Come On Knock On Our Door

Upon the suggestion of our UPS guy, H and I decided to add a peep hole to the front door. Apparently, he thought it was funny how I wouldn't open the door until I looked through the window first. Not sure why that's so funny on account that we live in one of the most dangerous cities in America. But, that's neither here nor there. 

So, off to Home Depot we went. 

This lil guy came in oil rubbed bronze ( to match our existing hardware) and appeared to be simple enough to install. 

 

Out of the packaging it came. 

Pretty simple, yes?

I asked my (not so handy) husband for a little assistance. Cue his "shocked" face. 

And off he went, power tool in hand. 

 

A few minutes hours later, (and another trip to HD) H turned this:

& this

Into this:

& this

Now, we can see you when you come to visit! (hint, hint, wink, wink)

Or... if you send gifts we will also open the door for the UPS man. (hint, hint, wink, wink)

 Come on knock on our door! We've been waiting for you.

May you have this song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. You're welcome!

Blinded By The Light

We have lived in our humble abode for 4 months now. I can hardly believe it has been that long.

It took us about 3.5 months until we installed blinds throughout the house. 

It was a slow process. #poorkidproblems

The first (and only) window we covered was the lower level front window. We installed this the first weekend we lived here. Because this is the one that our darling neighbors stroll by and when they occasionally turn the door knob, you know, just to make sure we remembered to lock the door.

Once we heard we were going to have a guest or two coming to stay, we bought a few for the guest bedroom. 

Then recently, we got a wild hair and bought the remaining blinds for our office and our bedroom

Here H is, installing the blinds in our bedroom, the last room to get window coverings. Why wouldn't our room be the first room to get blinds you ponder? We just wanted to make sure we made a good impression on all of our neighbors I suppose. Yup, 3.5 months of unfiltered master bedroom viewing. Quite the impression I imagine. 

We decided to purchase Levolor "wood" blinds in white from Lowes. They had great reviews, seemed to be the most attractive, and fit into our budget. They also come in all different sizes which is lovely because all of our rooms have different sized windows. Why? HIIK

So, we went from showing off our goods to our neighbors. 

To adding a long overdue layer of privacy. Neighbors, you're welcome for both.

Now, we are no longer blinded by the liiighttt. 

"Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night..." 

1:19 / 7:18

Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful

"Frankenstorm" Update:

It's raining. The wind is picking up. Right now, it is blowing at about 30-40 mph. All in all, its not too bad, yet. 

Before I left for work this morning, my weather app's map looked like this.

Yes, I said 'before I left for work', I work at a major hospital that is open for business. However, I was sent home almost immediately because, the path of Miss Sandy has changed. She was once reported to be heading north and striking NJ/NY with the majority of her force. The silly girl decided to detour and hang out in Charm City for a while. Super. Thanks girl.

Yesterday, the city was preparing for the hurricane and things looked like this around here:

The Coast Guard was docked in Fells Point and hard at work in the Harbor. 

 

Dump trucks full of sand were lined up along the Harbor.

Where citizens could bag their own sand to protect their homes.

Lower level doors had been taped off with plastic barriers and sand bags put in place. Many windows had been boarded of buildings that sat on or near the water. 

Basements windows and entrances were covered with plastic and sand bags.

Storm drains were covered (in some places) with duct tape. Classy Baltimore.

Back to today, Monday: 

We aren't too concerned with flooding as we live about a half mile or so from the water and up hill. Oh, and we don't have a basement. sorrynotsorryaboutthelackofmancave

The temperature has already dropped into the 40s and H just reported to me that it is snowing in the Harbor. 

So far we have power. The Governor is saying that wont last for long. 

This tree in our back yard, that on a good day drapes and hangs over power lines may pose a problem. 

Or perhaps the bigger problem is that when Sandy makes landfall, tonight, the winds are expected to be at or around 90-100 mph (meaning she will then be classified as a category 2 hurricane). She is expected to stay, unwelcomely, for 24-36 hours.

We are all home now, safe and sound. Mr. C even wrote us an email saying, if we have any problems that he and his crew are on standby and will be available to help if any house related issues arise. 

Also, we have plenty of booze to keep us entertained so, don't feel too sorry for us yet. 

Maui, I've Got A Feeling We Aren't in Wyoming Anymore

As the weather turns colder and the sun shines fewer and fewer minutes every day I am becoming more safety conscious. H and I spend a lot of time walking the mean streets of Baltimore, between our walks to work and taking care of lil MauMau, safety is becoming a huge concern. 

Today, at work I received (yet another) "Security Alert" from the Security Department reporting that an assailant robbed a fellow colleague. A "teenager" grabbed her iPhone out of her hand and sprinted away while she was on her way to work. These occurrences happen almost biweekly. 

Then on my way home from work I passed another colleague standing by her SUV with her husband/boyfriend, a police officer, and shards of broken glass at their feet. Her driver's side window had been shattered and she was listing objects that she noticed missing. "...Oh, and my EZ Pass too." 

Photo Credit

After I was home for about an hour I heard some noise in our street. The commotion was coming a few houses down. An ambulance, police car, and a lot of shouting were what I observed. I tried to apply investigative techniques (err, sitting on the floor hunched down with my ear to a cracked window) to gain a better perspective of what was happening. I do believe I missed the majority of the action and I wish I had more details to share. All that  I gathered was it seemed like some sort of domestic dispute had occurred.

Those events occurring all within a few hours of one another plus the usual hum of the Ghetto Birds flying around the city was enough for me to spend the remainder of the night looking up personal safety devices and tips.

Photo Credit

I have an old key chain sprayer from college but, it may not be good anymore. We also have bear spray (duh, I'm from Wyoming!) which, I will probably start toting around until I purchase something more easily concealed. 

I found this Mace Pepper Gun. It seems to be a happy median between the key chain pepper spray and the full on, huge a** can of bear spray. 

Photo Credit

It even comes in Black, Blue, Silver, Navy, and Pink. If anyone is thinking of sending me a, hmmm... Halloween (?) gift this may or may not be on my wish list.

Here is the video that accompanies the Mace Gun.

Looks kind of spiffy right?!

To recap, here is a list of things I learned or were reenforced today: 

• Electronic theft is on the rise
• Victims are being targeted as they talk, text, or use other features on their phone while not paying attention to their surroundings
• Keep your phone or other valuables secure and out of view 
• Always pay attention to your surroundings while out and about
• If you are robbed: stay calm, listen and observe, give up your property, and report the crime ASAP. (do not chase the suspect as apparently, my colleague did today)
• Keep the interior of your care clean. Don't keep expensive or important items inside but, if you do make sure they are well hidden. Remember my car break in?
• Don't play with (some of) our neighbors. 

For more Charm City safety tips go here: