on the good side of life:
ain't dead yet, don't let the smell fool you. but I will have a radiologic stress test Friday to make sure.
we might be out from under the $600 water heater we ordered before a larger spill confirmed the devil threatening to ruin all of our DeBasement work was the softener.
we bought furniture for DeBasement and the living room, because it really looks like a couple nice hard weekends worth of work, and we can paint, slap up the bookcases, carpet, and move in.
we ducked nasty hard cases of flu, but Cheryl's still droopy, and I've been a little out of sorts for several weeks.
stuff that isn't so great:
it's winter, and it's cold.
we are still not done with DeBasement.
the cat is still having the occasional social error.
none of the Christmas stuff is up, and if it doesn't happen this weekend, might not happen this year.
the Lottery Loon is still laughing wildly... at us. looking for recipes... .
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Merry Christmas. oh, something else broke down.
well, let's see, let me count the ways.
a week ago, went downstairs to get some veggies out of the freezer, and the furnace room was full of water. rising into the boxes of records and books, into the electrical supplies, and headed for the new carpet, walls, and furniture in the basement bedroom. sheer panic and white-faced rage ensued. appeared to be coming from the edge of the 12-year old water heater.
off to the 'Nard to order a heater. we have had some end-of-tank issues for the last two inches of the second bathtub full, so we stepped up to a 65 gallon unit. non-stock, special order, 21 days. double price. slap down the card.
last Wednesday, Cheryl was headed to the doctor after work, and the blower motor in her car died. flat out died. that's now 2 of 2 cars without heat, because The Great White Whale has only blown cold air for a month.
some webifying showed that jellybean Taurii have a little issue with water down the cowling shorting out the low-speed resistor block and blower motor. in 1996, you had to remove the dash. in 97, just a trim panel and the glove box to get to them. yay! so Saturday, as the snow was starting, tore up the front of the car and went to O,Really for the parts.
good news is, we have heat. bad news is, only on high. maybe the switch has failed out, next project. it won't be this week, we're finally in the subzero temps starting tonight.
Sunday we had a work bill all drawn up for DeBasement... build the vanity, Rotozip out the porcelain tile another quarter inch to put the shower head stuff in, finish some lighting in the furnace room, take up unused tools, clean up, shine up, dance a jig and down a jug... the usual stuff. woke up to the sound of snow blowers. OK, cool, and in time to go to church. padded out for the paper, and woo! -- shawn is blowing our snow, and his buddy Steve is here. this is looking good.
decent coupon day. so maybe we'll also check for furniture, since we can see the end of DeBasement's construction.
yeah, they can help us look at some. sure, no problem. oh, by the way, the basement is wet again, and it almost flooded the bedroom this time.
one specious fit later, we go to church, and shawn and steve head off to burn a gift card and get a water softener. this time, it really kicked loose and overflowed the tank during recharge, and the house-original softener left enough wet all over that it's obvious who is at fault here.
came back from church, the softener is on hand. a few measurements and mutterings and surveying the plumbing toolbox later, we head off for furniture.
4 grand worth, as it turns out. head over to the Nard, and we can't Save! Big! Money! on the bypass valves (old ones are of course glued together with deposits) because they don't have any quarter-turn stop/waste valves in 3/4. the Despot had 'em. needed a tubload of other adaptors and crud.
get home, lay out the parts, take measurements, and it would appear we can build out and nipple down and fit the new softener. oh, wait... is input and output reversed from the existing installation? that's a real Microsoft Pipes (tm) game of cold water plumbing we got in that corner, and might have to take a fair amount out to swap positions. it's 5 pm. Sunday.
time to bag it, this could turn into an all-day solderfest, and I'm not going to stay up 36 hours to have water before I have to go to work.
so we don't have any interior lights, trees, etc. up yet, and only the November-hung outside stuff.
Ho, ho, ho. just another day for your average homeowner.
a week ago, went downstairs to get some veggies out of the freezer, and the furnace room was full of water. rising into the boxes of records and books, into the electrical supplies, and headed for the new carpet, walls, and furniture in the basement bedroom. sheer panic and white-faced rage ensued. appeared to be coming from the edge of the 12-year old water heater.
off to the 'Nard to order a heater. we have had some end-of-tank issues for the last two inches of the second bathtub full, so we stepped up to a 65 gallon unit. non-stock, special order, 21 days. double price. slap down the card.
last Wednesday, Cheryl was headed to the doctor after work, and the blower motor in her car died. flat out died. that's now 2 of 2 cars without heat, because The Great White Whale has only blown cold air for a month.
some webifying showed that jellybean Taurii have a little issue with water down the cowling shorting out the low-speed resistor block and blower motor. in 1996, you had to remove the dash. in 97, just a trim panel and the glove box to get to them. yay! so Saturday, as the snow was starting, tore up the front of the car and went to O,Really for the parts.
good news is, we have heat. bad news is, only on high. maybe the switch has failed out, next project. it won't be this week, we're finally in the subzero temps starting tonight.
Sunday we had a work bill all drawn up for DeBasement... build the vanity, Rotozip out the porcelain tile another quarter inch to put the shower head stuff in, finish some lighting in the furnace room, take up unused tools, clean up, shine up, dance a jig and down a jug... the usual stuff. woke up to the sound of snow blowers. OK, cool, and in time to go to church. padded out for the paper, and woo! -- shawn is blowing our snow, and his buddy Steve is here. this is looking good.
decent coupon day. so maybe we'll also check for furniture, since we can see the end of DeBasement's construction.
yeah, they can help us look at some. sure, no problem. oh, by the way, the basement is wet again, and it almost flooded the bedroom this time.
one specious fit later, we go to church, and shawn and steve head off to burn a gift card and get a water softener. this time, it really kicked loose and overflowed the tank during recharge, and the house-original softener left enough wet all over that it's obvious who is at fault here.
came back from church, the softener is on hand. a few measurements and mutterings and surveying the plumbing toolbox later, we head off for furniture.
4 grand worth, as it turns out. head over to the Nard, and we can't Save! Big! Money! on the bypass valves (old ones are of course glued together with deposits) because they don't have any quarter-turn stop/waste valves in 3/4. the Despot had 'em. needed a tubload of other adaptors and crud.
get home, lay out the parts, take measurements, and it would appear we can build out and nipple down and fit the new softener. oh, wait... is input and output reversed from the existing installation? that's a real Microsoft Pipes (tm) game of cold water plumbing we got in that corner, and might have to take a fair amount out to swap positions. it's 5 pm. Sunday.
time to bag it, this could turn into an all-day solderfest, and I'm not going to stay up 36 hours to have water before I have to go to work.
so we don't have any interior lights, trees, etc. up yet, and only the November-hung outside stuff.
Ho, ho, ho. just another day for your average homeowner.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
a happy Thanksgiving to all
assuming anybody reads this rabid screed ;) that's OK, it doesn't take long to write, because nothing happens around here :-D
round 2 on Cheryl's tooth this Wednesday. we'll do what we gotta do on two fronts... (1) 20-pound turkey and assorted good Stuff. (2) Shawn and I have to put a larger door on DeBasement bedroom before his self-purchased furniture arrives Friday or Saturday.
sometime before we all die, or Christmas comes, whichever is first... I also have the yard decorations, recently-delivered balsam garland and festive Cross to implant, and inside decorating to do. it would also be really fine if I got the space heater cleaned up, the wick trimmed, and get that sooty mess back in the ham shack. burned out the old fuel and wick last weekend, and the heater is a mess. this is supposed to happen several times a heating season if you use it frequently. thank goodness I don't. but the old fuel attracts moisture, and it was not burning really well end of last season.
you can run up $50 in electric bills using the 3Kw heater in there every month, so the little heater has been great. very little sooty guck built up behind and under the parts bins. it would be nice to have a wood or vented oil heater in there, but man, the initial cost is not positive to go there. all the old potbellied stoves I had a chance at when I was growing up, sigh. stovepipe is cheap. stoves are not.
for the unchurched who do not read this rabid screed: we are now in what church calendars call the Advent season. Advent is the run-up to the birth of Christ, long fortold as God's train pass to sinners who want out of the slide to hellfire and death. it's a really good time to think about John 3:16... For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
that's it. the one absolute definining sentence of the Christian faith. all the rest of the bible is really ya, sure, ya betcha then. Sven, in the details and proofs.
is that really so hard to get into?
round 2 on Cheryl's tooth this Wednesday. we'll do what we gotta do on two fronts... (1) 20-pound turkey and assorted good Stuff. (2) Shawn and I have to put a larger door on DeBasement bedroom before his self-purchased furniture arrives Friday or Saturday.
sometime before we all die, or Christmas comes, whichever is first... I also have the yard decorations, recently-delivered balsam garland and festive Cross to implant, and inside decorating to do. it would also be really fine if I got the space heater cleaned up, the wick trimmed, and get that sooty mess back in the ham shack. burned out the old fuel and wick last weekend, and the heater is a mess. this is supposed to happen several times a heating season if you use it frequently. thank goodness I don't. but the old fuel attracts moisture, and it was not burning really well end of last season.
you can run up $50 in electric bills using the 3Kw heater in there every month, so the little heater has been great. very little sooty guck built up behind and under the parts bins. it would be nice to have a wood or vented oil heater in there, but man, the initial cost is not positive to go there. all the old potbellied stoves I had a chance at when I was growing up, sigh. stovepipe is cheap. stoves are not.
for the unchurched who do not read this rabid screed: we are now in what church calendars call the Advent season. Advent is the run-up to the birth of Christ, long fortold as God's train pass to sinners who want out of the slide to hellfire and death. it's a really good time to think about John 3:16... For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
that's it. the one absolute definining sentence of the Christian faith. all the rest of the bible is really ya, sure, ya betcha then. Sven, in the details and proofs.
is that really so hard to get into?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
DeBasement delayed
Cheryl needed an emergency root canal yesterday, and it kind of takes two for serious tiling work. so we're looking to the weekend.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
stealing from myself
failing to broaden my reach by quoting from myself on the Lileks blog ( www.lileks.com/bleats ) on this here religiously unread screed:
a straw poll in the bars on the NatReview Cruise, and we have the numbers. Wheat straw, 20%... curly straws, 15%, rice straw 18%, 2009 hay 16%. the rest split among various grasses and weeds.
they also had a "candidate straw" entry on the poll, with one vote. this is because everybody knows no candidate for anything, anywhere, has one straw of fiber in their whole being.
a straw poll in the bars on the NatReview Cruise, and we have the numbers. Wheat straw, 20%... curly straws, 15%, rice straw 18%, 2009 hay 16%. the rest split among various grasses and weeds.
they also had a "candidate straw" entry on the poll, with one vote. this is because everybody knows no candidate for anything, anywhere, has one straw of fiber in their whole being.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
the lull before the storm in DeBasement
around Chez swschrad, monday and tuesday are typically slacker nights... right now we're watching Duggermania. starting tomorrow night, back to DeBasement. got to expand the shower outlet hole in a porcelain tile, and then we finish the shower. and then we do the shower floor and curb. and then we're hoping to get the floor at least laid out.
.
a little painting, a couple electrical hookups, grout and set the toilet, and a door... we've got the second room done down there.
then we have a closet yet to rip out and rebuild with new exterior walls so we can clear the family room and complete that bugger.
it's still possible to get it carpeted and ready for party! by Christmas.
.
a little painting, a couple electrical hookups, grout and set the toilet, and a door... we've got the second room done down there.
then we have a closet yet to rip out and rebuild with new exterior walls so we can clear the family room and complete that bugger.
it's still possible to get it carpeted and ready for party! by Christmas.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
news items, and commentary
ITEM: Penn State a zoo over child sex abuse.
COMMENTARY: about 10 years too late, with rules 30-40 years out of date. fire them all and let God sort them out.
ITEM: Academy Awards director, host bail over director's gay epithet.
COMMENTARY: yawn, Billy Crystal took the job. should have been the Muppets. in particular, Statler and Waldorf, the hecklers from the balcony. sorry, Kermit, the jokes are above your head.
ITEM: deadbutt North Dakota "legislators" finally can stupid law, allow UND to change mascot so it can play in tournaments.
COMMENTARY: yeah, right, with the changes delayed until 2015, and blank uniforms until then. when will these fossils ever lie down in the tar and disappear?
ITEM: Reuters reports home improvement projects getting smaller, weather doors the best investment.
COMMENTARY: really, people aren't blowing out the wall to add a sun porch with granite countertops and Wolf stoves any more? well I'll be damned! -- the republic is plum gone to Hell.
COMMENTARY: about 10 years too late, with rules 30-40 years out of date. fire them all and let God sort them out.
ITEM: Academy Awards director, host bail over director's gay epithet.
COMMENTARY: yawn, Billy Crystal took the job. should have been the Muppets. in particular, Statler and Waldorf, the hecklers from the balcony. sorry, Kermit, the jokes are above your head.
ITEM: deadbutt North Dakota "legislators" finally can stupid law, allow UND to change mascot so it can play in tournaments.
COMMENTARY: yeah, right, with the changes delayed until 2015, and blank uniforms until then. when will these fossils ever lie down in the tar and disappear?
ITEM: Reuters reports home improvement projects getting smaller, weather doors the best investment.
COMMENTARY: really, people aren't blowing out the wall to add a sun porch with granite countertops and Wolf stoves any more? well I'll be damned! -- the republic is plum gone to Hell.
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