Playing with my new video camera - the truly beautiful view from my office

Ok...I've been doing research for a paper I'm writing for a conference and I feel like my brain is supersaturated so I'm taking a short break.  Here's the view from my office in the WBOB.  I've been telling everyone who will listen about what a strange place the WBOB is - I like to describe it as the "Land of Misfit Toys" since it is a random collection of University groups - and despite it's name, "West Bank Office Building," it is not actually on the West Bank--it is not actually on campus at all. 

Despite the general oddness of the building, my office is really quite nice and the view is AMAZING. 

Report on Day 2 of the Barker/Surprenant kitchen remodel

I am obsessed with the kitchen and it is all I have to talk about.  Here's where we were at about noon yesterday:

If you can, you'll need to rotate the film to see it upright - I haven't mastered the camera yet.  Since this was taken James has closed up the window...and of course, whatever he's done today.

At long last...kitchen renovation

To know me is to know that I am very skittish about spending big chunks of money (smaller amounts have never been a problems for me) so for years I have been wanting to renovate our kitchen but I just haven't been able to agree to forking over the money necessary.  Finally, this fall Ian was able to persuade me to go ahead and they started demo yesterday.

I am amazed at how much he was able to do in one day.  Gone is the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, gone are the cabinets, sink, range...everything!  Today he (James) is putting in the patio door in the dining room where there used to be a window.  He's got the opening cut out for it and I think it will be nice - the scale seems to fit the space. 

Everyone who has walked through post demo last night has commented on how small it seems.  I've been trying to remind myself that it will always be a small space - with or without the dining room wall - but, still, I was holding out hope that it would all miraculously expand.  I think it will be fine once things are put in place.  It is a little worrisome to consider how everything will come together.  In my mind, all the different components come together perfectly and the room looks fantastic...but what if, in reality, the different parts don't all fit/match/work together.  I guess we'll find out within the next couple weeks.

Ok...breaks over.  Back to work.