Water Everywhere But Here

Back at the Garage-House

The boss is doing well. He has a new job, a repair and greening of a small ranch for a few weeks. He's doing it to help someone out, as he does have a steady supply of work ahead of him anyway. It's not in good shape. The owner let it go, so the siding is questionable, the windows are in sad shape, and especially around the deck, the water damage was pretty bad. We were looking at places where the mud-sills were absent without leave.

The first phase is probably stabilization, leaks, rot repair, and just getting rid of the daylight. That deck has to go or something. My crappy deck is a masterpiece of structural engineering compared to that deck. Two by sixes for the joists. It was a bit springy.

The Garage House is mostly done. Siding and brick veneer is all that's left. The space came out nice, high board ceiling, bamboo flooring, and it's tighter then the rest of the house. Quite a bit of light too, considering the only place for the windows was in the old garage door opening.

Rain, rain, what rain?

Lake Jordan was pretty low. Some of the old underwater slopes have been dry for so long, there's grass there now. The modern version of the old rain dance. ..... is to wash the hundred most expensive cars in Raleigh, complete with buffing, waxing, whole nine yards. Another is for everyone to leave their sunroofs open a little bit overnight. If that doesn't get the rain gods going, I don't know what will.

Computer Blues

The old beast is still plugging along. I found a motherboard, socket A, for it. It's a bit pricey for being old technology, and it's a no-name. Also, the other parts are getting long in the tooth too. I'll just keep it going until the time comes that it won't start anymore, and then just gut it and put in new innards. I'll get a standalone copy of XP too, since more and more stuff refuses to work with my W2000pro.

The Biz

First day of the new business in operation. Just a walk through for a punch list. My ducks are all in a row. Business license, insurance, business plan and last but not least, business cards. The truly successful work over the table, not under. Still need a website and an appointment book that is not an old steno pad.

Somewhat later.....

It is raining, or drizzling, to be more accurate. The inside of the chimney chase is as dry as a bone. See how it goes for the rest of the day. A good pouring rain will be the final test before final repairs. I'm still pretty pleased at the dryness so far.

I'm running out for a new set of chisels. My old ones can still do the job but for fixing someone else's doors, kinda like a fresh new edge. Went through my documents today and shredded a good chunk of useless history. Not to worry, still got all the legal stuff.

Third Time's the Charm......

Third evaluation coming up at the new "job". Those of us that made the cut in the second evaluation were like me, older, still in shape. The younger ones were sent away to try again, . . . . a year later. The place is going to do well, going to ship a lot of heavy machinery thanks to the softer dollar. Start at O-Dark on Friday for the third evaluation. Looking forward to steady work and income. Also really nice not to do the quarterly thing anymore. That's a bite if not planned for. If I'm in, going to stay there for quite awhile. Real estate market won't be back until summer of 2009, if then.

Green boss was unhappy that the younger workers just don't have it. Some of em' do. The smart ones stay in school. See a lot of young polished office staff and managers these days. There used to be quite a few that wanted to do houses but they take one look at the housing market and the surfeit of illegals in the biz, and say, "Forget it!".

Got to move my medicine cabinet around in the front bath. It's a bit too high as I tried to give plenty of clearance to the faucet. Going to hide the holes with trim. Painting primer on my remaining replacement siding for today.

Later.....

Didn't paint board one. The front bath is hereby declared finished though. No more touch ups, no more tweaking, and no more hardware. Also a few weeks off until I clear out the back bath. That has been given back to the cat for the time being.
Art is needful in bathrooms. Something to look at while meditating, so to speak. The medicine cabinet is a bit small mirror-wise but it beats rummaging through the vanity drawers for floss. A little off center to the light. The light stays where it is though, to move it would require official sanction.

Latest most pessimistic word on real estate, is that it won't be back at par until 2011.

Water Water Everywhere, but Where?

My water bill was waaay up there. 3280 gallons of water? Last month it was high too. I'm thinking it was the back bath toilet before it was repaired. Oh well, since the old overflow pipe is the last original part in the thing, it's been shut off until the back bath gets repaired and refreshened. Navy showers and flushing only when needed now. See if I can get it under a thousand gallons for the month. For every gallon under a thousand, I'm going to award myself a cent toward frivolity.

Back at the Garage House, helping out the boss. He's gotten the Carolina Cold, a nasty regional cold. I had one two years ago, sneezed so hard I'd get nose bleeds. Sprayed insulation. Nasty stuff....air one can see. The place needs doors and trim and finished floor, then done.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, road trip. Then Tuesday is an evaluation day at my prospective new employer to see if they like me. The job is going to be 80 miles round trip but if it's the only game in town.....I'll do it.

Strange offer from a health insurance agency, googled them and looked at their website as requested.Nothing in relation to my resume and the only openings were sales. There were no openings for claims personnel, customer service representatives, mailroom, adjusters, underwriters, and other functions that any insurance company has. Decided to pass. Another one from someone looking for car salesmen. We call these guys, resume scrapers. Basically, they scrape public resumes off of sites like Monster and Careerbuilder and make questionable job offers.

I spent how much?

Why so long?

It's been awhile. Just too busy to write. My last day at the Garage House was Friday. I'm still self-employed, but no longer a sub. Boss got a good worker in A anyway and he was trained as green builder, so all good. It's in the plastering stage, electrical mostly done. It's going to be a nice space, high board ceiling reminiscent of the old country stores, nice view out the windows, and last but not least, solar hot water. It's also going to be well insulated and an almost zero net load on the HVAC

Job Hunting and the Question

Job hunting goes well. A temp agency pinged me with an offer. I also passed it on as requested. Seeing a lot of self-employed though, wondering if that's the way to go. The jobs aren't too great as it is, so that might be why there are so many on their own.

The two not-so-cheap baths

I found a matching vanity to my half bath's on clearance but it looked like it got hit by a truck, so what I got is still white, but has three drawers instead of two and cost me 208 bucks as opposed to 168, less the tax. Still, cheap enough as it is. Lowes also sold me a relatively inexpensive white cast marble top, side strip, and enough trim to install behind the toilet location. The front bath is the current focus.

Last night the sheet vinyl was cut to size and fitted. Not bad for a first go. The bare spot behind the pipes is going to be under the vanity.
Then came time to glue it down. A little too much glue. After all was said and done, it took some time to get the excess out. The hammer is for those pesky staples that I didn't smack flat the first time.
I dragged the vanity upstairs and stuck it in the front bath. The first picture shows the vent being laid out on the toe kick, the second, cutting it out, and so on.



More work to be done in shifting the cold water line so it doesn't interfere with the drawers, silicone caulk for the faucet and sink drain, and getting as much done before tomorrow.

Much later in the afternoon.....

I got as far as getting the vanity in, top glued down, and installing the faucet. Nothing is hooked up yet. I also painted the baseboard. The baseboard will be built up out of some very nice clear 1" by 4" Yellow Pine (species Longleaf), an inch high base-cap and a narrow shoe.


Nothing like getting the first fixture in a room to boost morale. It's always in the "Are we there yet?" phase until that happens. Then it's, "Almost there.". A bit of a gap on the wall side of the top. What can one say if the place isn't plumb? Caulk will fix that. I got some cheap stuff but want to use the good stuff by General Electric instead. The drawers are staying out until everything is working.

This is my favorite bathroom faucet. Porcelain handles have a nice feel to them and having a separate control for hot and cold makes it easier to set a water temperature. What is also nice is the clearance under the spout. It also swivels from side to side to make filling large awkward containers easier.

Time to chill and clean up and get some food for the mind. See ya later, Gator.

Drought

It's been ridiculously hot. Still we got the sheet-rock up at the garage house. Drought going on here too. I drive across Lake Jordan and there are ever more lake bed showing.

My front bath is mostly painted, just touch-ups. Something called "Silver Spoon".

Death in family out west, trying to find out. See what happens. Might mean flying the unfriendly skies....

Ugh, Sheetrock

Boss managed to build more efficient house then anybody. Big media event tomorrow. This would be the "Green" house. It's 60 percent efficient...regular Energy Star only has to be 15 percent. Hopefully this will catch on. If nothing else, it's nice that people will know they can get a better house.

I'm very beat and tired....just don't want to do this full tilt anymore. Ah well, one more cuppa joe and into the showers. A and I are getting an early start today to take care of the heat. Doors came yesterday. More birch veneer. Warned A about their fragility....one nasty look and they scratch.

105 bucks for my energy bill. Would be more if my incandescents and halogens were still around. The culprit is some (lots) missing insulation. Wish I had the time to fix but not, so I'm paying for it. Later perhaps. I only run the AC when it hits 85 degrees up here.

Water bill up too, a toilet decided to keep on running but that was taken care of. New valve body and flapper. Note to people who live in chlorinated water systems, sometimes the chlorine tablet does more harm then good. It tends to dissolves important bits like the overflow tube and the float arm.

Tough week so far and less then half way.

Job hunting on hold. Edge of the world has two bars of reception at best and in the middle of the day....none. Toying with idea of spending next week with an insurance agent and the town to knock out the rest of the paperwork, then going up to my other sister and bro-in-law to help them open up a new showroom.

It's Mauve?

Friday was yet another hot day. It melted the glue on the tip of one of A's shoes. It didn't stop us from nailing up most of the finish ceiling. The ceiling is covered with random width stained yellow pine boards. Came out well. Young R has been gluing foam board to the stem walls. My glasses are at the job site, that sucks.

Saturday rolled around and though not a hundred degrees, was within touching distance. Working outside on my townhouse was not a happening thing. There are two cheap bathrooms that need attention though in air conditioning......so first a trip to Lowe's to get yet more goodies. This time I spent just under thirty bucks for underlayment, bag o' paint rollers, and a twenty dollar can of "Ultra Premium Valspar" for three bucks. The paint was three dollars for a reason. Those little dots of paint on the lid can be deceptive. It's mauve, not just any shade of mauve, but mauve on steroids. I'm very tempted for sheer cussedness to use it since it cost three whole dollars.....but it's very strong. Each test spot on the wall was THERE.

My staging area for the front bath under the back bath sink. Various stuff including salvaged toilet parts.


The old toilet from the half bath donated it's relatively new valve body and flapper to the cause. Then became a fifth seat for the Baja.

Nonambition

Nonambition

I wish I could say I have done something of note, but not in the last few days. The Garage-House has more wallboard up. Not ready for it yet, but this time, the HVAC people wanted places to put their return and supply. So, three more pieces on the walls. New guy, A, from the Great Lakes. He sez it's really bad up there economy-wise.

My two cheap baths....nada, zilch. Did nothing.

Job search.....on hold till after the week.

Borrowed Books Reviews

One decent book from the way back when, Way Station by Clifford Simak. Well written, won quite a few awards in 1963. It was republished on his 100th birthday. A refreshing change from the regular "fast food" reading ground out by, well, hacks.

Example of "fast food" reading, State of the Union by Brad Thor. Formalistic thriller and at times, one gets the feeling they are reading a Neiman Marcus catalog. That or authors get paid for product placement. I got about fifty pages and closed it, never to return.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Us

Poly-Ticks

The Presidential Race has to be frustrating from a Republican point of view. A guy gets out in front and then self-destructs. Mitt Romney's transportation of a dog on top of his car was a good one. Couldn't help think of Chevy Chase and American Vacation. Sadly, there are few Wagonqueen Family Truckster extant in the world. One of the few cars that's actually uglier then my Baja. Guilani, the former mayor of New York., he has some baggage. He did do a good job during 9/11 and said all the right things.....but he did once tear down an apartment building and prevented any of the occupants from rescuing their pets, never mind their belongings. I have a large feline myself so no need to explain my feelings on that.

Democrats, it's the Hillary and Obama Channel, nothing but. See the occasional ambitious hopeful throwing caution to the winds, but it's a semi-foregone conclusion. They might as well hang it up.

I'm an independent with Libertarian leanings, so it means nada for us. The closest we ever got was H. Ross Perot who really screwed things up for Bush the Older by bugging out as he did. Though in hindsight, Old George, though excellent in international and business, was a whole lot clueless how we great unwashed were getting by on the streets.

Of course I live in North Carolina. One of our current Senators, is Republican Elizabeth Dole who seems to be as every bit worthless as the former Senator, aspiring Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards. Then there's the state gummint. Ugh. Talk about an "owned" system....it sure ain't the people.

House Banging

The Garage-House is going. The room has been mostly framed and wired. The solar hot water heater is mostly done, just needs the panels. We worked on Loblolly Pine stock yesterday and milled it into trim. If I can, some pics of the grain. It's rather pretty stuff. Nice strong pattern and color contrasts. It kinda interferes with job hunting though, since it is located just on the edge of a cell tower. Some days there is no reception at all. Also been a hundred degrees more often then not. It's really hard to think or work in that heat.

I really don't want to do this anymore, just too old. Back was unhappy with me after we furred up the old ceiling. I had to grab hold of a stud just to stand up after bending over. I heard somewhere that construction has the same physical stress as a professional athlete, more akin to football. No wonder there are few old active hammer-swingers.

The Cheap Bathrooms

Nada, nothing, zilch. I did seal up a few openings but no ambition. Just too tired.

That Investment Thing

My investments are coming back. What I hold is very solid and one of the things they did not do, was to hold subprime mortgage companies. I'm getting back to where I was. Figure par by next mid week. It was an exciting time in the market though. Most people held on though, those that sold were in the minority.

Job Hunting

Second interview last week. See what happens. One thing I don't do is hold my breath. Best to stay active in the search. Rule of thumb of internet job hunting is if no response by the first or second day, forget it. Sometimes HR departments can be less then speedy, so I'll keep what I applied to in a list. The "hot" file is less then a week, the "lukewarm" file is one to two weeks, the "soon to be deleted" file is over two weeks to a month.

Got to go to work. Life sucks. Especially in the sun.

August Doldrums

Equipment casualty lists....one cheap blender, the plastic top got shredded. Plastic only lasts when you don't want it too. One camera dropped, did not bounce well. One camera dead of old age. At least the coffee pot still works. That would be a bad thing.

Front wall up at the Garage-House. Solar energy people wanted a finished room for their tank. Boss was not happy. We are not in that phase yet. Still have quite a bit of furring and caulking and insulation to do. Finished room they got though. I'll do the corner taping.

Interview went well yesterday and another one tomorrow. Who ever gets me first......

No progress on the bathrooms....no time.

Off North

When Friday rolled around, I went north. It's cooler up north. Three days away was nice. My best friend up there had surgery to repair his shoulder. Of course he would catch a staph infection in the hospital, one of the really nasty drug-resistant ones. He's doing well but he will be hooked up to intravenous antibiotics for six weeks. He'll probably watch every video and DVD he has twice. Cabin Fever redux.

Usually I go I-440 to I-64 to I-95 to get out of North Carolina. I went I-85 instead. Prettier road and less traffic. Found an old time gas station with fried food.


Really neat interchange to a toll road south of Richmond. Picture doesn't do it justice but it stands pretty tall and proud, and at one point, has three layers.

If you drive north on I-95 toward Richmond, This city skyline complete with skyscrapers, rises out of the horizon. The road then swoops by an all brick Romanesque train station right at the roof level.
Finally I get to where I was going. Another hazy lazy August afternoon looking toward the old home place.

Free wallpaper. Never say I don't give anything away. Black Walnut, very hardy tree. I planted and moved quite a few onto the front lawn. The only drawback is the green hailstones they grow. Not really desirable near sidewalks and driveways during certain months of the year.

Just more free wallpaper. I must be feeling generous.

The kitchen is getting worked on at the house. Oak floors. My Bro-in-Law is going to order the cabinets soon. Until then, it's like this for livability's sake. Very old kitchen, been there long enough, it has one of these......
Kitchen fireplace and back stairs for when there were servants. Fireplace was redone several times, last in the 1960's, but it always has been meant for cooking.

This grate actually swings out. It also has a pot hook. It was welded together by the local blacksmith who made the grate as well. I sent many a cord of wood up the chimney here, and grilled a few steaks.

I spent yesterday at the Garage-House. We got the interior walls framed. Also was contacted by another recruiter, so I got their online thingie done too. Today we do the exterior wall and frame in the old garage door.

Hot enough for Us? Yep.

A hundred and six today. Boss was working on the Garage House in the morning but only because the solar people were showing up. Yesterday four of us were putting up walls. Boss and I and G are all eligible for AARP membership. Could call it the Geezer Construction Society. Ah well. We are all in good shape as opposed to office people. Average middle-aged cubical dweller would have been dead. We just drank, perspired, and kept going.

Interview went well but think it's gonna be awhile. Leaving tomorrow for Northern Virginia. My best friend is in the hospital. Had a short chat, will see him tomorrow or Saturday. May comeback on Monday if he and his better half need help.

Cheap bathrooms, what did I do? Nada. Nix. Nothing. Ah, I did spend money. New toilet fill valve and flapper, four half inch CPVC caps,two wax rings and last but not least, two shiny new straight valves that can be glued into the CPVC pipes. Forty dollars and forty cents. I hope I have stock in Lowes, they certainly get a good chunk of my income. When I get back from my travels, the plan is to put the new parts in the back bath toilet, replace the half bath toilet with the new 1.6 flusher that's been camping in my dining room, and then demo the front bath. Weather and money permitting.

Well, this lazy sod needs to start charging batteries.

I tried to read The World Without Us. Big disappointment. My apologies to Amazon for being late. They should have lost the book. Gave it to my nearest relative with the hope I never see it again.

The Garage-House

The Garage-House cuz we are converting a garage into a bedroom. Floor platform down and sealed. Brutal hot today, advisory for 102 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. Ozone alert as well. My druthers....forget it, ain't that crazy. But it's gotta be done. Oh well.