Wow. What A SSDD Sunday!

Mostly. I have been working on my “shack” the past couple of days though. About time. Put in the 2nd counter top yesterday. Today I rewired Our Network and set up the print server and printers. Mounted two monitors on the walls where I want them (for the print server and my radio laptop). You can’t tilt them or anything, but they’ll work fine where they are now. Up off the counters out of the way. I need a lot of counter top for working on computers and “stuff.”

Slowly getting my shack the way I want it. It looks pretty “homemade” right now; and it’s supposed to cause it is. I build for strength, longevity, and convenience. And it doesn’t have to look “store bought” for me to enjoy using it. And I may re-arrange it at anytime. A good shack can be modified as needed for different operating modes.

SWMBO had a friend follow her home for some Emergency Genealogy  research so I wound up cooking dinner. Chied Fricken, baked taters, and steamed broccoli/cauliflower combo stuff. SWMBO made some of the corn bread stuff we got from Thrive. Was good if I do say so myself. All of it. Not just the corn bread.

Not much going on now. Kinda sorta just waiting around for the MCARC 2-meter Sunday Evening Chat Net to start. ARES check-in before hand. Which is good.

Net went really well. Eight check-ins and it actually lasted longer than half an hour! Now I think I’ll finish the movie and hit the rack.

Lots Of Wind Last Night

So much so that I feared for my antenna’s a couple of times. Supposed to be more rain and high winds today; but it hasn’t started yet. Flood watch for Mason County and heavy snow warnings for the mountains. We’ll see…

Cabinet folks showed up about 1000 this morning to finish the cabinets. At least, they say they should be done today. Hope SWMBO is home when the job is done for the final inspection. (She’s off singing in the Choir this morning.)

Got out and took my 6BTV antenna down and added guy-wires to the 2-meter antenna just in case the weather weenies got it right this time. With possible gusts to 50 mph I figured I’d rather be safe than sorry. Nothing to do about the multi-band fan-dipole on the roof; but it’s faired well in worse so I’m not really worried about it.

My nerves are totally freakin’ shot today. Damned renters started their bullshit @ 0300 this morning and kept me awake until almost 0430. I even yelled “What The Fuck Is Wrong With You People?” once. (Scared SWMBO.) They shut up for about 8 minutes after that but started up again. So I need to get off my “I-really-don’t-like-confrontation” ass and deliver those pay or get out papers to them. Wish I could have the Sheriff do it.

Started moving things back into the kitchen and SWMBO even made me dinner (liver and onions!). It’ll be nice to get back to “normal” as far as the kitchen is concerned. Kitchen looks nice now. Should for what it cost to get done!

Looking outside it is getting really windy and wet! Seems no one has lost an antenna yet on the MCARC 2-meter Sunday Evening Chat Net. Everyone says it’s really wet and windy at their QTH though. I just watched my long wire antenna really dip towards the ground and the other one is really waving around! (Hope it doesn’t snap!)

Rain. Breeze. Construction.

That was my Saturday.  Cabinet folks are trying to finish up (but I don’t think they’ll actually finish today. Looking good though!

Straightening up all the pictures I have on my “Skydrive.” (Which will be changing it’s name to “OneDrive” or something like that. Got an e-mail about the change but can’t remember what it said. Link to the right.)

Played around with psk31 earlier. 10-meter band had quite a few signals on it. Switched to voice and am listening on different bands. Danged computer keeps dropping the connection to the radio! I’m going to replace the cable and see if that fixes that problem. (I think it will.)

Way too wet to get outside today. Did my “usual” chores to the extent possible what with the mess from emptying everything out of the kitchen getting in the way. Renter is still gone so I can’t deliver her eviction notice.

And, finally, the cabinet people are gone for the day. Getting stormy outside and the lights have flickered a couple of times. Will probably turn my computer(s) off for tonight. (Something I rarely do.)

Yummy! Pulled-Pork Sandwich.

Ya take your choice of cut of pork. Cut it into chunks. Put it in your small crock pot. Pour a can of Dr. Pepper over it. Turn it on to high for 4 hours. Take the meat out. Pour the juice out. Put the meat back in. Add BBQ sauce to taste. Stir really well. Toast a bun.  Fork meat over bun. Have a great meal! I’d have added “Tater Tots” but the stove is still in the dining room.

Not much else going on. The cabinet folks are still progressing. They made so much noise sanding today I had to retreat to another room. And wear my ear protectors. But they’re making it all work. They’re actually putting on the laminate now. Cool!

Other than that I, personally, haven’t done a damned thing today other than take all the old cabinet doors and drawer-fronts down to the basement. About a half dozen trips for that. Can’t really do much with the mess the house is in until the kitchen is finished. Should be done Saturday. I think…

Got SWMBO home safe so it’s time for my daily get-ready-for-bed routine. Even if I do just lay down and read until I’m ready to go to sleep.

What A Crack Up!

Listening to John & Tina work on the cabinets. Endless debates. Sharp comments. Endless “I Know, Tina!” They do seem to know what they’re doing though.

Putting together a “Three Day Notice To Pay Rent Or Vacate” letter for our tenants. I’ve finally had enough of their non/late payment of rent. We didn’t even have enough money in our account last night to get gas for the rest of the week and we really need the bucks or we wouldn’t rent the place out.

How may people have TWO freeloaders living in the same house? (And, yes, I’m including SWMBO’s Son. Wish I could give him an Eviction Notice.)

Found some money in SWMBO’s room when I went looking for the tenant rental agreement, so we stopped by Safeway on the way home and got a couple more tv dinner’s for the rest of the week. Home safe and about to go lay down and read myself into oblivion.

Yep. Tuesday. I Can Tell.

Well, the cabinet folks showed up bright and early. 0945 or so. They’re still getting set up and figuring out where to start. They’ve already asked me a couple of questions that I’ve had to say “I’ll ask SWMBO” to. I’m letting them use the garage for the next however many days.

Not much else going on. Weather weenies say a storm is moving in and should be raining and really windy by this afternoon. Oh, Joy. Ought to make sure all my antenna’s are secure. And the plastic chairs outside tend to fly around in the wind.

Well, at the end of the first work day on the new cabinets, I see a mess. That’s about it. This is gonna take awhile.

Lot’s of rain and some wind on the way to/from picking SWMBO up at the Ferry Landing. Was kind of nice just relaxing there, reading, and listening to the rain on the roof of the truck. Even the drunks at the bar there stayed inside.

I’m Lost! Doomed! Who-verized!

I’ve watched/listened to the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary show twice now. I liked it! Almost epic.

Of course, I did this while finishing the flooring in the dining room and moving all my tools and stuff back downstairs and generally cleaning up. I’m tired!!! Kind of shaky today for some reason. Probably just tired.

Wound up moving my computer back into my room after the MCARC 2-meter net. My TV started working again and I’m trying to get it to work from the onboard graphics (vga) port. So far it just keeps searching trying to connect. I think there’s a setting in CMOS I’ll check out the next time I reboot. Which should be in about 10 minutes!

And that’s it from Belfair, WA…

Nother Busy Day

Flooring mostly. SWMBO helped me pull the old (damned ugly!) flooring up and even helped put some of the new flooring in. Looking Good! Really, I can’t tell you how much better this new flooring looks over the old flooring. I didn’t realize how sick I was of that gray tile until we started replacing it with this Maple stuff. Yowza!

Can’t find any kielbasa in the freezer so I’m going to make red beans & rice with shrimp for dinner. May mix some veggies in also.

Dinner turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Added corn to the mix and it tasted nice. A bit spicy for SWMBO but she ate it all. Cool!

This is, of course, a before & after view from my office/room into the kitchen. It looks SO much better!

Time for the MCARC 10-meter Chat Net. (Went well. Heard most everyone.)

So, Got Off My Lazy Old Ass

and spliced the antenna wire and got the antenna up (temporarily) on my deck about 12 feet up (from the deck. That’s about 22 feet up from the ground out back). Works great! I can ping repeaters I’ve only been able to monitor before; but can’t connect to a repeater I was able to with the old antenna. Still, it’s kind of like the old Dogfighters; winning 3 or 4 with 1 loss ain’t bad numbers. BTW, that’s a 2-meter/70-cm antenna.

Now I gotta figure out how/if I’m going to mount it on the roof. And since I’m moving my stuff back into my office/room, I’ll have to move it anyway. Maybe this afternoon. Not sure yet. Shouldn’t have any trouble holding the MCARC 2-meter net now!

About half way through wiring the receptacle extension in the new cabinet area (where we’re going to put the microwave & toaster. I just don’t know how to explain it). Should have that done in the next half hour or so. Then I get to start to “pretty” it up.

That’s done. Managed to secure the wallboard I’ve installed a bit better. Got my room straightened up enough to put my computer desk back in; if I’ve a mind. Did move the bookshelf I built back into my room. That took an hour!

Fish sandwich & Bakes for dinner. Tasty!

The only kind of downer today was: I am probably one only person in the world klutzy enough to cut my thumb taking the safety cap off the disposable razor. Yep, I did it this morning. What a dipshit!

Damn! I’m getting to be a real Doctor Who fan. (At least of the last two incarnations.)

Pretty “Normal” Day Around Here

Even with SWMBO being home. And it started later (0730) than has been our norm over the past couple of months. (Sill, she’d rather she was still commuting to work!)

Took her to the $5 lunch at DQ before we stopped at ACE Hardware for more drywall and some other things. Needed some wire to move that one receptacle. Some more shelf supports for the new cabinets.

Put most of the drywall up when we got home. Now getting on the “trim” areas. Started putting things back “where they belong” trying to get things straightened up for Thanksgiving in just over a week. Yeah, I know; starting straightening up kind of early, aren’t I? The house is a mess from moving things around and I need to get it all out of the way before our guests come over for dinner.

And that’s about it for what’s going on around here. Supposed to be really cold tonight cause we have no cloud cover (for once). And it’s Winter! I really believe we’re going to get slammed with a lot of snow this year.

Hey! I’m going to be here for the MCARC 2-meter  Net tonight. Cool! (Mostly.)

Holy Crap I’m Tired (& Sore)!

Just installing the flooring gin my office and finishing up the spots that need finishing. Up & Down. Up & Down. My knees are sore from being on them a lot. Damn, I’m getting old! Repeat: Damn, I’m getting old!

Lots of wind and rain slowly intensifying today. Looks like the only walking I’ll get done today is on the treadmill. IF I WASN’T SO DAMNED SORE FROM PUTTING FLOORING IN!! SWMBO will be lucky if I pick her up tonight. (Not really!)

OK, it’s time to quit for the day. Messed up a rather simple measurement and cut, and, since I’m where most of the boards will have to measured and cut (around corners and such), it’s time to call if off for the day. I’m smart that way.

Not much else going on. TV Dinner for dinner tonight. Just too tired to actually cook anything. I don’t really like TV Dinners, however, they do hit an empty spot when you just don’t feel like cooking. So Sue Me!

Time to go pick SWMBO up.

Almost A Lazy Sunday.

Had trouble getting to sleep last night so I’m not in my best mood, or form, today. Feel a headache coming on. Crap! Tried to GERD last night. That sucks!

Did get off my duff and finish the flooring in the kitchen. Looks nice. Fridge and trash compactor are back in place.

Dinner’s cooking (Spaghetti & Meat Sauce). 2001: A Space Odyssey for background noise.

My neighbor, Walt, came over for awhile for us to look online at laptops. He wants the best laptop he can get for $1000. Should be able to find one for under that price that will do him just fine. He is WAY not a power user.

Damned Headache! Really putting me in a rotten mood. So bad I don’t even want to hang around myself!

Gonna Be A Busy Saturday!

SWMBO is going to take the truck to the Genealogy Library today and stop by Home Depot on the way home and pick up 10 more boxes of flooring. That means I have to get off my lazy old ass and move everything out of “my” room, pull up the rest of the old flooring and get it prepped for the new flooring. Today. Where am I going to put all the crap still in my room? (Our house is a mess.)

And the fan in my computer has started making a noise that’s not normal. Hope it’s not the power supply! Fan would be easier, and much less costly, than replacing the power supply. Guess I’ll have to open it up and see. (I’m already on the 3rd power supply for this thing!)

Ok. Old tile is out, floor swept and just waiting for new tile to put in. Gotta get a couple of sheets of wallboard in before putting the new flooring in. Will have to do that when SWMBO gets home…

SWMBO is bringing home the Safeway Chinese Dinner thingie so at least I don’t have to cook. That’s good today.

Ok. Dinner’s done. Just spent an hour standing in the kitchen talking about the kitchen and stuff. Making plans. Bouncing ideas off each other. (Smooching!) Planned Monday out and we’ll go from there.

It’s Another Frantic Friday!

Steven from Home Depot came this morning and did his drawings and measuring for the resurfacing of the kitchen cabinets. Only a few questions for me; that I answered with “Well, that’s what she wants…” Plain doors/drawer fronts in Maple (I think).

Now I’m moving my saws up from the basement to the garage so I don’t have to run down and up stairs every time I want to cut a board. Since I’m going to be using half of the garage I guess I ought to park outside until the job is done. Ah well.

Well, that was interesting. And tiring. Which seems to be the norm for me lately; feeling more tired out after exerting myself. Sometimes short of breath. I really did smoke way too long! And I really don’t “exercise” enough even though it seems I’m always busy around the house or going for walks. Probably don’t exert myself enough. And we won’t even talk about my being overweight! (I SAID we won’t talk about it!!)

Both saws are set up in the garage on a stable temporary table and ready to rumble.

Several Hours & Almost 5 Boxes of Flooring Later! I’m Tired!

Kinda Busy Thursday.

Forgot to tell y’all that SWMBO and I came within a couple of inches of taking out a LARGE Deer on the way home last night. Had to swerve into the oncoming lane. Luckily there wasn’t oncoming traffic that close! We hoped that those heading towards us, and those following, saw what I did and slowed down and the Deer got across the road safely.

Kind of a busy day. Left the house about 0930 for Blockbuster and their “going out of business” sale. Bought a Blu-Ray “Resident Evil: Afterlife” ($8) and a couple of cheesy shakers thingies for popcorn. Been watching the “Resident Evil” series while waiting for SWMBO at the Ferry Landing.

Went and paid our electricity bill and set it up where they’ll automatically deduct what’s due from our account. We gotta pay it so it might as well be paid easily.

Went to the Vape shop in Bremerton and talked with the girl for awhile about a better Vape system. Actually, a better yet inexpensive Vape system. I’m tired of the atomizers I ‘m buying lasting anywhere from an hour to a week. Some consistency would be nice! So I wound up buying another type of tank with a different “atty” system. We’ll see.

Then it was off to Home Depot in Silverdale for 5 boxes of flooring. I did the perfect example of “man-shopping” there! Went in, loaded the boxes on a cart, checked out, loaded the truck, went home. That’s Man-Shopping! Hampton Bay Brilliant Maple Laminate Flooring. $1.39 sq. foot. I need too many square feet!

Spent the rest of the afternoon spreading the new flooring around trying to figure out how I want to proceed on laying the flooring. I don’t know. I have the feeling I should just do all three rooms at the same time. Would be a lot easier. Think I’ll wait on SWMBO and get her thoughts…

Supposed to be a storm moving in tomorrow.

Thoughts On Computers.

My neighbor just called me and asked me if he should buy a desktop or laptop computer. Well, Hell. “What you want to do with it?” was my first question. You see, he’s slightly computer illiterate. Naw, can’t really say that; he’s just plain out computer stupid. (But he tries!)

He wants to “check stuff out” on the Internet.

Dude! A Nexus 10 (or even a Nexus 7) would be just the thing to “check out” things on the Internet at about half the price of a decent laptop. More portable also. Maybe easier for him to use.

But then he says he wants a printer also to print “stuff” and pictures of his recently departed friend/dog, Sasha. Dude! Load those pics on a flash drive and take them to Wal-Mart for prints. That would be better than any print you can make on a printer you can afford. Probably cheaper in the long run.

So we talked for awhile about desktop vs laptop vs pad. He’ll probably go with a laptop (which is good) and a network/wireless printer. Of course, he’ll print his pictures and they won’t look “right” and wind up getting prints made anyway.

But, we’ll see.

Anywho, got the 3 new cabinets mounted (though I need to redo one of the screws) so tomorrow I should go to Home Depot and get 10 boxes of flooring to start that. Getting to where I just want the job done so I can start on something else. It’s a vicious circle, it is!

Install Cabinets Tuesday!

Oh, Joy! Had to make a run to ACE for a countersink. Cost almost $8 and the damned thing broke drilling the 2nd hole! I really wasn’t applying much pressure either. Be hard to prove for a refund though. Well, the countersink part still works so I’ll have to drill a hole with one of my other drill bits then countersink it.

It’s kinda hard matching up the whole edges of the cabinets.

And that’s pretty much what I did today. Did get the once cabinet (that’s going to hold the microwave & toaster) cut and put in place. Put the wall back in and nailed it down.

Oh, had to make another run to ACE for a 2ft x 1.5” x 7/16” board that I forgot to get the first time. So I decided to try the $5 lunch at DQ. Chili Dog, Fries, Soda, and sundae. Not bad.

And that’s about it. SWMBO is home safe and eating her dinner. I’m finishing up a few things before going to lay down and read a bit.

I Have Two Pleasures Every Day!

At my advanced (and continually advancing) age, waking up in the morning. And waking up next to that Sweet Young Thing I married almost 26 years ago! How does one man get so lucky?!

About to take the toolbox out of the back of the truck and go to Home Depot in Silverdale for those cabinets. Luckily it isn’t supposed to rain today.

Okay, This is how it looked just after getting back from Home Depot: ($900 later!)

This is about an hour later: (That ceramic tile did NOT want to come off!)

New Cabinets roughed in:

And looking at all that cabinet in place, I’m not sure if I like it or not. I will really need the floating island just for the counter space. Damn! WHY do things not look the same in reality as they do in my mind? There is just enough room between the right-most cabinet and the fridge to put the trash compactor, but I’m going to have to build a special cabinet for it. Then there will be just enough counter space to pour milk on your cereal. It is going to be tight though.

I’m tired and not doing any more today. Those things are heavy!

And it’s ONLY 1400 hrs.