What did you do today?

[highup]

Been doing work at the shop since 73. When they have a repair or something they want me to do they never say keep it tight and they never set a price tag they just say go fix it. I turn a bill in I get a check. Never looked at it like fixing a botched job. I want the customer happy in the end it makes me look good in all eyes involved and it makes the store look good in the end for making good on a complaint. It's a win win.
...unlike fighting Lowe's and home Depot for months and months to get a problem resolved. If this shop has a problem, it gets fixed or it gets replaced.

 

[zannej]

I'm glad you guys take pride in your work and do things right. Highup, the guy you're describing sounds like almost every tradesmen in my area. They half-ass everything. They do some of the sloppiest work.

I'm up early because one of the cats decided to try to sleep on my head & it woke me up. Then the dog got all fussy because I moved my feet. I was sleepy so I started to hum myself a lullaby but forgot that summons the cats to come check on me & get up in my face even more. Dog wouldn't stop grousing & my bladder woke up so I had to go let him in to Mom's room (which is where the only working bathroom in the house is). She's awake too-- playing on her tablet (ok, it's a 21" All-In-One). She plays puzzle games, mahjong, etc on it.

I talked to my friend online (the one that is quarantining) he and his gf haven't had any symptoms thus far so they might not have Covid, but they are still being careful.

Another friend posted screenshots of messages her mother sent her and mentioned that her father is making his own horse paste for them to both eat bc they think it will stop Covid and it is making them even more delusional. They think there will be another coup attempt next week, that the power grid will go down, but then be restored by Tesla. A lot of it gets political though. But man, they are bats***. Something about Vatican gold and Satanic sacrifices of children in there. I'm on other forums with people who believe some of that though.

Sometimes I wonder if people ever listen to their own conspiracy theories and ask themselves if it makes sense. But then I realize they have no sense at all anymore. They have lost their ability to reason or use rational thought.

 

[Incognito]

Went and bought a bed today. They seem expensive but if they last 10 years and you get the one you want then they really aren’t that expensive.

I think we paid some $800/1000 for our bed about 15 years ago. One of the best deals I ever made. Funny thing is I have zero recollection of the name brand/type/style. I do remember the price. Pretty sure I could look on the bottom for product info but what are the odds that the 2021 version is anything like what was made a generation earlier?

 

[C.J.]

I think we paid some $800/1000 for our bed about 15 years ago. One of the best deals I ever made. Funny thing is I have zero recollection of the name brand/type/style. I do remember the price. Pretty sure I could look on the bottom for product info but what are the odds that the 2021 version is anything like what was made a generation earlier?

That is a good deal. The last two that we bought were just a little above 2k each. King size pillow top with box springs and a frame. We went to a couple places lookin around this time. The first place had one we liked for 2200 but didn’t have it in stock so we would have been at least a couple weeks out for delivery. Too long to wait for the wife. The next place has one we liked and we asked the price and dude said 3800. Lol. I’m not paying that. Low and behold they had one, just one so you gotta act fast, of that same mattress at another store that he would sell us for half off. All said and done it was 24 something with delivery and set up. I was kinda expecting that so I’m ok with that price. If we get 10 years out of it that’s $20 a month. Not bad considering I pay 14 or 15 a month for Pandora premium.

 

[highup]

What a pain in the butt.
I got 12 ft of metal put in today. It only took about 6 hours.
I suppose it would have been easier if I would have used one inch diameter dowels.
I had to go from point to point so I barely covered the wonky curve that the guy put in the click flooring. I got my straight lines made for lineup marks and from there I made the angle which came out to 12 degree cuts. I use my table saw for that. Worked nice.
On one end, I had to cut a notch so it would conform to the molding at the far side by the fridge. I wanted the drive screws at the mitered joints to be pretty close to the miter to make the pieces easier to close up.
Anyway once I got the metal pieces fit, I put dabs of hot glue to hold them in place while I drilled the pilot holes. I put a 1/8 in bit in my hammer drill and carefully drilled through the center of each hole in the metal. Then I put the metal off to the side and drilled all the holes with a half inch bit. Being my luck,, most of the 1/8 in holes, were of course, about an eighth of an inch into the edge of the tack strip. . To keep the tack strip from interfering with the half inch bit I had the carve a scallop around each of my 8th inch holes. Otherwise the tack strip would push the drill bit away from my original hole. I'm putting in drive screws, so these dowels need to be dead on so I can be confident when I put them back all the drive-throughs will work.
How many holes are in a strip of metal, 23?
I think I had one hole left in my scrap piece. The dowels fit well enough, but I glued them in with a combination of wood glue and some extra thick isocyanate glue.
Then I stretched the carpet and trimmed off the excess so the metal would go on without fuzzy's sticking out from underneath it. The end result turned out real nice the customers happy as a clam.
I wish I had installed the carpeting. I would have left it 2 in long so I could finish it off the way I originally intended.
The carpet guy screwed up by trimming a short and the vinyl plank guy couldn't cut a straight line, so they send in MacGyver.
Gotterdone, customer is happy and I got some fresh warm cookies when I left. That's what Sundays are for, right?

 

[highup]

And don't ask me why it doesn't go to the corners of the island.
I didn't measure the carpet. The blind guy did.

 

[highup]

Hey I fixed my other tool. Yep, cleaned it and lubed it. I spent 15 bucks six right months ago at a pawn shop for a Craftsman half inch drive ratchet. I needed it because I don't have one. I think my old girlfriend borrowed mine 20 years ago and it never came back.
Anyway this $15 ratchet never did work very well. The right hand to left hand turn switch was very stiff and the ratcheting action was not smooth at all. It was a bad purchase.
Anyhow after buying my $3 Cadillac, the SK ratchet and then stumbling on some videos and learning that they could be clean lubed and reassembled..... Honestly something that never entered my mind. ..... Well it worked fantastic with the SK so I decided to take apart my 70' era Craftsman.
It has two snap rings. One that holds the left/right lever and one that holds the main gear section in place. I disassembled everything and put it in a bucket of thinner then scrubbed everything with a brass and a stainless brush then blasted it clean with some brake clean.
Lubed up everything and started putting it back together. There's a tiny ball and spring that holds left/right lever in its proper positions. Was a bit of a struggle getting that to stay in place while inserting the left/right cog. I finally figured out how to make that happen. Once that's in place you install the lever that moves that piece. There is a small snap ring that holds the lever in place. It's a very stiff, half inch diameter flat spring.
I'm sitting on the step on my deck which drops into the carport full of crap..... as I tried time after time to push that snap ring in the place, the end of my screwdriver slipped...... and the snap ring wasn't there anymore.
To make it worse I didn't hear anything. No sounds no ricochets no nothing. First I looked to my left and on the steps It might have traveled 20 ft through the carport or it might have gone upwards over the top of the carport. Damn, I was moments away from checking out my fully serviced Craftsman ratchet and that little spring is history.
However, I was still in MacGyver mode. I had some zinc plated wire that was virtually the same thickness as that hardened snap ring.
MacGyver said: "bend the wire around the groove of the lever in the shape of a spring"
....It was said
....and it was done.
Anyway it's a good enough for now fix. You know I'm going to use the SK anyway.
If your ratchet's not working it's probably just like brand new but gunked up or the grease has just dried out over time.
If nothing else it's kind of fun.

 

[zannej]

Back in the very early 70s my parents bought a full Dixie French Provincial bedroom set (I think for $1100 but am not certain. Came with a Queen headboard, two 2-drawer nightstands, a 6-drawer bureau, a 5 or 6 drawer lingerie chest (need to actually count the drawers, but it's fairly tall), and a wide dresser with mirror. I think it has 9 drawers. Not sure if the frame for the bed was included or not. The drawers are made with dovetails and are of some aromatic wood that smells nice. Not sure if it's cedar or something else, but it keeps stuff inside smelling nice. Very sturdy. In the 90s the movers managed to break one of the metal handles on one of the dresser drawers due to extreme negligence (they broke a LOT of stuff in that move). But overall the furniture has held up very well. Meanwhile, the particle board Ashley set I got in the late 90s has the gold plastic film peeling off the plastic accents. A piece I bought later (tall shelf thingy with glass doors at the top and solid doors at the bottom) has chunks of particle board coming off at the bottom & also has the gold plastic peeling off.

They just don't make stuff like they used to. Stuff is not built to last.

Highup, that looks like the metal trim stuff I was thinking about when I was wondering if it could be used as low profile T molding in a doorway between different vinyl plank installations.

Today I got up early to go to the grocery store again since they were out of stuff I needed last time. Picked up a bunch of the Hungry Man meals mom likes. She had one when I got home and then I heated up leftover shepherd's pie from last night for her. Might make stroganoff later if she gets hungry again.

Self checkout was closed and there was only one cashier in the store. She mixed cold stuff with non-food items, crushed the hamburger meat, etc-- this is why I like self-checkout instead. Lady behind us in line was having a fit apparently. I was busy moving stuff from the cart to the belt and then the bags to the cart. But apparently the lady sniped at my brother for not reading her mind and putting the divider behind our stuff on the belt. Good thing I didn't hear her because I would have told her to f*** off. I've found that I have less patience for people like that now. My brother just ignored her. The cashier apologized to the lady & said she was the only one there. I can't be mad at the cashier for doing a crap job bagging given she was there alone and doesn't get paid enough to deal with that crap.

My friend told me the kitten I saved has some sort of infection-- possibly insect larva in a wound on his neck. I hope my friend will take my advice and clean the wound and put medicine on it. I'd do it myself but if he's been exposed to Covid and has been handling the kitten, I don't want to risk transferring it to a vet.

 

[highup]

The carpet doesn't go to the corners of the island, it actually looks okay in person. The carpeted area is small and there's probably never going to be any bar stools there.
Benefit is with true T-moldings you won't see any screws. In the right locations and metal that I use doesn't look too bad and they make it in a a handful of widths including 2- 1/2 inches. Sometimes you need the wider stuff for a material that has a height issue and The wider you go the more comfortable the taper is to walk on....... But sometimes wider you go, the uglier it gets.
Because the carpet is so heavy I needed this wider material for it's strength and stability. If I used a thin bar of the same type of material, every place I put in a screw would pull the metal down and create a bumpy effect.
Like I said in person it actually looks pretty good. The owner is happy and that's what counts.

 

[zannej]

I think the metal looks nice, especially considering what you had to work with.

Woke up early- cats broke my curtain rod and part of it is dangling from its bracket. Yasuke was playing with it and banging it against the wall. I called out his name and he stopped. But now he's attacking a decorative hanging stars and moon thing I got from Indonesia. He's getting it all tangled up. So i just threw an empty medicine bottle at him-- missed but it hit the wall and scared him so he stopped. He's never played with this stuff before but apparently he decided today is the day to be an d-bag.

I was having a very bizarre dream about running a pub where we served chicken with broccoli (like the stuff from the Chinese restaurant) and my cat Mewlatto was a food inspector. When I woke up he was sitting on my side.

 

[Tom Picciani]

My camping trip got canceled. Weather isn’t cooperating and smoke from west coast isn’t helping. Next chance is October but northern Pennsylvania gets nasty cold then. Next year I think. But not ready to break out the snow blower yet, lol.

 

[Mark Brown]

My camping trip got canceled. Weather isn’t cooperating and smoke from west coast isn’t helping. Next chance is October but northern Pennsylvania gets nasty cold then. Next year I think. But not ready to break out the snow blower yet, lol.

Just wait for winter winter, I love winter camping. It's the best!
Less drinking and more surviving.

 

[Tom Picciani]

I like Winter camping, especially in the Florida Keys. 2x I went to the Winter Star Party in Spanish Harbor Key. And that's as cold as I want my Winter camping to be! LOL

 

[Floorist]

Had blood drawn, hemoglobin level is dropping again.

 

[highup]

My camping trip got canceled. Weather isn’t cooperating and smoke from west coast isn’t helping. Next chance is October but northern Pennsylvania gets nasty cold then. Next year I think. But not ready to break out the snow blower yet, lol.

Was that for the meteor shower?
I was curious what my game camera would do pointed straight up at night. That's when moths and bats come out. I managed to get a bunch of bats recorded the other night. They are just a bunch of fast moving white spots zigzagging around and streaking through the frame like Superman. ....I ,mean Rocky the flying squirrel.
I set it up last night but my lithium batteries died. I discovered that when they hit the 90% charge mark the power is ready to drop straight off and they're no good anymore. I think they hold a very good charge right up until the last minute and then all the sudden they drop straight off a cliff. The old carbon batteries would gradually lose power. Not these.
Anyway the only pictures I got were of me moving the camera around to set it on top of my van.
I refilled it with some alkaline batteries and put it back out. I only got one video, but I did get a meteor streak through the frame. Nothing fancy, but kinda neat anyway. Meteors move too fast to set off the trigger in the camera so the camera has to be activated by something else during the time the meteor streaks over.
Pointing straight up, the lens fogs up because of our coastal humidity at night.
Thinking of setting up a tiny computer fan to blow across the camera to stop the lens fog.
.......maybe.

 

[C.J.]

Got a fatty this week.

 

[Jon]

I think the metal looks nice, especially considering what you had to work with.

Woke up early- cats broke my curtain rod and part of it is dangling from its bracket. Yasuke was playing with it and banging it against the wall. I called out his name and he stopped. But now he's attacking a decorative hanging stars and moon thing I got from Indonesia. He's getting it all tangled up. So i just threw an empty medicine bottle at him-- missed but it hit the wall and scared him so he stopped. He's never played with this stuff before but apparently he decided today is the day to be an d-bag.

I was having a very bizarre dream about running a pub where we served chicken with broccoli (like the stuff from the Chinese restaurant) and my cat Mewlatto was a food inspector. When I woke up he was sitting on my side.

Arent cats lovely?

 

[highup]

Got a fatty this week. View attachment 12680

Better you than me. At two boxes per day, that's, uhh.....
....a lot of work.
Probably two days work for you?

 

[highup]

I've heard it's dangerous I've heard not destroys lives but I've never really paid any attention or heard anything more than that. Wow.
If this stuff is at potent how does anyone use it and survive. This cop simply stood a couple feet away and looked at it.

 

[Don Monfils]

Looks like a nice one, Chris!