Accentuate the positive

Yesterday was a mixed bag. A gun-loving nut job went on a shooting rampage at LAX. As always, these acts of random violence weigh heavily. I was home, and able to watch the coverage live, because the handyman was here to repair the walls in the livingroom and shower. He was unable to fix the peeling paint above my through-the-wall ac because the wall was still wet from our Halloween rainshowers. He did a little investigation and found the root problem is cracked and broken sealant around the ac on the outside of the building. It's not a complicated fix or especially expensive fix, but it will be difficult because I'm on the top floor and my handyman just doesn't have the ladder or other equipment to reach up this high. In the meantime, I have about 3" of exposed wall over my air conditioner. I've covered it with a towel, so I guess it looks no worse than the peeling paint did. But I'm not happy.

Still, there's much on the bright side! He patched the holes in the walls and replaced the curtain rod -- repairing the considerable damage done by a certain skinny beige cat. I'm sitting here admiring my new drapes. I'm not in love with them yet, either, but with the new rod it will be easy to experiment with new window treatments. And what I'm gazing upon right now is better than what was there 24 hours ago. Much better.

Then, of course, there's my new shower! He repaired the hole left last month and installed a new shower head. It feels like Christmas morning to look up and see a shiny new shower head.

Best of all, it came in under budget. Plus, my handyman is very good looking and I enjoyed having him around all day. Really, with his blond hair and adorable cap, he looked like a smarter/less glamorous Brad Pitt.