Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Disc #35

Wednesday was a real mess, and I mean that in the best way possible. Time flew by at work, and I finally got to relish in those situations I miss at the factory, where the sky is falling, things aren't working, choreographing discussions and rework, etc. etc. A huge downpour came through around 3 and I decided I'd meet a couple Moline folks at a local fab shop at 3:30. Conveniently, alarms and lights sounded for a hazardous gas evacuation leaving a full building of people to wonder if this was just a test, for real, or bumbling security. Now, imagine 3 floors of people, many that have decided this is as fine a time as any to shut their computers off and head home, trying to get through a single turnstile-type door. Why security didn't open the adjacent man door and hit the release so the turnstile would default open, I have no idea. To add insult, security then thought this would be a good time to perform a "bag check" because nothing speeds an evacuation like holding up the line to root through purses and lunchboxes. Several hundred people had turned around by this point and were heading back and word was spreading of a false-alarm, which caused others to peel off the "leaving" line and head back. The hallway was packed wall to wall. Meanwhile, the rain continued to pour. Learned later on it was not a false alarm. Eh.

Thursday, another quick day punctuated by a visit from Don and a viewing of The Junkman with Cam and Ben. An impressive film in the 70's weak-plot and smash-em-up genre. Released in '82. The next morning I slept in until 9 or 10 and generally took a breather; had been a while. Spent the afternoon at the lodge and got quite a lot done, enough to justify taking Ben up on his offer of the PL later that night. Standard fare, different clientele. And oh, the pickled eggs. So good.

The beautiful weather on Saturday was too good to pass up so when Cara got home from work around noon I roped her into doing some heavy lifting. Together we got the canoe up on the Blazer, and with paddles and vests stowed, we were off for Waverly. It was a gorgeous day for a canoe ride down the Cedar but the trip down to the C-57 access may have been a little overzealous. Underway around 2PM, and with little river current, we eventually made it…5 hours later! The sun had practically set as we drove the VW back north to fetch the Blazer, stopping for groceries on the way. Knowing we wouldn't be able to repeat the feat of getting that 18' monstrosity on top of the Chevy, upon return to the lodge we hitched up the trailer and went back for the canoe. Now around 10 we were ready for a shower and a hot meal! A good night for sleeping, if not too chilly.

Sunday, then, taking up the slack. First order of business involved opening the garage doors and cutting/gluing/nailing rubber strips to the lower edges to keep rain out and prevent wicking. Easier said than done as the residential grade rollers are leaving something to be desired. The big question, what to do with all this construction krep? Patched a little water damage in the kitchen, smoothed wall gouges in the bathroom that were to be covered by tile, but not anymore. Took inventory of materials req'd to finish the beltlines. Marked and drilled out the C-channels for the soffit lights to discover the lamp holders have no fasteners with them. Had a lunch of dessicated pizza rolls. Finished the day by getting most of the upper cabinet components cut to size and ready for final assembly Monday. Home for a shower, wine and a viewing of a recent Amazon purchase. Totally wiped.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Red Skelton was Right

A strange week for sure. In the classic style, I'll start with Thursday. Not that I can really recall what happened Thursday, but I'm sure long hours at the lodge were involved. I may have picked up the tempered glass for the shower doors, mid-day. Or Friday. Anyway, this week is different, but I'll get to that. Friday night I was beat and ready to cut loose, or hang loose, or hang ten, or something like that. But decided that I really needed to finish the bulk of the remaining tile job now that I actually had tile. I ended up running right up until the clock was out, went straight to the apt, showered quickly and headed down to meet Ben at the PL. Cam was a no-show but Cara dropped in after work and the three of us ordered up PBR's. I can't say Ben nor I picked up a pool cue the entire night, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves (though they really need a decent alternative to Select on draw).

Sat AM, up and at 'em. Pulled myself together in clean, though grubby appearing construction clothes, and strolled down to the PL to collect my car. Grabbed a bite on the way and gave the iPod a run. Saturday I worked like a mule knowing I'd be staying over night. Stopped at the parents in the afternoon to collect more large items to drag out to the lodge. They followed in their vehicle to lend a hand with tasks they knew they could assist with. Dad and I loaded the trailer with all the sumac I had cut down earlier this year while my mom finished up the last bit of mowing. We also put up fencing around our two trees and dragged the massive dead branches I had cut down from the ash tree over to the burn pile. Then it was interior time - finishing the sisal. They took off and I finished the shower tile and cleaned up. But….sundown was no longer a physiological calling that the day's work was done and I didn't mind pressing onward. So, I grouted the place, and warmed up the oven. The wind began to pick up around 9 as I tried to enjoy a very thin, tasteless pizza on the front deck. The overnight is a blur of tossing, turning, wondering what time the storms were going to blow through, opening windows, closing windows, searching out earplugs, wandering in the dark, etc. etc. When the morning came there was no "sleeping in". Not with umpteen windows and zero curtains.

Sunday was a long smear of tasks punctuated by an aggravating run to Menards for a can of laminate contact cement, but at least it gave me a chance to return the myriad excess items I've had in the wings for a while now. Called it a day around 6 with quite a bit of work behind me. Ready for a reprieve, I fired up the French Connection on LD; neither of us had seen it before.

Monday, on the road to the quad cities. A long day of testing and driving. Made extremely good time on the way back and found myself in CF around 7:30. Alas, blew right by the I-80 Truck Stop. Bed was calling but the conscious refused me to even consider that after an aggregate of 5 hours behind the wheel accomplishing little. Went for a walk with Cara to calm the nerves.

Tuesday, continued need of recharging reared its ugly head, but we tackled the invites and laundry (all Cara) after work. By that time I was in no shape for construction work despite having changed. An hour of daylight left at the most. Tonight'll really sock it to me, but I have to make up for yesterday's list.

Onward, ho!

Friday, August 14, 2009

"Built Fun Tough"

Thursday was car day. The weather was pretty decent and I was ready for a post-work change of pace. It's been a long time since I can recall dressing "casually" right after work. I ran a few errands, dropped off the recycling and kicked things off by washing the '85 Coupe; noting the ravages of mother nature, and cruising her out to the country for pictures. I bought this car a few years back as a "project" with a slipping trans but great paint and interior. Changing interests and new responsibilities caused her to sit far too long, in the rain, snow and summer's heat. Another season outside wouldn't be right. I'll list her this week with a modest reserve.

Next was cleanup of the '76. A quick cruise proved she was anxious for the road, but impending rain sent her to the garage for the night. I went home, cleaned up, and got some sleep.

Most of the office was out Friday and those that were there bailed out after lunch. Despite that, my dad's AM retirement "roast" was a success. I helped myself to the coffee and breakfast pizza and enjoyed the speeches, photos and backstories. Nowhere else was it so apparent how many people were lamenting my his leaving and appreciative of all his efforts over the years. The afternoon ended fairly somberly but work picked up around 3.

I managed a couple hours at the lodge then came in for drinks at the PL. My "Glass Tower" was especially minty, but enjoyable, nonetheless. Pool and music were pretty decent, too.

How to almost miss a wedding:
First stop Saturday morning was at the transfer station to unload a bunch of scrap metal from the trailer. From there, Cara and I hit up the art store on the parkade to see what cardstock and envelopes they offered; didn't find exactly what we wanted. Then to the parents. Cara got a load of laundry going, meanwhile I loaded the riding mower into the trailer. We headed out a half our later and put in an hour or two at the lodge in prep for Saturday night. This meant building the platform for the bed using 3/4 plywood that I had freed up the night before while Cara wiped down jalousie panes and took them upstairs. The temps were rising and the spotty rain earlier in the day only added to the humidity factor. Keeping our eyes on the clock, we finished our tasks and headed back to the parents to swap laundry and get the '76 out. Then to the apt to cleanup, pulling ourselves together in the stifling heat and getting to the church a quarter 'til; meeting Ben as he strode down the front walk.

The Dave and Rebecca wedding went off without a hitch. The heat and humidity were oppressive, but being use to donning a sweat-soaked t-shirt on a ladder 16' up in lodge-internal, where the summer's sun has superheated the surrounding air while the cement below radiates waves of moisture, it wasn't _that_bad. A quick ceremony and we were headed for the Rotary. I got the distinct vibe the group of us were "the outsiders" at the event. Whatever the case, the A/C was blowing and the diet Mountain Dew was working overtime to keep my head off the table. Around sundown we took our leave for Andrea's parents' place.

The selection of games was seriously lacking from the last visit and it was apparent the heat of the day had taken its toll on everyone. But once Trivial Pursuit was out there was renewed energy in the room. Ben and Robert put up a good fight and between Cam, Micah and I we were able to slug through some oddball questions. What we couldn't figure out was how to play, or even the name, of a game that involves the phase "the deal has been made". I seem to recall a lot of ear-tugging and nose-tapping that went along with that one. Anyhow, it was past 1 when the shindig broke up and we parted under a clear night sky with a fairly full moon.

A quick walk down the RR tracks from the Rotary and a jaunt through tall grass and weeds in the moonlight lead us to the Lodge. The heat of the day had dissipated and a shower really hit the spot before bed. The next morning, light was streaming in the windows, but it wasn't long before the mists came. Then rain, thunder, lightning and a black sky. I turned on the '48 television and consulted the charts for KWWL's transmitter location. We got a picture of the radar pattern showing a big time storm (with digital TV the pics buffer and when the signal drops, they freeze). But without a good signal we had no audio at all. Terrific. Got a call from the parents that things were going to be getting bad quickly. We closed up shop and ventured out into the storm, moving along the tracks as fast as we could to get the '76 home before the hail storm. We made it, but a friend's place near Eldora was hit pretty hard by the storm system with strong winds, half dollar size hail and lots of tree damage.

There'd be no picker work or lawn mowing the rest of the day. We went back with the truck and worked another six and a half hours with Ben showing around 1 just in time for another storm system. We loaded up a couple Maytags as the skies opened up. Once again, I was drenched. Did manage to change the blade and fix the mower, ripped some stock for the workbench, cleaned tile and even grouted a good portion of the bathroom. Cara cleared the area under the stairs with the shop vac and proceeded to vac the downstairs, and I mean, the whole downstairs!

Already beat, we closed things up around 6:30 and headed in to get our laundry and grab a bite. Home by 8 and ready for the sack. That's a weekend.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Random Thoughts

(written Thursday the 6th)

Finally, the slow crawl to Thursday. I can't complain too much, though the yawns are starting to take hold. After a day at the office and a night in the country I’m usually out as soon as my head hits the pillow. Not so this week. I must have gotten an honest recharge this past weekend and the ideas (and obligations) continue to bounce around long after the lights go out.

In other news, the Gen 3 iPod is back on the road. A tear-down and inspection at the ESD station at work under the microscope revealed a little problem. 3 surface mount components were literally sheared off the PCB! Yes the board, case, hard drive, etc were fully intact. Tweezers, a steady hand, and a very fine soldering iron tip put things back to operational. Half the battle was finding a torx bit roughly the size of a ball point pen's tip.

The Lodge clicks along with directional lighting and the complementing 18' workbench completed last night. Gaining a foothold on the tools, materials, and good usuable scraps you'd expect to accumulate in a bldg under construction is the next big thing. Flashing, 2x4's, strips of cedar, paint cans, ceiling tiles, tar paper. You name it, it's good material and its' got to go somewhere, lest the finished product end up looking like Sanford and Son's living room. OK, it still may end up looking like that, but with far more interesting, umm, pieces.

I may have mentioned before about how, as the place progresses, I can start to give legitimate thought to more permanent facilities for some of the hobbies that otherwise haven't seen the light of day in years, or never really had the proper venue to fully enjoy. Enter, the Quad bug. For once I'll have a large enough room to permanently set up a real quadraphonic system without making a bunch of half arsed concessions about equipment, speaker locations, furniture placement, etc. This means I get a shot at doing it right, and as I know all too well, trying to do things the right way costs bucks.

And the bucks be flying. At some point you have to ask, is the service worth the price tag? When you do it yourself, you're already of the advantage of knowing you can use premium materials and come in far under the asking price of the cheapest hire-ons. You also can put legitimate prep work and finish time into whatever it is you're doing and get superior results because your goal isn't to get in, get paid, and get out in the shortest amount of time like the majority of "pros". But when the work doesn't call for exacting tolerances and the bulk ends up as labor, like say, pouring and finishing a cement slab and requiring some heavy equipment that doesn't make sense to rent, all bets are off. Ultimately, you either suck it up and pay the man, or open a big ol' can of worms. But said can of warms could save a couple grand, so what do you do? One thing I know for sure, it's tough to get a lot of warm and fuzzy dividends from a slab of cement, regardless of cost. Whatever that means.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Do Not Belittle the Logarithmic Scale

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.