John is at home today with our Eagle Scout friend installing (well, re-installing) the ceiling fans the sellers left us. Our air conditioned passed its inspection and test by AJ Perri with flying colors, but we are learning that our ductwork is just not up to the task of moving air upstairs. It was a good 10 degrees colder up there all winter (you could feel the change in climate about halfway up the stairs!), and it's definitely warmer and stuffier up there in this warmer summer(ish) weather we've been having.
The sellers had to remove the three ceiling fans in the bedrooms upstairs because they failed the inspection--apparently they were all at the ideal chopping height for children jumping on beds. Even after pointing out we are two adults with no children, they had to go. So the sellers removed them and installed a few simple stock flush-mounted lights, but they did leave us the fans. Which will now hopefully help to control the climate up there a bit better.
Only 2 have light kits, though, so one room will now need a floor lamp and some task lighting. We're thinking that since guests won't have muscle memory enough to walk through the darkened guest room and make it to the bedside lamp, it's pretty important to have overhead lighting controlled by a switch at the door. Likewise, I like having garish overhead lighting in the master bedroom cuz it's easier when putting away laundry (matching socks!), or test-driving outfits after the sun goes down (which is rather early in the colder months). This probably means the office will get the light-less fan, and we'll have to pick up a floor lamp and a desk lamp for me (John has one). Which is fine. It's very bright in there thanks to the window (which we can't open cuz the crank handle is missing...been on the we-should-fix-that list since move-in...sigh), and with all the extended daylight hours in the summer, lamps can definitely wait.
So in addition to the fans, I've picked up a few very small items I've swapped out around the house, namely a new lamp shade in the living room, a new bedside lamp for me, and a trio or small mirrors in the upstairs hallway that I hope will bounce around light and make it seem a bit brighter up there. Oh, and a sweet new outside doormat for the deck. So all in all small spruces, but big improvements. I'll throw together some photos and do a post later on including the fans.
Larger projects coming soon will be painting the kitchen and laundry room and maybe the upstairs hallway, once we figure out how to tackle the enormous vault over the stairs. My dad is 6'8"...I'm thinking we'll have to call him in for reinforcements. Then I am DYING to finish off the guest room. It functions, but sort of feels hyper-neglected since the rest of the house has come together. I think we've finally settled on a paint color, and that has helped me figure out what direction to take with some of the decorative accents. It's feeling pretty stark in there now, and is kind of the wah-wah on the house tour. haha
BUT I've rambled on. The real intermission I wanted to take was to say I am now officially 4 months away from my 10-miler race, and I am 40% excited and 60% terrified. I am beginning to amp up my mileage and work on new pacing and endurance goals. I've got to add in some energy gels on training runs in a few weeks when I eek up from 5 miles as my long run to 7 miles, and then so on and so on.
I'm getting to the point where 5 miles feels like a comfortable challenge. I have worked out a good walk-run pattern so I can sustain the miles without feeling like death after the 5K mark. This means I can translate that into longer distances. I'm also pretty happy with my timing--covering 5 miles in just about 55 minutes, meaning I'm basically at exactly the halfway point: I'm running half the race distance in just about half of my goal race time. Sometimes when I'm out there, I feel awesome and empowered. Others I'm like, "What the hell was I thinking? I hate myself." But I just keep on running, and even after a total shit run, I'm glad I did it. Cuz a crappy run is better than none at all. Most of the time
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