tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23968732544540068412024-03-13T14:25:08.955-05:00hey habibi, what's up?let's find out...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-90006804854226416142012-11-12T15:12:00.002-06:002012-11-12T15:12:49.803-06:00what's new?Should I just pick this up like I never dropped it?<br />
<br />
Last weekend the following things happened:<br />
-UT beat Iowa State (yay)<br />
-A&M beat Alabama (????)<br />
-I spent 3 hours washing my car and I'm still not done<br />
-Scream-a-thon<br />
<br />
The football games were football. That's that. As far as washing my car, I decided that I wanted to take the time and really <i>clean</i> my car. That means bonding with it and hand-washing it myself, versus paying $8 at a car wash. It had been a long while since my car had been washed, so it had a pretty solid layer of grime. I pre-rinsed it and then worked a section at a time, soaping and rinsing. All-throughout, I was keeping the whole car wet because our water is pretty hard and it would start leaving water spots. Well, all of this went fairly smoothly until I went to go dry it. It turns out cheaping out on some terry towels at AutoZone was a bad idea; the towels had zero absorbing qualities. That was both annoying and tedious, going over the same spots of the car over and over again, spreading the water around with the cheap towels because it wasn't actually absorbing water (well, technically it was but it was all but useless).<br />
<br />
Once dried, I worked a clay bar for the first time. You use a spray to lubricate the paint, and then take a clay bar (literally a bar of clay) and rub it across your paint. It pulls up various specks and other contaminants that you missed during washing to really smooth out your paint. That helps for the next step, waxing. A friend at work gave me an old spray bottle of some wax he thought I should try. It was fairly easy to use — just spray and wipe. I almost finished Windexing my windows before I had to stop for Scream-a-thon. Today I will wrap up cleaning the windows, vacuuming the inside, and tidying up my rims. If I was a true car-washing enthusiast I would have polished and sealed as well, but considering this already took 3 hours, it was enough for me.<br />
<br />
Scream-a-thon was basically an 8 hour adventure where we watched all four Scream movies back-to-back. It was both enjoyable <i>and</i> tedious. The middle Scream movies aren't as good at the first and most recent, so it was a slight lull in the middle for me. The fourth one is the best in my opinion so it was a good way to wrap up.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-26640195443037754122012-10-17T15:53:00.003-05:002012-10-17T15:53:56.630-05:00Hello... is there anybody out there?I haven't updated this in quite a while, huh? Does anyone still check this? Post a comment and nod if you can hear me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-65762778960289653932012-02-15T09:28:00.002-06:002012-02-15T09:28:52.038-06:004 minutes of pure awesome<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZWG5GAONj2Q" width="560"></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-69181522499777931072012-02-13T21:45:00.000-06:002012-02-13T21:47:13.071-06:00Hey, it's my mashup!You may remember, once upon a time, when I mentioned that I made a mashup song. A mashup is basically a big mix of a ton of songs to form one. I finally remembered to upload it (a year or so late), so here it is for your enjoyment (there's some "foul" language so don't listen at work out loud):<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F36550222&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-33628678799871297412012-02-08T08:25:00.001-06:002012-02-08T08:25:34.348-06:00damn this kid and his talent<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J7MoWPTeYS4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-89992309568315039142012-02-07T09:18:00.002-06:002012-02-07T09:18:45.332-06:00the links are back!I figured out a new way to share links, so the links on the right are back in action!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-8255589021143892172012-02-06T11:44:00.001-06:002012-02-06T11:44:13.808-06:00home ownership weekendOn Thursday night, we had our brand new dishwasher delivered to us. They had called me earlier in the day (around 1:30PM) saying they were ahead of schedule, and they could deliver it then. Well, obviously I'm at work so that wouldn't work. The scheduled delivery time was 5-7pm. Fast-forward to 9:30PM, they finally deliver the dishwasher. Fantastic.<br />
<br />
I've been wanting to take pictures of my projects around the house to share the knowledge, but unfortunately it's hard to take on a project and focus on taking pictures, because it will take even longer. Luckily, installing a dishwasher is rather easy. A dishwasher is almost equivalent to a washer with respect to installation. The main difference is that you have to fit it into a sometimes tight space, so you have to adjust the legs and do some shoving, like in our case. Here's a quick summary of what you do:<br />
<br />
-You screw on a water line that goes from your hot water valve (under the kitchen faucet) and run it through the dishwasher opening (so it's accessible when you slide dishwasher into place)<br />
-Attach drain line to garbage disposal, and also run that through opening for later installation<br />
-Pull out electrical line (assuming your DW is hard-wired), just like above, so it's accessible once DW is in place<br />
-Adjust DW legs so it can fit through the opening in your counter top and slide it into place (being careful not to snag any of the lines that you pulled out and need to install).<br />
-Wire up electricity (MAKE SURE YOUR BREAKER IS OFF!!)<br />
-Screw in hot water line to DW<br />
-Clamp drain line to DW<br />
-Using a level, adjust the legs so that your DW is level both vertically and horizontally<br />
-The last step is to secure the DW to the countertop. DW are usually secured in place (so they don't move around or topple) with two brackets that screw from the top of the DW to the bottom of the countertop. Attach those and you're done!<br />
-Reapply power and give 'er a whirl. If you're lucky like us, it'll work perfectly.<br />
<br />
Later that night (or maybe it was Friday), Taylor was having some weird quirkiness with her garage door. She told me something looks like it snapped. I go out there, and sure enough, the extension spring on one side of the garage door snapped. Most garages I've seen have two extension springs — one on each side — that are attached via a pulley to the garage door. Garage doors are heavy, and the springs help counteract the heavy weight of the doors, whether you're opening them manually or a motor is doing the work. Each spring needs to be matched with the weight of the door. For example, if your door weighs ~100 lbs like ours, you need a 100 lb extension spring on each side.<br />
<br />
After some research, inspection, and trial and error, I ended up replacing both springs. If one went, it was probably only a matter of time before the other one broke, too. Also, they lose their springiness over time and they probably would have had uneven tensions.<br />
<br />
It looks complicated, but it's pretty easy once you figure it out. The spring attaches to a pulley on one side (the side closer to the door) and a mounted bracket. The pulley is connected to a pulley system that attaches to the bottom of the door. As the door lowers, the line pulls down, which in turn pulls the pulley and the spring. As the spring gets extended, it exerts more tension and helps counteract the weight of the garage door. I know that didn't make any sense, but that's okay. You probably won't be replacing one of these anytime soon. There is one more line that goes from the bracket, through the spring, and attaches anywhere on the other side. This is a safety line, and it doesn't do anything except go through the spring. Imagine for a second the power of a string that can pull 100 lbs of weight. It's pretty damn strong. Now imagine if that spring is fully extended by the garage door and is completely taut. Finally, imagine it snaps. They aren't joking when they say these things can cause serious injury or death. If that thing breaks and flies at you, you're going to have a bad time. The safety line is there to hold the spring in place in case it snaps, like it did in our garage. It's important you have one and that it's installed securely.<br />
<br />
This whole process took me a while (figuring out what to do, and a few trips to Lowes to get the right parts), but in the end it's pretty easy. It probably saved me a couple hundred or more in parts and labor to have a pro come do it. The power of DIY.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-43918905392311317942012-01-26T14:49:00.002-06:002012-01-26T14:52:33.931-06:00dining room project - stage 3... painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last weekend, I did some painting while Taylor was at work. If you've been keeping up (and why wouldn't you be?), you'll know I've had two stages of work done so far in the dining room: checking for asbestos (easy stage!), and redoing the ceiling. Now that the ceiling has been retextured and repainted, it's time to do the walls.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We decided on keeping the whole accent wall thing, and doing a burnt orange-ish accent wall with the remaining walls being off-white. We went with a rust color, which is a darker burnt orange color. Burnt orange itself would be really bright on a wall, so we went with something a bit darker.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, we decided to try out a local store called Rooster's, which sells Benjamin-Moore paints. I have to say, these guys were very knowledgeable and eager to help us out. They gave me some good tips to try out this time around. Their paints are a bit more expensive than Home Depot or Lowes paint (I got a step down from their highest grade, at $49 a gallon), but they have great coverage and in general good quality. They're also all low-VOC (less fumes). I could tell the difference once I started rolling the paint. One of the tips the guy gave me was to try painting from a 5 gallon bucket instead of a pan. It was definitely easier.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Previously before painting, I would spend a lot of time masking off the room to prevent accidents. Well, I decided that I could get away without doing that for the dining room. Not having to mask saved me an hour or so, because it can be quite tedious. Instead, I opted to be a bit slower and more careful around the edges. I did spend a couple hours cleaning the walls with TSP to make sure they were in good, painting condition, however. I also invested in a nice canvas, waterproof cloth that I could easily spread out to all the baseboards (and reuse). I did my best to make sure the floor was covered, but I didn't actually secure or tape the cloth. It naturally stayed in position (for the most part!). I like the canvas cloth because a plastic drop cloth is susceptible to tearing, bunching, and doesn't absorb paint so you end up tracking it around on your shoes. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O39OGH-9bdE/TyFK5K004II/AAAAAAAACSc/FCQhjkgRXl4/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O39OGH-9bdE/TyFK5K004II/AAAAAAAACSc/FCQhjkgRXl4/s320/IMG_1784.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQIGEgmnw0s/TyFK6TR0AqI/AAAAAAAACSk/j4XEcYkZdpc/s1600/IMG_1785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQIGEgmnw0s/TyFK6TR0AqI/AAAAAAAACSk/j4XEcYkZdpc/s320/IMG_1785.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Before I painted, with the canvas laid out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(remember you can click any picture for a larger version)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I did all the off-white walls first (first cutting in with the edge tool, then paint rolling), and it turns out I didn't need to do a second coat like I had anticipated. After drying, they all looked pretty good and consistent. I attribute this to a) the nicer paint and b) repainting over a light color.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W7Lb69nr0VM/TyFK8poPg0I/AAAAAAAACS0/pG2pZdrx4yc/s1600/IMG_1787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W7Lb69nr0VM/TyFK8poPg0I/AAAAAAAACS0/pG2pZdrx4yc/s320/IMG_1787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Corner shot (ceiling: new color; right wall: new color; left wall: old color)</div>
<br />
Once done, I repeated the same thing with the accent wall. I thought I would be okay with one coat again, but after letting it dry some I noticed some patchiness. Oh well! I called it a day and opted to do the second coat the following day (I try to wait 4 hours before recoating). I did have some 'accidents' on the ceiling and side wall with the rust paint. With a damp paper towel, I was able to easily wipe off the boo-boo. The baseboards got a little messy, too, but I'm planning on repainting them to match the eventual crown molding.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RUwubx_IzsI/TyFK98QKIbI/AAAAAAAACS8/f-DxYOf5zMA/s1600/IMG_1788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RUwubx_IzsI/TyFK98QKIbI/AAAAAAAACS8/f-DxYOf5zMA/s320/IMG_1788.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Corner shot (all new colors!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3t9QovL4tQ/TyFK_MoiWcI/AAAAAAAACTE/eSrZnqQOd0A/s1600/IMG_1789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3t9QovL4tQ/TyFK_MoiWcI/AAAAAAAACTE/eSrZnqQOd0A/s320/IMG_1789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Accent wall, still wet, coat 1</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2rlI8ve6A8c/TyFLBw_PYKI/AAAAAAAACTU/m8mv0xGFZHs/s1600/IMG_1791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2rlI8ve6A8c/TyFLBw_PYKI/AAAAAAAACTU/m8mv0xGFZHs/s320/IMG_1791.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M5glqyl2yc8/TyFLDccSd9I/AAAAAAAACTc/556vDuk51jU/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M5glqyl2yc8/TyFLDccSd9I/AAAAAAAACTc/556vDuk51jU/s320/IMG_1792.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Room after second coat and cleanup</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cuNL8B2EbO0/TyFLF6MWbRI/AAAAAAAACTs/Zq8wWV59UqU/s1600/IMG_1794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cuNL8B2EbO0/TyFLF6MWbRI/AAAAAAAACTs/Zq8wWV59UqU/s320/IMG_1794.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Different angle, for fun</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-FM9WLuqCg/TyFLG-ttYxI/AAAAAAAACT0/IV3pURKfGfQ/s1600/IMG_1795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-FM9WLuqCg/TyFLG-ttYxI/AAAAAAAACT0/IV3pURKfGfQ/s320/IMG_1795.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Corner shot so you can see the three colors better</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Good news! We also scored some dining room furniture. Here is the dining room with some furniture...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IyD4ZCdyb_M/TyFLImBh9tI/AAAAAAAACT8/Z0FQOItrb7M/s1600/IMG_1796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IyD4ZCdyb_M/TyFLImBh9tI/AAAAAAAACT8/Z0FQOItrb7M/s320/IMG_1796.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2mH3wjtF84w/TyFLNo94XZI/AAAAAAAACUE/Y_Rc0lSs1ZA/s1600/IMG_1700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2mH3wjtF84w/TyFLNo94XZI/AAAAAAAACUE/Y_Rc0lSs1ZA/s320/IMG_1700.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is the 'before' shot from the old residents. Old paint, old light fixture.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-43109642475552641612012-01-25T09:16:00.004-06:002012-01-25T09:16:29.063-06:00procrastinatingI've been procrastinating on my next blog. I painted the dining room last weekend, and I took some pictures, but haven't done the blog entry yet. It's coming soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-82699258069134810442012-01-09T10:23:00.003-06:002012-01-09T10:23:56.559-06:00dining room project - stage 2... replacing popcorn texture with knockdownThe weekend comes, and so does the hard part of our dining room project. We got the word back from the labs that our ceiling is asbestos-free, so we can continue onward!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Stage 2 consists of scraping off all of the old, popcorn texture (and paint layered on top of it) and replace it with a knockdown-style texture. The easiest way to remove popcorn ceiling texture is to spray it down with water and scrape it off. Unfortunately, since it was painted, it was more difficult than it had to be. We had to get it wet enough to soak through the paint and into the popcorn texture. But before we can do that, we have to prep the room. It's a messy ordeal, and on top of that we have laminate floors which are a bit water-adverse. That means we need to be extra careful to make sure we don't get the floors too wet.<br />
<br />
We layered some red rosin paper on the ground, just because it was cheap and kinda easy. Unfortunately, I didn't think it all the way through and realized that it's not a good water-proofing layer. So after that, we added a layer of plastic drop cloth. This turned out to be a good combination. The plastic drop cloth is generally easy to tear holes into, and the red rosin paper was a good base because it was tough and kept most of the stuff off the floor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qGDB6vAfECM/TwsGtqisE_I/AAAAAAAACPE/mkC-qlzKVc0/s1600/IMG_0450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qGDB6vAfECM/TwsGtqisE_I/AAAAAAAACPE/mkC-qlzKVc0/s320/IMG_0450.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6uRM-Kq-sMc/TwsLDaSDI7I/AAAAAAAACSM/KUu__5hSy7w/s1600/IMG_0449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6uRM-Kq-sMc/TwsLDaSDI7I/AAAAAAAACSM/KUu__5hSy7w/s320/IMG_0449.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Layering red rosin paper on the floor </div>
<br />
Once we had the floor setup, we then added drop cloth on the walls to keep them from getting overly wet. Since we're lazy people, we kind of half-assed this part but it didn't end up mattering. The walls got a bit wet on the corners adjacent to the ceilings, but it dried up just fine.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I keep getting ahead of myself. Once everything was mostly protected (and removing the fixtures from the ceiling), we were ready to go. I bought a little pressurized sprayer, filled it with water, and started spraying down the ceiling. Since it was painted, it needed more water than expected. This part required the most effort and manual labor. Some places were just stubborn and required some liberal spraying (but without completely soaking the dry wall, of course). The corners were especially stubborn, and ended up being kind of messy looking compared to the rest.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qvFOnEfIVcw/TwsGxEItNpI/AAAAAAAACPc/KCChHHtRjMk/s1600/IMG_0453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qvFOnEfIVcw/TwsGxEItNpI/AAAAAAAACPc/KCChHHtRjMk/s320/IMG_0453.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Plastic drop cloth up, ready to go!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DpZnJe0zCmc/TwsGy1mitfI/AAAAAAAACPk/1ZTWyj7SRls/s1600/IMG_0454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DpZnJe0zCmc/TwsGy1mitfI/AAAAAAAACPk/1ZTWyj7SRls/s320/IMG_0454.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's very exciting, I know</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hu3OWsopBpU/TwsG0iGxieI/AAAAAAAACPs/22enLqmmF6E/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hu3OWsopBpU/TwsG0iGxieI/AAAAAAAACPs/22enLqmmF6E/s320/IMG_0455.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Did I mention how messy thhis is? Just barely started and there was crap all over the floor already</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g6Ec64Pf10E/TwsG2hevjxI/AAAAAAAACP0/kGydhXsMN1g/s1600/IMG_0456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g6Ec64Pf10E/TwsG2hevjxI/AAAAAAAACP0/kGydhXsMN1g/s320/IMG_0456.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Making some progress...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0g3FTMJCcT0/TwsG4AD9RnI/AAAAAAAACP8/MH6-XyuwiB8/s1600/IMG_0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0g3FTMJCcT0/TwsG4AD9RnI/AAAAAAAACP8/MH6-XyuwiB8/s320/IMG_0457.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJHh1fLxGsk/TwsG6HGjONI/AAAAAAAACQE/WPIqyHckGAY/s1600/IMG_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJHh1fLxGsk/TwsG6HGjONI/AAAAAAAACQE/WPIqyHckGAY/s320/IMG_0458.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kinda finished? Some of the drywall still a little damp</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MFa_iyQJpZg/TwsG8nLzLxI/AAAAAAAACQM/OjBuPDOE1GQ/s1600/IMG_0459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MFa_iyQJpZg/TwsG8nLzLxI/AAAAAAAACQM/OjBuPDOE1GQ/s320/IMG_0459.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Drop cloth and a sheet make cleanup a breeze</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That part took a long time, as you'd expect. I'd say about 3 hours for our 10.5x11.5 dining room. The next step is to prepare for the texture sprayer. We had extra red rosin paper, and masked the tops of the walls with that to prevent a lot of the splatter from getting on the walls. Notice that we didn't fully tape the paper. We are putting up crown molding so it wasn't worth all the extra tape to completely protect the top of the walls.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-flbG8frTpmU/TwsG-DKjV_I/AAAAAAAACQU/BidO8q8reFk/s1600/IMG_0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-flbG8frTpmU/TwsG-DKjV_I/AAAAAAAACQU/BidO8q8reFk/s320/IMG_0460.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Next step is to get the mixture for the texture ready. For a knockdown texture, all you need is a box of all-purpose joint compound, a bucket, water, and something to mix it all with. I think in total, I used probably 3.5-4 quarts of water and it was still a little on the thick side. I've been told you want it to be like a thicker paint or a soupier pancake batter in terms of consistency. I got a mixer drill tool to make life much easier. I can't imagine having to do it manually.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ojvUb4KaEc/TwsHAbWVuII/AAAAAAAACQc/0tCrvtO3WoY/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ojvUb4KaEc/TwsHAbWVuII/AAAAAAAACQc/0tCrvtO3WoY/s320/IMG_0461.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BDxqO7lFVns/TwsHCb8gxlI/AAAAAAAACQk/Cb130fNxeXI/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BDxqO7lFVns/TwsHCb8gxlI/AAAAAAAACQk/Cb130fNxeXI/s320/IMG_0462.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uYk8qEPzZUY/TwsHLhVuylI/AAAAAAAACRM/j6ii-Bd--rs/s1600/IMG_0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uYk8qEPzZUY/TwsHLhVuylI/AAAAAAAACRM/j6ii-Bd--rs/s320/IMG_0467.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't own the tools to do texture spraying, so I rented them for about $40 a day. It was a setup that was basically an air compressor and a hopper/sprayer attachment. I set the hopper to the biggest opening for the spray and set the air valve to somewhere around 80% of the maximum. The less air you use, the slower it comes out by the more "gloppier". I was having trouble with this particular hopper, and it could either be because it wasn't good, or because my mixture was a bit thick. I had to constantly shake the hopper to get the mixture to come out and even then it wasn't very consistent. In the end, I ended up having a type of mixed texture - something between knockdown and orange peel, having flavors of both. It was definitely more knockdown though. Once you spray the glops (technical term, of course), you want to wait about 10 minutes for it to start drying some. Then you can take a knockdown knife (or just a drywall taping knife) and glide over the glops to knock them down. You don't need to apply very much pressure.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5pQt1ntlJQw/TwsHEEG6VKI/AAAAAAAACQs/KMsyrqZC1W4/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5pQt1ntlJQw/TwsHEEG6VKI/AAAAAAAACQs/KMsyrqZC1W4/s320/IMG_0463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PP3Hc5cYSm4/TwsHNXvn8OI/AAAAAAAACRU/20uwxB-aub0/s1600/IMG_0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PP3Hc5cYSm4/TwsHNXvn8OI/AAAAAAAACRU/20uwxB-aub0/s320/IMG_0468.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
I got all of the above done in one day, somehow. I let it all dry overnight, and did some touch up work in the morning in some places where I didn't get the kind of texture I wanted. In some places it was too misty, and in some places it came out too dense. The dense places, when knocked down, actually smoothed out completely which is not what you want. Lesson learned. I applied a bit of texture on top of the already smoothed out area to at least texture it up a bit more.<br />
<br />
I let the newly applied compound dry, and then started priming. After an hour and a half to two hours, I applied the final paint coat. We got this nifty ceiling paint that paints on light purple, but dries to white. Since the priming coat was white, the purple tint was helpful. You can make sure you're getting full coverage because you can see the color you're painting. Once dried, everything looked surprisingly decent for our first stab at doing any of this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IO9VLnm8mCE/TwsHSuuJgsI/AAAAAAAACRs/BpGuJ_XUiCI/s1600/IMG_0471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IO9VLnm8mCE/TwsHSuuJgsI/AAAAAAAACRs/BpGuJ_XUiCI/s320/IMG_0471.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
See the purple tint? This is the ceiling paint going on top of the primer coat</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejZNsbVPeHY/TwsHV40rBlI/AAAAAAAACR8/9-7p4dPuH8s/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejZNsbVPeHY/TwsHV40rBlI/AAAAAAAACR8/9-7p4dPuH8s/s320/IMG_0473.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All done, assessing the job on the ceiling</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I didn't take a picture, but once the ceiling was done we added a new dining room light to replace the older one. I'll take a shot of that later, since we're not done yet. Now to figure out exactly what colors we want to paint the dining room, and paint (stage 3). Once all the painting is done, we have one final stage... applying the crown molding. That should be interesting.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-67472110957112990102012-01-05T11:06:00.000-06:002012-01-05T11:06:12.587-06:00dining room project - stage 1... asbestos?!Before we remove the popcorn ceiling, it's important to check for asbestos. Houses built prior to 1979 have a high likelihood of asbestos being in the popcorn texture. After that, it was banned, but contractors were able to finish using their stock before they had to completely stop. That means houses could have been built after 1979 and still have asbestos in the ceilings. Since our house was built in 1982, there is a chance, albeit small.<br />
<br />
We sent it in to an asbestos testing facility yesterday, and should find out today if there's asbestos. If there isn't, the project will move forward as expected. If there is asbestos, then we'll have to do some serious thinking. There are four possible outcomes: 1) paint over the popcorn ceiling yet again, 2) apply a ton of joint compound over the popcorn ceiling to add a "smooth" layer on top of it, 3) remove the asbestos-infested popcorn ceiling ourselves using approved procedures, meaning it'll be 100x more a pain in the ass, or 4) pay a lot of money and have professionals do it. I have no idea what we'll do, but probably something easy. At the same time, I feel like anything we do with this popcorn ceiling that <i>isn't</i> removing it is just stalling the inevitable. That popcorn ceiling will be gone, it's just a matter of time.<br />
<br />
In the mean time, here are some poorly taken pictures of the current state of the paint:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oSqZtIGF8zM/TwXWql1qdfI/AAAAAAAACOc/KFzRU7HHo-E/s1600/IMG_0445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oSqZtIGF8zM/TwXWql1qdfI/AAAAAAAACOc/KFzRU7HHo-E/s320/IMG_0445.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hard to tell in this picture, but the paint is really uneven (look to the left of the outlet)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SuAOtpL4KQM/TwXWtMlepTI/AAAAAAAACOk/KLF0oYn5Q5I/s1600/IMG_0446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SuAOtpL4KQM/TwXWtMlepTI/AAAAAAAACOk/KLF0oYn5Q5I/s320/IMG_0446.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Accent wall one color, side walls another color, and ceiling yet another color (or a thinned out version of the side wall color?)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCBDQWzB-UI/TwXWu4iiDbI/AAAAAAAACOs/eqZXglzL0vQ/s1600/IMG_0447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCBDQWzB-UI/TwXWu4iiDbI/AAAAAAAACOs/eqZXglzL0vQ/s320/IMG_0447.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Scraped off a small patch of popcorn for the asbestos test</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-27346651329228525812012-01-04T14:05:00.002-06:002012-01-04T14:05:58.445-06:00and now I present to you..The top 10 cutest pictures of 2011 [according to some website]!<br />
<br />
http://cuteoverload.com/2011/12/31/top-ten-cutest-photos-of-2011/Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-22640221811849064742012-01-03T15:12:00.000-06:002012-01-03T15:12:59.939-06:00break over :(If you're an avid blog follower, you know that I typically (practically exclusively) update my blog at work. Since I've been off for a while, and before that was kind of busy, you surely have noticed that it's been a hell of a long time since I updated my blog. For that, I apologize.<br />
<br />
I wanted to take some pics of some of the stuff I've been doing around the house and post it on here for informational/educational reasons, but I have been bad about that too. It's not too late, though. I still have work to do!<br />
<br />
My next upcoming project will be to "redo" the dining room. They did a poor job painting the dining room accent wall, and the color choices are questionable at best (the walls AND ceiling are like a salmon color... gross). Who paints popcorn ceiling? Ugh. Either way, I decided I'm going to take this opportunity to attempt to remove the popcorn ceiling and re-texturize it (knockdown texture), and then repaint the walls. Maybe even apply some new crown molding if I'm feeling up to it. I'll be sure to document this one, because it'll be a doozie.<br />
<br />
My holidays were good. I spent some time with family, some time with friends, and a night in the hot tub. No complaints, really. Too bad it's over. Had to end sometime, right?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-35960791300903947772011-12-12T12:21:00.002-06:002011-12-16T07:41:45.219-06:00moving/dad week[end]I spent most of this weekend moving in and setting up my living quarters. I'm still missing crucial pieces of furniture, like everything in the living room, but luckily Travis's futon was available for sitting needs.<br />
<br />
It's kind of a strange feeling being in a house and realizing that you own it. It's nice, too.<br />
<br />
My dad was in town for an extended weekend, so with his help we took care of a few things around the house, like replacing outlets and light switches. No, the outlets weren't bad, but the previous owners painted over them completely when painting the house. This gave the outlets and switches a gross painted/crusty look. They were sorely needed in the two rooms we painted, because the outlets would be the absolute wrong color. I went ahead and bought enough to replace all the painted ones in the house, though, since they're relatively cheap.<br />
<br />
We did some house shopping, too, and he gifted me a nice gas grill. It's burnt orange.<br />
<br />
On Saturday night, we had our traditional "get everyone together for dinner at Benihana when my dad is in town" dinner. The only problem was that Benihana closed (how?!). Luckily, there is a Benihana-alike right down Anderson Mill called Kobe. It turned out to be more than satisfactory for us, as we were all able to get more or less what we usually do. Went back to the house and gave a quick tour to new people.<br />
<br />
My dad stayed through Thursday morning, but sadly I had to work this week. I was able to leave a little early on most days, but he had to keep his time in various ways.<br />
<br />
On Sunday and Tuesday I spent a couple hours or so studying for a final exam in one of my work-sponsored graduate classes. The professor is not good, so we don't typically pay attention during the lectures (whoops). I spent those two hours+ each day rewatching lectures at 1.8x speed (nice). Final exam was on Wednesday and I think I did alright, but not great. His testing style is questionable at best, giving us curve ball questions that don't really make sense. Oh well.<br />
<br />
I really need to get some living room furniture.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-80378996731118127792011-12-06T09:40:00.001-06:002011-12-06T10:50:24.585-06:00house weekend 1: painting and wiringWell, I spent the majority of last weekend at the new house painting and wiring.<br />
<br />
<b>Wiring</b><br />
Since I had Andy's help on early Saturday, we started with the Ethernet wiring. My plan is as follows:<br />
<br />
-Cable jack in the living room going to cable modem on TV stand.<br />
-Cable modem hooked to wireless router, also on TV stand.<br />
-2 of the ports on the wireless router will go to the PS3 and TV, located right by it (short cables).<br />
-The other 2 ports will go into plugs in the wall, which will route to the master bedroom and the office.<br />
<br />
That means we needed to run two cables through the walls: one from the living room to the master bedroom, and one from the living room to the office. I bought a kit at Fry's that had everything I would need for the cables themselves. I also needed a drill to make holes in the joists to feed cables, and basic tools like wire strippers, wire cutters, etc. One thing that proved invaluable was Mark's wire snake tool. It's basically a long metal wire that winds out so you can fish cables up and down walls. It's stiff enough to go straight down walls without coiling in the wall. Even with that tool, Andy and I had to do some clever things still to get the wires up and down the walls. It wasn't hard, but it definitely wasn't easy.<br />
<br />
Overall the job was a 6/10 on the difficulty scale, which I just randomly devised.<br />
<br />
<b>Painting</b> <br />
For some reason, I naively thought that painting would be a few hour thing at the most. Man, was I wrong. Masking the rooms itself took a few hours...<br />
<br />
We started with the office, which is half dry wall and half wood paneling. We decided that, for now at least, we're going to paint over the wood paneling instead of removing it. Removing the wood paneling could have easily turned into a huge project that we did not want to handle right now (it could require dry wall replacement).<br />
<br />
When masking the room, we realized how poor of a job the old owners did at masking the room. It's akin to them not coloring within the lines of a coloring book. There was paint on the baseboards, moldings, and door frames. We masked it all anyway, but knew we would have work ahead of us to fix their mistakes. After masking, we laid down drop cloth and began work. The first coat took a few hours, as we learned how to effectively use the paint rollers and also get all the details with the paint brushes (the window sill areas, etc). That took us until around midnight to do.<br />
<br />
On Sunday, I worked on my own for the majority of the day. I masked the master bedroom, laid out the drop cloth, and got to work. I tried to work more systematically after learning what I was doing with the office. I worked one wall at a time, painting the edges and then rolling on paint over the surface. It took me a majority of the day because the room is so big, and it still ended up looking uneven. Good thing we were planning on doing two coats, right?<br />
<br />
I started doing the second coat in the office when Taylor got off work and helped me finish it up. Another day in the books.<br />
<br />
I was originally going to take a half day on Monday, but that magically turned into a whole day off. After getting a much needed haircut, it was time to begin the end: finish painting.<br />
<br />
I basically repeated what I did on Saturday for the master bedroom, except I didn't need to mask or lay drop cloth because it was already there. I did the edges then filled in. It's amazing how much the second coat helps. Going from the first, uneven coat to the second coat basically evens the whole thing out. Thank goodness.<br />
<br />
Once we had the coats done and dried to touch, we started un-prepping the room by removing all the drop cloth and masks. As we expected, there is a fair amount of touchup work to be done around the edges. But honestly we're so tired of painting that it'll be one of those "when we get to it" things. I'm more interested in getting myself moved in at this point.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-27276402467385092822011-12-02T08:39:00.001-06:002011-12-02T08:45:18.859-06:00I'm leavin early today!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvgoddSXoq1r7vwnfo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvgoddSXoq1r7vwnfo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Thanks Mark</span></div>
<br />
It just so happens that I'm leaving work early today. Supposedly the house is officially ours, and we no longer have tenants. I haven't heard anything from the previous owners, though, so I'm hoping this is still the case. Our lease was only for November 30th through December 1st.<br />
<br />
What's on the docket for this weekend? We hope to paint the two rooms (master bedroom and office), and I hope to run Ethernet through some of the house. This weekend we should have most of our utilities up and running (aka we'll have internet), and we have a few more companies dropping by on Monday to take care of remaining loose ends. Another half day? Smells like it.<br />
<br />
At that point, the house should be ready to move into. I'll be starting this weekend, but will move more next week and finally move the big stuff the following weekend. Coincidentally, my dad is coming into town when I need to move the big stuff. What a lucky break for him, he gets to help me move!<br />
<br />
What else do I need to do? I'm sure there's a lot that I haven't thought of yet. Oh, that reminds me, I need to buy a drill.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-81608389201151644122011-12-01T12:44:00.001-06:002011-12-01T12:44:42.038-06:00Funny video<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="276" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CYbVpAwGGGs" width="485"></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-27938215567536440752011-11-30T16:01:00.001-06:002011-11-30T16:05:07.094-06:00Bam - homeowner!Hey, I'm a home owner now. Weird, huh?<br />
<br />
I can't move in until December 2, because the old owners are leasing the house back from me for today and tomorrow. This weekend I'll hopefully start painting and moving some stuff.<br />
<br />
I hope to be moved in sooner rather than later, for obvious reasons. It's my first house, after all. It should come as no surprise that the first purchase I made for the house was a TV for the living room. That might be more exciting than the house itself. Nah, just kidding.<br />
<br />
Here are some projects that I need to take on (not necessarily anytime soon):<br />
-Repaint a couple rooms (asap)<br />
-Run ethernet cables through walls<br />
-Eventually remove wood paneling (we are going to paint it preliminarily)<br />
-Restain deck<br />
-New fancy kitchen faucet?<br />
<br />
Still trying to figure out how we're going to furnish the living room, but Ikea has a cool modular entertainment center.<br />
<br />
I'll take pics of the empty house once I can.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-18445976198403678132011-11-16T11:35:00.001-06:002011-11-16T15:46:17.637-06:00goodbye old friendA sad thing happened last night... I went to take out the trash and I realized my motorcycle was no longer where it used to be. Gasp.<br />
<br />
It's sad to think that someone, somewhere, is taking her apart and selling her piece by piece. How cruel. How unjust.<br />
<br />
You were fun while I had you. We had many good memories and I spent hours maintaining you. I only wish that we could have spent more time together. Goodbye old friend.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VrGVbprhxU/TsQvIQDVJoI/AAAAAAAACOE/r_EfNyGu9QU/s1600/hbike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VrGVbprhxU/TsQvIQDVJoI/AAAAAAAACOE/r_EfNyGu9QU/s1600/hbike.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-53021201459608731782011-11-14T15:10:00.001-06:002011-11-14T16:46:05.680-06:0015 days15 days until the closing date of our house. Our appraisal came back today and everything is good on that front, so I think that means we're essentially set. That was the last variable as far as I know that would have hindered a smooth close. Now the credit union just needs to put everything together and do what they need to do. Given that, I've officially given my 60 days notice to Justin.<br />
<br />
I'll want to move in as soon as possible, since you know, it'll be my brand new house. On the other hand, we really should paint and stuff. How do I balance?! That reminds me, I need to call the utility companies.<br />
<br />
In other news, Taylor showed me this cool shirt and I bought it:<br />
<a href="http://www.threadless.com/product/3333/Live_Music_Capital/tab,guys/style,shirt">http://www.threadless.com/product/3333/Live_Music_Capital/tab,guys/style,shirt</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-26719511130885449652011-11-09T13:44:00.002-06:002011-11-09T13:44:29.745-06:00countdown to close - 20 days20 days until my scheduled closing date. As you can imagine, I'm pretty excited so this is really drawing out my days. You know how your day feels longer when you are anxiously awaiting something that night? That's how the last week felt, and the next three will probably feel.<br />
<br />
The last variable left is the appraisal which should be in at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. Assuming everything is good there, I'll be set to go.<br />
<br />
What will we need to do when we get the keys? Nothing <i>needs</i> to be done, but we want to repaint any necessary rooms. We're not totally keen on a couple of the room colors, so we'll probably do that first. Also one room as wood paneling which I'd like to remove, but other people have told me they'd just leave it. Maybe that'd be easier?<br />
<br />
I'd also like to run Ethernet drops to the rooms. Why? Because I'm a nerd, mostly. But more seriously, I'm sure most of you can attest to the numerous problems you run into when dealing with wireless internet. Random cutouts, having to power cycle the router, random speed drops, etc. I want to run ethernet drops to each room so you can just plug in your PC and go. No need for random wireless problems. Wireless is good for laptops, phones, tablets. Running desktops off of wireless is just asking for problems. Who's with me?!<br />
<br />
Speaking of problems, the "Great Desk Soak of 2011" ended without much issue. Like I said before, I noticed some speaker problems and it still seems a bit messed up. It turns on and off, but the volume knob doesn't work most of the time. It stays at one volume regardless of what the knob is set at. Maybe I can take it apart and try to fix that. Otherwise I'll just learn to deal for now.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-9129433617492023632011-11-08T07:58:00.001-06:002011-11-08T07:58:05.915-06:00whoopsiesI drink a lot of water. Yesterday, this bit me in the ass. I had a full, 32 oz cup of water sitting on my desk. One careless movement and BAM —now there is water all over everything. My desk was soaked in water, which got over my speakers, my wireless USB adapter, and even my computer. I turned off my computer as fast as I could, and then started toweling off all that water.<br />
<br />
I'm going to go home tonight and run a hair dryer over everything to dry up and remaining water, but I think I already had my first casualty this morning. My speakers have a separate unit to control volume, treble, bass, and power. It didn't really get that wet, but it did splashed some. I dried it off with a towel but apparently not good enough. I powered it off last night with the power button, and when I woke up this morning it was on again. Uh oh. I tried to power it off and the button is unresponsive. The volume knob works, but it also seems to flicker around and do some weird stuff. Since my computer was off, I couldn't actually test to see if it worked. I'm assuming there is some permanent damage, but maybe it's still usable.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I get luckier with my computer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-36627716083377456822011-11-02T09:42:00.000-05:002011-11-02T09:42:02.604-05:00times are a changin'It's been almost a month since I've updated — sorry about that! I went ahead and updated my blog template because I was getting tired of the old look. Also, most of all that side matter wasn't important and no one cared about. I "cleaned" it up. I couldn't decide on the background photo, so this will have to do for now. Maybe I'll find a better one to replace it in the future. It's just some stock photograph that Blogger will let you use.<br />
<br />
Actually, it turns out that Google has made some changes to some of its services, too. It updated the look of Google Reader and Gmail. Gmail I don't care much about, but the changes to Google Reader impacts how I shared my links on the right. I can't do it anymore! So unfortunately, for now, those links on the right will be stagnant until I can figure out how to do it the new way. Why kid myself, they were already pretty stagnant to begin with.<br />
<br />
Last week, I flew to Georgia to do some training with our customer. Without going into <i>any</i> detail, I'll just say it went really well and we received a lot of praise from them and our management as well. Sweet.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I guess I have some big news. Taylor and I are in the process of buying a house. The offer was accepted last weekend, and we're in the contract and mortgage approval process right now. I'll post up some pictures once everything is a done deal, but until then I'm still waiting for something to blow up in my face. Always better to be mentally prepared for disaster and stress, right?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-28913203172010882862011-10-06T06:42:00.002-05:002011-10-06T06:42:35.136-05:00RIP Steve Jobs<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UF8uR6Z6KLc" width="480"></iframe>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2396873254454006841.post-15473357759129177912011-09-25T18:23:00.002-05:002011-09-25T18:23:53.683-05:00man oh manIt's been pretty slow for a while, hasn't it?<br />
<br />
That's my fault, or rather, work's fault. It's been so busy the last few weeks while we try to meet deadlines and milestones. The week before last I logged an almost 60 hour week, which wears on you quickly. But enough about work, what else has been going on?<br />
<br />
Last weekend was ACL weekend, and leading up to the weekend, my excitement was minimal. In my opinion, the bands they booked were weaker than the last few years, which is pathetic because it was the "celebrated" 10<sup>th</sup> year anniversary of the festival. Well, it didn't seem like they pulled out all the stops here. The two "biggest" (in my opinion) headliners — Coldplay and Kanye West — were both given the lower, Friday timeslots. Stevie Wonder closed Saturday (meh), and Arcade Fire closed the entire festival on Sunday (even more meh). In fact, the highlights of the weekend weren't even really related to the festival. Taylor and I bought some new bikes, using the festival as an excuse to finally replace my old, stolen bike. We got the whole shabang: bikes, helmets, lights (you need them to ride at night, legally), and a car rack. We mounted them on her SUV, parked at Mark's (or around), and biked down a trail about 15-20 blocks to the park. Last year, I rode my motorcycle which got me pretty close to the entrance at motorcycle parking. The bikes have it the best, though, because the racks are right at the entrance.<br />
<br />
The other highlight of the weekend was the rain. Apparently it wasn't as widespread as I thought, but it rained all three days at Zilker. On Friday and Saturday, there were even some heavier downpours. I almost started getting worried that we were going to have another mud bowl because of the rain, but luckily the ground was so dry that all of it soaked up pretty well.<br />
<br />
This weekend has been good. On Friday night, we went to a high school football game featuring the Cedar Park Timberwolves against the Vandergrift Vipers. It turned out to be a great football game. We were rooting for the Timberwolves, who got down 13-0 early. They rallied and scored three unanswered touchdowns, giving them a 21-13 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves' quarterback threw a nice pass to a wide open receiver, who had a clear shot into the endzone to ice the game. Sadly, he fumbled it right before the endzone and the Vipers recovered in for a touchback. The Vipers marched down the field and scored a touchdown, bringing them to within two. They had to go for the two point conversion, which they got on a magic heave. The quarterback was getting major pressure, and basically just heaved it in the general direction of a receiver. The receiver jumped way up, and while falling backwards, raised one hand to tip it into his chest as he fell down on his back. It was damn ridiculous. The game went into overtime (college rules, they each get an opportunity from the 25 yard line), and the Vipers scored on their very first drive to give them the advantage. The Timberwolves looked uneasy and faltered on their first couple downs, but managed to sneak in a touchdown. This is it: you can either kick the PAT and tie, which is the safe choice, or go for the two point conversion and end the game right there. What would you do? Most people say go with the safe bet. Not the Timberwolves, they could taste victory. They went for two, and wouldn't you know it, they got it. Great ending to a great game.<br />
<br />
Saturday was spent running some errands, and then making a pasta bake dinner. Today was a pretty productive day for me. I did some reading, finished all my laundry, went to the grocery store, made a potato salad recipe (average outcome), and watched a ton of football. And it's only 6pm! There's still more football to watch.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, now that things have calmed down a bit at work, I can ramp up my blog again. Take it easy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16439344652994683789noreply@blogger.com0