February 17, 2018

Yesteryear
One year ago today: February 17, 2017, red-heads, I’ve always like ‘em.
Five years ago today: February 17, 2013, diarrhea music, from the slots.
Nine years ago today: February 17, 2009, the magic is gone.
Random years ago today: February 17, 2004, why, when I was 23.

           Back on track, this morning we work on the sound wall. Here’s your best view yet of the sound wall, called that because it is my attempt at soundproofing. Yes, the drywall is patched pieces because it is the first layer. Shown here is the wallpaper and the unfinished drywall panels. The doorway is visible at the far end. What you see here will be taped and mudded but probably not a smoothly finished. On top of this goes another layer of tarpaper and the final sheets of 1/4” drywall. The wall itself is 2x6” with staggered studs, you’ve seen it before.

           This is the new kitchen wall. The way I’ve had to shift things, I can’t get you a better angle than this. It will be the feature wall no matter which door you walk in, so I’m shelling out the extra dollars on it. Picture my $200 sconces, which I used to think were a type of English muffin.
           Paint or wallpaper, even mirror tiles are being considered. If I had the ambition, I’ve even got a ton of excellent oak wainscot material. Even the weather is cooperating today, so let’s have a stab at getting at least this side of the partition done. Fortified with a breakfast of Ramen noodles and coffee, I’m even in the mood for Bushnell adultery radio.

           [Author's note: for any non-camera types out there, the lens on my camera is fisheye, so those close up photos make the walls look curvey.]

           Ah, didn’t I warn the public years ago that these transpo companies were out of line with their seating restrictions. I was referring to the Amtrak policy of making single men take aisle seats even when the car was mostly empty. But I made it clear that the only acceptable seating policy is first-come-first-serve and that means the airlines as well—unless it is broadcast in advance that seating is assigned. Amtrak’s excuse is they wanted seats together for “family groups”. Fine, but I feel they should ask [a single man if he would like to change seats], not bark surprise orders as you board the train. If I have to pay extra for assigned seating, so should the family. After all, it is not my family.

           It seems the airlines were doing the opposite. They were splitting families up and charging them extra to regroup them on the plane. Ha, and they are getting their high-flying asses sued off over that one. Notice I said the only acceptable policy above, not the likeable or most politically correct. I also pointed out the disparity in pricing, that you could often fly across the country cheaper than to the next city. That remains to be looked into. From an accountant’s point of view, there are no special rules for airlines, though I understand their unique costs and what must happen to establish a profitable route.

           Here’s a picture of my drywall tape. Hey, isn’t that fiberglass repair mesh? Sure, but my drywall doesn’t know that. I got this roll for fifty cents and it works just fine. There’s a lot of planning for the simple tasks since I lack experience. Want and example? Okay, I have these two recessed heat lamp fixtures for the bathroom. We do get cold spells here, and they are a value-added item. The problem is, the attic access is in the bathroom. To actually enter the attic, like when I want to insulate, the rafters are only 2x4”. The lamps require 5” clearance.

           Thus, they will either be in the way of entering the attic, or I encase them in sturdy boxes, making access even more difficult, or I find some way of letting them descend below the ceiling but still look attractive. This is what I mean by no experience. Are there products for this? If so, how come I’ve never seen one? Maybe because I was not looking. Maybe a suspending ceiling? I’m planning the Miami trip to take a leisurely six hours or more, allowing time to think.
           I got this matching set of lights for $5 each. It’s beginning to look like the bathroom will require a four-gang box. That’s new to me. The room light, the vanity rack, the fan, and the heat lamps. Mind you, I’ve a mind to locate the fan with a timer switch over by the john. Why? Not because that’s where it will be most needed, but because that is the only location that is convenient where it would not be within reach of anyone standing in the tub. And it, um, forces the user to operate the switch with the left hand. I told you I was learning.

Picture of the day.
Coastline in Denmark.
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           Here’s another closeup of the soundproofing wall. It consists of a sandwich of tarpaper and drywall, though this is a model. On the real wall, the final and finished layer will be only 1/4” thickness. The wall is insulated, I’ll get you snaps of that, and the inside wall is a single thickness, but also over a layer of tarpaper. I’ll have enough room to set up both sets of PA speakers inside the bedroom, with space for a desk and dresser set if I stick with a single or twin bed. Expect an lot of time on the upcoming electrical.

           I’ve also begun to get the plumbing plans more serious. But since that works fine, it is not yet a priority. I’m reconsidering locating the new hot water tank in that dead SW corner of the kitchen. I’m learning a lot about the kitchen setup, for example, I didn’t know that the dishwasher drains into a garbage disposal unit. It makes sense now. Almost all my current kitchen drawer space will have to be relocated. Good, because I like a somewhat larger kitchen. Room for two people anyway. The fridge will also be relocated next to the stove, to cut down on the back and forth. Stay tuned.

           By mid-morning, we are farther behind over here. Although the wall was framed lying flat on a water-leveled floor, one of the studs was almost an inch out. To make matters worse, it was a stud reinforced to bolster the door frame. I had to bust out one of the drywall panels to get at it, wrecking a sawblade in the process. I’m taking a break, maybe go uptown for coffee. Bushnell radio didn’t entirely help, with a pseudo-jazz festival along with the usual cheat-on-somebody fare.
           I was never into that “poor me” brand of music. But I’ll tell you one thing, between being lonely or having to spend life with some boring person, I’d take the lonesome every time. They say money is the biggest factor in divorce. I say that is because nobody has studied the boredom factor. I never fell out of love with anybody, but many a time someone got so boring I could not take it any longer. That, I think is why somebody came up with the advice to never date women whose only ambition in life is to become a mother.

           Radio remains the bellwether of country music so imagine my puzzlement to hear a whole week of tunes that I took off my list years ago. I’m not surprised by the large number of covers, music goes in phases that way. But these are original artists, which is nice. It’s material that quietly got dropped from my list over time. If the air time keeps up, I would have no trouble firing them up again. Then I’d have my 48 song list in no time. And unlike some people, these are all strong tunes, no time-killers, no filler. Over the past two days I’ve also relearned and arranged “Long Haired Country Boy” so my bass line closer matches what the guitarist is doing. I used to heavily solo that tune.
           That wall is going to take all day, so I threw on the DVD “Underworld”, mainly to watch the moves of Kate, the actress that didn’t used to need body armor to have the right shape. I half-watched the plot, since by the half-hour point, nobody could figure out who was on which side anymore. You got your lycans, plus some rebel vampires, plus some traitors, and more street thugs who keep finding out who killed who and switch sides over every excuse.

           Since I’ll be in Miami according to plan most of next week, I didn’t buy some of the materials I could be using right now. Instead, I’m planning that plumbing and learning as I go. This CPVC pipe is required for hot and cold lines, the major difference is probably the quantum leap in price. The other plastic pipe is used for drains and vents. I’ve concluded the easiest way to install a bathroom fan is to frame in a small overhead cabinet above the crapper. The space is wasted right now unless some “really tall” people decide they want to stand on the toilet lid. I’ll not start yet, since there is enough space there for storage as well, except it would be pretty high off the floor. But the complete lack of storage space in the existing bathroom says I should consider everything.
           My shopping over the months is paying off. I’ve got that brand new silent 80 cfm fan still in the box for $10, I think. And that crinkly aluminized vent hose was a dollar, imagine my glee to find an 8 foot piece of it new is $19. Other items have doubled in price, more likely due to a weak dollar against imports, which to me is another form of inflation. I’ve never built such a shelf before, everything else was a rough job I slapped together. So I dug out my book and we’ll see how this goes. I was not pleased to see ready make bathroom counters in the $500 range. Then again, I never had a workshop full of fancy tools before, either.
           Nearby is a photo of the sound wall, with first layer of tarpaper and drywall on one side. Note the dimensions of this wall. The kitchen is to the right, the bedroom to the left. At the far end of the bedroom, you see the new bathroom wall, also around 6” deep when insulated and finished. Very little will get done until I’m back from this trip. Maybe next weekend? There’s no time limit, but I want to do this work.

ADDENDUM
           I’ve got my stage gear laid out for the dress rehearsal tomorrow. Once again, when it comes to the small stuff (cables, batteries, music stand) I seem to have one of everything. This is chancy, but every time I carry backups, they get lost or lifted. Only one thing to do. Go over to the club for a brew. See, that was easy. Stick around for a report, there may be a good band in there tonight.
Later, that was an optimistic prediction. I have the less-than-definite honor of having attended the worst Karaoke I’ve ever seen. It was so bad, I stayed for three hours just to watch people embarrass themselves. The only listenable tunes left playing were this gal in 4” spikes who was good-looking mostly because she was 22 and my version of “Tequila”. There is this guy who dresses as a cowboy, well, an urban cowboy. Pastel shirt with polka dots, except they are little broncos, and a Stetson that looks to big for his head. He’s entertainment, but it is too obvious he’s wearing a costume. I mean, this is Polk County, Florida.

           There was some big prison riot or something along Highway 60. That’s the route I take home, it is quicker to go around the city than through it, even for the nine miles. Squad cars blocking the highway. What’s with that? I didn’t even know that building was a jail, and if so, America, what is it doing in the middle of a populated area? American jails should be located in the Barrens. But it’s bloggable as the most exciting portion of the evening. I hauled out my notebook and designed the bracket for my bathroom fan. Women of the world who bitch and moan about being lonely, serves you right when pencil to paper is more exciting than you are on a Saturday night.
           What? Well, all I can say about that is a thousand more women have asked me what I’m writing than the other way around. For that matter, since I moved to Polk, I don’t recall any time I’ve ever seen a woman writing. Let me think harder. Yes, a lady downtown wrote me a note how to contact her brother, the motorcycle mechanic. He’s in jail.


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