Author Archives: mourningdove

Loading…Horizon: Zero Dawn

I realized the other day when I saw one of our cute little campus food-delivery robots trundling its way down the sidewalk, and my first thought was, “Where’s my bow?” that I had perhaps been playing too much Horizon: Zero Dawn. Because in this game, you kill robot dinosaurs like the rent is due. AsContinue reading “Loading…Horizon: Zero Dawn”

Sumo Update: January Basho (Hatsu Basho 2026)

Man, it’s an interesting tournament so far! My man Takayasu is doing decently (6-3); Wakatakakage not so much…; his injuries seem to be holding him back still. But the big news is that Kirishima (Sekiwake, lieutenant regional leader) is leading the tournament so far at 8 wins and 1 loss. Both the yokozunas (top fighters)Continue reading “Sumo Update: January Basho (Hatsu Basho 2026)”

Powder Room Remodel: Days 13-15 (Fin)

You guys…I’m super happy with how this turned out. It ain’t perfect, for sure. But overall it turned out like I imagined—better even because I didn’t know I’d find that amazing light fixture at Habitat for Humanity for $20 and the pulls for $1 apiece. And my sister recommended painting the non-mural walls a funContinue reading “Powder Room Remodel: Days 13-15 (Fin)”

Powder Room Remodel Days 11 and 12: Spackle and Painting

I always say with remodeling that 80% of the project takes 20% of the time, and the last 20% of the project (painting, trim, etc.) takes 80% of the time. I think that’s because there’s a lot of timing that goes into it—waiting for paint to dry or caulk to cure, and also because peopleContinue reading “Powder Room Remodel Days 11 and 12: Spackle and Painting”

Powder Room Remodel: Days Nine and Ten (grout and light fixture)

So, this is one of the things I love about shopping at the Habitat Re-store (which is the retail arm of Habitat for Humanity’s building salvage operation): you just have to go with what they’ve got. And sometimes what they’ve got is really weird, and you never would have picked it out of a catalog,Continue reading “Powder Room Remodel: Days Nine and Ten (grout and light fixture)”

Letter of Recommendation: Dickies Coveralls

My friend Seth gave these Flex Cooling Coveralls to me as a birthday present like 25 years ago, and they’ve been the MVP (along with the Roto-Zip) of the Powder-Room remodel. Lightweight and tough, they go over your clothes without binding or overheating you, and they protect you from everything: dust, snags, paint, thinset, theContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Dickies Coveralls”

Powder Room Remodel: Day Eight (Laying Tile)

I’m in love with this tile: it’s the perfect light-brown cement gray (Simply Modern Crème Honed, 12×24 Field Tile) with a nice grain to the glaze that doesn’t stand out too much. It’s good quality and cut and laid really well, too. Everything was really level except one tile behind the toilet that was offContinue reading “Powder Room Remodel: Day Eight (Laying Tile)”

Powder Room Remodel: Day Seven (Wallpaper and Cutting Tile)

I’m so tired this is going to be a short one. The wallpaper was very stressful but turned out okay? It looks good from a trotting horse, as my Aunt Vi would say. And when I install the much weaker and more romantic light fixture, my mistakes should be even harder to spot. As ifContinue reading “Powder Room Remodel: Day Seven (Wallpaper and Cutting Tile)”