OK, it’s getting kind of surreal now

The Federal government once again closed all agencies today, so I got to stay home and enjoy an even greater feeling of disconnection from my current gig. (It doesn’t take much, really.) I did leave the house, though, in order to pick up some supplies with which to make the most of my unexpected extended staycation. At about 9:30 this morning the temperature outside was 22° and the sky was a pale, washed-out gray, almost the exact shade of dirty snow. Was the vault overhead reflecting the terrain below, or vice versa? Yeah, when I’m thinking along those lines it’s definitely been enough with the snow already.

The oldies station I was listening to in the car played CCR’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and later in the afternoon the 90’s station on satellite radio (to which we have been listening a LOT during Snowmageddon) played “Flood” by Jars of Clay. It occurred to me that there’s a lot of moody songs about rain, but the mention of snow always transforms a tune into a sleighbell-infested holiday ditty. The deep February accumulation has yet to inspire an enduring track, apparently.


Anyway, lest you think the objects I was going out for were hobby-related, to while away my afternoon in decadent leisure, be it known that I actually excursioned to the hardware store for painting supplies. We started painting our kitchen/dining room over the weekend since we knew we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while, but we didn’t quite manage to finish the job. During some of the (emotionally) stormier moments of moving weekend, a fair amount of painting equipment was unceremoniously pitched into the garbage rather than moved. These things happen. It meant, however, that we had enough brushes to lay down the primer over the ugly colors the previous owners favored, but not enough brushes to then switch over to actual colors we can live with. Thus, my task today was to buy more brushes, and paint pans, and spackle, and so on, and complete Operation: Blueshift. I was moderately successful, and I also primed over the hideous dining room wall as well. And since I’ve just checked the closings website and seen that the fed agencies are, in fact, closed again tomorrow, I reckon I’ll be launching Operation: Greenification in the morning.

It’s nice, honestly, being given no choice but to take some time off and then focusing some needed attention on the home projects most in need of same. Slightly surreal, but nice.