home improvement rampage

I'm on a roll.

• I replaced the showerhead with one a new one that I removed the flow regulator from, so that our shower it has good water pressure now.
  
• I found and installed the bug screens for my bedroom window.
• I replaced a couple light bulbs.
• I replaced the ceiling fan in the bathroom (!)
• I made a little shop space for myself in the garage.
• I reorganized my closet/pantry space in the hallway.
• I finished working on the nightstand.
  

Next up:

• sand and paint the bathroom ceiling?
• replace or refinish the bathroom lights (they're all rusty and gross)
• outdoor lighting, or shade, or decoration for the patio area.
  
• other mysterious projects?

Basically, I decided that I needed to take some ownership of my space. I've been kindof upset at how dingy the house seems, especially the bathroom, but it's hard to know where to start sometimes. It's a lot like that Dido song, Life For Rent... I mean, yes, I am renting here, but nevertheless. If I wait for the landlord to do the upkeep, the place is never really going to be up to my standards, and more importantly, it will never really be my space. Even if I don't own the house, I can still own the space, and that's what this past week has been about.

Replacing the ceiling fan was kindof a big leap for me, in this regard. I had to crawl up into the attic, remove the old fan, wire up the new one, expand the hole in the drywall ceiling, mount the new one, and then clean the whole thing up. Our attic space is cramped and dirty, just fyi. I mean... it's not the worst thing I've ever done in hyperspace (space above or between rooms); I once spent several hours with a hammer drill removing several hundred pounds of concrete from above someone's closet. But it comes back to the ownership question. I've never put that level of commitment into a place that wasn't in some way my responsibility, so that me feel good.