Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Relief from the Heat

Well, it's official. We're living at the lodge. Turned out our schedule synchronized perfectly with mother nature's humid wrath. We got our start early Saturday morning with help from the parents, moving the other section of the couch, the mattress and box spring, and countless boxes. For the help we all went to J's for breakfast enroute to the lodge. Excellent food. Extremely disappointing service.

Unloaded the works a little past noon, headed to the parents with the extra box spring and to pick up an NOS lawn spreader I've had in the basement for some time. A quick turn-around then the great unpacking. It was a long, hot, humid day. The floors were sweating as much as we were.

Life is in disarray at the moment. Face it, people like stability. Some like to be in control, others need to feel like they're under someone's care (control). When the markers and sign posts one relies on (I watch the news at this time, I hang my keys here, milk goes on this shelf, I keep my important papers there) are upheaved, things get topsy-turvy real fast. Add to that open contruction items and a yard missing a Sanford and Son sign.

In the last month my work "situation" has congealed, so to speak. To use a poor comparison, it's like a person finding out they have a terminal illness. Alive and going through the motions as if they were unaware, but the knowledge that things are/will be changing sometime in the future makes the present difficult. I can see how after years of the same, people come to rely on their jobs and careers as crutches. The same desk, the same familiar names in Outlook. Showing up at the same time each day. No wonder the true-blue hard working salary folk drop dead of a heart attack within a year of retirement. Sure, no one's forcing the "job change" on me, and that's the problem…the easiest thing to do would be to continue on that straight and narrow. But, when you've truly convinced yourself, whether the markers are there or not, you no longer can see them.

Next on the screed blog, the inevitable conundrum of 'stuff'. I take a lot of flack for the state of the parent's basement, but 95% of the things down there are discrete. A washing machine, a console TV, table radios, iMacs, etc. Stuff toaster size and smaller gets put on shelves. The rats nest of wires and parts and junk that were on the workshop shelves was sorted and tossed this past winter. All that remains of the horror-of-horrors are the workbench tops. But, I know what's down there and pretty much where it is. Where I get in trouble is when I put things in boxes. I use the same methodology when packing stuff to move. Put like things in one box and don't mix. Perfect time to sort stuff that maybe wasn't sorted pre-move. Mark clearly. Inevitably, this leads to the "I remember this" exclamation sometimes heard by others at the parents when I do come across a cardboard box I haven't opened in ages.

Here's the rub…the lodge is a showcase venue rather than a storage building. As strange as this sounds coming from a guy with half a dozen blenders, "clutter" drives me nuts. Clutter is in direct opposition to the modern aesthetic. The entry "room" of the lodge now has a couple washers, couches, a sheet of plywood, power tools and cardboard boxes up to my waist. I know it's only temporary, and as long as the boxes are organized, I'm cool with it, but I know Cara takes it personally as I grouse around searching for a pair of socks. What I'm trying to avoid is a repeat of the neighbors up the street. They moved from Dubuque to CF when I was a kid and I distinctly remember there always being an unpacked box or two upstairs, and loads of moving boxes in the basement. Made excellent building materials for forts, and I don't know if they ever did unpack them all.

And the new sleeping digs….it'll take some getting use to. Curtains will be much appreciated over the clerestories and the cable is in place. I worked Saturday PM installing the cut-to-width wood blinds in the upstairs north windows which helps some. No joke, the moon was so bright Monday night shadow puppets were clearly visible on the upstairs wall.

Toiled Sunday in the heat focusing strictly on yard work. Rolled out and soaked the grass seed blankets on the east side of the cement pad, wired up a recept next to the lower deck, and planted two yews along the east foundation wall. Far too windy to seed the lawn. Ran into town for another round of apartment pick-up and grabbed some Godfather's for dinner. To give you an idea of how packed our Coldspot is, finding room for a couple slices of pizza was a real challenge. Sunday night, better sleep.

Monday, spent 10 hours on the line and an hour in the office. The line had the heat and humidity of the 90+F exterior temps without the aid of the breeze. Chillers do nothing for the dew point. Attempting to 'turn the other cheek', I stopped off for a cold one at the PL enroute to the apt for more of the discrete things (laserdisc player, microwave, shelves, etc.) The temps inside were cool, I assumed from the A/C but it could have been since Mel was bartending. Cam dropped in and we shot some pool after a few beers and an enjoyable egg. I parted ways, headed towards the hill, then to the lodge to unload and "relax".

A few more days of this and the 3-day weekend is upon us. Looking forward to it.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

A Thursday Summary:

5:30 AM Up. Coffee. Not too tired, not too awake.

Two and a half hours of sitting in an auditorium watching other departments present their quarterly improvement projects; then presenting ours. Really? This is how I spend my waking hours? I'll show YOU a project. At least there were complimentary cookies, streusel and Diet Dew.

Immediately following: 15 minute return. Half hour at the desk for email. 15 minute...return.

11:30 to 5. A metrics summit. Q notes. Warranty. Culture change. Really? This is how I spend my waking hours? At least there were complimentary cookies, pizza and Diet Dew.

5 to 5:30: email and followup with the super.

6 to 8: Menards for two Yews, grass seed, seed blankets, a bag of cement, etc. Most of the time spent in the rain.

8 PM: Fuel: $70. FR Tire Pressure: 15PSI.

8:15: Turn on my personal cell to find this text: "You expressed interest in the Montana Bakken Shale Formation, largest oil discovery in US history. Serious inquiries only. If still interested, reply = OIL."

8:22 Dry Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Vodka.

8:27 Shale formation, eh?

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Bar Furious

So it's Friday morning, I'm at work, pretty much breezing through the day, figuring what it'll take to earn minimum OT and getting any open ends tied up before leaving town. I had been up a little later than usual the night before getting my things together but I had some pep in my step and the sun and warmth that greeted me on the way out of the concrete bunker made the trip north quite enjoyable, even if 5PM twin-cities traffic is a PITA.

Rolled into Coon Rapids a touch before 5 and a glimpse of turquoise in a garage behind the house let me know I had found my destination. The weekend had begun. I found Ben pounding away at a stubborn transmission still attached to a washer in the basement. Don, the proprietor, showed me around. Plenty of cool toys and not enough space at his quiet suburban abode. I threw a little water on my face, changed shirts, and we met the group of washer afficionados at Bar Abilene after a quick stop at R*bert's. Delcious food but a long wait to get our orders prepared (there were 18 of us). I was starting to drag by the end of dinner, and there was little to keep my attention. After settling our bills (and watching 16 of the 18 cough up 15 dollars each for a single drink, ugh) we took a stroll downtown to a grocery store known for their wide selection of laundry detergents and additives. No joke.

I was doing better Saturday after a short night of sleep on the living room couch. Lots to work on, including disassembly of a unit-bearing motor, as I learned they were called, and some playing around with a late 40's RCA hi-fi set that needed a little bit o' TLC. That eve was the big shindig though my interests of late have been quite muted for reasons I don't know. No matter, it was good to chat it up. En route Don, Ben, Geoff and myself stopped at a vintage music store specializing in only 78's. Also a 50's diner Supply Business. Most everything started at several hundred and only went up from there. Extremely cool place, however. Then to Matt's, a 50's era bar, for Grainbelt on tap and Juicy Lucy's- homemade hamburgers with cheese melted inside the patty. Terrific.

We were all pretty worn out by the time we got back to Don's. I bedded down and checked the speed of the vintage Kenmore box fan at my side using my finger tips. With two weeks left to get a month's worth of things completed, I resigned to returning home Sunday afternoon and using Monday vac to dig in. Don cooked up a helluva Sunday breakfast and I put together the GE fan we were working on and R&R'd the pushbutton mechanism for the RCA before getting his turntable "un-gummed". Left late afternoon for IKEA, spent a couple hours there with a list in hand, then to the open road for a quick and quiet return trip.

I slept in as best I could Monday, gathered laundry, dropped off recyclables, deposited my state check and did some grocery shopping on the way to the lodge. First was unloading the washer and dryer pair riding in the Blazer. Cleaned them up with a little surface cleaner and they look like a million bucks. Unloaded the bulk of Ikea stuff, stained the lower deck perimeter, stained the last board for the pumphouse, transferred a load of fridge items from the apt to the Coldspot, got laundry going and set to work installing steel cables upstairs for curtains with supports between every clerestory window. Measured lower window frames, changed in a fresh fuel filter on the Farmall, charged the battery, hung out laundry, began marking and cutting the new blinds with the miter saw, got dinner going, used whatever light left to bundle and cut the last two blind sets and then cleanup and put away the tools as the sun set.

That was yesterday. Today…5PM? Exhausted.

Monday, May 10, 2010

'82 Oldsmobile

The weekend- Spent most of it sleeping. Well, that's not true….sleep-walking perhaps. I had taken Friday off hoping for decent weather which was not to be. However, it's been a long time that I can say I really slept in; the overcast gray skies and drawn shades gave the illusion it was still 5-something AM despite the morning moving by. Packed boxes, and the Blazer, most of the day as the rain came and went repeatedly. Finally succumbed to taking a load out late in the afternoon and spent an hour or two working on the ETC getting it jacked up, removing exhaust parts and breaking loose the motor mount nuts. I was still feeling a little under the weather from a 24 hour bug but the sleep certainly helped. Got home, hot shower, and met Ben down at the PL. Cam joined in after the crowd died down and we finished the night with pool, drinks and excellent picks on the juke.

Saturday, Ben dropped by early afternoon and gave a hand moving out the bookcase, dresser and one of the couch sectionals. Once again, overcast skies that did nothing to help our resolve. Ben took off for a nap, I went upstairs to continue my indifferent lethargy. Finally, suggesting Cara and I go for a walk, we took a tour of the hill and decided to stroll downtown and pickup a couple half-racks of ribs at Zippy's. They did not disappoint. The evening air was brisk but a walk down some of CF's backstreets reveals some interesting houses and interesting details you wouldn't normally notice. Caught Betty White's monologue and got some sleep.

Imagine my surprise when I threw open the blinds to find sunlight and decent temps Sunday morning. Up and at 'em we grabbed breakfast and stopped by the 'rents on the way to the lodge. I took the opportunity to tear apart Cara's door panel- removed her old cracked-up passenger side mirror, and with a little patience, installed the new one. Put it all back together without breaking anything in the process.

Then to the lodge where we spent the afternoon mowing. I put the pushbar on the new mower for Cara while she got the Maytags started, then it was fightin' time with the Farmall trying to get it to run right; either an intake gasket leak, plugged fuel filter or time for a carb rebuild. Limped her along and cut around 2 acres while Cara must've cut a good 3/4 herself. Then to the road with shovel and saw. The new mailbox is now in place (but for how long?) The sky changed from clear blue to steel-gray as I mended the pasture fence near the gate on my way out.
Still feeling rather indifferent, I indulged in the delcious italian cheese bread and pizza Cara picked up, had some moscato and closed down the eve with a little MadMen.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Full Tilt Boogie

I've finally gotten a dose of summer the way it use to be. It's been OT like mad up until this week and outside projects and the move have kept me busy. No surprise then that I'd get home after a long day, knock out a few things on the powerbook, then barely be able to keep my eyes open by 9PM. BUT, this week is a 'layoff week' which means, that while I've still got to show up for work, the pace is easy, the hours are short, and the annoyances, few. Seems all I need to put a bounce in my step and shift attitude is some good weather and the prospect of something other than the mind numbing mundane.

Busy weekend. Had to put off the epoxy paint until Saturday due to the rain and humidity that rolled through Friday night. Had a good time down at the PL even though we never connected with Micah and Co. Sat morning the sun was out and the temps fine. Cara and I got a jump on the paint project, having finished the masking and the mopping and the sweeping. As the floor cured we worked feverishly outside through late afternoon and early evening, mowing, hauling, sorting, towing. Still more to be done but things were looking good in the yard. Got back to the apartment to clean up and head downtown to meet my mom's college friend and her new husband as well as catch up with her daughters. Busy place but good food. Stuck around an hour or so amongst the friendly strangers before heading back, but not until an awkward moment where I was momentarily detained as a random girl chatted it up with Cara and I while attempting to "scratch and sniff" my shirt (the pattern looked like cherries).

Even though I had caught a few extra hours sleep Sat and Sun I was still feeling pretty drained, no doubt my body trying to recover from 50+ hours inside a windowless factory breathing in solvent and diesel fumes. That said, I got to the lodge Sunday a bit before Ben arrived, made myself some breakfast and started moving things around. He showed up with tools in tow and we started tearing apart the '85. We made good progress before a) the reality of all the krep in place still holding the drivetrain in sank in, and b) Ben getting a call that he'd be dispatched to Moline shortly. Cara went shopping and I spent the rest of the day moving powertools and furnishings back onto the freshly painted floor as a warm Iowa evening settled in. Sat down outside and cracked a beer.

Around a month ago I took my manager by surprise by setting up a meeting. Her, with my immediate supervisor/manager (we'll call him... Gary), needed to regain hand and attempted a bit of table turning Monday, 8AM. No sweat. All said and done I could tell by the look on Gary's face that he was confident things would play out 'by the book' (go figure), the look on his manager's face whom I set the original meeting up with revealed a far more realistic understanding of the situation. I revealed none of my cards.

Interestingly, the Universe tossed me a few bones that morning . It's not often I buy into the 'everything happens for a reason' argument, but I will say that statistically, there will be times in a person's life that analysis and perception intersects with events, situations and ideas so close to home that it just might as well be crafted by a higher power.

Took advantage of the warm afternoon to pickup some parts and change the oil and solenoid on the '76. With weather so nice it didn't matter that I found myself mopping up thick, black oil off the parents driveway with soaked paper towels in very torn denim...as the sun set.

An even slower day Tuesday but a day to set my own terms had me renewed when I clocked out. Picked up a load of groceries, stopped by Menards for a hefty price adjustment, ordered some parts for the ETC, and filled the Blazer with boxes full of books and yarn and shoes and what-have-you. Cara and a friend from work kept at the packing and we hauled it all out to the lodge as black clouds began to roll in and rain threatened. Got things sorted out and I spent the last hour inspecting the transmission I bought earlier this year and assembling the new mower (swapping motors back) before the spotty rain chased me back inside.