Mike's Ramblings....

July 22, 2010: I am behind in my updates again. I have been painting and installing several doorways. Also tiled the master bath floor. More painting to go and lots more tiling and grouting. I got the 1/2 sink glued to it's granite vanity top, so it is ready to install once the painting is done in that room. That one is Laura's to paint with some kind of stucco-like paint.
Had lunch yesterday with Laura and some CHOA friends. I got my salsa fix :-)

July 18, 2010: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Mostly just painting going on at the townhome. I did work a little on the master bath prepping it for tiling. And also put in the kitchen doorways. Now they need to be painted. Tomorrow, painting will continue.....
Well...lot's of rain today....that's a good thing.

July 13, 2010; Taking today off.

July 12, 2010: Worked on the townhome today. Did some painting and also layed some more concrete borad for the bathroom floors. Will start tiling once I finish the painting.

July 10, 2010: Laura and I went to estate sales today and found a few small itms needed for the townhome. We just woke up from a nice nap.

July 9, 2010: Got the upper foyer and stairwell painted today as well as touched up the master bedroom and cleaned out everything from the master bedroom and stored stuff back in the attic. One more room almost totally ready.

July 8, 2010: Well the last few days have been a little hectic and depressing. A good friend of ours father passed away and we attended the viewing on Tuesday and the funeral service on Wednesday. He was in his early 90's. He passed peacefully in his sleep.
Have gotten the master bedroom, master closet and the steampunk room all painted. Also installed 2 light fixtures. Tomorrow I will paint the stairwell and upper foyer and install the fan/light in the steampunk room and another light in the upper foyer.

July 3, 2010: Well the washing machine repair went off fairly well. They were on time and everything. Even had the part on their truck. Apparently ours is a commonly required repair. Glad it was still under warranty (for 2 more weeks). Nice to be able to do laundry again. Laura and I saw the Last Air Bender and had dinner at Mykonos. Movie was OK. Some of the acting was pretty stilted. Concept was good, and the CGI was great, but they could have cast a few better actors in a few places. Laura and I plan to work some at the townhome the next 2 days.

July 1, 2010: Got my permanent crown put on today. What fun. Very little work done today. Need to make up some time this weekend. Our lower A/C unit is out and has to have the coil replaced due to a leak. Another $850. The part won't be in until July 12th. Glad the upper unit is still working.
The washer (new) has also just gone out, but it is covered under warranty. They are supposed to be out saturday to look at it. Between 1 and 5. We'll see.....

June 29, 2010: Had a little scare with our cat Loki. had to take him to emergency room. He was kept overnight and released the next day with no real good explanation of what was wrong with him. They gave him 3 prescriptions and we are now down $1200.

June 28, 2010: Worked on storage shed today for outdoor tools. Built tool racks and shelving and moved the glass and stainless steel paint cabinet from the house to the townhome. (formerly a 1950s physicians cabinet)

June 27, 2010: Today we finally get to wish Dad a happy fathers day (other than over the phone/computer) I had strep throat last weekend, so could not go, See you soon dad!

June 26, 2010. Went to a few estate sales and found a copy of the 1905 Shakespeare's Hamlet, Also went and worked a few hours at the townhome.

June 25, 2010: Work on the storage shed attached to the townhome. Cleaned it out, vacuumed and then installed plenty of shelves, hooks and hangers for all of our gardening tools and flammable items you don't want to store in your home. (paints, mineral spirits, propane etc,) They are stored inside a stainless steel cabinet for safety.

A/C not fixed. They showed up 2 hours late and have to order the part. It will cost $900 to fix....sigh....

June 24, 2010: Did yard work today and spent 2 hours at the dentist, then worked on the paperwork to transfer the townhome into Laura's name. Still have to take her to probate with the papers to make things official. That could take several more weeks.
Lower level A/C went out today at the house and they are coming tomorrow to find the leak and repair it. Bet this will be expensive.

June 23, 2010: Got to spend today fixing a leaking pipe at the house. As if the townhome wasn't enough. I swear the plumbers were drinkers. This is not the first time I have had to fix some of their work. Had to cut out a 3 way joint and splice in new joints to the 3/4" pipe.

June 22, 2010: No work on townhome today. Trying to get paperwork completed for Laura from her parents estate. So much red tape and forms and seals, and notarys, etc, etc, etc....ad nauseum.... I can work on this stuff while recouperating.

June 20, 2010: Home with strep throat. 10 days of antibiotics. What fun, Horse sized pills.

June 17, 2010: Back to more painting today.
3:10 pm; Only have conservatory and master bath/closet left to prime. Everything else has at least one coat of Kilz on it, some have 2-3 coats. Then I get to start all over using real paint. (It never ends.....) Oh well, at least I haven't injured myself painting. :^)

June 15, 2010: Took today off to celebrate my first 1/2 century birthday. Just relaxing and enjoying not painting. :^)

June 14th, 2010: Lot's of priming/painting today. Lots more to do....sigh.....

June 10, 2010: Went to dentist today to have a temporary crown put on. 3 hours....
Yesterday I got cleaning, prep work and painting started in the master bedroom and the spare bedroom (steampunk room) Tomorrow I will work on more painting.

June 7, 2010: Today, I took a day off from the townhouse. I have been doing yard work, laundry, cleaning, getting groceries etc. (basically, I am a '50s housewife today) I'm off to start the vacuuming and water my indoor plants. (watering alone takes me quite a while. Too many plants, maybe?) Laura and I will need to streamline everything, including plants, once we move to the townhome. Oh well, we have accumulated way too much 'stuff' anyway over the past 24+ years. This way we will keep just the very best and have a great home to live in. (and it will be paid off too!!)

June 5, 2010: Finished the dishwasher yesterday, so that almost completes the kitchen. We bought a 'fridge on-line today,so that really just leaves the backsplash. Good to have running water in more than one room in the house.
Tomorrow we are both going over to the condo to work.

June 3, 2010: Hoping to finish the kitchen stuff today and start on more cleaning/painting. I can also replace the flooring above the kitchen now, I think.

June 2, 2010: Worked on the kitchen today. Lots to do there. Connecting plumbing, dishwasher, sink, garbage disposal, garbage compactor, microwave, etc.
Sold a couple more of the large tools via Craig's list.

June 1, 2010: Hey everyone! Laura and I are back from our vacation to the Keys. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable time. Got to see lots of wildlife and eat lots of wonderful seafood. Laura graciously drove the entire vacation since my knee is still in bad shape. ( I sure do love my sweetie! ) We went to the Key West butterfly house and Hemmingways old home and got to see the 6 toed cats. Got to see some other "wildlife" when we went downtown one night. Very interesting people watching there.
We did a little kayaking in the mangroves and just splashing in the waist deep water. (my kind of depth)
Took LOTS of naps. We both really needed it. We saw some beautiful sunsets. I'll post pictures later,
Laura's back to work today and I am back working on the townhome. Mostly cleaning/prep work today for painting and some plumbing and electrical in the kitchen. Anything that is not too rough on the knee for a few more days.

May 21, 2010: Slow moving today. Getting ready to go on vacation to the Keys. Still feeling a little rough, but getting better slowly...

May 20, 2010: Not much to say today. Still recuperating. Had lunch with Laura.
Laying around in bed waiting to feel better.

May 19, 2010: 10:30. Waking late again today. Cold is about the same. Cut on finger is swollen and red, so I am going to see the doctor at 1:15. This is not my best week. Between the cold, the cut and the bad knee, I really feel in bad shape right now.

May 18, 2010: 10:15am; OK, I'm finally awake. Took NyQuil last night and it really knocked me out. Cold is coming along nicely. My cut finger is kinda' swollen too. I guess that's normal? Not going to do much today except lay around and be sick.

May 17, 2010: Countertops are in. They look great. I feel awful. Going back home.

May 16, 2010: Woke up late today. (10:45) Getting sicker....chest is filled with fluid...what fun...
Spent the day at my folk's house visiting with my 2 aunts (dad's sisters) who were down from Illinois for the wedding. It was nice to see them again. One is 88 and one is 73.
I have to be at the townhome at 9:00am for the granite kitchen countertops to be installed....sigh...I feel lousy...

May 15, 2010: Well the wedding ceremony went well. Most of the groom's relatives got lost and never made the ceremony, but finally got there for the reception. We tried to wait, but there was a schedule to keep. Mine and Laura's pictures came out a little grainy, but here are a couple anyway. I am sure there will be many more posted by other relatives, since there were probably 30 cameras there. :^) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. (Donald's 10 kids are picture #5. My parents are picture #4 and Donald and mom are picture #8.
Got a little rain just before the ceremony, so it was really hot a muggy for the ceremony. The bride arrived in a horse drawn carriage and the couple left in the carriage as well. The horse was sweet. It was a former thoroughbred racehorse, but is 19 years old now. It only does a couple of pulls per week and apparently enjoys getting out to work. They have one horse that is 30 years old, but is now retired and living out it's life in a nice pasture.
Cold has dropped into my chest, so I am really looking forward to the next few days....

May 14, 2010: 9:50am; OK, really late start today. Think I am going to skip the townhome today. Trying to fight a cold Laura has given me. I need to be able to officiate the wedding tomorrow, so think I'll take it easy today. Rehearsal went well last night. Glad we practiced several times. They had added a candle ceremony I had not been told about, so I needed to add words around that last night when I got home. Here is a copy of the ceremony...

May13, 2010: Good morning everyone! It is 9:30 and I am just getting going here. Slow start today. Hopefully my knee starts getting better soon. Don't want to start having to get x-rays or MRIs. Oh well, at least I don't have kids or dogs that I need to keep up with. Just a lazy, noisy cat that likes to wake us up at 4:00 in the morning.
I'm going to try to install the lights in the kitchen today, if my knee can stand being on the ladder. Otherwise I'll work on wiring/plumbing the appliances. Have a wedding rerhearsal/dinner around 4:00 today so will have to knock off early to get up to north georgia.
1:00pm; Man, am I beat. I have been installing 4 light fixtures in the kitchen for 3 1/2 hours. Those lights are really poorly designed. Plus having a bad knee going up and down a ladder. Oh well, here is a picture of the lights...

May 12, 2010: Hopefully the guys will be here soon to finish the kitchen cabinets. We'll see.
1:45; Well, the cabinets are done, now the countertops can be installed on Monday.
I am performing the wedding ceremony for my niece on Saturday. That should be a novel experience. Still can't believe they asked, but I am honored to do it. I think I need to put some ice on this knee....
5:15pm; Trying some DMSO on my knee. Let's see if it eats through my skin... :^)

May 11, 2010: Not sure what I'm doing today....feeling a little unfocused, but otherwise good.
3:33pm; Had to go home. Stood up after working on the steampunk bathroom floor and heard a loud pop and my knee gave out and I hit the floor hard. Thought I had broken it there for a bit. Not sure what happened, but I am now walking with a painful limp. I think my next few days will have to be projects I can do while sitting down. Maybe I will work on replacing all of the electrical outlets.....damn this hurts....it's hell getting older....

May 10, 2010: Did odd jobs around the townhouse today. Cleaned up and got the last of the baseboards, plywood, 2 x 4's and trim cut up and put out for pick-up. Installed the new craftsman patio light after taking down the old light. Bought crown moulding for the kitchen. Took another load of tools and hung them up in the attic. (OCD fun!)

May 9, 2010: Off to look at a mission style vanity for the 1/2 bath at the townhome. Then over to my parents house for mothers day. Taking her to lunch.
4:50pm. Just got home from the folks. They are doing good. Nice lunch and conversation. We also picked up the vanity. It is quarter sawn oak in the mission style. It looks great. Will buy granite countertop for it next week, It came with a matching framed mirror. Very good craftsman quality pieces. Laura is still sick, but is slogging through...

May 8, 2010: Today is Laura's birthday. Unfortunately she is sick. The doctor has put her on antibiotics and methylprednisolone. (it's like Prednisone) After my horrible experience with Prednisone, I'm a little concerned.
She feels bad, but not bad enough to want to stay home, so we will be having lunch soon, just not sure where yet.
Her birthday chess-set arrived and she has set it up next to my birthday present, 'the chair'. Here's a picture....

May 7, 2010: Met the granite countertop guy and they will be installing next week. Cabinets folks have to come back and finish up next week too. They just have a little left to do on the cabinet for the apron (farmhouse) sink and a couple of spacers and a couple of doors. It got to be 10pm and we all decided to call it a day. I had been there 15 hours, so I was ready to go home. We will be installing black iron mission style hardware on the cabinets and a copper backsplash. I got another mountain of garbage to the curb for pick-up this morning and am now calling it a day. I am so sore from all of the concrete backer board installation, I think I deserve a break. Here are a couple of pictures of the kitchen so far...1 , 2, 3

May 6, 2010: Cabinets guys due at 8:00am, so I am here at 7:30. Then they call and say it will now be 11-12. Very nice....well, i guess I will go get the car inspected. Tag time again. Hope everyone is doing well. I have a more positive attitude today and am looking forward to a calm weekend, filled with personal contemplation.... deep, huh?.... :^) Actually, this weekend will be Laura's birthday and mothers day, so there are a few things on the schedule.Laura's present is a (currently) one-of-a-kind chess set modelled after the chess set Sebastion had in Blade Runner. Laura befriended the guy online who is planning on making a few hand made sets, so she gets to buy the first one. The pictures he sent of the final set looks really cool.

Well, the cabinet guys finally arrived... at 2:30! At least I have been able to get some work done. Finished plumbing in master bath, finished insulation and have just finished putting up 4 walls of concrete backerboard for a whole bunch of tiling. I just have to put backerboard on the floor, apply some thinset to all the seams and then tiling can begin......whew....

7:40pm: Well, finished the thinset and most of the floor. Cabinet guys are still at it! Wish I could go home.....
New record high today in the attic workshop. 129 degrees. I think I am going to have to insulate up there. The poor little portable A/C unit can't handle that kind of heat....

May 5, 2010: Happy Cinco de Mayo; Work continues on the masterbath. Got the final rough plumbimg done and water damaged flooring rebuilt. Put in insulation and vapor barrier and will start concrete backerboard tomorrow in preparation for tile installation. Hope I still remember how to tile properly. It's been a while....

May 4, 2010: Late posting today. Still no internet at the townhome.
I got more plumbing done in the master bathroom and am now working on rebuiling the rotted out floor that I had to remove. Kitchen cabinets are going in on Thursday and counters on Friday.

May 3, 2010: Very depressing, rainy day. :^(
Here is a picture of the chair I won the bid on that I had promised....
No work on townhome today. Fresh start tomorrow, The rest of the kitchen cabinets are due tomorrow.

May 2, 2010: ...............................

May 1, 2010: Happy May Day. Well, we got our countertops ordered today. We have gone for Verde Peacock, because it has more golden flecks in it. It is called a "granite" but it is really charnockite. It looks really beautiful. Did a few estate sales today and put in a bid at one of them for a very elaborate carved wood curved back chair for the steampunk room ('my' room). It's chinese. It is from the 1860s. We'll see tomorrow if we get it.
9:20pm; Got a call from the estate custodians and the family has agreed to our offer! We''ll be picking this up tomorrow at 10:00am. I'll post pictures then.....night y'all... :^)

April 30, 2010: Taking a day off today.
Well, ok, the internet went down so I went on in to the Townhome. Got home and the internet was still down. I finally checked outside and found that the neighbor's landscaping service had cut our cable while weedwacking around the cable junction box. (would have been nice if they had fessed up about it, The cable was twisted and cut in 4 places, so it obviously got wrapped around their weeder, so it's not as if they didn't notice) I utlized an old cable Comcast had left in the past and was able to get it up and running again. (good thing they leave the junction box unlocked.) I cancelled the service call for tomorrow.

April 29, 2010: More painting today and more plumbing in the master bath. Then I have to replace the flooring in the master bath and start putting up the insulation and concrete backerboard in preparation for tiling.
7:10pm; Installed my portable A/C unit and exhaust hoses into the ceiling. Haven't had time to let it run and see how well it works, but it starts and cool air comes out, so that's a start.

April 28, 2010: OK, let's see if the cabinets get delivered today. Supposed to be here around 10:00.
Well, 12:05 and they finally arrived, b ut 3 were missing so they will have to come back tomorrow or Friday.
I got more Kilz on the walls/ceilings, moved a wall and the pliumbing in the master bath, and removed the bottom stair tread to replace it with a solid hardwood step and cut it down from a wrap-around stair to a straight bottom tread.

April 27, 2010: Getting a good start this morning. The cabinets are due in today. I will be painting again today and pretty much all week or longer. I have to clean all walls and ceilings with TSP first, wait for that to dry, then paint everything with Kilz, at least one coat, sometimes 2. This will cover all smoke smells and stains. THEN I can start the 1-2 coats of final paint and then I will install all of the doors, baseboards, doorways and crown moulding and those will then have to be painted as well. Lots and lots of work to do yet......
11:30 am; I tested my new DeWalt planer on a scrap piece of mahogany I have. Works great. Here are the before and after shots.
5:20pm; Cabinet folks called and said they would have to deliver tomorrow. Surprise, surprise.
Well, got more painting done, and more baseboards and crown moulding torn out, cut-up and put out for garbage collection. I bet those guys just love me!
Forgot to mention that our dishwasher went out this weekend. I had to open it up and found some melted wires. I think it must have been a lightning strike becasue we had been having some bad storms. What bothers me is that the wires melted and the circuit breaker did not pop. I manged to get the wire fixed and the dishwasher re-installed. It works fine again.
Oh good...here comes some more torrential rain....I think I'm molding here.... :-)

April 26, 2010: Got the kicthen and 1/2 bath sanded and painted for a second coat and also another coat of the copper finish on the breaker box. Also removed more baseboards for replacement.

April 25, 2010: Beautiful sunny day today. Had a nice lunch at Jason's Deli. They have a wonderful New Orleans style muffuletta. It's the best outside of the French Quarter's Central Grocery. That and a salad and I'm happy.
Measured a few things at the condo to make sure we order the right stuff.
We got a Tuscan Brass (bronze) faucet (the whole kit) at a yard sale for $2 for the kitchen sink. It retails for $550. What a deal. Looks great! We think we may go with Brazillian Verde Butterfly granite for the countertops with a copper backsplash and switchplates. (the picture doesn't do it justice. The crystalline patterns don't photograph well. )

April 24, 2010: Wet day today. Raining all day. A little hail too. Supposed to rain through tomorrow morning.
Well we got the cabinets ordered today as well as the apron sink. Waiting for a quote on the granite counter-top.

April 23, 2010: 6:10pm; Kinda' late posting today. Basically just got caught up and forgot.
Let's see...painted half bath, touched up the kitchen paint, painted the circuit box copper to match the kitchen backsplash. (it is located in the kitchen, of all places) Also bought a new tool today. I got a DeWalt wood planer via Craig's list today. Picked it up during lunch. Tomorrow we go to order our kitchen sink at Ikea, our kitchen cabinets at Cabinets to Go, and then to the Habitat for Humanity Re-store for their big sale.

April 22, 2010: Hard at work at the townhome. Cleaning, sweeping, mopping the walls with TSP, removing baseboards and trim and starting paitning in the kitchen and 1/2 bath.

April 21, 2010: Forgot I had a dental appointment today, so I will proably not get much else done today on the townhome. Probably work around here instead.

April 20, 2010: 9:00 am - hard at work on kitchen.
Finished sanding and patching kitchen walls. Covered from head to toe in drywall powder....
Will start painting tomorrow. Finished odd jobs around the townhome. Did some cleaning and organizing and hauled more stuff into the attic storage and hung up more tools in the new shop.

April 19, 2010: 1:00pm - Got up at 7:30 today and started work on condo at 8:30. Finished cabling in the attic and am finishing decking today. Only a few pieces to go. Drywall patching is completed, so I can start painting tomorrow. Probably start in the kitchen since cabinets will be in soon. Have all 4 CATV cables installed for television and high speed internet in the 4 main rooms.
5:15 pm: Home again, home again....here's a new video of the completed attic.....my god, I'm sore and tired....tomorrow painting begins.....

April 18, 2010: 10:15 Up late again last night, so up late this morning. Today is about getting things done around the house.
7:50 pm; Did very little today. A few chores around the house. Very relaxing. I am attempting to teach myself new web design ideas, so it may be a few days before I make any changes (assuming they work). I hope everyone had a relaxing, worry-free weekend. :^)

April 17, 2010: Off to estate sales....hope everyone has a happy day today.....
Found a couple of items for the steampunk room, but nothing else. Still a fun day....

April 16, 2010: 11:00 am; Very late start today. Trouble sleeping. Mind would not shut off. You would believe that with all my thinking I would have wisdom by now. Nowhere close.
Completely slacking off today. Measured the kitchen one last time before ordering the cabinets, but that is about all. I think I just need a day of down-time. I am looking forward to a nice calm weekend with no familial obligations.
9:15; Back from shopping at IKEA. Not my style, but Laura occassionly likes to look around there. Nothing purchases though.

April 15, 2010: Everyone done their taxes?? Already got our refunds back, so that's at least completed.
Today will be working on the decking in the attic, some more sanding in preparation for painting and measuring out some places where I want to put in some built-in storage into bathrooms etc.
1:00 OK, as usual I got sidetracked. Decided while in the attic laying decking that I needed to go ahead and run the cable for the TVs and the internet, so I ran 4 outlets and installed a power amplifier for the cable connection to ensure true digital and highspeed throughput. Seems to work, but won't really know until we move in and I set up the wired/wireless router. Still, a productive day, so far. Beautiful, sunny day outside. Feeling tired but good today.

April 14, 2010: What a day. Is it the cycle of the moon, or what? Started my day with a speeding ticket. 57 in a 45 zone. 45 for a 7 lane hwy? Now the sportscar's brakes are totally shot and will cost $700 to rebuild/replace and I won't get it back until later tonight. And they don't have any internet connection there. Glad I took a book to read.....let's hope the day goes uphill from here, shall we?

April 13, 2010: 7:45 am; hard at work. Mostly odd jobs today in preparation for the next phase. Painting.....
Finished last of the A/C insulation in the floorboards and am cutting more plywood for the attic. It seems like that goes on forever, but since I can only get 1/4 sheets up the stairs, it takes quite a while.
2:20 pm; As tired and sore as I am, I feel really good, all of a sudden....I have to take a break and go meet a guy who wants to buy my metal cutting bandsaw.
3:30; Well, the guy bought it, so that's one tool gone.
8:15 pm; Tomorrow will be a day off from the townhome. Have to take the MR2 and the 4Runner in for new brakes and the 4Runner for an oil change. Guess I'll take a book and my laptop for entertainment.....

April 12, 2010: 8:00 am; Good morning world! Time to get going and build a townhome. I mean, renovate....
Looks to be a beautiful sunny spring day.
3:00 pm; Well I cut out the floor above the kitchen and ran 4 more electrical runs and installed the 4 light boxes for the kitchen. Very time consuming.... Just finished sanding down some of the drywall repairs in preparation for final patching then primer and paint.

April 11, 2010: Tough day today. We had to have my father-in-law's cat euthanized this morning. He had almost stopped eating and seemed to have feline dementia and incontinence None of the tests showed anything physically wrong a few weeks ago, but when we took him in this morning, they found he had suddenly grown cancerous lesions in his intestines. Apparently they grow almost overnight, according to the vet. Very sad morning. Back down to just 1 cat now.
6:15; Tomorrow should be better....

April 10, 2010: 11:25; Time to run weekend errands.

April 9, 2010: 10:30; Slept late today. Heading to townhome after lunch to finish floors and start cutting out another section of flooring to install 4 light fixtures in the kitchen below. Then I need to finish up the decking in the attic to get those sheets of plywood out of the way so I can start cleaning walls in preparation for Kilz on all walls, ceilings and floors. Then the real painting can begin......looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. :^)
5:00pm; OK, both bedrooms flooring is now restored and sealed. I also added an electrical junction box in the attic off of the master bedroom circuit and added another cable run and added a new outlet for my portable A/C unit for the attic shop. Now I just have to vent it outside and I can have some A/C. Currently 107 degrees up there. Time to go home!!!!!!!!!!!!

April 8, 2010: 3:20 pm; Hope everyone is having a good day. I am a little slow in posting today. Busy, busy, busy. Been working on putting in new floor substrate in both bedrooms. I had forgotten just how heavy 3/4" plywood is. Taking a little longer to do this than I had thought because of that. Carrying those sheets upstairs has been a real treat. It is getting really dark in here because the rain has started up again. Not many lights in here right now since I will be starting painting soon, including the ceilings. Oh well, back to work.....hi ho, hi ho..... :^)
6:15; Should sleep well tonight. Worn out......

April 7, 2010: Finishing up cabling and cleaning up in preparation to put the floors back together.
OK, let's try something a little different on my 'Ramblings', while I wait for the A/C guy to get here to inspect our a/c units.

April 6, 2010: 9:15 am; Already at the townhome pulling cable.
Back from lunch and running more cable. Will it ever end?.... :^)
2:30; OK, I have 4 cable runs installed and tested and they are ready to have the light fixtures installed once the painting is done. Also tested the wiring from the fan/light from yesterday and it works great. Very steam-punk looking fan/light combo. 4 speed fan and the 5 light fixture has a dimmer switch. I gues I have to start putting the floors back into place. What fun! (yeah right) Only 4 more cable runs for the kitchen and I will be done with the new electrical. Still want to replace all wall receptacles and light switches after painting to make sure any place cigarette smell might be lingering is replaced. Only 25-30 of those......
Here is a short video about running the cable for the great-room lights.

April 5, 2010: 9:33am. Good morning!! I am already hard at work trying to figure out the crazy wiring in this place. So many new lights to wire in. They only had switches that worked electrical outlets for lamps. Almost no overhead lights. WT_?
2:45 PM; Little lite on posting today. Don't like to rush myself when running new electrical. That's one thing I want done 100% correctly... :^) Have disconnected 2 switched/outlets to make the outlets ordinary non-switched varietiesand recabled 2 switches to 1 ceiling fan/light and 1 ceiling light. Keys have been changed on all 6 locks. Productive day. Got quote for kitchen cabinets. Should run about $2,800. All hardwood. Here is a picture. I will install them myself. We will utilize this style hardware. Countertops yet to be chosen. All appliances are black. Sink will be a white apron/farmhouse sink similer to this one.
5:00pm; 126 degrees in the attic, so electrical stops for the day. Actually, I think WORK stops for the day. Time to go home. Back to electrical again tomorrow. Someone now wants additional overhead lights in the conservatory, so I now have 8 more cable runs to do. 4 of them will require more floorboards be pulled up on the second floor. What fun.... My new protable A/C unit should be delivered today. That will require a new cable run in the attic too, so as to not overload the current circuit. Found a light switch that has cable attached and a 3 wire running out of it, which would normally indicate a switched outlet, but there is no outlet that is not currently working and their is no actual current running to the wires in the switch. Wierd. Guess I'll just cap off the wires and put a blank cover over the hole for now.
Night everyone!!

April4, 2010: 10:15; Happy Easter to all the Christians out there. Happy Passover to my jewish friends.
Going to brunch today with one of our friends from work.
Brunch was wonderful. A vegetarian could have been happy, omnivores (like me) were very happy. Pescetarians would have been disappointed (no seafood at all). (don't tell anyone we did ate the easter lamb, though) ;^)
5:30 pm; Currently watching the movie "Grosse Pointe Blank"............

-April 3, 2010: 10:15; Another slow start weekend. Just woke up at 9:30. Going to go look for kitchen cabinets for the townhome today. Hope everyone has a wonderful spring day today!
5:20 pm; Found cabinets we like but have to wait for the quote.
Stopped by ands saw my folks and took them some apricot easter parrot tulips and wished them a happy easter.

-April 2, 2010: 9:15 am. Slow start today. Just now getting up to get ready to go work on the townhome. Spring fever rules!!!.............more later..........
12:15 PM; Well, I got the yard mowed, some more flooring cut out at the townhome and more ductwork sealed and insulated. It's time for lunch and I hear Spring calling, so I am going home!
Stopped by the townhouse around 4:30 and it was registering 120 degrees in the attic!!! I'm glad I ordered that portable A/C unit last night.....should be here in a few days....whew!!....

-April 1, 2010: 9:00 am; Happy April Fools Day!!!!
What a beautiful spring day! Got the duct work insulated today and working on changing out some circuit breakers, but not much else getting done today.
4:15 pm; just got home and smell gas. That can't be good.

-March 31, 2010: 8:30 am. Well, the last day of March. My how time flies by. Working on the ductwork in the future steampunk room today. Also waiting for a gentleman to stop by and bring me my latest acquisition from Craig's list. A 1909 set of 9 books by Robert Louis Stevenson. Looking forward to reading those!
11:40 am; OK, last major tool is in the attic shop, my wood turning lathe. Another heavy project, but I made it. Off to lunch now.
1:55 pm; Finished installing the new light box for the greatroom light, installed an RF digital thermometer in the attic with the base downstairs, and am back to the ductwork insulation again. It is 92 degrees in the attic workshop, 63 degrees on the second floor and 70 degrees outside. I am definitely going to need A/C in the attic before the 95 degree summer gets here and the attic reaches 115 or better......

-March 30, 2010: 9:30 am; Windows guys are already at work putting in the last 3 windows and 2 external doors. (One with a built in cat door) The owner recommended this be installed at the factory rather than afterwards.
1:45 pm; last door being installed. Almost over. Man am I sore. I wrestled my 150lb band saw up the attic stairs into shop and set it up. Even disassembled into as many parts as I could make it, the cast iron frame was 100lb. This one almost won, but I got it up there. I must be insane. Well, it's a short trip, that's for sure... :^)

2:30 pm: latest photos of almost completed shop and attic storage space.
4:50 pm Arrived home. Too tired/sore to work anymore today. Just going to 'goof ' off the rest of the night....

-March 29, 2010: 9:25 am; OK, just doing odd little jobs at the townhouse right now while waiting for the window installers to arrive at 9:00...
3:10 pm; 4 windows in and 6 to go, plus 2 doors. I think these may be going slower than they had hoped.
Oh well, I have gotten 2 more ceiling light mounts cut out and installed. Now for the electrical. Also got 12 more pieces of pegboard added into the attic shop, re-routed a vent pipe so that I could use the space it was occupying, Emptied and organized 2 large containers full of tools into the shop, put up 2 more fluorescent light fixtures in the shop and am now patching some large drywall holes where the house intercom system from the 70's used to be before I ripped them out.
4:45 pm; window number 7 is going in right now. That will leave 3 windows and 2 doors. They will do those tomorrow. I did my first coat of drywall mud on my hole patches, installed another shop light (that brings me up to 10, so far, of 3 foot lights. Probably 6 more to go as I shut down my old shop and greenhouse)
So much yet to do.....

-March 28, 2010: Lazy rainy day today. Haven't even left the house today. Oh well, we need those kind of days too, sometimes.
7:00 pm; We justed started the grill to grill some hamburgers and hotdogs and, of course, the storm really opened up. Hope it slows down soon. We really don't need this much more rain.... It's back to work on the townhome tomorrow....sigh...

-March 27, 2010: Well we're off to Newnan to pick-up some pendant lights that Laura found on Craig's list. She has been wanting these specific lights for some time, but they run around $200 each in the store and she wants 3. These will be $50 each and never used. Here is a picture of what they look like. We'll be having lunch at Sprayberry's Barbecue while down there.
What a beautiful sunny day!! 71 degrees...very nice. Trees and bulbs all in bloom.

-March 26, 2010: OK, I'm staying home today and doing our taxes. Usually have those done in January, but this year I am moving slow. I blame the townhome renovation....should be interesting getting 2700 sq/ft of stuff into 1500 sq./ft. Oh well, we need to downsize anyway. Way too much stuff over the years. It should make cleaning easier. And I get to use my organization skills (OCD), which is fun. :^)
Yay....taxes are completed and filed. And the weekend is here!
Finished watching Pitch Black and then went to Las Margaritas for some lovely Latin food. I had a delicious paella. Lots of seafood. Mussels, shrimp, scallops and squid. Also chicken and chorizo. Wonderful! Wish I had something chocolate for dessert..... :-)

-March 25, 2010: Slow moving today. Woke at 3:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep until 6:00. Oh well, 6 hours should be fine. Yeah right....oh well, off to the townehome.....I am not a morning person....
Windows guys called and they will be installing our new low-E windows and 2 external doors. They are rated to get the government 30% rebate. That should be a big energy savings too.
I'l be glad when I can actually get organized here. Trying to find anything in my black bags of electronics is frustrating. I'm used to being able to go to my closet and find something immediately. Cables, wires, remotes, mice, harddrives, computer parts etc. Right now, they're all just jammed in the new closet. Oh well, soon enough.....at least they're labelled. Go OCD!
4:30; OK, I'm quitting for the day. Have a small mountain of construction waste by the curb for morning pick-up and I'm beat. Is it Friday yet?

March 24, 2010: What to work on today. Maybe the laundry room, maybe the steam-punk bedroom. We'll see..
11:44; Think I'll go get lunch. I get crabbed at when I skip breakfast AND lunch... :-)
Mostly working on cleanup of the steampunk room so that I can rip up the flooring to get to the duct work and the electrical. I have to install another light in the great room below.
3:50; Well, I have the steampunk room cleaned out, the nail holes patched and the floor cut open. Now the real work begins....I need a nap.
6:10; Home now and watching Riddick, again..... :^)

-March 23, 2010: Sore, sore, sore.....oh well, up and at 'em.....time to face another rainy day. Supposed to clear up later today.
4:30 pm; Mostly finished the steam-punk bedroom walk-in closet today. Attached are the 'before' picture and the 'after' video. Really tired and sore. Oh well, no worries. It's all good.

-March 22, 2010: OK, Awake at 7:30. That's a little better. Off to work on the townhome..... expecting light snow this morning....weird.... Well, we got 10 minutes of snow and now it's gone. Pretty while it lasted.
Decided to work on the closets today.

OK, almost finished with the steampunk bedroom walk-in closet. Painted walls and ceiling with Kilz to kill any lingering cigarette smoke smell. Then put up bead board and new trim. Tomorrow the shelving goes in and I move on to a new room. Maybe I'll finish decking the attic and putting up pegboard. OCD rules!

-March 21, 2010: Well, it appears we are going for a sleeping record this weekend. 11:00am. Ah well, what are weekends for?...Not sure what's on the agend today. House is clean, laundry done, dishes done, lawn mowed. May just have to take it easy today. Last night I researched insulation vs portable A/C unit to keep my new shop cool. Even in 70 degree weather it has reached over 100 up there. I would need to use spray on insulation, which is fairly expensive. $600-1000. A portable A/C unit is around $450. I am leaning towards the cheaper option. :^)
Well the rain has reached us. Pretty strong rain and some small hail. Glad spring is here. Everything is starting to green up and a few blooms here and there. Well... I guess it's back to work on the townhome tomorrow. Time to run some more electrical for new ceiling fixtures and one new ceiling fan and switch.

-March 20, 2010: Ahhhh...nothing like sleeping late. 10:00am, not quite a new record, but late for me of late. Feels good. Wonder what I should do today. Laura still sounds awful, so probably not doing anything fun this weekend. Maybe I'll go to the townhome and work on the plumbing in the master bath. Need to sweat some pipes into a new location for the skirted tub, since its bronze fittings will be completely exposed. Light the torch! Nothing quite like playing with fire.....oh well, plenty to do, I'm sure I'll think of something to keep me busy....
5:20 pm. Just got back from the townhome. I have attached a small video of my attic workshop for those who are never likely to come see it. Like my folks. Yeah, that's right, I'm just asking for it.... :^)

-March 19, 2010: Another late start today.....
Got some decking and shelving done in the attic, then went and helped a friend of ours move a van load of funiture etc., including a piano. Went home from there. Not my most productive day, but every little bit is a step forward.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. We're expecting spring weather tomorrow and 80% rain on Sunday.

-March 18, 2010: 4:15 pm; Got a late start, so have only put in about 5 hours today on the townhome. Oh well. That's better than nothing. I realize recently that 50 is just around the corner. All things considered, I feel pretty good for 50. All this manual labor is trimming me down and adding muscle. Cuts and bruises too, but that's just because I rush things too much. Need to learn more patience. Oh well, at least I still have another half (maybe 2/3rds) of my life left, so I have time to get around to everything, including patience. Go modern medical science!! Here are the latest pictures of my new shop. Almost done. (yeah right). I still have more tools coming and I want to paint the floor with porch grade paint, but that can all wait until later. I think the workbench turned out nice.

-March 17, 2010:
Stayed home today. Need a break and some time to finish recouping.
Had take-out Cuban food for lunch. Best Cuban in town is just down the street from us.
Oh well, not much to say today. Just glad to still be here. :^)

-March 16, 2010: Well, I'm back at the townhome pulling some cable for extra lighting. Laura is going to see the doctor today because she is coughing up green stuff. Not good.
I'm just taking a few minutes break, so thought I would update my 'Ramblings'.
I posted a link to these on facebook yesterday in hopes that I would get some additional readers, other than Laura and I. Oh well, even if this is just for me, the 'ramblings' help. Glad I have this to stay current. Maybe once I finish the townhome, this can be my place for some artistic license, instead of just updates. Signing off for now.

- March 15, 2010: 8:30 am; Both still feel lousy today, but we are up. Laura is off to work with her cold and bad back. I am still trying to force myself to get going to work on the townhome, even though the "boss" said I could stay home. :-)
I hope all of my faithful readers (if any) are feeling better than we are.
"Carpe diem quam minime credula postero."!!
3:49 pm; OK, made myself get some work done. Here are a few photos of my new attic workshop. It's not yet completed, but this gives some idea of what it will look like. Think I wil call it a day and try to finish recuperating.

- March 14, 2010: Colds are still hanging on but getting better. Doing nothing today except watch tv and dvds.

- March 13, 2010: 11:41 am; Slightly better today, but Laura still seems pretty rough. This may just be a stay around the house and recoup' day. Currently watching Stripes.
Skipped lunch and had an early dinner. We took out Vietnamese. We had Com Dac Biet So and Pho Ga. Great food for when you are sick.....soup is good food. Currently watching Jurassic Park III while Laura is napping. A lazy Saturday.....
9:15 pm; OK, I couldn't just do nothing, so I went and added another coat of varnish to my workbenches, then picked up some needed groceries.

- March 12, 2010: 8:08 pm; Laura and I are still fighting head and chest colds but we are coming along.
Laura worked from home today and I worked at the townhome for about 6 hours, mostly on my attic shop. Put up lighting (so far, 6 sets of double fluorescents) and started setting up all of my tools. Put the first coat of marine grade varnish on my workbenches. Should be done soon with attic but still need to finish flooring out the rest of the attic for our storage area. Finished a second smaller workshop under the stairs on the ground floor as well. So much to do, but I am eating this elephant one bite at a time.... :-) I will post pictures once I am finished with my shop as well as progress shots of the rest of the townhome as I finish out each area.

- March 11, 2010: 9:05 am; Feeling a bit better today (but not great). Laura went to work today so I guess I will go work on the townhome too. At least get a little work done. If we can force ourselves to do something that we don't want to do, we deserve a pat on the back. OK, off to earn my pat on the back.......

- March 10, 2010: Staying home sick again today. Laura and I both have bad chest colds. Didn't wake up until 10:30. Nasty stuff. Plus we are in for a gloomy 3-4 days with almost constant rain. It sucks to be sick.....oh well, at least I am being forced to get some rest this way....wounds seem to be healing fairly rapidly, except the cut across my lower lip. Between that and the 3 day growth of beard and being sick, I look like a zombie....won't be winning any beauty contests right now...
A little stir-crazy right now, but the 'ramblings' give me something to help keep me sane (ish) :^)
Waiting for Thai delivery for lunch....yum!...

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”........

- March 9, 2010: Think I will stay home today. Laura and I both woke up with chest colds.
Working on the townhome helps keep my mind occupied so I probably should go work, but I just don't feel like it today. Probably weakened my system from all of the cuts that my body is having to heal. :^) Oh well, no regrets....
Laura is working from home, so she is making me look bad. (wonder if her boss ever reads my site? Probably not. but just in case, 'Laura is working hard!' )

- March 8, 2010: Built 3 work benches today for my new attic workshop. Trying to take 800 square feet and 25 years of tools accumulation and make them fit into 220 square feet. This would take someone with massive OCD driven organizational skills to make this work. (oh wait, that's me!) Will need to give up the radial arm and the metal cutting band saw, but I think I can make everything else work.

- March 7, 2010: Off to parents house to wish Mom a Happy Birthday and take them to lunch. (I won't say which birthday this is :-)

- March 6, 2010 : The guys picked up the old doors and storm windows (the ones I didn't break) so those are finally gone. Went shopping at a Stickley sale today but didn't buy anything yet. Starting cutting some more lumber for new work benches for my attic workshop. Should end up with about 16 feet of workbench space. Smaller than the current shop, but I can work with it. Not sure if anyone other than Laura even reads these "ramblings", but it helps me document current events and my own progress on the townhome and myself.

- March 5, 2010: Workers showed up today and repaired the termite damaged outer wall. (one less thing I have to fix!) Looks good. Continued working on attic workshop as well as doing some drywall in the kitchen. Tomorrow the guy comes to take away the 'free' old 13 doors. Not sure why he wants them, but more power to him! Thank you Craig's list....

-- March 4, 2010: Just taking it easy today and taking lots of advil and using antimicrobial cream on my cuts. I hear that's better than licking my wounds... :-)
OK, couldn't just sit around, so went to townhome and worked some more on my attic shop.

March 3, 2010: Lowes delivered 12 sheets 3/4" plywood, 12 2x4s and 13 doors/frames. Really sore from bringing those inside. Installed 1 light box worked on attic workshop, removed 12 storm windows and threw myself down a flight of stairs carrying 2 storm windows. Cuts and bruises galore, but no stitches or broken bones. What a fun day! Broken glass is lots of fun......I think I will take a couple of days off to heal

- March 2, 2010: Chopped up all 15 doorways and bagged them up for the Dekalb sanitation to pick up.
Awaiting delivery of 13 doors and 20 sheets of plywood on Wednesday. Started working on my attic shop.

- March 1, 2010: Took down 12 doors at the townhome renovation as well as 15 door ways. Man am I ever sore.