4 Days.
6 Coats.
1 Demoralized perfectionist.
Things I've learned this week:
When doing home improvements, double the time estimates and the cost estimates.
When changing the color of a wall from light to dark or dark to light, always use a primer.
I think I'm Anal-Retentive.
Don't try opening a can of paint with a screwdriver, while standing up.
Easy remove painters masking tape ISN'T easy to remove.
I'm using my free time to paint the room. That seems to be early in the morning, over the lunch or supper hour, or late at night. (read: I don't seem to have a life!)
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I think the Anal-Retentive revelation came somewhere between coats 5 and 6. I could still see through a few places on the walls, and I didn't like that, at all. Probably the only reason I'll stop painting is that I've run out of another gallon of paint and I'll be jiggered if I have to go face the Paint Guy again, that's for sure. (I guess that gives me hope, I'm not that anal-retentive!)
But, I do work hard at the details. I want to make sure a quality job is done, and that's not evil is it? It's just German.
The deeper question is, how in the world do I exist as a pastor AND a perfectionist.
Being a pastor (at least in a congregational context) is kind of a weird mix of being a leader, while not having any real power. More like a persuasive power.
I guess I see the perfectionist stuff come out when I'm responsible to get something done. The baptism last weekend, or a wedding or funeral. I work very hard to make them a blessing. Maybe to hard.
That's one of the reasons I love Lauralea. She always was the spontaneous one. I need to hang around her more.
But, for tomorrow? Tomorrow we go at the trim.
Nearly done.
This has got to be some wall!
ReplyDeleteI agree about the painters tape. It is the biggest reason I hate painting - putting it on and taking it off. The rest of painting is not bad.
You haven't completely fallen into the anal-retentive pit. You still make spelling and grammar mistakes "Maybe to hard." So you are still partly human like those of us that would have given up about three coats ago!
uh, I always run my entries through WordPerfect...
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't look good.
The thing I am most anal-retentive about(maybe that should be one of the things since we are probably all this way about somethings) is grammar. And I am not that great at some of it myself. That is one of the nice things about blogging - most everyone makes some mistakes some of the time - so I don't worry about the ones I make too much. But I usually catch the "to, too, two" mistakes!
ReplyDeleteBeing the "Administrative-Type-Person" that I am, I too catch one or two of those grammer catchers that is displayed to us on the blog!! hee hee
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, hanging around your beautiful wife more often, will only make you a better person. That, I know to be true.
Peace :-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe you need to be perfect painting, because in your job, you cant make things perfect. You can guide people to decisions and show them truths but in the end, they make the decision. You cant control the decison, you cant fire them if they make the wrong one....so you have to find a place where you control the outcome...unfortunately its your mud room....if you ever feel like firing somebody...to have THAT control...give me a call...I got a couple of lazy sales associates you can talk to.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chuckles, though I know your struggle and frustration with painting, especially BS painting (dark colors, that is). Last year I painted Sean's room dark navy and Sarah's bright robin-egg blue, so I can relate, especially since I'm an anal-retentive perfectionist, too!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, hope all is finished now, and I'm sure it looks awesome. See ya Friday.
Robyn;
ReplyDeleteI like that thought. Maybe I'm not as bad as I suspect.
I just need to keep a pile of dirt in the back yard and when I ain't seeing any action at work, I'll go out there an move the pile to another spot. Satisfaction guaranteed, and no backtalk.