Want more. Won't come. Death sentence. Humans are strange.

There's a guy across the street dressed in track pants and a leather vest.

Pantry reorganization.

team loft

A few weeks ago I had a crazy idea to build a loft. I didn't like the existing loft designs out there and it was time to start a new project. I drew up some detailed plans and got my friends Karl and Todd to help me build it. These guys bicycled all the way from Ohio to move here to San Francisco, and they were staying with me so I figured I'd put them to work.


Meet Karl. He has experience building things like cabinets and rock climbing walls. He was useful when it came to, well, pretty much everything about this project.


Meet Todd. He worked construction and is a good source of entertainment when caffeinated. Todd kept Margot company (and out of our hair - literally and figuratively)
Come a few days later, we set off for Home Depot to purchase the supplies. We spent 5 grueling hours selecting straight pieces of lumber, deciding which screws to use, and making jokes about the 'girthiness' of said screws. My friend Howie brought a zipcar to our rescue to bring the supplies back home and, more importantly, to bring us to food. Karl was becoming light-headed and I was getting irritable. Todd, well, he had checked out a while back.

All in all, this project has taken us upwards of 30 hours. I still have to add more support brackets and paint, but just couldn't wait to post these photos. I've learned a lot about carpentry, now own a power sander, and can say I built a loft bed!


Stacks of lumber.


We needed masks for all that sanding we were doing, but all respectable stores were closed at the time so I headed to the dollar store across the street. Surprisingly they had these terrible safety glasses/mask combos for $1.25. Yeah, it's one of those fake dollar stores. These things didn't work so well, clearly. They were meant for people with baby faces, or baby carpenters.


Sanding was fun, but Karl powered through most of it.


Pre-drilling holes so the wood wouldn't crack.


Karl drilling holes.


Margot "helping." Cue Todd to keep Margot distracted.


I couldn't decide whether to stain or paint the wood, but because I bought Douglas Fir ( a soft wood) it didn't look so great. That's what I get for buying cheap lumber.


I love power tools.


Lining up the wood in a very abstruse technique used by many a craftsperson.


Frame up.


I found the perfect couch on Craigslist and made the guys carry it 4 blocks from the person's house. Team break.


Attitude of the century. Probably pissed at me for making them carry it those 4 blocks.


Base boards and side rails up.


I regret not taking a photo of my room prior to building the loft bed. Before and after photos are always so rad to look at, especially when things change entirely. My room before had a peaceful, bedroom vibe, and now with this loft bed and couch it has more of a hangout, college dorm feel. Sometimes when I think about it, I miss having my bed on the floor - not high in the air, giving you that "I could fall off and break an arm" feeling. When it comes down to it though, spending quality time with friends on my couch under the twinkle of flower lights is worth the inconvenience of climbing up a ladder.

She is totally one of those.

dyslexia

I have not been diagnosed with dyslexia, nor will I ever be for the reason that my symptoms are negligible. However, these symptoms are more evident when my brain's exhausted. "Next Thursday at 4pm well works for me"...what???

Allyson, get some rest.

adulthood

Adulthood means owning your first stereo receiver. On a side note, I'd like to find an Elvis Costello to my Allyson.