Multi-Tasking

Watching TV with projects all around!

I'm not very good at it...multi-tasking that is. In fact, it drives me crazy, but sometimes you just have to gut it out and do it. For me there is little that is more satisfying than working on a meaty project with single minded focus. My mind turns over the possibilities. "How can I do this job more quickly, with less effort, to a successful conclusion. Sometimes I can totally lose myself in just mowing the lawn. It is enjoyable and rewarding, and sometimes not possible.

Do not flush!

For example, Kim just had foot surgery, and is laid up for six weeks. So, I have to do several jobs at once. I am the nurse, gotta do the house work, take care of the animals, prepare most of the meals, AND still gotta do my projects. I started one of my big ones a day or two before Kim went under the knife. Tiling the bathrooms. I have never laid tile before, but I have been thinking this project through for several years. The old vinyl floors in the bathrooms were in terrible shape (have been since we moved in 14 years ago). Kim and Lucy picked out the tile and we took the truck to Home Depot and purchased all the supplies. I took out Lucy's toilet (stored it conveniently in Maggie's vacant room) and tore out the floor. Kim helped me cut the "Hardy Backer" sub floor reinforcement, and we layed it down. So far so good. Then surgery happened.

The layout

Kim has been very UN-demanding, but still I had to feed her and Lu in between laying out and cutting tile. Every time I got on a roll, I had to switch gears and run an errand, or do some cleaning, maybe feed the horses, walk the dogs (hmmm...Kim sure gets a lot of stuff done around here).

Cutting the Tile

Every new step in the tiling process I would obsess about and plan, read instructions, watch internet "do it yourself" videos (in between cooking, cleaning, and helping Kim "get something done"). Finally, when I couldn't procrastinate any longer, I would plunge in! Every time I found that the step was pretty easy and went reasonably well. After almost two weeks I finished it! Lucy was happy, I was happy (it looks terrific) and Kim was happy.

Oh, I mean I finished about half of it. Got the tiles and supplies to do the master bath too. You would think that I would have it sorta down by now but....  We're gonna put in a heated tile floor, and now I have another step to learn about and obsess over in between my other duties. Electrical is my weak point. Must have something to do with that experiment I did with a light bulb when I was a kid. Never told anybody, but got lots of compliments on my new hair style. Afros were in in those days.

Finished product!

So, I'm thinking about it....really. The big step is yanking the toilet out. Then you are committed. it's get it done or you have to go out in the laundry room. Well, I am too busy with my other tasks (including a bit of chukar hunting) to overcome the inertia of procrastination easily. Maybe next week!


That's all!