A Rain of Frogs

That was our kitchen on the day we took possession of the house – a week and a half ago. We already knew we’d be renovating the kitchen. 4 sq ft of counter space just won’t work if one actually cooks in one’s kitchen.

Unfortunately the amazing fridge didn’t stay with the house. Probably not a bad thing, since it probably uses more hydro by itself in a month than we currently do.

So, the white lino tiles, the floral wallpaper, the mahogany veneered 1960s bank of cupboards, and the formica backsplash had to go. That’s what we started yesterday

At first we started by stripping the wallpaper. We figured since we were keeping the walls more or less intact, this was the right course of action. Of course, fate decided differently, and when we were about 50% of the way around the kitchen, I discovered the old lino backsplash, which had been smoothed with plaster, then painted, and finally wallpapered over. Peeling it off is not an option (see the patch beside the door in the photo below).

But the cupboards came down, with only a minor amount of drama. We saved what we could, which largely meant keeping the doors. The rest was buried under so many layers of paint that they unfortunately came out in small pieces.

And we started on the floors, by stripping the white lino tiles and the plywood underlay. I type this in one sentence, but I have a second to add: 10,000 nails. It all came up, revealing the amazing fluorescent green underneath, and eventually the original grey lino tiles and another layer of plywood underlay.

So we started peeling that up. This proved incredibly difficult and time consuming, but we’ve got about 75% of the floor down to the original subflooring.

Next step is the remainder of the tile/subfloor removal, and then the exciting bit – taking the plaster and lathe walls and ceiling back to studs so the outside wall can be insulated, the wiring and plumbing moved, and new drywall installed.

These are the joys of home ownership!

That pretty much sums it all up for me.

Yes, we bought a house. The interest rates were right, the timing was right, and most importantly, the house was right.

It’s an all-brick semi built in 1930. Three bedrooms, some amazing architectural features, and a soul. All the maintenance has been meticulously done, but not updated – as in, no shitty ‘flipper’ kitchen renovations that would suck to cook in. No crappily installed engineered hardwood floors.

Just good old fashioned real hardwood (under broadloom which needs to be lifted), tall baseboards, and wainscoting in the dining room.

Happy? You’re damned right we are. And its only a few minute’s walk to the subway station.

I just found out today that Chris Iwanowski, a friend I’ve known for a long time passed away late last night after a two year fight with cancer.

I haven’t seen or talked to him in quite some time, but I fondly remember working, laughing and playing with Chris (alias, The Busman) during my time as a front-end developer at Barking Dog Studios, a company he co-founded with his partner Julia.

Chris was an enthusiast. A classic Volkswagen enthusiast, particularly where his beloved ’78 Westy (pictured above) was concerned. He had recently become a contributor to the the VW enthusiast website Volksbloggin where he shared his knowledge of the classic air-cooled VW world with other Volkswagen enthusiasts.

He was an Apple enthusiast, in a way that only Steve Jobs could match. His exploration and experimentation with online technologies was a source of amusement and fascination for everyone who knew him.

He was a talented photographer and had a deep appreciation for a wide range of music that often left me speechless.

Above all, Chris brought the same passion and driving enthusiasm to parenting his two small children Alex and Anna that he brought to everything else he did.

He was and still is a man to be admired, a rarity in a world overstuffed with manufactured role models. And I haven’t even mentioned his civic pride and involvement in the city he lived in, his love of food, or a million other things that I could. I don’t need to. Like I say, Chris was an enthusiast. For everything. For life.

Now, it is true that Chris and I didn’t always see eye to eye. We disagreed about many things, and we argued about them often enough. But clashes in our opinions didn’t change the admiration I had (and still have) for him, for his approach to life. Indeed, I like to think that I learned from him, things I can someday pass on to someone else. That’s a hell of a legacy.

My thoughts are with you Julia, and with Alex and Anna. While I can feel the loss of a friend, I cannot ever begin to imagine the emptiness that the loss of such a partner and father would leave.

“For some, everything that occurs at the toilet bowl requires denying. After voiding their bowels, the scamper to a corner, kneel and pray. Then there’s the type that actually bends down to study the stuff like tea leaves. Then there’s me.”

From Fray comes a well crafted and illustrated story that absolutely made my day. I want more of this on the ‘net.

Be sure to read The Worm Within, written by Vincent Eton and illsutrated by Chris Bishop.