You cannot go anywhere in our house right now without being touched by the kitchen. You see, we’re spot-on in the middle of completely gutting the kitchen and doing a total redesign (slideshow will be posted at some point); Over the last couple of days, we’ve had to move almost everything from the kitchen into another part of the house. There are glasses, dishes, toaster, microwave and pots/pans in the living room. There are wine glasses, glass pitchers and vases upstairs in our reading area. There are mixers, mugs, coffee cups and utensils in our basement. There is a cast iron sink and some lighting sitting in our enclosed front porch. All told – it’s war here. War.

You can smell it, too. 50-plus years of dust, recently awakened from a deep slumber and now being kicked around by hammers, saws and pry bars. Our kitchen walls are gone, the skeleton of the room exposed, basically a series of wood “bones” which have exposed us to many hidden facts about the house we would have never otherwise known. The good news – we won’t have to strip the wallpaper! Anyway, this is just day 2 of what will most likely be around 1-2 weeks of total, utter destruction. It’s actually amazing to watch how quickly a room can be gutted and I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished product, which seems like a lifetime away at this point.

Speaking of a lifetime away, for many Red Sox fans of the elderly variety, this must almost feel like a last chance. Tonight our beloved Red Sox kick off another ALCS with the New York Yankees and many people around here are feeling like this is finally the year the Sox prevail. So much so that a lot of folks in these parts actually wanted the Yankees. I say be careful what you wish for. Admittedly, though, I feel the same twinge – if we’re going to make the World Series, it sure would be nice to plow through that wall to get there. But I would have readily accepted the Twins.

Elliot Smith’s new album is due out soon, can’t wait to hear that – it will be a bittersweet moment – a new album of songs from one of my favorite musicians, but also knowing its his last. I also keep reading bad reviews of the new R.E.M. album, but what I’ve heard so far sounds pretty damn good to me. This might be the first complete album I buy on ITunes. I’m also digging the new U2 song quite a bit – sounds like a War or Boy era rawk song!

Song now playing: Sweet – “Love Is Like Oxygen”