My advice to you is to start drinking.

We've had our share of dewey mornings this summer but driving off to work this AM was the first time this season I felt a chill with the window cracked. Reminded me of those days heading to school with hallway echoes, that slightly humid smell of old walls and air handlers trying to keep up with a tide of juveniles, people rushing to get to their class before the bell or gawd forbid!, mixed with an odd feeling of trepidation. It's also a sure sign fall is practically here. Of all the months this year, August seemed to move by the quickest; we have one week left!

 

My goal this year has been to get the lodge into "livable condition" by the time the snow flies. In fact, those are the exact words on my schedule. What that means is maybe I won't be living out there in the middle of January but at least the place should be turn-key ready with upstairs and down finished to allow moving in all my "stuff" by then. That includes trees planted, overhead doors built and installed, functional plumbing, floors and wall coverings complete, a kitchen with cabinets and appliances, soffits and fascias, etc. So why wouldn't I be living out there in January? One word: Electricity.

 

Rec'd the official estimate recently to drop electrical service to the lodge. Now, I've come to stomach the fact that all things "major" in this project seem to run about $5k every time one comes up. I could only wish this were the case with power. So, while I'm ready and wired, I've got a couple cables dangling in the wind, so to speak. For what they're asking, I could potentially go "off the grid". Only problem is, I'm a heavy user…I'm wired to run three electric clothes dryers at once should the mood strike! (don't tempt me) Solar, wind and battery banks would have a tough time with this lifestyle. Not to mention my electric heat and water.

 

So, it's time to hit the books, run the numbers, and determine requirements. Had I thought about generacs and wind turbines in the past? Of course. But now I can rationalize dropping a sizable chunk on alternatives. At least we had a very productive weekend on other fronts and some fun to boot. Coldest beer I've had in a long time!

From Concentrate

Have you ever been listening to the radio and heard the first two notes of a song and thought to yourself, "Wow, I haven't heard this in forever, what a great pick!", only to get to the third note and realize it's something completely different that gets played ad nauseum? So then you try to tune that one out in your head and piece together the lyrics of what the song you thought was, was, so if you're lucky enough to find a pen you can scribble the lyrics on a napkin pinned to the steering wheel while weaving across lanes so you can download later at your leisure? No? 

Cast your stones, but there really is a feel-good energy to the Messina, Loggins, McDonald, what-have-you. [note: Aw, apparently it falls under the label of "yacht-rock"] A cross-pollinated guitar and synthesizer...love it!

"I Will Not Tolerate Infestation!"

I was driving feverishly yesterday to get to Porters before they closed at 5 only to discover they close at 6. Anyhow, I was stocking up on the K64 before it’s all discontinued. I chatted with the girl behind the counter who actually spoke the arcane language of film-based photography and she clued me in on my suspicions that Kodachrome 200 was NLA. The sole roll I’ve ever shot of this is half-exposed in my camera, loaded months ago (but shot as recently as last week). I also asked about the Polaroid stock (I didn’t see any in their fridge). She said they had the Fuji replacements for the pack film I was looking for, but it was in enough demand they may not have had any on hand at that moment. Nice to know.

 

All of this reminded me of something taken for granted now. When people my age claim they’re a child of the 80’s a whole lot of bystanders like to cop a sneer. No, we’re not the “Fast Times” generation, but we weren’t completely immune to Debbie Gibson’s-conversion van-slap-bracelet-Bill Cosby-Reebok-pump-wearing-pudding-pops phenomenon. The first thing that occurred to me this morning as I pondered yesterday’s realization was that 1) When I was young phones were still attached by wires. We had two in the old house, a green wall-mount rotary Trimline in the kitchen (with extra-long handset cord) and a blue table-top rotary Trimline that could be unplugged from upstairs and taken out to the patio out back where there was a jack to _plug it back in_. Even in the late 80’s cell phones were still considered high-buck gadgets. The first time I ever used such a thing was calling from my 6^th grade teacher’s bag phone in her Lincoln. By then, of course, “portable phones” (later to be called cordless I guess) were becoming ubiquitous. I’d say we were one of the first to have such a thing in the mid-80’s; it was a pricey “Cobra” that was all-analog with pulse dialing, a metal telescoping antenna, and absolutely no smarts about it at all. To change “channels” as they say, involved a screwdriver and popping hidden covers on the base and receiver. It went belly-up of natural causes, as did a whole-lotta portable phones in our house. They’d all develop some sort of ailment and become throw-aways (though we actually took the Cobra to be serviced given the price of those things at the time; to sum that one up the guy did not actually repair it). Friends also had the popular AT&T grayish models that were out in the early 90’s with the squared edge look, metal antenna and rubber keypad that eventually went bad on ALL OF THEM. We went through our fair share, too.

 

The original realization from yesterday was how frickin’ expensive good film really is. My first “real” camera was a Kodak 35mm affair that would allow you to see, and take, pictures with the sliding cover in place over the shutter. On the upside it had a built-in flash! That sounds strange to say now but you couldn’t walk into a grocery store without being inundated with camera flashcubes and bars and bulbs at the checkout lanes (of HyVee or Foods4Less). Anyhow, film was expensive, and being a grade-schooler, you made due with what you could get. (As long as it wasn’t that oddball Seattle Filmworks stuff that looked like a great deal until the scam with sending it off to be specially processed. You know what I’m talkin’ about) Anyway, you tried to make every shot count because there were only so many of the 24 left and each one cost money. Even in high school, I can remember the bills I’d rack up on film, paper and chemicals while still doing it “on the cheap”. Digital cams have completely spoiled us in that respect. You can fire off an almost limitless number of shots without a dollar sign appearing in front of you (Advantix anyone?) and you know instantly if you got the pic.

 

Maybe I’m just rummaging through fodder to make me feel old, but it is weird to look at what we had in elementary school and the technologies that were coming of age when we graduated. Both our elementary school music teacher and gym teacher had record players that they actually used. The former even had Infinity speakers if I recall. If you can remember dads at school sporting events with big RCA VHS video cameras perched on shoulders then you know what I’m driving at. Hello Bob Sagget!

Loose Lips Biff Quips

The hayfever has been outright ridiculous today, but that hasn't stopped us from moving forward. Despite the perpetual nose-run and the overwhelming urge to nap all day, we at least managed to knock out a couple of the "bigger" things on my lodge punch list for this weekend. Friday night I marked, drilled, and cut to length the steel box-tubing that will form the uprights for the balcony (interior) railing. I brought all this in to the parents for Sat AM, cleaned up, then Cara and I headed downtown to meet Ben for an hour or so of dinner and drinks at Toads. Now that I think about it, I took the afternoon off to pick up supplies at Men@rds, and more importantly, a stack of exterior sheathing from Gypsum S*pply.

After whipping up eggs and sausage the next morning, I caught the UNI presentation of "American Cinema: The Studio System", part of their Sat AM series made a few years back. Then I headed to the parents, pulled out the welder, found my mask, and gave it a go. Now, it's been a few years since I've welded and if I was going to pull this off, I'd need more power than the generator could provide. Actually, the welding went very well. Tried out the new angle grinder as well and smoothed the transitions. Just needs some paint and we're in business! (sunrise red) The evening temps were just right so we took advantage of a gorgeous night and had a picnic on the front balcony, watched the moon rise, waited for the fireflies to come out and listened to Dick Bartley.

This morning, still feeling more tired than ever, I got up and got going out there working on electrical, ripped down and stained a stair stringer reinforcement, measured and drilled more steel uprights for the gangway, and hammer-drilled and glued in the 2" drain pipe for the washtub while Cara worked about the apartment. I know, it's all so glamorous!  We met for lunch at 2PM, went out there an hour or two later together and brush-cleaned, broomed and rolled on cement sealer on the exterior balcony (finally!). 

I'd ramble on about my trip to Moline or more construction nonsense (like how tough it is to find BLOOD RED carpetting), but really, what's the point? Yeah, with winter just around the corner my mind is on the punch list, but who wants to read grocery lists? 

Catalysts

I doubt a person could ask for a better Monday morning. Sunny, no humidity, cool temps and just a hint of dew on the cars in the parking lot this AM. Bagged up some cold pizza and perc'd a thermos full of Stewert's and I was set. Despite ample recharge time, both Cara and I are feeling brow-beat, and a little bone-weary to boot.

Friday after work I hustled home to change, stopping for 12 minutes at the Walmart I pass by twice daily, to drop off some Kodachrome that's been waiting for months now. There's only one place left in the country that does this development and it's actually more expensive (significantly) to deal-direct than to drop it at the evil box store. We'll see how it turns out. Anyhow, home, changed into my Friday eve garb, got back in the Blazer and high-tailed it to the land to unload and hitch up the trailer to make it to my parent's place by 5:15 to meet Ben. He had a new pair of Maytags to drop off at his place and needed his cart so I figured I'd give him a hand. I made it to the parent's with a couple minutes to spare, but where was Ben? Turned out he had already arrived and left before the meet time. Swell. Though he came through and picked me up later on as I still had this danged trailer hitched up.

We went directly to the PL as the other places around town have just felt…less than stellar? The night Cara and I tried the Cypress I was so disappointed I haven't been back. Really. I can't find any redeeming quality there and I’m not sure why. OK, maybe I can. The beer was warm, the pool priced the same as elsewhere in town, the bartendress non-social and the atmosphere is downright antiseptic at the moment. Plus the odd mojo from that center dividing wall. It use to be the place to go to watch the alternative crowd but I'm not so sure they're hanging out there anymore. The Olive is good for a post-work Martini, but not the place to go when you've been busting your hump in the August humidity and are looking for some cold swill. I can still do Toad's but that place feels a little strange too. Then again, like the tonics they serve, a good patronage-binge has a way of putting you off that establishment for a week or two. On that note, it's been a while for The Tap!

Anyhow, grand time Friday night. We found Cam at his place after a quick McD run and cruise through the crap-lot. From there, back to….the PL.  It was good to see Ben let loose, too. We actually surpassed old-man status and left after midnight, Cam piloting the deVille as there was but 1 car and three of us.

Got crackin' with Cara both Sat and Sunday. Besides laundry and cabinet moving and other sundry details, we both spent our time outdoors in the mid-day heat. Cara running the lawn tractor while I moved blocks, towed the Fleetwood out of position, hauled very heavy cement chunks from the pumphouse to fill voids in the road (times like this I love the tailgate), and other menial tasks. I also brought out the table saw to cut the rear cedar corners and stained those Saturday. Many hours later we got everything packed up, headed in, got ourselves changed and made it to The Library before the rain started for some grog, sandwiches and Olympic gymnastics.

Sunday, more of the same. Cara really got herself sunburnt despite us loading up on the sun block. I managed to get the corners cut, assembled and installed plus another coat of stain on things. Finished the kitchen floor. More outdoor labors, and also moved and cleaned up the interior NW corner and laid down VCT in that area. Around 5:30 we re-hitched the trailer, loaded the mower up, jockeyed this, that and the other and drug our weary bodies in for another hour or so of mower clean-up. And a good wash-down for ourselves.

I'm really liking this UNI-channel. They were showing "Master Hands" earlier this week which is a huge favorite of mine. And last night between Olympic events I'd flip over to catch "Sundays with Science". As they showed some multi-part educational series put out by NASA in the 80's using primarily footage from the early 70's. I'm of the opinion you need both the harpsichord AND the electric organ as background music when viewing Moon's surface. NASA did not disappoint.

Save Big Money

One day to go and it's all down hill. Actually uphill I suppose. Starting Monday it'll be presentations at work and a trip to Moline to get my butt in gear on the new project. I hope by then I get my battery recharged. Despite solid sleep this past week I've had trouble maintaining my sanity without the help of Mt. Dew's many colored variants. Coffee? I polish off the thermos of black stuff by 10AM. The other night (Monday?) I jokingly zonked out on the bed at 8PM and got up 10 hours later! Must've been, why else would I be home by 8?

Tuesday was formwork tear-down, electrical business upstairs, hole-sawing and steel-marking for the balcony railing, and other hot, sweaty interior work that escapes me at the moment. 

Wednesday we got the kitchen cabinets assembled at the parent's place where there was plenty of soft carpeting and air conditioning (really?) to make assembly easier. Laundry in tandem, of course. 

That brings me to tonight. After picking up an angle grinder and more cedar boards at Menards (amongst other random items on my list), tonight's toilment went pretty well, actually. Watered the slab, planed down lots o' cedar, put in the new 3/16" "premium" receptacle plates upstairs, snapped chalklines and cut the expansion joints in the slab "shuffleboard" style, unloaded 3 kitchen cabinets and got the heck out of there before the bugs carried me off. Oh yeah, and tried out the new "brick rub" to take the edge off the triangle's corners, and played around with 12x12 vct tiles for the kitchen field to see if I can live with it. 

I've got a good "perspective rant" to put down but the fire is going out and I should probably make myself some dinner! 

Capitalist Pig-Roast

(Monday)

Today is a break day, and none-too-soon. Temps will be in the 90's with ridiculous humidity; inside work will feel much worse. Plus, my arms ache, my legs ache and frankly, I'm beat. A/C in a bedroom at night can make for some solid sleep. We do not have A/C in the bedroom. Anyway, after work I'll pick up the laundry, fill a 5gal bucket with water, hit the lodge and wet down the slab. Then home for some much needed ironing (with living room A/C).

Successful weekend though! Cara and I finished up the prep-work Saturday AM for the pumphouse slab and the cement truck was right on time. That went well, too. Everything on today's trucks is hydraulically actuated, including the up/down and left/right control of the hopper shute. So, the truck operator got into position up in the cab with a line-of-sight to me. Using hand signals he was quick to respond to my whims of moving the truck and the shute to get the corners of the triangular pad and get it up over the well casing. In no time we had it screeded and floated. We cleaned up as the late morning heat was coming on and took the afternoon off (crazy, I know) hitting up the thrift shops and came home with some goods. We made a couple return trips to mist the cement and had dinner at my grandma's before meeting Ben and Cam at the PL. The air conditioning was a pleasant reprieve from our toiling but the place was deadsville.

Promising I wouldn't go overboard on the work-front this weekend I slept until 9 or so on Sunday, made eggs, caught the McLaughlin Group (been a LONG time), did more laundry at the parents' while Cara was running errands and cleaning the apt, and ventured out to the lodge for electrical and plumbing work. Toiled 'til a bit after 7 before reminding myself I should probably head in for dinner and obligations at home. Props to Cara for giving the wood floors the full treatment!

Make mine a Schlitz

Drinkin' coffee like it's 1999. Whatever that means. Actually, what it means is that I’m having a hard time staying awake this morning and only the precious caffeine of a hot cup of cafeteria-approved joe will do the job. Nevermind the fact that it'll feel like 120F outside very shortly.

Worked past 9 last night at the lodge. I suppose it was a victory. For kicks I installed the 8-pack of USG "radar" tiles, scored from the local university sale earlier that day, into the kitchen grid. It didn't remind me of corporate-land at all. In fact, it drudged up a detail hidden in my head for at least a decade. These were the same size, pattern and brand of tiles of the "new" addition to Hansen school when I was an elementary youngster. Now I need to find a few more that can match the bleach-white freshness of these.

Also a note to self- VCT adhesive….it's sticky. Laid out the perimeter tile rows in the kitchen to good effect. Originally the perimeter was supposed to be entirely red, like an orangey-firethorn red. Problem is, that color was discontinued years ago. Likely from the late 80's juding by the font on the box. And it was only a half-box too. But I made do by mixing in some charcoal Armstrong's. Got everything glued down, soaked my arms in mineral spirits to get the glue off, and gathered the umpteen paper towel scraps clinging to both me and the subfloor. This stuff is suspiciously like rubber-roof cement.

Got home but wasn't quite ready to throw the towel in for the night. I made it to the Conan monologue before bailing. What kept my attention? I couldn't stop reading the posts on hacking the '05 and up STS Nav system. There were 100+ pages; these guys were devoted. Finally I asked myself, "what am I doing?", and went to bed. Lest you think I’m entirely insane there is an '05 STS in the parent's stable now.

Friday normally brings PAW but I may have to pass tonight. I've slated for a half day in the office today. I think a lot of guys pull that one to get in a few rounds at the country club but I'll be mowing, sawing and moving dirt trying to build a proper formwork for the Pumphouse slab. Cement truck rolls in tomorrow AM bright and early and I'm not sure how long this is going to take.

More info on the local housing demolition in the next entry.

*9PM Update: Turns out I am insane. Paid 70 bucks for bags of sand. Flippin' sand.