse can't be much fun.

I'm picking up the major Glau resemblance in the last pick and tell her no co -starring with Vin Deisel if she can help it.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I will pass along your sage advice!

[janeeyre17.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!





(Your niece is adorable btw.)

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I have three nieces. The youngest is willing to pose dramatically in a bathtub before play rehearsals, the middle is willing (and able!) to help build the bathroom, and the eldest drops by in her stylish outfits and pristine Converse sneakers to check on our progress.

They're all wonderful girls and I feel lucky to have them in my life.