Big Storm and Hearing From My Mom

We survived the first big storm of the season, and at least up here, it wasn’t as bad as Irene. The rest of the east coast got hit hard, and it’s pretty incredible to see the amount of damage that was done. We were bracing ourselves for the worst, and got our emergency supplies in order. It was rather serendipitous that we had a blackout a few weeks back that highlighted our shortcomings in our emergency preparedness.

This time around, we made sure we had fresh batteries, candles, and water to flush the toilet. It helps to anticipate the storm ahead of time because you can be that much more prepared. The storm was big enough news that I actually heard from my mom, which was shocking, though in a nice way. She asked how we were doing and all that good stuff, I appreciated the call.

The storm itself was pretty substantial, with strong winds and plenty of rain, but I don’t think we ever lost power, and for the most part, we came out unscathed. I’m grateful for that, though we did lose a tree. Our hammock tree, no less. Now I have to dust off my chainsaw and fire it up, but if that’s the extent of our travails, I’m in no position to complain.

Our hearts go out to the people south of us, and we hope everything works out.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to kakela for the pic.

Whopper of a Day

We had a whopper of a day last week. In addition to making movies, we were to watch our friend’s kids, then off to hockey for all three of us. At hockey, the had a party for N’s team, so we had to make a food item, but it was all good, we pulled it off, and I have to say I’m proud of the kids for working hard. Their diligence is what made it sort of complicated, but I’m all for it if it involves something creative and rewarding.

Now there is a local movie competition coming up for Halloween, and the kid’s book group decided to make a film to submit to the contest. They worked hard on the script and filming, and the final step was to edit it. Since A is the one with the most experience with the software, she was in charge of doing the final cut, using the program Final Cut, no less. This involved a day at the studio.

The kids all met over there to film one final scene, and then they went to work on the computers. A is pretty good with the program, and she worked really hard. As is usually the case with projects like this, complications arise. The group went over the allotted time, and there was more editing that had to be done, but the other kids had places to be. So A agreed to stay on and edit the piece until it was finished. We had nowhere to be anytime soon, so I told her to take her time and went got them some lunch.

It was originally set for 10:00 to 11:00, but we ended up there well past 1:00PM. At some point I had to pick up HH’s kids, so I told A to keep working and drove back to town to get A&I at school. We then headed back to the studio where they watched A finish the edits, which is kind of cool. When it was done, it was well past noon, and we had to be at hockey around three. I was proud of the kids for working so hard and being so dedicated/diligent.

This gave us just enough time to head over to the big city and get some gelato, then back to our house to await the arrival of HH. During this time I made kettle corn for the hockey party. HH showed up around 3:00, we chatted for a few minutes, then we were off and running to hockey. N had the first practice, followed by A. I got her a sandwich for supper because her practice was the same time as N’s pizza party, though I managed to save her some food, so she ended up chowing down on a sandwich, pizza, cookie, and cupcake. I expressed my surprise at her eating so much food, but in her defense, she did have a long hockey practice.

Now all this would have been a crazy day in itself, but after A’s practice was my hockey game. R offered to come get the kids, but they wanted to stay for my game. There was also a parent meeting for A’s team, which I missed, but because of it, several of the kids stayed behind, so the kids could all play together. It worked out beautifully. Plus, there was a bucket of kettle corn leftover, which the girls all devoured. How’s that for a healthy dinner?

After our game, we loaded up the car and headed home to see mom. It was one heck of a day, but you realize how much you can do if you just stop fretting about it and just do it. Words of wisdom for the wise.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to supremature for the pic.

In Demand for Boards

I don’t know what to make of this, but I’m being asked to help out in a number of areas, and though it’s nice to be considered for these jobs, assuming their asking because they either like you or think you’re competent, it’s all a bit overwhelming. Part of me wants to help, but part of me also knows I’ll regret it. Then again, it’s better to regret something you have done than something you haven’t done, right?

I’ve been pretty busy with the hockey stuff between the board and the scheduling, which is a bear of a job. I’d been told that once the season starts, all your work goes out the window, and then when the state tournament starts, it all goes out the window again. I’m experiencing the first part as we speak, because people keep canceling games, leaving me to scramble to fill the holes. It’s a good example of trying to please everyone and then pissing everyone off. Oh well, what else is new in my life?

I’m also doing the PR work for the team, which is fine because it involves writing and connecting with people who work in print. This is easy enough because it doesn’t take a lot of time, and it’s good for the team and program. Plus, the kids love to see their name in the paper.

We had some drama on our library board, as well, because the director is leaving. This is heartbreaking for a number of reasons, the biggest of which is that we really love our director. She’s amazing, and we felt so lucky to have her, but now she’s moving on to greener pastures. We’ll miss her, but it also means we’ll have to find a replacement, and that’s a whole process in and of itself.

Finally, I was asked to be on the board of directors for the local TV station. What is it with all these boards? For the record, this is a job I might be interested in, because it involves media and may at some point mean writing work. Plus, it’s kind of cool working with a TV station, don’t you think? A&N have been doing all sorts of stuff over there, and they have great resources for kids to learn about making movies and TV programs. The time commitment is not horrible, but like everything, it’s not nothing, so we’ll see.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to write up the hockey report for the paper.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Sheraton Hotels and Resorts for the pic.

Finished Painting

It took a couple of days, but I finally managed to finish painting the back side of this house. It feels good to be done with it, especially with winter on the horizon. Not only is the wood protected, but it looks better, as well. If you look hard enough or have an expert eye, you can see a slight difference in tone because the lower half is a year older, but that doesn’t apply to me because like most people, I see what I want to see, and it looks just fine.

I was glad also for the fact that I still had paint/stain left over from the previous attempt at painting the house, enough to finish the job. That meant avoiding the need to purchase more paint, which meant saving money. Always a good thing in my book. Also, having done this the previous couple of years, I’m definitely more comfortable with the drill, meaning setup and cleaning, but also working high up on the ladder. During previous jobs, I was so scared standing on that ladder that I was practically paralyzed with fear. This time around I was much more comfortable, which surely must mean that I’m moving closer to being a real man, right? Then again, when you get too comfortable, you tend to make stupid mistakes.

There are two more sides that haven’t been painted, the gable ends, but they still look fine, and I’ve taken care of the most important sides, the front and the back, which gets the most sun exposure. I think I’m done painting for the season and will retire the painting supplies. One less thing on my plate, and I’m grateful for that.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to m.a.r.c. for the pic.

Tackling the Vestibule

This has become the number one priority in my list of real man jobs, after of course everything else in my life, like being a dad. Just kidding, sort of. Either way, the vestibule has been sitting in limbo for about a year, if not more, and not only is it probably making R crazy, but it’s bugging me that I can’t find the wherewithal to finish it. It doesn’t help being clueless, either, but excuses won’t get you anywhere in life other than the land of disappointment.

I took the first step and sought out the help of a contractor friend who said he could drywall the room, it just needed to finish the floor and the walls, i.e. insulation. I headed over to LaValley’s and picked up a roll, though I realized that I got the wrong stuff, sort of. The standard width of a wall stud is usually 4 inches, using 2X4s, but this house and the barn were done with 2X6 boards. So when I asked for insulation, the guy gave me 3.5 inch insulation, when in fact I needed 5.5 inch, or something like that.

My first impulse was to say I can’t do this, I need to exchange it, but after thinking it over, I realized that was stupid. Of course I could still use it, it wasn’t optimal, but it would work. Plus, there’s 1 inch blue board on the sheathing, so the fiberglass would be fine. Also, we’ve been living with nothing on those walls for a year, so anything is an improvement on the current situation.

So I went for it. It didn’t take long, and was pretty easy. I just cut it to length, which in retrospect I probably didn’t even need to do, and then stapled the stuff in. Voila, we have insulation. I hate to seem over confident, but it was pretty easy. I need to deal with the floor and some trim work, but now that I’m brimming with real-man confidence, I think I can get it done sooner than later. Then again, talk is cheap.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

The Better Lumber Place

I’m not a contractor (I just play one on TV), but I like to do an occasional wood project, and of course I go with what is cheapest and easiest to obtain. In other words, pine all the way. Making a standard shelf or crate with 1X12 pine board is probably the easiest project for the likes of me. Plus, pine can be obtained at any number of places, whereas hard wood is tougher to find and much more expensive.

I figured Home Depot was the place to get wood because they just seem cheaper for a lot of things, but I found that the wood at Britton’s was maybe even a little cheaper. Could that be possible? I called HD for pine boards and they quoted me some outrageous price, and then Britton’s, which was more reasonable. Plus, according to KB, the lumber at Britton’s is superior in quality. Factor in the their convenient location and the cool guys who work there, and it’s a no-brainer. I’m going to Britton’s for my lumber.

This could warrant a more involved price comparison, but for now I’m happy with my decision.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to °Florian for the pic.

Contractor #7

With KB seemingly out of the picture, I spoke with a friend who is also a contractor, and he said he would be interested in taking on the project. That is, of course, until he finds greener pastures and ignores us, as well. He said up front that winter is a tough time for him because he likes to snowboard (great), but at least he said he’d be ready by spring to hit the ground running. Plus, he isn’t going to snowboard every day, I think. If he could work a day or two a week, I’d be satisfied, but we’ll see.

He also is a drywall guy, so he can help with the vestibule, and said as much. He stopped by and had a look, and his rate is reasonable because I think he’s sort of green, which is good and bad. I’m all for green because it usually means he’s not a dictator and his rates are usually lower. On the downside, green means that he doesn’t have as much experience and is thus still learning.

Oh well, you can’t have it all. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Leifskandsen for the pic.