Here was the view out of my window during last week's blizzard.I have two things tonight. First, I'm taking suggestions about what color I should paint my bathroom. It is very small with off-white wainscoting. It has a small South facing window. What color would you paint the walls?
Second, I actually went to the pool and swam laps tonight. Weird. It was actually just fine, but I REALLY need to work on my breathing. I'm a strong swimmer, but I still have trouble getting my breathing regulated without swallowing too much water or feeling like I'm going to suffocate. Stinky was on swim team for a couple of years, so she was very helpful and gave me lots of good advice. I think if I keep practicing, I'll get it down. In honor of my swim today, I thought I'd repost my piece on a couple of near drownings I've experienced when I was a kid. Enjoy!:
As kids in Arizona, we all looked forward to monsoon season. Sometimes, it was the only rain we got all year. Once, it didn't rain for several months, and when it finally did, even the Mormon kids got to go outside after 8 p.m. to play in it.
When the streets flooded with rain we would sit on the curb and let the cars splash all the dirty, oily water off the road onto us. We also loved to have boat races in the gutters. My best friend Skip and I would find twigs and start at a particular place on our street. We'd race our twigs as far as they would go before they got caught in a big pile of tangled debris and we had to start again.
One day the water was particularly high and we made it all the way around the corner and onto Horn Street which was way busier. I was walking backwards, just ahead of the twig-boats because I was winning and really excited. Once we got to the next corner, I was suddenly sucked into a drain where the manhole cover had come off. I couldn't see or breathe very well in the muddy run-off. All I remember is that my friend Skip's hand found my arm and was able to pull me out against the force of the rushing water. I know I should have been indebted to him forever, but my friend Marcia and I stuck rocks down his pants where his butt-crack was showing the very next day.
I was four years old at the time of my first near drowning. My brother and I were both learning to swim at the same time. Back then, my Uncle Jack had been recently divorced and was living in an apartment building with a pool. My uncle was working with us on our swimming lessons that day. He left me to hang on to the side of the pool while he went over to my brother. At some point, I got tired of waiting for him to come back and I simply let go. I think it was the only time in my life when I didn't spaz the second I was in danger. I calmly sunk to the bottom of the pool, and when my Aunt Merilee saw what happened, she jumped in after me. She was of a heavier build and was fond of wearing those big, floral muumuus. I have no recollection of what happened after she saved me. Did I cry? Did my parents cry? Who knows. It's all eclipsed by the image of my Aunt Merilee's gigantic dress opening out like a parachute once she hit the water.
Okay. Now, I'm going to fill some cracks in my bedroom walls with drywall and go to sleep, so I can face my day off in the middle of the week well rested.
9 comments:
I would paint my bathroom Zen Green (I believe it's a Behr colour?). (It's a v. soft and fresh pale green.) As in, that's exactly what I painted my bathroom a few short months ago. Looks v. nice w/ white accents. It is, in fact, universally exclaimed upon. Plus, it's fun to tell people that the colour is called Zen Green b/c they all say "It IS Zen!" Which it is. :)
Churlita,
Drowning has always been my greatest fear! I came close while swimming in the Pacific off the coast of Malibu.
Have a great midweek mini vaykay.
rel
How about a light terracotta shade for your bathroom?
I have white tiles in my bathroom like I did in the old apartment, and in the old apartment I painted the walls a sky blue. I could've painted them a Kelly green, too.
I would never begin to attempt a color recommendation, because I have zero taste!
That picture out your window is fantastic!
Congrats on the swimming, my wife is a masters swimmer and she is amazing. She has tried to correct my stroke several times and has given up. She says I am just not friendly with the water...
I learned to swim really young, because there are so many pools around here.
I think for a bathroom it is nice to keep things light and airy...relaxing. And it should make your skin look nice when you look in the mirror in the morning :-)
Great stories! We had a mumu wearing neighbor when I was growing up too. Enjoy your day to the fullest. :-)
ok. the drowning posts? can't read them... too scary. feel like I'm dying before I reach the end of the sentence.
bathrooms are typically blue. you aren't typical. so maybe yellow or green... then again I think everything should be green... just NOTHING dark in a small space.
post pix. paint swatches of samples.. let us vote?! and I'll send you a check for the paint.
~ linda
For the bathroom I say a pretty pink or CREST toothpaste blue. I painted our daughter's bath toothpaste blue against white trim and it was stunning.
I learned to swim early because my Mom was horridly afraid of her kids drowning. That manhole one is scary - NEVER let kids play in flood water. There is hidden debris that can knock them over. Not to mention all the icky bacteria that flood water contains.
Ho-lee shit. That is frightening. Both stories scary as hell.
OK paint - I think as a general rule bathrooms should be an outrageous color, especially when they are small. My friend Amy's powder room off of her kitchen is tangerine and she has navy towels and old travel posters on the walls from the 1930's framed in navy. It's jarring but in a good way.
If it's your main bathroom you might want to go with more soothing and zen-like colors like mossy greens or cocoa browns.
My mom thinks all bathrooms should be blue - end of story.
How fun - I want to repaint my bathrooms now.
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