Career Paths I Will Not Take

The blotches of wet paste are disappearing and the ripped edges are really only visible if you squat down and look at the edge of the wallpaper. And the little wreaths almost match up perfectly but only because J came in right as I was lining up my second sheet of wallpaper against the wall (limited amount, found in an ancient closet with other yellowing papery thin rolls of 60's memorabilia crumbling into the dust and mouse turds on the floor)
He almost forced himself between the paper and the wall when I scoffed after he said I had to line the little wreaths up with the next roll. Argh.

"But there's already paste on it," I protested. "We don't have enough." (A slight lie)
"Jenny. You can't NOT match up the wallpaper."

A Jenny stomp and sigh later, I conceded when we discovered that I cut the wallpaper a few inches longer than needed so we could match up the white on faded golden yellow pattern.
We patted and nudged and repositioned and finally smoothed the paper into place.
"Yeah, OK, I guess it does look better." J went back to his own work.

The next six foot sheet of paper and goo was ready to be smoothed on by an old rubber window squeegee and a brush that was part of a dustpan & brush set. (I ruffled the brush to clean it off, don't worry! Gosh.) I walked through the room with my arms over my head, fingers sticky, the gyrating paper wet and heavy with paste.
Then I noticed the light switch right in the middle of my column.
"J!"
He cut a hole as I smoothed the delicate paper around the old switch.

After that, I cut, pasted, smoothed and trimmed until the entire hallway was done. Luckily the hallway is only six feet long and one side has shelves that cover 3/4 of the wall. Otherwise, I would have lost my patience halfway through and decided that patterns may be rearranged at my whim or that paste should be applied under AND over the paper that won't stick.

Sometimes, like with making bread or raking leaves, you find certain chores that you enjoy, that are a sort of working, moving meditation. That you lose yourself in the kneading or back and forth of the rake and at the end feel tired but in a good way. You are more at peace than when you started.
For me, wallpapering is absolutely not one of those types of activities.
In fact, I really shouldn't be allowed to have access to antique wallpaper, super bonding paste, and a straight razor at any given time.

But you know what, it's done, and for a first wallpaper job, it's not so bad.
(Just don't look at the edges. Thanks)