There was 4.2 earthquake last night in the area. I was asleep so didn't feel it but my daughter called me to ask if I had. She was closer to the epicentre. I don't even know if it was felt where I am.
I've been busting my ass to paint the house. I've got a townhouse, as I guess it would be called in the US. Three floors with a basement garage. With homes attached on both sides. It's large by Italian standards, tiny by US standards, approximately 1,722 square feet (160 m2). I finished removing all the varnish from the IKEA kitchen, sanding it, and repainting it in funky green and turquoise. I have bright red tiled walls, and by throwing in red accents around the kitchen, it works in a 1950s-esque pop art way.
I decided to lighten up the whole house. I want to have a Miami beach feel --I live in a depressing miasma of fog most of the year -- and I had previously decorated with a Texas theme.When we had the house built 6, 7 years ago, I had them paint the walls a neutral taupe, and we have one wall and column that are bare stone, so it tied in well. I had pictures and accents that reflect my Texan love.
But I realized, that with the kitchen being brighter, I needed to brighten up the rest of the area. I want to feel as if I'm on holiday when I come in from the cold and fog. So I got a pale sunny yellow for the walls, I've started painting the furniture white (cheaper than buying new, though a real pain in the ass), and I've changed the artwork to reflect scenes from the sea. I bought a frame which holds nine photos and printed out pics of us at the sea, either surfing or playing, keeping the colors in blues and sunny (or sandy) yellow.
I've done the walls from the living room, up the stairs, in the "hallway" and up the other stairs to the "mansarda", or livable attic.
Now, up there I'm going to do a pale-pale sky blue on the walls and in between the rafters. There are good beams and then there are some real shit pieces of wood that make up the main ceiling. This area wasn't originally meant to be a living space, so the materials aren't the best quality,except the main beams. So, before I paint, I need to fill any spaces between the planks. I'm stuffing the larger ones with rolled up newspaper, and putting stucco in all of the gaps, even over the newspaper. I hope it will also help retain heat in the winter and keep it cooler in the summer. The temp difference up there is noticeable, and that's where I sleep.
So, this is what I'm doing, other than the other 1 million things I usually do as a "single" mom.
A friend on Facebook told me today that I should start an all female painting company here. She must live in la-la land because she's American and lives here in Italy, too, with her Italian husband. She should know better. Reasons why this is an impossibility:
1. I'd NEVER find another woman who would do the work. It's hard and messy, and they'd break a nail.
2. If I found a team, no one, and I mean NO ONE, would hire women to paint their home. Not even another woman.
3. Any other painters in the area would make it a point to humiliate me, ruin me, etc. Not only because it would be competition business-wise, but because deep down, Italian men are scared of women.
4.Opening a business of any kind in Italy is next to impossible with all the red tape (unless you're Chinese, and speak no Italian, then no problem [I'll get to THAT on another day])
5. Finally, I'm 41 frikking years old. I do not want to have a baby. And owning a business is the same as having a baby. You're tied down until it grows enough to be left in the hands of someone competent, and usually competent people are hard to find, especially when thinking about leaving your "baby".
So, in the meantime, I'll just work on my own home. I need to sell this place!
Ciao...well FUCK. Just had a small earthquake. Seriously. This one, yep, felt it. Weird sensation, really. Thought my stomach was rumbling at first, then it got stronger LOL
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