Besides boot camp . . .

I'm doing other things besides boot camp. Really, I am.

Number One Son and his girlfriend are moving into a new apartment and they've co-opted me into helping them paint it this week. I'm the resident interior paint expert, having painted just about every room in every place (5) we've lived in over the past thirty-odd years.

The apartment is quite spacious for an older one-bedroom – about 760 square feet - with lots of windows and hardwood floors. The previous tenant, however, was a bit of a slob and left things in a pretty grungy state. I told NOS I'd help paint, but THEY had to deal with the cleaning! And they did, too.

The first job was the bedroom which had been painted a deep dark BLOOD RED (if I knew how to make "blood red" appear to be dripping, I would). I'm not sure what state of mind the previous renter was in when he painted it this colour, but I probably don't want to know. It was like entering a dark and dismal gothic cave.

After priming and two coats of paint, it's now a light and airy green called "Yellow Pear". We can't believe the difference. It makes the room look much larger.

The rest of the apartment had been painted in a patchwork of different colours: olive green, dark brown and taupe. It's now being painted a nice unifying light colour called Cuban Sand.

As of today, only the dining area, hallway and kitchen are left to be painted.

It's been rather fun. I got to be a fly on the wall watching the dynamics of NOS's relationship with his significant other in a way I don't normally see in regular social situations. It made me smile.