Brain Farts and Other Notions

Short and to the point

2011-12-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

You know that saying "It's better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved"? I think it should be "It's better to have never loved, than to have loved and lost." Which goes with "you never know what you have, until it's gone".

Phase 2 Begins: Insulating

2009-10-14T11:01:00.000-06:00

So we've passed the rough-in framing/mechanical/electrical inspection. He waived the insulation inspection since we put the framing up right up (SMOOSHED) against the existing batting. We're still insulating around the windows and for sound mitigation. Woo Hoo. Amazing how much quieter it already is in there! Check out the photos!

Our Basement Finish Project

Basement Finish: Framing

2009-08-30T12:48:00.012-06:00

So we're almost done with the framing and rough-in electrical. The framing *would* be done, but we are NOT going to close the soffits until the electrical is all whiz-bang good.

About the framing: we have structural subfloors (OSB) so we do not have any load bearing walls in the basement. We also have a steel i-beam down the center (which we used for our "straight line"). We decided to do 16" on center instead of 24" or whatever (since they're all floating walls) mainly due to the fact that A. insulation is by default 14.5" wide, and B. drywall and stuff will be stiffer. We are planning to add sound board as well as insulation in the two framed walls of the "guest room" to suppress washing machine spinning noises. The closet for the bedroom is framed with an access panel so a future plumber who may at some point need to access the pipes for the kitchen sink can get access to them. We haven't framed the radon-mitigation-duct-thing yet, because we're waiting for our handy-dandy Dimplex electric fireplace to arrive to decide if we really want it in the corner, or if we'll build a chase for the radon-thing and stick it in the center wall. (Please observe the fine drawing of the fireplace and lower surround which didn't really help). The electric is all roughed-in (sans fireplace corner/wall - where there are danglies at this point) and the low-voltage is DONE (since I'm still working in the basement) EXCEPT for the dreaded Sub-Panel. So we're trying to find an electricial friend because 220V SCARES me. Even with the main flipped, I still have fear. LOL. Once that's done, we'll call the Code Dude (a.k.a. M. Inspector) and get that first inspection ticked off :-D So here are the rest of the Framing and Rough-In Electrical photos.

Okay, those pictures were all messed up, so here's the link to the picassa web album:

Our Basement Finish Project

Finishing the Basement: Before

2009-08-30T11:56:00.007-06:00

Since a few people have asked, I'm going to post some pictures as we go. We are finishing about HALF our basement with a "family room" - which we're calling "The Playroom", and an office/guest room. Someday (after a surprise lottery win or something), we'll finish the "unfinished" area into a bathroom, laundry room and utility closet. We've gone all proper and got a permit as well (redacted for our basement's privacy).

Well, we have ALWAYS used the WHOLE basement, and so here are the "before" pictures:

Pee Wee Soccer

2009-04-13T15:18:00.002-06:00

Ashley's first soccer game. A fun filled "What are we doing?" event. LOL. It was cold last Saturday, but she had fun!

Hawaii

2008-03-11T10:03:00.005-06:00

Okay... It's been a LOOOOOOONNNNGGGG while since I've posted. But since my last post, on October 02, 2007 to be precise, we extended our family by one. It's our foster daughter and we can't post any pictures of her because of the legalese... We're at the end of the whole "concurrent planning" thing... and we'd like her "permanency" to include us as the parents :-D

On to Hawaii: It was beautiful! It was very relaxing just to be there. The beaches were beautiful, the air nicely humid but not TOO much... (sigh!).

You can look at our whole photo album, if you like :-D We even got to see the volcano!!!

My Niece's Wedding

2007-09-04T11:42:00.000-06:00

Wow. Teri looked sooooo elegant at her wedding. It always amazes me that someone with that much poise and grace is my relative :-). I'm exhausted now...so I'll tell you all about it later. But here's a few photos for now.

The Adventures of Molly

2007-06-13T14:10:00.000-06:00

Our little 2 year old cat (all 6 pounds of her), got a lump a few weeks after her annual vaccinations. It looked like it could have been a sarcoma so the Dr White at Harmony Hospital for Pets took it out. She had an ENORMOUS suture line.

She got fed up with being kept in the house, so we let her frolick in the garage if she had on her lovely t-shirt.

Luckily for her, the histology report came back negative. Whew! It's all submitted to the insurance company - and we figure if they pay 80% of the $400, we'll still be under what we've been paid in premiums over the past 2 years.

The best news is she's back to her old self, with just a patch of shorter hair :-) You can hardly tell she has a scar anymore. By Spring, I'm pretty sure you will never see any sign of it :-)

Rocketman

2007-04-29T06:55:00.000-06:00

I *finally* did it! I finally got to shoot off a rocket! Mikey got me a basic Estes Rocket set for my birthday because I had mentioned I had *always* wanted to build and shoot one, and I had never been allowed as a kid (it was a "boy" activity - no girls allowed). We had to wait 4 months until we had Shootin' Weather :-D What can I say? It was AWESOME! I was definitely not let down... If we had more engines/fuses/etc... we would have shot off more! No videos, we got too excited to take the pathetic little 30 second soundless videos our camera takes... The first rocket (the big, more "snap-together" one) went off without a hitch, not exactly straight, but fairly straight up and the parachute deployed perfectly. It even landed on the edge of the parking lot: I was impressed... Now for the little rocket we named "Doogal" (Google the BBCs "Father Ted"): It was soooo cool! It went straight up 1400 feet (or whatever) until it disappeared - really really straight. There was a puff of white smoke, and it came straight back down like a bullet... Parachute Deployment Failure! It "landed" maybe 20 feet from the launch pad, driving the nose about 2 inches into the hard packed parking lot. The problem? Too much wadding! All in all, I'd DEFINITELY do this again. It was so cool!

Spring is Sprunging!

2007-03-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Wow! I do believe I have never been more appreciative of the little crocuses coming up in the garden! The first flowers of spring! The Aspen are going to seed, the tulips are pushing their way up, the perineals are greening up: Spring is trying to be here! Of course, in Colorado we usually get a big wet snowstorm sometime from mid-March through early-April. According to the Farmers Almanac we should expect "The Storm of the Century" this March. The Farmer's Almanac makes me nervous: it's based on over a hundred years of statistical data.

Other good news: my niece Teri is engaged! Woo hoo! Finally! She's known the guy for a loooong time, and they've been dating for a loooonnnng time... So it looks like I'll be out in California in September :-D

Sad news: Stubby died. Of course she died while we were out of town - like any good old cat. She had a critical renal failure episode in Christmas 2005, and another in the Spring of 2006: but lived over 14 months after they gave her only a 3% chance of living. And she was active, happy, and just being herself. She had been getting frail, and we both knew time was short... but she was happy :-) We miss her terribly: even little Molly was utterly depressed and grumpy for a week (what we call a "cat month").

Well, have a wonderful Spring!

I am sick of the snow

2007-02-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Aarrghhh! 7 weeks. 7 snow storms. 9 or 10 bouts of shoveling. I'm definitely not used to this. I am so sick of snow. And cold. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 2F. Now, those of you living in the Northeast, or the Northern Midwest may think I'm a woos. But the Front Range of Colorado usually has big snow, then melts to just about all gone (with 40F weather), then another cold snap and snow, et. Al. This winter is not normal for this area. A person in only expecting what they're used to, ya know?

Snow...

2006-12-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

Ahh, snow. Skiers look forward to it, kids love to play in it...
I am so sick of it. Hey, we up North in Colorado finally got mail on Wednesday (7 days of no mail). So I guess that extended Christmas a few days. The cats are going loopy and I'm definitely going to have to clean the carpet when things dry out a bit outside... "They" are predicting another foot of snow over the next few days. Aargh! Not more shoveling! But, whaddayagonnado?

Usually, the weather here on the Front Range of Colorado is a bit different from what people who are not *from* here believe: it's pretty dry. When it snows, we usually don't get another snowstorm until there are only a few patches of snow left on the north side of your house. Two big storms in a week and a half is very "frequent". I know people in other states "get it alot worse", but depending on where you choose to live, you expect a certain weather pattern. If you were living in San Diego, or Venice and you got 2 feet of snow, you'd be pretty upset - and maybe a bit clueless depending on your personal history.

Ah well... Enjoy the snow! And Happy New Year!

Channel Islands National Park

2006-10-03T10:54:00.000-06:00

This August, we went to the Channel Islands. It's the least visited National Park - mostly (I think) because of the $80/1 hour boat ride to get there. It was fantastic! We hiked, kayaked (mostly I didn't kayak - but everyone else seemed to like it), swam in the ocean, wildlife-watched, snorkeled, and more.

All of the pictures are there for the viewing at my Santa Cruz Island website

10 Things You Should Know

2006-04-25T14:23:00.000-06:00

The other day I was thinking. Yes, I know: surprising. Anyhoo, I was thinking about stuff I wish I'd known or taken more seriously when I was stepping out in life - high school, college and beyond.
This is what I came up with:

Don't lie. This includes the trying to fit in with a group of people as well as minor and major fibs about (a) what you know, (b) who you know, (c) what you like, (d) what you did/didn't do, (e) etc...
Money sucks. It sucks your time (work), it sucks your sleep away (worrying about that rent payment), it can even start to suck your soul (getting into a job that pays a lot, but is warping you as a person). So don't owe (if you can avoid it), and stay within your means. Don't love money. It's just a tool. And one that causes more problems than it solves. When you're a student, you'll think "if only I had $500 - that would make everything okay", when you're on your first job or so "if only I had $1000...". Ten years down the road and it becomes $10K, $100K and up and up as time goes by. Wait until you have a mortgage: bruahahahahaha! Then you'll see!
Don't go into debt. It's easy to go into debt as a student especially: they're practically passing out credit cards, and tossing you student loans. You're going to be paying them back for years and years - probably longer than you think. If you DO go into debt - pay it off. You most certainly never get anything for free: if you don't pay your debt it will cost everyone around you. Literally. If you don't see how, see Item 7, and learn a bit about economics. Oh, and by the way, "The Government" is paid for by you and me and all those little guys around you. And the next couple of generations AFTER you. So there is NO free ride on "Government Paid".
Honesty is better. This includes personal, emotional, and fiscal honesty. If you don't lie to yourself (see item 1), it's easier to deal with the problems at hand. If you don't fudge the figures fiscally, you'll have a better handle on your state.
Travel now, it gets harder as you grow up. Yes, you're still growing up - even at 100 years old. When you have fewer things and fewer responsibilities it's easier to bag it all and take off for a month or more. When you have that mortgage, car payments, health insurance premiums, plus house-sized utilities AND student loans ;-) - you have to plan plan plan! You might get away for two weeks at a span. But you will be budgeting all the way. Hand to mouth is a lot easier when it's your lifestyle - and you're more adventurous.
Your family is what you've got. No matter how much you find your family annoying/pain in the arse/wish there was distance - they are yours. You are theirs. Embrace this: Someday you might be happy you did. In fact (for most people - there are always exceptions) you most likely will.
Read. Read a lot. Anything. Everything. If you don't agree with an idea - read about it! If you think you do agree with one - read both sides (a pro and a con). Read the Enquirer and the New York Times. Fantasy, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Finance, Literature, Pseudo-literature... Read!
Learn Math. Really. If you can get basic math (or "maths" as the non-US rest of the world calls it - MATHematicS), you can figure out all sorts of things from cooking (if you're dividing a nice chocolate goo recipe into half, can you split 1.5 tsp of baking powder?) Plus you might even be able to do your taxes (for awhile at least - until that Schedule A comes into play in your life - and then maybe after that too!).
Play hard. Play sports. Play games. Go hiking. Smell the flowers. Volunteer. Make mud pies. Get in a snowball fight. Socialize. Whatever it takes. Play.
I could quote Kurt Vonnegut here and tell you to wear sunscreen. That is a good thing to tell you, but there's something that may be more important: Have Faith. See Item 7 if you need more info on that one.

Olympics!

2006-02-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

I like the Olympics. The idea of representing your country is one of the lesser known sports is *very* appealing. Not so much the "big" sports. I force my husband to watch the opening and closing ceremonies. I like 'em, but he finds them a bit boring. :-) I wish they showed more of the countries with one or two athletes, though. I miss the characters like Eddie the Eagle, that Indian luger kid, and the others like that. Nowadays you have to qualify to participate, not just be the best in your country. I know one side says that it's safer (of course), and it is more respectful to the sports (not likely). Cest le vie!

So which is my favorite in the Winter Games? Curling. And Luge. Not really liking the Hockey or Skiing. IMHO, watching skiing is like watching golf. 'Nuff said. And I'm always cheering for the guy from Cote de'Ivorie or where ever... The underdog. 99 out of 100 times, the big countries are going to win (including my own), so I figure I can route for the little guy :-D

2005 Goes Out With a BUST...

2006-01-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

To quote Keneau Reeves.... "Whoa!". 2005 kicked us in the butt on it's way out. My laptop died, my iPod was stolen, the truck's clutch went out, and on and on - all in November and December. We went to the USATT nationals in Las Vegas before Christmas, but Mike's back went WAAAAYYY out before the tournament during the road trip. So his tournament sucked. Mine sucked because I completely and utterly froze up. Such nerves I have. When we returned, we picked up the critters from the kennel, and a few days later - Christmas Day - Stubby was in renal failure. So a trip to the emergency vet. Six days and a couple of house payments later - not to mention the incredible stress of not knowing what's going on - Stubby is ALIVE and home. Which brings us the WONDERFUL start of 2006: Stubby is home :-) AND Apple Computer called and let me know that the sherriff had my iPod. So tomorrow I'm off to the county jail (hehehehe) to pick it up from the evidence room.

I guess the point of this particular brainflow is to show that no matter what happens, things change. Such profundity I'm capable of.

Saturdays

2005-10-01T09:14:00.000-06:00

Now that I'm a working woman again, I am finding that (once again) Saturday's are not long enough. I got up at the same time as during the week (having a kitten with a very effective internal clock doesn't help sleeping in), and although I dilly-dallied more than normal, I got coffee going and started watering the front lawn and doing laundry. I thought about what I need to get done today: there's too much! Geeze! I mean, get the laundry done (I think my husband does the pink underwear thing semi-on-purpose), vacuum [or hoover for you English Speakers] (Molly has started playing in the potted plants - dirt everywhere), table tennis today, get sand and order the pallet of brick for our patio, start the new flower bed so we can get bulbs in for the spring... Oh, and RELAX. Maybe I should ask for a 4x10 week. Then I could do all this kind of crap on Friday and then Saturday would be for relaxing and fun things like TT. I normally find engineering related things like building a work table in the garage and the patio fun. But when you want to get them done by the time snow flies, it becomes work - when you're working. Bummer. I hope I find time to relax without actually trying to relax. Or thinking about it.

Food For Thought

2005-09-27T21:09:00.000-06:00

I was re-reading Timequake, written by Kilgore Trout's alter ego, Kurt Vonnegut, and happened upon this little ditty:

"They say the first thing to go when you're old is your legs or your eyesight. It isn't true. The first thing to go is parallel parking."

Amen.

Picinics and Walks

2005-09-24T07:56:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, my husband and I went up to Rocky Mountain National Park. Since I'm starting my new job next week, we decided to have a day out. We didn't do much in the way of "vacationing" this summer: we were living too frugally for that, but we do have our annual pass (one of the advantages of living so close to a National Park). We poured over the park map, trying to find some part of the park we had never visited for a day hike. What we decided to do, on a lark, was a nature trail near Sprague Lake. We had always avoided little "touristy" trails and such in favor of taking backpacking trails and going in as daylight and weather allowed. Much to our surprise: it was beautiful! We only ended up walking around 5 miles: besides the nature trail, the trailhead there basically was trails to trailheads, so there were no "loops" or "destinations" from there for a simple day hike. We were harrassed by a small flock of female mallard ducks as we ate our lunch from the daypack at a picnic table (we normally try to find a nice log or rock), which only added to our enjoyment of the lunch. "Nippy" was so close to my feet that water was dripping on my shins. Of course their behavior broadcasts that people have been feeding them all summer, but we were amused by their persistence and boldness. We saw fish in the streams, elk at Moraine Park, chipmunks, squirrels, a huge crow, lots of jays, et. al. We just had a really nice time. When we arrived, there were maybe two or three other vehicles in the parking lot. By the time we finished, the place was packed. It was nice to see these people enjoying their surroundings. Lots of friendly hello's and good mornings :-) Sometimes it just pays to do something you wouldn't normally do. And don't be "snobbish" about where you go: lots of backpackers wouldn't go to a place like Sprague Lake because it isn't in the back country. Who cares? Sometimes, the most beautiful places in nature are right out your front door, right off the interstate, or even right there by a picnic area in one of the busiest NPs in the country.

Godda New Yob

2005-09-19T15:17:00.000-06:00

As an IT contractor (perpetually temporarily employed), I enjoy the freedom of not feeling chained to my job. I have, in fact, worked at the same place/company/cube/job for five years at a stretch, but for three different contracting firms. All the while, I didn't *feel* like I had a permanent job. It makes me feel as though potential (refreshing) change is always on the horizon. I once again took the plunge last summer to "get a real job". I was hired by a small local company, and then the subsequent spring laid off (due to budget constraints - no real sales since the beginning of the year). No need for development when no one is buying software, eh? Anyways, I decided to have a Summer of Charleste (yes, kinda like George on Seinfeld - but without the slipping and falling on invitations). OHMIGAWD! I completely recommend it! There is nothing to let you know how stressed, tired, and generally miserable you are than to purposefully - and without guilt or stress - do NOTHING. Of course doing nothing *is* all I dreamed and more (Office Space was RIGHT). I actually got a great deal done, but learned that in general, my husband needs to find us a sugar daddy or something :-D Anyhoo - I knew I should get that paycheck-generating-thing we are all supposed to have. So I went out looking. And, voila! I found a nice four month contract nearby - almost "just like that". It helps to have "with it" recruiters/contractees (my fellow contractors and I generally refer to them [kindly] as our "pimps"). But it feels kinda nice to actually have got a gig. Of course, I'm also more than a bit sad that my Summer is over. I wonder how long my "relaxed-ness" will last? We'll see...

Allow me to introduce myself

2005-09-19T09:17:00.000-06:00

I have alot of thoughts I will be putting down here, and I welcome your comments. Background: I am a geek in my mid-thirties. Female. Not many of us: geeky females, especially in their mid-thirties. I started off in the geeky world before the World Wide Web was available to the common man - in fact, I remember when it showed up as an option to click on Prodigy (if you don't know what that is: it was like the AOL interface but it was software you installed on your computer so you could participate in chats, shop, et. al.). I used BITNET and newsgroups before the fancy Mosaic browser showed up. Now, I just roll with it, exploiting technology to my advantange (as well it exploits me). I'm not surprised that blogs and such have come to the forefront. Imagine what is was like immediately after moveable type was invented. An idea explosion occured. Now anyone can post their ideas: there is less moderation (read: editing/sensorship) in electronic formats, but then that also encourages the prevelance of the Bad Idea and Stupid Brain Fart). Well, ta for now!