Thursday, August 26, 2010

Git R Done

Before I left SoCal, a friend told me there 3 things I needed to know about moving to the Southeast.

1. Sweet Tea (sweetened ice tea)
2. "3" (holding the three middle fingers up in reverence to Dale Earnhardt)
3. "Git R Done" (an expression of getting something finished or accomplished)

1. I have seen Sweet Tea everywhere--occasionally I'll even see it have its own line on the drink list:

Soda
Bottled water
Sweet Tea

2. I have not seen "3" yet, but then again, I've only been to the grocery store and Home Depot. But I'm confident that I'll see it soon.

3. And finally, when I was getting my oil changed (as recommended after driving a car across the country), the young man who checked me in confidently told me he'd "git r done" in 10 minutes. BTW, if any one needs their oil changed quickly in Columbia, I highly recommend Express Oil Change on Garners Ferry Road.

Well after 2 heat-filled days working the garage, I wanted to Git R Done. I took advantage of the cooler temp (78 degrees, 20% humidity) in the morning only to run out of paint:


Despite the cooler temps, I was sweating like a dog and by the time I was able to pick up yet another can of paint from the Home Depot, the temp had hit 91 again. Since I was already sweating, I challenged myself not to use the a/c again. It seems South Carolina is turning me into a masochist.

Anyhoo, happy to report that painting the garage is hereby finished:


I will caveat that no one should hire me as a painter. A friend sympathetically texted how the "prepwork" (taping and covering) is the worst part. I snorted prepwork? In my obsession with getting this garage done before the movers get here (due tomorrow), time-sucking and effort-consuming "prepwork" went out the window. Granted I wouldn't be this cavalier about the organic, work-in-progress pattern that is now my garage floor, with an interior room. And though I used my best "cutting in" painting skills around the various fixtures on the walls where I could reach them, without a ladder shaped like an A I really couldn't tape up the fixtures on the ceiling anyway, so they were a bit of an unavoidable sacrifice in terms of paint smears on them.

I will also say that painting this high ceiling with a roller on an extension pole is literally a pain in the neck. And the lower back. Did I mention the girl and I squeezed in sealing in the bricks? Scott Pilgrim, you better be a worthy reward.

So just to give a final perspective, here's the Before taken on Sunday night:


And here's the After taken 3 nights (and 2 cans of sealer and 4 cans of paint-requiring 3 trips to the Home Depot in itself) later:


Got R Done.

7 comments:

Adventures of D T and M said...

frances, the garage looks great! i'd hire you to paint maddie's room. :)

Anonymous said...

Lindsey says hi to Velina. We're missing you. Hope you enduring the heat out there. We are experiencing our first heat wave of the summer with huge waves. MO

Kristen said...

Awesome job Fran! Way to git r done! PS. I admire you for trying to go AC-free but are you crazy? Use the AC before you melt away...

Anonymous said...

Fran - Good job! I admire you for taking on the task of painting. I sure would not paint my room and certainly not the garage. Although, at least nobody is looking too close at the painted corners of a garage. Stay cool - Veronica

Pound said...

it looks good! from a far away pic! man we even hired painters to paint the inside of the house!

Anonymous said...

I think it looks awesome Frances! I'm sure I would have even thought of painting and sealing the garage - although I'm sure it's the best way to go.
Don't forget your East Coast friends... we miss you too!
Joanne

Heidi said...

Well done my friend. I would have given up and made my kids do the whole thing!