Know when to Hold 'em

There's a certain something in the air. Not quite the indicators of spring, after all, March in Iowa has been known to dump a lot of snow on us. But the pavement is covered in sand, and not the white stuff. The lawns look like matte paintings. A slight tinge of green and brown with the consistency of a brillo pad. And occasional days of sun.

This bodes well because I'm eager to get Cold Storage III off the ground, and that means excavating for pier footings. Hard to do with frozen earth.

It was a whirl-wind-weekend. I spent the majority of Saturday fighting off the effects of Friday night. Getting up after only a few hours sleep and hitting the open road was rough, too. A tankard of coffee and Mickey D's helped get the motor going, and after a couple hours Ben started feeling better as well. We took his Tahoe down to DM for an appliance haul, and a random CL search turned up an extremely rare appliance find in CR of all places. It was unfortunate we didn't have a lot of time to snoop out the small towns, but that kind of venture really needs a dedicated day. Flashlights. And a flatbed. So we criss-crossed the state, unloaded the goods shortly before Cara made it back to CF and decided at the last minute to grab a bite to eat at Z's. My hot beef sandwich was pretty good, but not as good as Cara's reuben. Exhausted, I hit the pillow shortly after getting home and slept for 12 hours.

I've pretty much hit the wall with headway on the basement front. What needs to leave in the first wave when the new bldg is complete is packed and ready. A big pile of stuff is set for the spring garage sale. And there's still some items that'll hit the rubbish bin once there's more room to maneuver. So now it's a waiting game. My goal is to get the new building up and closed in this year. Yes, start laughing now. It may not be sided (I'd like to focus on the siding as a single event), and I don't plan on full bathroom/kitchenette completion upstairs. But structure complete, insulation and wall covering, typar wrap, roof, locking doors, downstairs floor, operable windows in, etc. is the goal. Then the exodus will begin!

B'wana She No Home

Where shall I begin?

Well, for one, the little vaca was a terrific break. Just the absence I needed. At the moment, the thoughts are a little clearer. The purpose, more defined. It won't last, of course. It can't. Not when you're scheduled to work 11 hour days all week, inside a plastic clad satellite office in the middle of a window-less manufacturing facility, enjoying an intoxicating mix of fluorescent lighting and diesel particulate.

And still, people can't see how this might affect creativity.

Surprisingly (at least to me anyway), I was not "blown away" by the architecture as one might expect. It's true, there is no greater assemblage of modern design anywhere else on the planet. It took an aligning of the stars to create this mecca. A rising of new materials, the hollywood mores of the time, the draw on aspiring young architects to this strange place, the desert climate and location, and the money, just to name a few. What was a surprise, is 1) the size of Palm Springs in 2010. And 2) shaking ones perceived expectations. After all, when these iconic structures were built, photographed, and made famous, they were islands in the sand. Now, all that aren't built on a mountainside, have stucco boxes and terra cotta roofed neighbors encroaching from all sides. Sinatra's famed Twin Palms is now smack dab in a residential neighborhood, though block walls and foliage provide ample privacy.

Several things stick out. There is no vinyl siding anywhere. It's either totally modern, or Spanish villa. There is also something a little unsettling about the modern design. There is no frost there, so there are no frost footings or foundations. Everything is on a slab. There is no snow so roof structures need not support 35 pounds per square foot. Rain is little, so roof drainage and fenestration detailing is an afterthought. Compared with the engineering obstacles we here in the midwest have to face, these structures were built like the proverbial house of cards, and here they stand 50 years later, looking like day 1.

Not to make light of it, but the most difficult engineering and construction that makes this style take flight, goes right out the window when frost heaving, snow loading and precipitation aren't a factor. Not even bugs or mosquitoes. Telescoping sliding doors were 8' tall and 20' wide and totally screenless.

Secondly, I was left with the personal opinion that as great as the desert setting is, there is nothing quite as cohesive as modern design in an environment of rivers, trees and rolling hills. Even if it means the structure must be water resistant, require diligent maintenace, and be designed and overbuilt by a factor of 5.

So here I am back in town, trying to take advantage of my fleeting amnesia. By week's end it will be gone. Will there be some sort of catharsis or awakening? Will motivation and inspiration free me of my self-inflicted creative bonds? Or will optimism for my summer plans be enough to carry me through? I guess we shall see.

Movies from Last Week

Well now, a little R&R. Nothing too crazy to speak of this weekend. Hobbled into the lodge to check on the new foundation, the current building, and gather some items peacefully resting inside. It's a little odd, really. You step inside and it's a touch warmer. Had a very enjoyable breakfast Sunday at VI, and fired up the bread machine later in the day. Gathered firewood out back, etc. etc. Also identified the best time to head to the rec center, during some sort of bowl game.

This weekend's movies. First, "Unthinkable". I may have enjoyed this moreso than Cara, but we both found it to be a good watch though we initially made the mistake of viewing the official cut. The 'extended version' adds some 90 odd seconds to the tail of the movie which can make all the difference. If you rent it, flip this option on. Afterwards, a quick check on the net reveals why the ending is so abrupt. They ran out of money to properly finish the thing. Oh well.
The better film, IMO, was RED. That's one I might consider picking up on DVD for sheer entertainment value. The pacing, characters, and over-the-top (but not A-Team unbelievable) antics were spot on.

Sunday night we took in a film Cara wanted to see, The Town. Also pretty decent, but as I understand it, they cut almost 2 hours off the film before releasing it, including much character development and story-building scenes. As it currently stands, it makes a decent afternoon cable TV drama.

Welcome to the Last Day of January

January has always been a long month, at least for me. The cold is on. The snow gets deep. And the cabin fever seems to hit hard. Especially hard lately. On the upside, I've made good progress on the basement effort, done quite a bit of reading, and have the majority of heavy details pinned down for CSIII to be built later this year.

In an effort to combat the winter blues, I decided to take a breather on Friday. Ben joined me and we took care of a little thrifting on 18th street where I unloaded an excess LD player, then back to the parents to go through the archives of the computer museum. With a couple hours of sunlight left, it was time for the real deal. We headed lodge-way to make good on our traditional PL toast of getting something done with the '59's engine block. Off the stand, carted out, and loaded into the Blazer. From there, a machine shop in Dewar, IA. I should have an update later this week.

Saturday we renewed our memberships at the rec and did our best to avoid getting carried out on stretchers. The afternoon movie: Little Big Man (thoroughly enjoyed it). A trip to Lava Lounge was also in order for later that night but things went south quickly when I ordered a PBR and it arrived in a can. Returned home and gave a new LD a spin, a brief look into the private life of Albert Einstein. Brief it was. 60 minutes in all.

Sunday I putzed about. More sorting and culling downstairs. Laundry, ironing, the usual preparations for the week. Quite a bit of ebaying and when I finally was ready for bed, got the motivation to start on 3D geometry and layout for the new building (a version modeled to dimensions taken from the actual cementwork). Just what I needed (to avoid sleep).

Additional movies this week: A Single Man and The A-Team. Both hit their respective bullseyes.

Saturday Night at the Movies

It's been a long week. A cold week to boot. The paycheck will be nice but day after day ofunknown quit times, working holidays, and weekend(s) has really messed up my internal clock. Frankly, I've entered a bit of a zombie zone. Get up, go to work, come home, waste time and go to bed. Pretty indifferent about it, actually. So Saturday night was a welcome change- rented a couple movies while out shopping. First up was Wallstreet: Money Never Sleeps. That film had all the punch of a wet dish cloth. Michael Douglas puts in an addictive performance when he turns on his charm, and yes, there are a few minor twists and turns but overall, pretty predictable. Good for a Sunday cable movie.

Next up, The Social Network. A much better film, and Justin Timberlake sells the sleazy, partying, pseudo-con extremely well. I must admit, I pretty much dismissed FB for several years, back when it was fresh and my sister (and everyone she knew at college) were engaged in it. Dismissed in much the same way I felt about cell phones. You see, I'm not that social of a person. In fact, to say I was a traditionalist is like saying the sun is hot. But these days it doesn't take a genius to see how great a tool FB is. Privacy aside (please, if you're reading this you're on the net, you gave up privacy years ago), there is no better method today to bring friends together collectively. Instantly. Flexibly. And with minimal time and expense. It is, in fact, the modern replacement for the Saturday night card party when local friends would get together and chat and share and discuss. Today, of course, we're global. I have friends with similar interests in Iceland, Belgium, Australia, and all over the US. Anyone of us routinely posts pictures of the latest challenge, the new acquisition, a common-interest news story on the web, what exotic dish someone is making tonight, etc. Soon, one finds new acquaintances with friends of friends. A phone call or an email is a medium. But FB is a tool, and really I think, just the tip of the iceberg. How far one extends their toes into the water is up to them.

You Are Not LeBoeuf!

Wednesday. In the middle of an odd non-week. It all started 7 days ago when announcements were made about our production schedule, leaving Thursday as a layoff day for the workers, and myself in charge for Friday. That's when things really got odd. In the end, we were not going to run the following week (of course, salary folk must show), so I took Tuesday off after a semi-leisurely Monday. Plans changed and now we are running. Plus Sunday and Holiday. But Tuesday was a welcome break.

Monday, business as usual. Put in 8 hours. Filed paperwork at the Sheriff's office. Visited Scheels to inspect a few sidearms. Had a couple brews at the PL. Or should I say, paid-in-full for a couple brews at the PL. Picked up dinner, picked up Cara at the 'rents and we took in a viewing of Runaway Train.

Tuesday…had the day off to take care of a few things. Namely…moving. I started on draining water lines and scrubbing faucets and fixtures for the close of the season while Cara packed misc things to take in. I cut the heat, got out the hose to drain the water heater and pressure tank, cut a copper line I knew would cause trouble, and then went for the RV anti-freeze. At least I thought I had some. Next stop: Waverly. By the end of the day we had the place 95% winterized, power cut, made a stop at the humane society, unpacked in town, took in a screening of True Grit, and gave The Pizza Ranch a try. All-in-all, a grand time.

I realize this reads like a laundry list but time is shorter and patience shorter. It's about that time for a good reflection on life and the new year provides some inspiration for that. Now to pencil it in.

G12+

It's not that I've intentionally been slacking on writing, it's just that life ended up getting extremely hectic towards the end of the year. So much so that I had little time to think at work (which oddly used to be a great thinking time...being holed up behind a desk with a couple of monitors and a stack of notepads). When I end up transitioning back into 'treading water' stage, writing is one of those things that helps take the edge off.

So here we are, another year down, and a full year in that 'factory job'. Blessings come in disguise and while the work itself demands the brain power of a drunken feline, the OT pay more than made up for it. On a look back, there's quite a bit to be proud of, even if I find myself more restless than ever.

It had to come sooner or later, the great lodge freeze-out. Actually, more of a snow-out. With adequate heat both upstairs and down, the major struggle is getting to the building. Since it was not originally intended for year-round living, there are of course, difficulties. Such as the occasional pipe freeze, or ice build-up on the deck. Not that big of a deal. But a major snow recently stopped us in our tracks. We were fortunate to get out the morning after to put together our plan while the flakes continued to fall with no end in sight. We made two runs out with clothing and perishables before parking the truck and going on foot for any additional visits. And then, surprise of surprises, a day or two passed and the 'neighbor' used his tractor to pack down the 1/2 mile path from the main road. And so there may be hope yet. While I write this it's 40F. A recent trip past the land gave me confidence that should temps return to below freezing, the path-in should be easy to traverse now that much of the high-centered snow has melted. Time will tell.

For the week off, it's been both relaxing and busy. I've gotten quite a bit of reading in. A LOT of organizing in the basement. Installed a coolant heater on Cara's VW. Purchased and shellac'd trim boards for the lodge, and tackled a few other to-do's out there. Tonight- a movie with friends. Tomorrow night- a new years eve bash here in town. Sat and Sun? Perhaps the lodge for a big project. Oye.

In no particular order, noteworthy events of 2010:

June 1st, Cara and I moved into the lodge and said goodbye to the CF apartment. We took in a Wright and Like tour in Racine. I bought a tractor and mowed a lot of open field. An Olds station wagon found its way to the lodge. Ben and I swapped a rear axle in intense Iowa heat and humidity. A drive-in screen went up...and then came back down. Cara and I took in a Madison modernism tour. I made a trip to MN for a grand wash-in. Cam, Ben and I took down Ben's dilapidated garage. One fine morning I got up early and started digging holes and mixing cement. Next thing I knew, I had a steel building. Ben and I worked on Don's Talisman in Rockford, once again in the blustery snow. I decided to visit MN in October for a week and explore the back-country, something I had never done. Fall parties and bonfires were hosted and I finally got that projector for showing movies...inside. Made a few friends. Sold a few things on ebay. Started the 'great basement haul-out' project. AND, broke ground on Cold Storage III, aka, The Research Lab.

Next year should prove very interesting.