This update brought to you by the Fuji FinePix A700.

it looks like the free camera i lamented about in past blogs has seemingly been lost in transit, so i took the $200 Visa gift card given to me at work a few weeks back (as reward for a job well done, my friends) to CompUSA and bought the above mentioned camera and a 1GB memory card. The whole thing cost me a whopping $18 ... the stars have aligned in my favor for once. It's quite a nice little piece of equipment and the specs can be seen here for anyone "in the market" as they say: http://tinyurl.com/3295j2

Due to this wonderful turn of events, I can now show you the bathroom and hallway updates. This first shot is from the living room into the bathroom via the hallway (confusing, i know - just look at the pic):

so here it is. the hallway is this flat grey color, which i wasn't sold on until i painted the trim (bright white like everywhere else). i painted the walls a while back, but never finished the trim because i got distracted by a million other things. I replaced the light fixture, too (not pictured), which is pretty modern and i will paint the ceiling sometime this week (a cleaner white). ok, so you can see the bathroom from here ...










... please allow me to elaborate:

yup, that's a whole lotta squares. i decided that i was going to paint 6 in. x 6 in. squares (to match the width of the border tiles) and use a monochrome color scheme based upon a single Behr color card. I started by using an outline of a square, but this was tedious and not all that accurate in keeping things level. I decided (thankfully) that it would be easier to mark every six inches along the bottom and side of each wall with a ruler, then i went back with a yardstick (and a 6 inch level), which i used to complete the lines both vertically and horizontally. this sped things up considerably.


here's another photo:

i forgot to mention that i also did some patching and sanding on the walls before i painted. i still have some touch ups to do along the ceiling and at a bunch of different places where paint dripped under the tape, etc. I will be repainting the ceiling as well. the lightest color is a very faint teal paint i had left over from another project (it looks white in the pics) and it isnt satin like the rest nor is it holding up well near the shower. i bought another quart similar to it and will go back and primer and repaint those squares.


... but that's not all. i also gutted most of the wiring in the bathroom and updated it as well as putting in a modern vanity light and installing a modern ceiling fan/light. this also meant i had to install a three way switch to control everything and trust me when i tell you that snaking that wire through for the fan absolutely sucked major ass. the attic is floored, so i had to pop up a few of the boards and bore a hole through a joist before i could even fish it through. i actually had to have Double E help or i probably wouldnt have been able to do it.

in addition, i repainted all the trim and doors (bright white, as usual) and replaced all of the hardware with stainless steel hardware. all of the hardware in the house is being replaced with stainless hardware as i finish each room. i have too huge boxes of it sitting in the garage ... individually, not so expensive, but when you purchase all of it ... including new knobs and hinges for 38 doors in a pantry kitchen - ouch. it got a bit expensive.

anywho, here is the sink area in the bathroom:

the knobs are really heavy-duty and a huge upgrade over the ugly crap that was in there. yes, i am aware the tile is dirty - no need to mention it. we are getting a maid soon, i think. i still want to update the faucet and shower head, i just haven't quite found what i like yet. i want something that looks a little bit older to go with the rest of the house and i heard there is a plumbing shop not too far away that kind of specializes in that kind of thing. we'll see what i find ...