I've gone back to school to prepare for a new phase of my life. The workload has kept me from attending to a lot of things that I need to do, like to do. But now finals are over. FINALS ARE OVER! And just when I think I can take a break, I lie back on my couch looking up at the white ceiling. There it is, a hairline crack, running about 4 feet long. Which brings me to plaster; the good, the bad and the ugly.

Plaster is awesome (good) because it’s so sturdy, lasts for years and quite frankly it’s just solid. The bad thing is that when you live in earthquake-prevalent Los Angeles, the plaster tends to crack with each minor tremor.

Someone has got to get up on a ladder and patch those pesky cracks. Even worse, once you’ve discovered one crack, you know there are more. In fact there are several more--some you've seen before and others that seemed to appear out of nowhere. So, just when I thought I could relax and enjoy time off school, yet another fix-it job.

I like to use a more flexible filler (latex sealant), because the cracks seem to expand and contract. It’s pretty easy to apply, I just use my finger, and once it’s dry you can paint it. I’m sure I’ll live with the cracks a few more days before I haul out the ladder. I’ll just try to pretend they show maturity and that it adds character, kind of like wrinkles.