Arguments like not having enough spare time to go out for a jog every morning, not living in a the right neighborhood, not having enough physical endurance to do it are always on top of your list when someone asks you why aren’t you running. Or might simply say you do not particularly like to run and you don’t see yourself competing in a race or marathon anytime soon, so you think the effort is pointless. But what if I told you that running has the ability of changing your life? Here are some counterarguments for all of you suffering from a bigger or smaller running phobia.

Practical Benefits Of Running

You can run while on vacation, during your weekends and weekdays, no matter if it’s raining, snowing, or hailing. There’s no special equipment you really need to go out for a run other than some good running shoes and some comfortable clothes that enable your skin to breathe properly. No weights, no cords, no heavy machinery to handle. Just you and the ground beneath your feet. Running can help you socialize more in case you decide to join a running club or simply get into a relaxed dialogue with your fellow runners in the park. For those of you loners out there, running can be an excellent time of getting to spend time with yourself and release some of the pressure over the day. You can also do that by deciding to play lottery online or some other game you enjoy playing on the web.

Running will help you establish goals such as faster times, distance, participating in a marathon, losing weight etc and get you to be more disciplined and determined when it comes to your personal and professional life as well. You will gain more self-esteem once you will start reaching those goals once by one. Studies have shown running can help you prolong your life with a few important years if you decide to run on a daily basis.   

Ok, so this is an update on the shellac stripping post.

Here’s where it’s at:

Stripped all the shellac off with denatured alcohol and steel wool. Stripping tools would’ve come in waaay handy, but they are down in Brooklyn. I did cave and purchase two tools that I already have…. a pull scraper for flat surfaces and a pointy one to get into tight areas. The beauty of the tools is that I go through less steel wool and there’s less wear and tear on my dainty little hands.

It seemed like the trick was to work wet, then wipe away the excess “dirty” alcohol with dry towels. Once everything was stripped, I went over it again. (*Note: Never keep oily rags in the house! They are highly flammable. Dispose of them properly.)

Looks brand new stripped bare. But ’tis too light for my taste. Ok, here’s where I went wrong. I stained it with Mini Wax Red Oak. Nice color and I’ve worked with it a lot. But my buddy Andrew, a fine wood finisher, didn’t get to me on time with his advice. He hates Mini Wax because it takes so long to dry and has some poly in it. He prefers true stains.

Andrew would have stained it with a quick drying stain, then shellacked, which takes 10 minutes to dry. After that, he would’ve sealed it with Epifanes Rubbed Effect Varnish (Cut 50/50 with mineral spirits. Or was it paint thinner?) to give me that non-glossy look I so desire.

When he saw my somewhat patchy stain job, he said there was no need to shellac because it’s already sealed. Just varnish to get rid of the shine.

On the wood that was just glossy, but not crazed, I was advised to wipe it down with mineral spirits to clean it up and varnish. He also showed me how to ever so gently go over old shellac by softly brushing a denatured alcohol rag over the area. It will lighten the wood, but not strip it. It’s difficult to control though, so I probably won’t be doing that.

And that’s what I learned today!

PS: Ladies, Andrew is single. I just thought I’d throw that out there.

Our Beacon home is blessed with some gorgeous unpainted woodwork throughout. It’s one of the reasons we fell in love with the house and we always thought that one day we would restore it to it’s original splendor.

Well, that day is here. But now we don’t want to take forever with this job. That being said, it’s taking me forever to just research WTF to do!

Here’s the deal: Everything in the house is shellac. I know this because I did the denatured alcohol test. If it dissolves quickly, it’s shellac. To test for lacquer, use lacquer thinner. If neither of those dissolve it, it’s probably varnish or polyurethane.

Ok, so great! It’s supposedly easy to restore shellac. A new coat just melts away the previous coat. Well, that ain’t happening. Problem is that this is really old shellac and it has blisters, crazing and cracks. The alcohol doesn’t blend it unless I rub with steel wool, taking it down to the wood. New shellac melts bupkis.

So, I’ve been spending the last 3 days researching and testing areas and all I found out was that shellac is made from bug shit. Hence, it’s not even vegan!

Right now I’m tempted to take it down to the wood (it’s pretty easy) and redo the whole damn thing. But isn’t there an easier way? Help! Does anyone know??

Oh, PS: Shellac is totally glossy and I despise gloss!!

Only in Hollywood is it romantic to restore an old house back to it’s former glory. The reality is it’s exhausting, stressful, expensive and then there’s no time left for sex.

So why are my husband and I so addicted to it?

Anyway, since that crummy Valentine’s holiday is coming up, here’s a list of films that make us all want to work on an old house. I feel like I’m missing a few though. Pacific Heights? The Duplex?

1. It’s a Wonderful Life. My top pick. Even though it’s a Christmas movie, I think about Jimmy Stewart every time I come down my stairs and grab my loose banister finial. I never want to fix it because of this movie.

2. The Money Pit. Hey, it’s a happy ending, right? There’s a scene with Tom Hanks hanging there between floors. Been there, done that. When I fell through the floor and was holding myself up on the banister above, my husband just looked over at me and calmly asked “Need help?”

3. Under the Tuscan Sun. Well, let’s just say I know where I want to go when I retire.

4. Gone with the Wind. So much going on in this movie, but isn’t Tara the main love interest? It’s the only thing that matters. The only thing that lasts.

5. The Notebook. Disclosure: I’ve only seen snippets of this on TV. The only thing I remember is the house.