What did you do today?

[zannej]

Rusty, thanks for checking on him. I hope he can get a new modem soon. I miss seeing his posts.
I'm going to miss Havasu during the hurricane cleanup but hope it goes smoothly.

I just finished cooking stroganoff & am going to go over to help my friend pull his baseboards & set his cabinets in flush against the wall. Just waiting for him to get home from work to head over.

 

[Floorist]

Spent a few hours working on my riding mower. It's only about 25 years old.

 

[highup]

Great chatting with you Rusty. Sorry for making you guys get worried. I Know my lack of appearance is way out of the norm. Not a ton of work, but with my limited internet access, I've been spending it researching cab fixes for a friends old 1970 Camaro. It's been a nightmare figuring out what was wrong, but we got it 90$ whipped. He rebuilt the carb, so my job was figuring out what he done did to it............ we got what he done did, corrected, so on to fine tuning so he can return his pride and joy to the street now and then.
Hey Ern.............. 1970 Z28 with an LT1....... last year of the 11-1 compression. Car still looks like new, paint and interior too. 119,000 miles. Not bad for 50 years. Man, many years ago he had the engine rebuilt and added a blueprinted factory can, roller rockers and some coated Hooker headers, World products heads and a few other goodies. I can wait to get this thing off the jack stands. zoom zoom zoom.

 

[highup]

I emailed Randy but havent heard back yet

...........note to self:
Check emails.

 

[Jon]

...........note to self:
Check emails.

highup you should have checked your email as I sent the winning numbers of Lotto to you

 

[Floorist]

Thought this heat was over. Heat index 101 today.

 

[Floorist]

Can you hear me now?

 

[DarisMulkin]

Being a hearing aid sufferer I can't imagine carrying around a contraption like that. We have come a long ways baby.

 

[Floorist]

Being a hearing aid sufferer I can't imagine carrying around a contraption like that. We have come a long ways baby.

But think how cool it looks.

 

[Floorist]

https://www.bing.com/search?q=only+...sc=8-15&cvid=f447cb610bcf466e8e5bf16a0b9ea3f1

 

[zannej]

I'm so glad to "see" you, Randy! I'm just glad you're OK. Sounds like you were productive.
I was productive today but at my friend's house instead of my own. Got up early & went over, helped him clear off the counters & we adjusted the cabinets some more & moved things a little bit. Tried to secure the countertops together but we need another set of hands & maybe a tool to turn the little bolt thingies. Also discovered we need to shim the back end of the corner cabinet but we couldn't get to it bc it was surrounded by the other ones. Debating whether we will just shim the top or actually mess with moving the other ones & shimming it & then trying to get them back in place. I'm going to bring over some clamps another day & we will use some shims in between the spaces to get them secured together & leveled. Before we could do the adjustments though, we had to take off the wall trim, baseboards, & one side of the door trim. The top layer of plywood floor was put in after the baseboards so we had to pry them up. Found an old Grand Casino playing card (I think 7 of diamonds) behind one of the baseboards. A bunch of bugs were in there too. With the trim out of the way we were able to get the cabinets flush against the bottom of the wall. The walls aren't plumb so they tip back a bit leaving a gap behind the tops of the cabinets/counters-- but we'll fill that with some sort of trim.

We made a trip to the hardware store & grabbed some stuff to try to work on the back of my friend's house. There is a back room that used to be the laundry room and the floor dropped out under the sliding glass doors. We temporarily put in a treated 2x6 on to of some concrete blocks. Turns out we needed one more concrete block for the center though. And we will need some 4x4s cut to the right size to cram under. I had my friend use some scrap pieces of 2x4s he was going to throw away (but I insisted he keep them "just in case"). He mumbled & laughed about how I got to say "I told you so" bc we ended up needing them. For now a floor jack is holding things in place temporarily & we have the glass doors sitting up into the top & side rails but we don't have a bottom rail. The main point was to seal it up bc it was just open to the air with clear plastic wrapped over it before. Lots of ants & wasps were crawling around in the rotting wood though. Whole back area is going to need some TLC at a later point. He's going to tackle that when he has more people to help (and ones who can lift things better than I can). It might not sound like a lot of work, but all that lifting in that damn heat- and stupid mosquitoes chewed up my ankles (cue the world's smallest violins- LOL).

After a brief rest & cooling off, we went back to working on the countertops-- My friend decided to try to cut them by hand instead of taking them to my workshop to use my tablesaw. So the cuts ended up a little wonky & the edge trim isn't adhering in some spots-- we'll use some gorilla glue and painter's tape to hold it on. But now the long piece is no longer blocking the doorway so it looks pretty good. Got the other edge piece taped on for now. I'm going to stain the sides once we get the counters completely set in place & secured so they won't move. Then I'll do some touch-ups on spots I missed or ones that need a bit more stain. We found a little folding table in the back room that I brought to the front. I'm going to sand it and stain it to match the cabinets.

When the weather cools off a bit my friend will be able to come out and help me with some projects at my house. I really need to go through & get rid of a lot of junk I'm never going to use & that I really won't miss bc it's been in boxes for years.

 

[Floorist]

Want to see some pictures when you are done with the cabinets.

 

[zannej]

It's going to look nice. It already looks better than before.
The colors look different because my friend has a better camera & he sent me this:

The floors have a lot of movement to them bc they are nailed down. I got him to use screws on the worst bit (off camera) that kept popping up. Going to get more screws & try to secure the rest of the floors so they won't move so much. They are just nailed down right now. I think the plan is to cut the door trim to fit around the cabinets & put some trim above the backsplash of the countertops to cover the gaps from the walls leaning back.

My friend wants to put an 18-inch pantry to the left of the counters flush up against the edge (not sure what he's going to do about the power outlet-- maybe cut a hole in the back for the plugs & have something on the side of the pantry. There will be upper cabinets that go around the corner as well. On the opposite wall he wants to put a very small breakfast nook or snack bar type thing using the scrap of countertop that got cut off. Not sure if it will have sufficient space though.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Checking in with you guys. Haven't posted in a while. Hunter has thoroughly tested the resiliency of the Coretec floor. No scratches from his nails and any mess he's left cleans up very easily using the Swiffer Jet mop.

I've switched to outside projects now. Joined the Lawn Forum to get some ideas how to repair my lawn. Of the 10,000 sq. ft., only half has grass on it. Everything else is dead. Ordered 35 lbs of seed and I'm buying a tow behind dethatching rake. Also bought some stuff to fortify the lawn and kill the weeds. So I'm not done spending money.

I had a 10 foot square ground level wood deck torn out. They are pouring a concrete pad today if weather permits.

Labor day had a lightning strike outside my house. Took out clock, cable modem, router, and magic jack.

Got everything replaced without too much problems.

Good thing I'm a computer guy!

Later,

Tom P.

 

[Floorist]

It's going to look nice. It already looks better than before.
The colors look different because my friend has a better camera & he sent me this:
View attachment 9724

The floors have a lot of movement to them bc they are nailed down. I got him to use screws on the worst bit (off camera) that kept popping up. Going to get more screws & try to secure the rest of the floors so they won't move so much. They are just nailed down right now. I think the plan is to cut the door trim to fit around the cabinets & put some trim above the backsplash of the countertops to cover the gaps from the walls leaning back.

My friend wants to put an 18-inch pantry to the left of the counters flush up against the edge (not sure what he's going to do about the power outlet-- maybe cut a hole in the back for the plugs & have something on the side of the pantry. There will be upper cabinets that go around the corner as well. On the opposite wall he wants to put a very small breakfast nook or snack bar type thing using the scrap of countertop that got cut off. Not sure if it will have sufficient space though.

Looking good

 

[Floorist]

Checking in with you guys. Haven't posted in a while. Hunter has thoroughly tested the resiliency of the Coretec floor. No scratches from his nails and any mess he's left cleans up very easily using the Swiffer Jet mop.

I've switched to outside projects now. Joined the Lawn Forum to get some ideas how to repair my lawn. Of the 10,000 sq. ft., only half has grass on it. Everything else is dead. Ordered 35 lbs of seed and I'm buying a tow behind dethatching rake. Also bought some stuff to fortify the lawn and kill the weeds. So I'm not done spending money.

I had a 10 foot square ground level wood deck torn out. They are pouring a concrete pad today if weather permits.

Labor day had a lightning strike outside my house. Took out clock, cable modem, router, and magic jack.

Got everything replaced without too much problems.

Good thing I'm a computer guy!

Later,

Tom P.

Glad to see you back.

 

[zannej]

Tom, I'm glad nothing else was damaged by the lightning strike, but it still sucks to have stuff fried. I hope you can get your lawn fixed. Mine looks like the weeds are going to become carnivorous & start devouring people. When FedEx or UPS guys show up, I've been walking out & telling them I'll carry the packages to the porch so they don't have to walk through the thorny blackberry vines. I've tried hacking the things back but they seem to retaliate.

Rusty, someone mentioned something about the corner cabinet being tucked back & I realized it has room to come forward a little, bumping the right cabinet over toward the doorway just a smidge & still have the right amount of overhang & not obstruct the door.

I realized I had space for one of the furniture pieces I saw at the flea market that matched my bedroom set. My mother said I should get it since it's rare to find something like that so we went to the flea market this morning. It was still closed so we went to IHOP & had breakfast. I had their ham & eggs special with canolis. I substituted mashed potatoes for hash browns bc the hash browns always give me a stomach ache. I think next time I'll get fries bc they had a weird sour taste. Went back to the flea market & saw the furniture but the shopkeeper said it had already been sold. Bummer. I'm sort of hoping that whoever bought it will back out or fail to pick it up. It actually would help to provide some good storage space for stuff in my room.

For reference, this is the bedroom set I have (only mine is in "onyx" so it's solid black with gold). I got it in Guam in the 90s.

This was from when I first moved back to the mainland before my room became a total disaster (I still haven't unpacked those boxes).

This is what I could see of the entertainment center they had in the storage locker/flea market bay

And this was the piece I wanted:

 

[zannej]

Just got a call from my friend's fiance from the police station. They'd been letting a 14-yr old girl stay at their house after the girl was almost raped (the assailant raped another girl & tied this girl up & tried to rape her but she escaped). The guy was drunk & now in jail. The girl's mother has been at work while the girl was home alone & she was afraid to be home alone so she started staying over at my friend's house. It was going OK at first but the last couple of days she started to get very disrespectful & entitled. She also started threatening to assault people. It got to the point the fiance told her to leave but she refused. She called the girl's mother who said "Do whatever you need to do to get her out & tell her I said to leave". She told the girl to leave but the girl ignored her, so she put her hand on the girl's chin to lift her face to make her look at her to tell her to get out. The girl kicked her in the stomach. She got mad & chucked her phone at the girl which hit her on the forehead and gave her a gash. The girl (who is larger than her & outweighs her by about 50lbs) jumped up and started slapping her. She managed to push the girl out the door & shut it and then let the mother know what happened. The mother called the cops. The cops arrested the 22-yr old & charged her with felony assault. The 22-yr old is bipolar, has fetal alcohol syndrome, & her mother did drugs while pregnant. She only weighs about 80lbs & has impulse problems bc of her abusive upbringing & medical issues. Also, when my friend's father attacked him-- choking him & slamming his head into a wall, he was only charged with minor domestic assault & released without any bail. I realize the other person is 14 & the 22-yr old shouldn't have thrown her phone, but she was attacked & the girl was trespassing. This isn't going to help my friend's custody case for trying to get his daughter back. I also don't know how much bail will be charged but I know my friend can't afford it. He's trying to get in touch with people to resolve this.

 

[Tom Picciani]

I heard there's a law that says when visiting IHOP you must try all the syrups! LOL.

I switched lawn forums to aroundtheyard.com. They have a 3 step (triangle) approach to weed control.

1. generic weed killer like Ortho or Roundup for lawns.
2. Tough weed control for clover, oxalis, wild violets. (I use T-zone)
3 grassy weed killer for the nutsedge and other grassy weeds. (Sedgehammer)

I use a surfactant and a blue dye to mark where I spray. When the dye disappears, the ground is safe to walk on.

Really good articles on the page.

Tom P.

Tom, I'm glad nothing else was damaged by the lightning strike, but it still sucks to have stuff fried. I hope you can get your lawn fixed. Mine looks like the weeds are going to become carnivorous & start devouring people. When FedEx or UPS guys show up, I've been walking out & telling them I'll carry the packages to the porch so they don't have to walk through the thorny blackberry vines. I've tried hacking the things back but they seem to retaliate.

Rusty, someone mentioned something about the corner cabinet being tucked back & I realized it has room to come forward a little, bumping the right cabinet over toward the doorway just a smidge & still have the right amount of overhang & not obstruct the door.

I realized I had space for one of the furniture pieces I saw at the flea market that matched my bedroom set. My mother said I should get it since it's rare to find something like that so we went to the flea market this morning. It was still closed so we went to IHOP & had breakfast. I had their ham & eggs special with canolis. I substituted mashed potatoes for hash browns bc the hash browns always give me a stomach ache. I think next time I'll get fries bc they had a weird sour taste. Went back to the flea market & saw the furniture but the shopkeeper said it had already been sold. Bummer. I'm sort of hoping that whoever bought it will back out or fail to pick it up. It actually would help to provide some good storage space for stuff in my room.

For reference, this is the bedroom set I have (only mine is in "onyx" so it's solid black with gold). I got it in Guam in the 90s.
View attachment 9729

This was from when I first moved back to the mainland before my room became a total disaster (I still haven't unpacked those boxes).View attachment 9730

This is what I could see of the entertainment center they had in the storage locker/flea market bay View attachment 9728

And this was the piece I wanted:
View attachment 9726
View attachment 9727

 

[zannej]

LOL. I think I've only had the maple & the strawberry syrups at IHOP. Or maybe it was blueberry... I like the maple syrup.

We cut the weeds back with machetes but they are tough.

I went to see the 22-yr old at the jail. She was supposed to be transferred to the prison last night & have her bail hearing this morning-- but the judge hasn't signed the warrant yet so she can't have a bail proceeding & has not been allowed to speak to an attorney. I got more details on what happened: the 14-yr old weighs 140lbs & has prior arrests. The 22-yr old has no criminal record-- not even speeding tickets. All of the cops we talked to at the station said the arrest was total BS. But they said it's 2nd degree felony assault & it's state charges. A cop who knows the 22-yr old & knows about her heart condition & bipolar disorder said they were going to take good care of her & wouldn't let anyone jump on her. He said that the judge has 72hours after the arrest to sign the warrant (if not signed in that time she has to be released). Once the warrant is signed, there is a 48hr window for her bail hearing. He said it was likely she might get RoR.

They also said she should have just called the cops when the girl refused to leave but she can't make phonecalls with her phone bc her service got cut off (she & my friend were on his grandfather's phone plan & the grandfather didn't pay & my friend couldn't afford to pay his uncle's portion & the late fees AGAIN). His grandfather has stuck him with the bill multiple times in the past but this was the last straw. His grandfather has a higher income than him & no dependents but he keeps screwing my friend over by not paying his own bills & wanting my friend to do it. So he got a prepaid sim card for his own phone but they didn't have any more at the store for him to get one for his fiance. She was messaging the girl's mother over wifi at the house when things blew up.

Meanwhile, the 14-yr old was issued a restraining order to stay away from my friend's house/property & released almost immediately. When my friend got home, the brat was directly across the street from his house grinning at him & mocking him. When he was talking to the neighbors she walked up & tried to talk to him & he told her she best get on her way. She has a history of violence-- beating up smaller kids for "mouthing off" to her. My friend is going to get the details on the restraining order to find out what the terms are & what the distance is & if the brat violates it again, he will call the cops on her. He also told her mother she needed to keep her daughter away if she doesn't want her going to jail.

I'm really hoping the judge will just decide to drop the charges when he reads the report.

One thing that bothered me (aside from the charges & them not letting her talk to a lawyer) was that the cops saw red marks all over her arms & chest when they arrived on scene but they didn't take any pictures. So now she only has one small red mark on her chest & there is no visible bruise on her stomach (which is still hurting from being kicked). The way she described it, the girl kicked her as hard as she could & knocked her back & she reflexively flung her phone at her immediately. One of the cops said he probably would have reacted the same way if he'd been kicked like that. It was poor impulse control, but this whole situation is stupid.

The good news is, my friend's mother is doing everything she can to help. She made phone calls, went and got some clothes to bring to the fiance at the jail, & has been trying to find out what is going on. She was so agitated by the situation that she started using the weedeater on my friend's yard in 98 degree heat (she cleans & does yard work when she's agitated). She had just cut the weeds a few days ago. My friend said if he didn't think she'd pocket stuff, he'd send her out to my house.