It started Thursday night, with a retirement party for my dad (good turnout) down at VooDoo, followed by a quick bite at Toads (no longer carrying Schlitz), a brief stop at the new Target with Cara, and finally westward on 20 to bring home the cherry picker while she packed her bags. Got things set up at the lodge, unhitched and home around 9:30/10. Friday then, off like a shot for a day of bucket work in the sun.
Installed the final upper corner fascias, trimmed, fastened, coerced the aluminum drip edging into place, then trimmed the shingles in 4' swathes across the front and east side. Gave the east and west fascias another coat of paint and installed some cedar exterior corners around the clerestories. Around 9 hours later I was beat, but the job was finished. Things went well enough except for my earbud cord getting snagged early in the day, forcing my much beloved 3rd gen iPod out of my vest pocket and out of the bucket for an 18 foot fall! Several things in my favor: It ricocheted once and landed in the pea gravel garden drain rather than the very firm ground. The poor thing would have been in 10,000 pieces if it weren't for the rubbery slipcase. And the harddrive was parked as it was in the middle of a song at the time. I plugged my headphones in to find it still playing…though all controls are unresponsive. Thankfully it was on a shuffle and the volume was at a good level so away we went for the next 5 hours. I'm afraid it's time for the soldering iron.
Met the gents for some beer and pool and had a rather enjoyable evening down at the PL, topping things off with Christopher Cross' "Sailing" and a Rusty Nail.
Tile work consumed my Saturday, punctuated by simple tasks on the list to spice things up. Since we have a television out there now (a '48 Emerson) I was looking forward to taking in the evening air, a cold one, and putting on Guy Lombardo. This would mean an earnest attempt at receiving the new digital television standard. I finally did get Lombardo, but the DTV converter generated enough RF noise on its own to hash the picture, and any feeble attempt to adjust the antenna resulted in frustration. Unlike real-time analog, results are not instant, and the theory that you either "have a picture or you don't so this really should be quite simple" doesn't hold water since you can also have a picture that breaks up every 5 seconds or so with sound that cuts in and out. You get up, approach the antenna, the signal improves as you get near the antenna, you fiddle with the UHF loop, the rabbit ears, the rotary control on the amplified base, etc. Just when you think you've got it, you get a few feet away and it all breaks up again. I'd like to see the take rate on satellite subscriptions since June's intro date….
With the fun sucked out of that, I put things in order, swung by the parents to pick up a package that was in and finished the eve off with the Criterion LD of North by Northwest.
Sunday, a little sleeping in, a lot of flat tire. Pulled the wheel while waiting for a ride, then proceeded to sit on the steps of the apartment house, fitted in construction rags, reading the Saver in the Sunday lite like this was the projects and I was in the wrong century. PM: ripping, cutting, fitting corners for the pumphouse. Shellac'ing panels. Some staining. Brought out a load from the parents and my mom offered to paint the bathroom. Who am I to complain? Cara happened along late in the day, fresh from her weekend trip visiting family, and caught up on her reading while I put things away. Then…digging the full-size spare out from under 10,000 vacuum tubes (of course), pizza and "The Game". Doesn't hold up quite as well when you know the ending, despite years between viewings.
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