i am green today

Anyone else haunted by that commercial for Dell computers? It's got a catchy tune. After Googling "i am green today," I discovered that (a) I'm not the only one who appreciates it, and (b) the jingle's lifted from Kira Willey's "Colors." (The complete version is available via a link via the link I just posted. Or you can just go directly to YouTube and search for "i am green today" in quotation marks.) Actually, the lyrics of the song--make that of the first verse--are inventively fresh; for the second half, unfortunately, they degenerate into clichés.

Anyway...we were mostly green all weekend. I wish I could say that meant green as in environmentally friendly/conscious. What I really mean is we spent a lot of time scraping green latex from behind our fingernails.


The whole shebang began last weekend, when, after months of deliberation (much of which was spent negotiating the color scheme with his wife), James decided to transform the basement into the home theatre of his dreams. You may remember it as it appeared on an evening in February. He managed to disassemble everything in two days; quite a remarkable feat, given all those cables. Next came the running the electrical under the carpet, the drilling and subsequent patching of specially designed outlets to hide aforesaid wiring, and lo and behold, by the time the long weekend rolled around, it was time to paint.

Options for paint have improved. I tried out some of Benjamin Moore's Aura (eco paint), loved the fact that it's low in VOCs, practically odor-free, and would recommend it to anyone who's not counting coin. Or who's more concerned about the macrocosmic payoff than the moolah. (At $25/litre Aura vs. $20/litre Premium, OK, not bad, but at $75/gallon Aura vs. $50/gallon Premium, and it adds up.) It's supposed to cover in one coat, which would seal it as the more economical route; however, perhaps owing to my inexperience, perhaps not, it didn't do the trick. So we settled for second best. You can't always get what you want...

What Not to Wear
A photo wherein I test the theory--and prove beyond the shadow of a doubt--that plaid does make me look fat, and by corollary, plaid and stripes should not be worn together unless for Clash Day during Spirit Week.

Round 2

Reassembly Required

check out recently purchased area rug

...But if you try sometimes you might find / You get what you need

Finished Product
We are amateurs--this is only the second basement we've done, and the first was a more forgiving "oat straw" yellow--so don't scrutinize the edging or ceiling. Do, however, check out the next-to-nothing (i.e., minimally visible) cabling and the track lighting.

The Métis flag, courtesy of Duane & Celina, is supposed to be a temporary fixture. We received an estimate on blinds, regular lite-rise as well as the remote-controlled versions; since the latter would be an additional $500, I strongly suspect we'll go with the first option. But I think we'd better wait until I start earning wages again.

So that was how we spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons. As one revered philosopher has observed, "It's not easy being green." For the main floor, including high entrance ceiling and challenging stairwell, we'll call the professionals.

Just for the record (and because I love color names):
We used Bejamin Moore's "mossy oak" (CC-600) for the four main walls, and "grasslands" (CC-590) for the alcove created by the stairwell, in which our IKEA cupboard nestles, as well as for the wall that hugs the stairwell about halfway up. It makes for an easier transition from the (as yet) builder's white primer and the dark theatre room.