What did you do today?

[zannej]

I can't stay on my feet for two long. I also can't stay seated with my feet down for too long or they swell up. I can't really squat without having trouble getting back up either. I think the extra weight is a big part of the problem.

Yesterday, Mom wanted chicken but then remembered it was Friday & she doesn't eat meat on Fridays during Lent. Personally, I think the whole Lent thing is silly, but it's one of the only rituals she sticks to from being raised Catholic. So, I made stovetop stuffing with extra corn mixed in & she was happy. Tonight she had chicken cordon bleu & a side of asparagus. I had leftover stuffing and some shredded rotisserie chicken as well as a little of the asparagus.

I saw a question on the houserepairtalk forums involving flooring. I directed the person here, but it looks like he hasn't posted yet. https://www.houserepairtalk.com/threads/any-hardwood-floor-experts-here-need-scratch-advice.29213/
He wants to know how to get those light scratches out of the finish. I think he'd probably have to go with a lower gloss finish so it wouldn't be as obvious when it gets little scratches. I wonder if those can be buffed/waxed out though.

I've been trying to plan out the changes to the plumbing when I redo the bathrooms & I was looking at some old photos under the house and realized it looks like one of the toilets might have had a vent bc it goes up between the wall but I don't know where that pipe terminates. I would have to look behind that toilet inside the wall and/or get up in the attic to look for it. I don't believe it goes through the roof.

 

[Ernesto]

It should vent through the roof

 

[zannej]

Ernesto, I know that it *should* but a lot of stuff in this house isn't the way it should be. Like, no insulation in exterior walls, S-traps instead of P-traps, headers on doors not done properly, wiring not properly grounded, etc. Not a single fixture in the house is properly vented. After we moved back, the plumber came to do repairs & commented that some of the vents had been removed- he said he put them in when he did the plumbing in the 40s/50s but that they seemed to no longer be there. I think the vent for my mother's toilet is still in the wall but I don't know if it was cut off in the attic or in the wall.

If it terminates inside the house, I wonder if the gas from it could be what is making us tired all the time. People who come to visit comment that the house makes them feel tired when they are inside.

My brother's supervisors just resubmitted forms to get him a promotion to Cook 2 again, but HR is still dragging their feet. He's starting to think he might have to look for another job if HR won't process the paperwork so that he can get medical benefits. They still have him in the system as part-time/probation w/ lower pay, no pto, & no benefits even though he was supposed to be put to full-time almost 2 months ago. He's been doing the tasks of Cook2 position for over a month but getting the part-time pay grade. They just fired one of his supervisors for unknown reasons. He pulled a rotator cuff & another muscle in his upper arm so he had to ask to be taken off the back fryers for a bit because it exacerbates the injury.

I'm sleepy today & trying to get some energy to do something productive.

 

[Ernesto]

Sounds like you dont have any building codes Z. Or else someones getting paid off.

 

[Floorist]

Sounds like you dont have any building codes Z. Or else someones getting paid off.

Many states don't have codes outside the cities.

 

[Ernesto]

My county has codes although not quite as strict as the city.

 

[zannej]

We have building codes but we don't have enough people to actually enforce them & people generally don't give a crap. I had to get a permit when I had my septic tank replaced & got new field lines, but the inspector told me that if I wanted to renovate the house that I wouldn't need permits. My father was told many years ago that new structures required permits but we're too far out in the sticks for people to care. The house was built sometime in the 40s & revisions were made in the 70s (at least judging by the decor). Someone thought avocado green was a good color for a bathroom...

The people who sold us the house did some DIY crap to it. They apparently had another piece of property where they built an entire house (we later found out they used stolen materials-- the guy worked at some job that allowed him access to building supplies & he stole a bunch of them). They didn't really care about quality. I don't know if they cut off the vents or if it was the a-hole tenants to did it. They didn't understand the plumbing system (which had a sort of mini-manifold to control water to different areas) so they decided to alter it & they screwed things up. They did not hire any plumbers or electricians to do things & they wrecked the place.

Back to the building code things, I saw about 5 houses that were built in the last several years but when I checked the permit records, only 2 permits were pulled. I saw builders putting tin roofing directly over rafters with no plywood or house wrap (or whatever is supposed to go between the roof & the plywood). When a house in town caught fire, they just nailed new siding up over the burnt wood (no house wrap on that either).

 

[Floorist]

Septic tanks are state regulated here. Only the cities and the counties with major cities in them have codes. Rural people fight them.

 

[Don Monfils]

Carpet ... ugg
At least it’s not over cushion

 

[Floorist]

I like crapet.

 

[zannej]

I used to like carpet but it's a pain to keep clean. Beater bar in the vacuum keeps getting tangled up with hair and fur.
I didn't get much sleep last night bc my mother kept waking me up bc she wanted stuff. First she wanted me to come pick up something that was 3 feet away from her around midnight. Then around 2am she wanted corn dogs. Then several minutes later she wanted me to come take the plate & corn dog sticks out of her room (she had me bring them to her in bed bc she didn't feel like getting up & going to the living room where she usually eats). Couldn't get back to sleep for awhile after that.
I just had total brain freeze.

 

[Floorist]

I used to like carpet but it's a pain to keep clean. Beater bar in the vacuum keeps getting tangled up with hair and fur.
I didn't get much sleep last night bc my mother kept waking me up bc she wanted stuff. First she wanted me to come pick up something that was 3 feet away from her around midnight. Then around 2am she wanted corn dogs. Then several minutes later she wanted me to come take the plate & corn dog sticks out of her room (she had me bring them to her in bed bc she didn't feel like getting up & going to the living room where she usually eats). Couldn't get back to sleep for awhile after that.
I just had total brain freeze.

Is she senile?

 

[highup]

Got a start on my 48 foot long carpeted living room job................... the nightmare begins. Seven 13 foot long angles walls, an 18 foot rock fireplace with a 20 inch overhanging concrete hearth. Yo have to lay on your belly to set trim and tuck carpet along the rocks. One part of the overhang is 50" wide by 33" deep and the concrete in the lower part of the hearth is 9 inches off the floor in that area. Laying on the floor, I can't even reach to the back of it because of the low clearance.
Nicest view in the city tho, so not so bad, right?

 

[zannej]

Is she senile?

No. She's just a bit spoiled. But, I'm basically her live-in caregiver & she pays for everything for me & puts a roof over my head instead of paying me a salary so I can't complain too much. It gets a little frustrating at times, but I know it could be worse. She doesn't keep regular sleep hours. Just sleeps when she feels like it & doesn't seem to be considerate about other people's sleep schedules. She used to keep somewhat of a schedule before our elderly friends died & her only surviving friend moved almost 3 hours away. She doesn't have any friends her own age & doesn't like going out so she just sits at home & watches Dr. Pimplepopper stuff & plays games on her tablet.

She wants to go to Alexandria tomorrow though. I hope she'll actually get up & not postpone it like she did last time. We need to get some more stuff at Sam'sclub.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember something I forgot. I wanted to look something up online & was thinking about it just before I sat down at my computer but I immediately forgot while I was opening a new tab.

 

[Jon]

zannej you have a lot of patience

 

[highup]

I like crapet.

I like crapet repairs......... pays better and less hours.

 

[Ernesto]

Got a start on my 48 foot long carpeted living room job................... the nightmare begins. Seven 13 foot long angles walls, an 18 foot rock fireplace with a 20 inch overhanging concrete hearth. Yo have to lay on your belly to set trim and tuck carpet along the rocks. One part of the overhang is 50" wide by 33" deep and the concrete in the lower part of the hearth is 9 inches off the floor in that area. Laying on the floor, I can't even reach to the back of it because of the low clearance.
Nicest view in the city tho, so not so bad, right?

Crapet, ugh

 

[Ernesto]

So i flooded my mohawk vinyl click job a little today .
Worked up to the fridge thats stuck in a hole. Pulled it out and the water line (1/4" plastic tubing ) thats coming out of the wall (not code) started spewing water. Luckily i had tape near me so i cut the line, kinked and taped it.
Found the cheap inline valve under the sink. Turned it off and of course its a dripper. Valve is buried behind the csbinet wall. Previous owner was a " general contractor".

 

[highup]

That sucks. A local guy installed a floor in the kitchen. He and the homeowner slid the fridge back into position afterwards.
.....snapping a PVC pipe in the floor for the ice maker. Yeah, PVC coming up out of the floor. $20 grand later, all was well.

 

[Floorist]

Got a start on my 48 foot long carpeted living room job................... the nightmare begins. Seven 13 foot long angles walls, an 18 foot rock fireplace with a 20 inch overhanging concrete hearth. Yo have to lay on your belly to set trim and tuck carpet along the rocks. One part of the overhang is 50" wide by 33" deep and the concrete in the lower part of the hearth is 9 inches off the floor in that area. Laying on the floor, I can't even reach to the back of it because of the low clearance.
Nicest view in the city tho, so not so bad, right?

Better you than me.