Am getting over the election depression and getting on with things. Lots going on at work and at home and just can’t let myself get caught up in all the turmoil as to why Kerry lost and who’s to blame. What’s done is done and I can’t do a damn thing to change it, so I forget about it and get on with my life.

My house is in relatively good shape with most everything picked up and all the dishes done. Still need to clean the carnival glass on the shelves next to the fireplace, but most everything else in the living room/dining room has been cleaned. Finished trimming down the night-blooming jasmine bush for winter, but haven’t done much else in the backyard. Could use about 2-3 days of non-stop work out there to get all the bushes trimmed away from the fence, pull weeds, etc. All the recent rain has caused the weeds and random patches of grass to really take off in the flowerbeds. But I’d rather be doing stuff inside right now, so the outdoor stuff will have to wait…

Going to start tonight by making a list of projects and materials needed and setting a timeline. Probably will start with painting the family room so that I can get new carpet installed–maybe before Christmas? Also have a bit of stuff to finish in the bathroom. Then I will have 2 rooms completely finished! While I’d love to get started on my bedroom, I just think I need to hold off and get these other rooms finished first. Slowly but surely it’s all coming together, but I really only have 4 weekends remaining until I have to start decorating for Christmas, so I’ve got to get busy!

Found some really nice slipcovers in the Ikea catalog for the living room sofa and loveseat, so may go shopping tomorrow for the slipcovers and possibly some drapes for the family room. If I’m out, think I’ll stop at Home Depot and pick up the paint for the family room walls. Just have to be sure to move quickly through Ikea as it’s easy to spend lots of time (and lots of money!) there.

At least I won’t be spending every other day or so in front of the tv watching Laker games this year. Not very impressed with the team so far. I will continue to watch some of the games, but won’t be planning my life around games the way I did last year. Unless the players that are currently on the injured list (Vlade, Luke Walton, and Devean George) get healthy soon and can make a difference, I doubt we’ll see the Lakers in the playoffs this year. The team just doesn’t seem to be working well together. They’re all good players, but not yet a team.

Kevin and Soula are considering coming to Pasadena for Christmas. I really hope they are able to make this happen. I love having them here at Christmastime. It makes the holidays so much better for me when both Kevin and Patrick are here…and now Soula, too!