I'm painting my elderly neighbor's fence...

And I'm not learning any cool karate techniques or Mr. Miyagi life lessons.

One of the things I have learned about myself in life is that I strongly dislike painting. It's slow, mind-numbingly monotonous, and messy. You have a constant awareness of just how far you still have to go. If I only had a painting partner, then I'd at least have the conversation to help pass the time.

What makes this particular job even worse is that my neighbor's backyard is a virtual jungle. There are trees, bushes, and all manner of shrubs all along the fence line, making it a painter's worst nightmare . I'm a little over 6'2" and have a hard time squeezing in and out of these tight quarters. This morning while I was in just such a crouched position, wedged between the bushes and fence, a large skink suddenly poked it's head under the fence right between my legs. What matters is that I thought it was a snake...and I hate snakes.

Hopefully, tomorrow will go faster and reptile-free.