Building: Before & After

10.26.2008

I mentioned last week (or maybe the week before) that I was getting a storage building as part of Home Renovation 2K8. Well, I now have a 10x16 storage building in the backyard!

The odd thing is, I haven't put anything in it. It still needs a couple of things. Both Mike (the contractor) and myself were shocked that the slope of the back yard is as steep as it appears once you level out a building. as such, he's going to put something to fill the gaping hole between building bottom and the ground. Additionally, it needs some steps. After that I'll start loading that bad boy up.

The rest of my contractor-provided maintenance is wrapping up. The storm door should that had to be ordered should get here in the next week. The storage building needs a little coat of paint to closer match the house (my house is less blue than Mike thought when he picked up the storage building). I've been keeping Lowes and Home Depot in business the past couple of weeks with little do-it-myself projects, but I don't count those as biggies since I'm able to do them myself. Mayeb I'll throw in some updates as those get done, too?

Now I've got to get back to the fun chore of cleaning bathrooms. Sometimes there's are drawbacks to my fun-loving single lifestyle; I lack people upon which to pawn off chores while being too cheap to hire a cleaning service. At least I'm building character by doing my own cleaning.

As many years as I was told that, I'm still not sure if I'm buying it.

Permalink renovation/remodelling

Shum-on, Whooooo!

10.17.2008

I'm way to old to be learning how to Moonwalk, but I think I could learn how to do the sound effects that go along with it.

Permalink random

Getting Crap Done

10.15.2008

Over the past couple of months I've been trying to do a better job of getting seemingly random things done. Being the resident single guy, I can't pawn off chores on others and I'm (luckily) too anal to forgo laundry and dishwashing completely so the basic chores get done on a week-to-week basis. Although my home improvements started 3 months ago, progress is being made and the end of it all is getting closer. Everything would already be done if :

1. I was pushier and yelled at the contractor I hired to get things done faster.
2. I knew what all I wanted done 3 months ago instead of calling up the aforementioned contractor and saying "Hey, what if we ...". That's why I have a prefab storage building being plopped down this coming Friday.
3. I was in a hurry to get it finished. Fortunately I only write checks as things are finished.

I don't really count the home improvements as chores or things for me to do since I've got people (Mike, the contractor) to take care of the actual work. No, it's the day-to-day hobbies, tasks, and goals that I've been putting off. Some of them I've been putting off for years.

Whenever visiting Stately Ford Manor, I'm always amazed at the 2 calendar whiteboards in the Stately Ford Manor Kitchen. Color coded (I think by child), well organized, things plotted out up to 2 days in advance. It's a model of organization, and in a household of 6 (I'm sure the College Ford is still on there somewhere) it's probably needed. With Stately Ford Whiteboard as my inspiration, I tried to map out my month on a calendar whiteboard magnetically adhered to the side of my refrigerator, but I kept skipping tasks for days all too frequently.

Last month I decided to renew my vigor. As an impetus for this, I procured a newer, bigger calendar whiteboard to adhere to the side of the refrigerator! I jotted down weekly/regular tasks: Date nite with Gina, Wrestling nite with Evil Matt, Visits to see Mom. Realistically I wouldn't feel like doing much on those days. In addition, weekends are usually up in the air in regards to free time, much less where I'll end up spending chunks of time (Gina's and Mom's come to mind), so I didn't think it prudent to schedule things for the weekend. Besides, I've got to do the menial tasks like laundry sometime.

Now that I had jotted my known tasks on the calendar, I saw that I only really had Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday free. I started to think of the things I've been trying to get done over the past (I hate to admit it) year:

• Fix the disaster of my inaugural painting experience. This room had turned into my catch-all/junk room for the past 2, if not 3, years. I needed to clean it out (and get Mike the Contractor to haul the crap off). I need to fix all the things I screwed up when I painted the room the first time. You can laugh at me, but they include:
  • sand down the spots where I globbed on paint
  • repaint the ceiling where I managed to smear red paint
  • baseboards... how'd they get red paint on them?
  • window blinds... didn't the baseboards get all that extra paint?
  • old sheets do not make for a good drop cloth. Paint goes right through to the carpet.

  Can you tell why I've been putting it off for so long? I've got an idea for what to do with the room, and step 1 of cleaning it out is done. Now I have to realistically schedule time to start sanding and priming.

• Become a game programmer. It's been over 3 years since I purchased the Torque game engine. Since then I've gotten to know a group of guys who can not only make models for games (my readily admitted weakness), but they're good at it. Over the past couple of months we've been talking through some ideas and I think have come upon a way to make a/some games. Again, being realistic, this will take some time and I need to schedule things out.
• Still work 2 jobs. Granted, it's not really something to schedule, but I have to admit that there are days when I come home after work and don't want to do much of anything, much less pick up the laptop and start working on job #2.

With all of that, the important thing for me to realize is to be realistic when planning things. Although I used to be able to sit down at the computer at home and write code for 8 hours, I can't do that anymore. Some weird form of old timers ADD kicks in and I've got to get up and do something else after a while. If I'm going to clean, I know I'll do it in phases and take a little break after cleaning the kitchen before moving on to the bathroom.

Over the past month, when I started using the new bigger whiteboard, I've done a better job of realistically scheduling things. On the way out the door in the morning, I look at what I've got written down as the tasks for the day and mentally prepare myself to get it done. After 4+ weeks, I've only missed 1 days target so far - I had one of those "come home from work and want to be lazy and watch 4 episodes of Smallville" days. I consider that a success, so I'll keep sticking to it.

Permalink random renovation/remodelling

Happy 40th Dr Blondie!

10.13.2008

Today Dr Blondie is the first of my friends to hit the 40 year old mark. I don't see this as a negative, as many people might (especially since I've still got another 5 months before I hit 40), but it is a milestone nonetheless. Last I heard, Dr Blondie was going to venture into the far north of Montreal to celebrate. I hope she made it, those French Canadians are a fearsome bunch.

I generally get a post card form Dr Blondie as she gallivants around the world. In the past month I've gotten cards from Italy and San Diego. With the help of my post cards, I can track her global movements over the past few years - I've got one from London sent in 2000. Mayhap a card will appear from Montreal which I can add to the collection?

As an unrelated bonus, I found part of the following pic on one of those sites I look at on occasion that I probably shouldn't share:

After looking at the picture hard enough, I learned that Koss introduced the first stereo headphones in 1958. I did not know that before today. And knowing is half the battle.

Permalink random

You're Goin' Down, Brother

10.04.2008

Hulk Hogan Celebrity Wrestling. I.... don't know what to say. Perhaps we should check Hell for snowballs? Are Horsemen of the Apocalypse galloping about?

It's going to be bad. It has to be bad.

But I hope Matt DVRs it so we can watch a whole season in an hour or so. I've gotten hooked watching Danny Bonaduce and Dustin Diamond when they pop up in reality shows, so pitting them against each other is something I've got to watch once.

I just hope I survive.

Permalink wrestling