Adventures and changes…

In the past thirty days:

Reduced principal on mortgage 6%;

Refinanced mortgage with 30% reduction in P&I;

Applied for admission Spring 2010 University of Oklahoma;

Received promotion to Department Supervisor;

Part-time to full-time with increase in wages (two digits %).

I travel down the various rabbit trails which wind through the web. I read blogs and come away with the feeling that too much energy is applied to contrived, affected, self-important and self-absorbed postioning of opinions and thoughts (and I’m not talking about the tin foil hat wingnuts and haters).

So, when I mentioned becoming more transparent in a previous post it does not mean I will “bear all” in this blog. That will never happen.

It means dealing with the discomfort of change in habits and routine=challenges and growth.

There.

Thanks for checking in.

Mars out.

“It’s just The Smiths”…

Saying this is the easiest way for me to move on, kind of like “lost in translation”.

How soon is now? just played on XM.

Two examples from last week:

I was at a friend’s house working on something and Sponge Bob Squarepants was on the TV. She asked if I thought Sponge Bob was funny. I smiled immediately and said yes, very funny. She said she didn’t know why. That yellow dork makes me laugh but she didn’t get it. Well, okay, I thought to myself with a chuckle “it’s just The Smiths”.

An acquaintance was telling me a story of woe. His paycheck was garnished 25% and this would continue for six months. “It’s not my fault, they should have… blah, blah, blah.” I loved the irony of a story of being financially irresponsible and the hours-old large tattoo prominently visible on his forearm. I figured at least $150 but didn’t ask. Add cigarette smoking, alcohol, cell phone charges and other indulgent habits which come up in his conversations and my only response is to say “Well, you’ll think of something” and think “it’s just The Smiths”.

I do not have a finger on the pulse of Emo/Goth whatever The Smiths are. I don’t understand Morrissey but that’s okay. I know when I hear a snappy acoustic guitar strumming in a Major key I’m going to hear a whine in minor. It makes me laugh.

It’s just  The Smiths.

Mars out.

Gene pool…

I’m not an entomologist so I’m not sure if there is a species of insect which feeds on car paint.

I was walking near the Jimmy when I saw something fly away from the rear door and then saw these eggs. The area covered is about one half inch square.

Maybe the larvae fly away as adults when hatched. Hmmm. Probably not.

Maybe the insect world does not need a continuation of the family line where vegetation and car paint are the same.

Who knows,

Mars out.

That was stupid…

I think this is the first thought most carpenters have when they experience some kind of bodily injury. That’s what I was thinking as I tried to balance my framing nailer on a cedar gate frame while positioning my square inside the gate frame so I could nail off a corner joint.

Normally, I would let the gun fall. It’s the same logic as trying to catch a falling knife. It’s not a good idea. It’s better just to move out of the way. My nail gun has a safety (intact, always) so it would have just made some noise clattering on the deck.

It was six inches from my hand so I grabbed it. It had fallen just even with my nail bag when I had my hand around the handle and my index finger in the trigger hole. That’s when the safety hit the claw of my 20 oz. Estwing hammer hanging on the inside loop of my nail bag. I didn’t know this.

At this moment I had the gun in my hand but it was still moving towards the ground. I tightened my grip and my index finger pulled the trigger. I heard the discharge of the compressed air and felt the nail at my knee.

At this moment I said “That was stupid”.

I looked down and I didn’t feel anything and thought this was due to my body blocking the pain of a 3 inch nail shattering my kneecap, tearing whatever was in the way and creating the event which would change my life from here on out.

I put the nail gun down with my right hand, laid the square down with my left and leaned the gate frame against the wall. I looked again and this is what I saw:

3" nail in jeans at right knee, went through like a brooch pin and didn't touch skin

3" nail in jeans at right knee, went through like a brooch pin and didn't touch skin, with flash

like the train wreck one more look - 3" nail in jeans at right knee, went through like a brooch pin and didn't touch skin

The jeans are frayed because I left the nail where it was and worked 5 more hours. It was a tool for a meditation on personal safety, mindfulness and the opportunity to change my work practices. I was careless, lucky (not in a superstitious way) and I don’t believe a God/god/angel intervened.

I’ll post a pic of the gate (for a client) when it’s done – probably tomorrow. I built two gates – the cedar faced one is the one I was working on when the nail gun fell and the stair gate I built after. The first coat of stain is on (not in image below) and I moved inside on other tasks.

421 deck gates

Have a nice day.

Mars out.

more concrete demo…

rev20090908  sketch up image

On the little house this entry was driving me nuts.

concrete stoop - not large enough, not plumb, level nor square. Gone.

To open the storm door you must step down from the top step then step back up to lock/unlock entry door. This is insane and very common. Given I am moving a ton of debris out and materials in I had reached the point – time to do something.

I hoped this was poured with rock or sand base and formed only 4-6 inches thick. Wrong. Solid.

after removing 1st step drill a few test holes - only concrete

I’m cheap. I enjoy a day of labor. Maybe two or three. I didn’t want to rent an electric jack hammer so I busted up the whole chunk with an 8 pound sledge. I didn’t want to burn up my little hammer drill zippering the chunk with holes. It took three days including the day for the epoxy to set on the new fiberglass handle. I lost 9 pounds (still gone) and I was sore. Whether it is forming, pouring, finishing or demolition I have much respect for concrete crews. It is hard work. It also reminded me of an Indian Caste. They spend their entire lives making gravel from large rocks all day long with hammers and chunks of steel. Sure, there are mechanical crushers over there but they also have people who sit on their haunches and crack rocks all day. I know how it’s done.

watershed moment - I could budge the chunk with the wrecking bar

about 1/3 of the mass of rubble

I’m designing a 6×7 porch in Google SketchUp. Large enough to open the door and have two chairs. This porch begins along with work for a client here in Norman. More pics coming.

first draft in Sketch Up. Starting over with better component details and learning how to use software

Mars out.