It ain’t pretty, nor does it serve any particular purpose, but I have succeeded in cutting glass, and then joining it back together!
Tomorrow I’m going to sit down and plan out a small starter project that will actually result in something with merit. In the meantime…
Fear me, for I am the Glass Man!
It literally just dawned on me that my bedroom and bathroom are the only rooms that haven’t had anything done to them yet.
I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to ignore my mother’s advice. When I bought my house in July last year, she recommended that I do whatever I was going to do to my bedroom first so that I always at least had it to run away to. The idea—like most of hers are—was a good one. Time and inspiration, however, conspired against me.
I’ve been rolling around some ideas for the bathroom, but so far they involve mostly structural plans… take out the bathtub and install a large shower instead. I absolutely HATE the toilet that’s in there now. It’s small and will just as soon clog as do anything else. I’d like something a bit longer. The counter top on the vanity needs a good overhaul and I’ve been thinking of trying the cement thing there first—it’s smaller than the kitchen counters, and won’t be as much of a loss if I completely screw up. Basically, all the fixtures and furniture in the bathroom have gotta go.
But the bedroom itself… I don’t have a clue where to start. My original thinking back before I even bought the place was that i wanted an opulent and plush sort of room. I’m not really feeling that anymore, plus, it just wouldn’t fit well with the rest of the place. I’d really like to buy some furniture, but without having a plan, I’m kind of stymied on where to even start. I know I don’t want anything that’s too modern; very modern furniture just seems too cold. The Merlot set from Value City Furniture has a certain appeal. It’s contemporary, but still maintains some very classic lines.
And these two are appealing as well:
I realize the quality isn’t going to be top of the line, but I’m not looking for heirloom quality stuff, you know? The Arts & Craft styling would go with the overall quasi-A/C style I’m trying to adopt.
The last time I started looking at bedroom furniture, I saw sleigh bed that had head and foot boards resembling the leather one from above. I really liked it, but the price where I found it was a lot more than I wanted to spend.
And I’m really clueless on what color I want the room to be. My plan is to carpet the whole house with the same carpeting, so the color will have to work with the red in the living room and the sage in the office. The blue bathroom downstairs doesn’t count… it’s in a wonderful world of its own.
So… any ideas?
If the price was a little lower—say $30 instead of $40—I’d so get one of these. Instant geek cred with this sitting on your front porch.
And in case you need to convert anything to or from Binary Code, here’s a handy-dandy converter to play around with.
01010111011001010110110001100011011011110110110101100101
It’s abstract enough that most people would never have a clue.
It’s especially nice to actually accomplish something on a day off.
I need to pull the server cabinet out and redo some of the wiring inside the cabinet. I also need to think about putting some fans in there to get the air moving through there a bit better. That won’t be as big an issue as winter gets here (I prefer the cold, so my thermostat tends to stay pretty low) which will help for the time being.
That’s a few more loose ends tied up. The office is functionally finished. I still need to put in new finish molding, but I’ll wait until after I redo the carpeting. Hopefully that will happen in February or March. Hope, hope.
Now, there’s no more excuses… if nothing comes up next weekend I’ll finally put the stained glass supplies I bought a couple months ago to use for the first time.
It’s no secret that I spoil my cat. She has an automatic feeding bowl, and water fountain, and more toys than any cat should ever have (she’s particularly fond of the whiffle-like practice golf balls you can pick up in the sporting goods department at your local discount department store). And like most cats around the world, she’s pretty particular about her litter box. If I fall behind in cleaning it out, she makes sure I know. So nearly as soon as she moved in, I began looking for another solution to the litter box problem.
There are a few different automatic litter boxes on the market. Littermaid is probably the most well known brand, since their products are available just about everywhere pet supplies are sold. Another, more expensive, though pretty well reviewed option is the Litter-Robot. They seem to have a very loyal customer base who regularly sing its praises.
The Litter Robot is a clever design, but it seems to me to be overpriced for what it is. Sure, I’ll pay $350 for a vacuum cleaner, but $300 for a cat litter box is a bit much. Littermaid’s prices are better, but the design just didn’t do it for me. There are just too many cracks and crevices for dust and whatnot to get into (the water fountain I bought for my cat has similar design deficiencies, but that’s a review for another time). Plus, you have to use a clumping litter, and the cat and I had already moved on to something much, much better.
And then there’s the Scoop Free Automatic Litter Box. Over the course of the last two years, I’ve experimented with different types of kitty litter, and about six months ago, despite its price, I settled on Fresh Step Crystals. The desiccant action is just plain smart when it comes to cat urine and it doesn’t hurt in turning cat turds into dried up little nuggets. Plus, the difference in the amount of dust when compared to clay type litter is big deal.
I’m not sure how or where I stumbled on the Scoop Free Automatic Litter Box, but I hemmed and hawed for a couple of weeks before finally placing an order. My major concern was the it was too small. None of the pictures I had seen made me entirely confident that my rotund little princess would manage to fit herself comfortably into the box. Eventually, I said what the hell and ordered a litter box and three replacement cartridges from Smarthome.com.
The design is deceptively simple and works like a freaking charm. The cartridge is thick walled cardboard box that holds the litter. The automatic cleaning mechanism slips over top of the cartridge. Once the cat does her business, the rake pushes the cat poo into a covered receptacle at the end of the cartridge and then returns to its ready position, lying in wait for more poo to rake up and hide. As to its size: my little fatty fits with room to spare.
The big selling point, according to Scoop Free, is that you can “leave it alone for up to 30 days!*” The little star directs you to some fine print that reads “Lasts up to 20-30 days with one cat and 10-15 days with two cats.” My experience so far, about seven weeks worth, is that I have to replace the cartridge every 21 days. The claim that you can leave it alone—so far—is totally accurate. Once you get it set up, other than looking in on it occasionally to make sure everything is in fine working order, I haven’t had to touch it except when replacing the cartridge.
At first the cat was a bit wary of the new poo eating machine. She had even taken to doing her solid business just in front of the litter box in order to be sure I was aware of her majesty’s displeasure. Then I moved it so she had no choice but to get into the box, and we haven’t had a single problem since. The motor is a bit loud and has become a point of curiosity for the cat. The litter box is stored in a closet, and the door to the closet has a hole in it for her to enter. When the litter box is disposing of the poo, the cat will sit with her head in the hole, watching it work.
To say I’m pleased with the purchase, would be an understatement. Yes, the cartridges are kind of expensive (about $15 a pop in quantity), but the crystal type litter is expensive by itself (and in my opinion, well worth it). It does its job perfectly so far. The design is as simple as it can be. It provides the cat with a clean place to do her thing, and allows me to ignore it for a few weeks at a time. It just plain works and works well.
If you have a cat and you’re in the market for such a device, I recommend the Scoop Free Automatic Litter Box whole heartedly. In my opinion, it’s the most reasonably priced and best option available. They manufacturer even offers a 90-day money back guarantee.
The Dyson DC14 Animal, to be exact. Color me impressed.
First off, it’s not as big I guessed it would be, and a few of the parts seem a little iffy. For instance, the ears that hold the power cord in place… they’re a bit flimsy. Most everything else seems to be put together pretty well. The canister mechanisms are all very tight and feel quite solid. When it comes to actually doing it’s job, I couldn’t be happier. I sucked up enough hair to make another cat (and this was after vacuuming with my old vacuum just two days before.
While doing my pre-purchase research, the only consistent complaint I found was that the machine is heavy. At 18.5 pounds, you’d think it’d be difficult to push around, but I found it remarkably nimble. It hugs the carpet nicely and doesn’t feel at all loose as you push and pull across the floor. Granted, I’m a bit stronger than the average housewife, but still—it’s a smooth operator.
I was also surprised by how quiet it is (as was my cat, I think). Normally, as soon as I pushed the button on my old vacuum cleaner, she was off like a rocket up the stairs to hide in the bedroom. When I cranked up the Dyson, she just sat there, keenly aware of the new purple monster in the room—wary, but not necessarily afraid. I’d wager that it’s quieter than most machines on the market (or at least quieter than any vacuum I’ve ever owned).
Emptying the canister was a cinch. Push one button to release the canister from the machine, and another to drop the bottom and dump the dirt. Some folks commented that it seemed a tad small… maybe their carpets are just particularly dirty.
My old Eureka Whirlwind has seen better days, but I think I’ll give it a good overhaul (new belt, filter, and remove the casings for cleanup) and move it permanently upstairs.
In the end, I’m glad I ran across this deal. I was really close to buying another brand and I’m sure, no matter how pleased with it I had been, a small part of me would have likely regretted the purchase. Instead, I got the one I really wanted, and it’s living up to all the hype. Say what you want about Dyson the man, he makes a damn good vacuum cleaner that doesn’t, er… um, does… suck.
I painted the frame of the worktable this weekend. I think it looks pretty good. I also finished painting the walls in my office. I mean, it’s only been since the end of *cough* May. Ginny had planned to come over and finish it for me, but just hadn’t gotten to it. Honestly, there was no reason for her to come do it… it took me no more than an hour from start to finish and now it’s done.
I didn’t do much else except cut the back yard. The back yard, if you can call it that, is mostly shaded, and there’s only a small patch that grows. No one can see back there, so I just ignored it all summer. I picked up a decent little string trimmer at Home Depot on Friday. Thirty minutes after I started, it was done.
On Friday, I also ordered a new vacuum cleaner. Let me tell you… I’m excited. I’ve been drooling over the Dysons for as long as they’ve been out, but really, I had a hard time justifying $500 for a freakin’ vacuum cleaner (no matter how good it’s supposed to be). My current sucker is pretty old (I bought it when David moved out of the Chesapeake apartment in 1997). I don’t even want to know how poorly it’s been working for the last couple of years. Anyway, I found a deal on a refurbished DC14 Animal. Instead of the normal $399 for a refurb, this one was going for $349. I had already been shopping for a new vacuum anyway, and last week in fact, I had settled on the Kenmore Progressive. But for only $50 more I got the one I really wanted.
I’ve been a bit remiss in not yet posting about the awesome work table that David and I built this weekend. So, without further ado, here’s a couple of pictures.
David and I have such a good time building stuff and, as usual, it turned out this project turned out just as expected. This weekend I’m going to paint the frame white. I’ll leave the top unfinished. Once I get some shelves installed above the table, I think I’ll finally get serious about starting the stained glass stuff.
This is fine nice example of what $60 and four hours worth of work will get you (note that the four hours INCLUDED going to Home Depot to pick up supplies as well as eating lunch).
It’s no secret that the carpeting in my house is in a horrible state. I’ve wanted to have it replaced since the monent I walked through the door. I’ve not had it done yet because of projects that would likely leave bare spots where walls once stood. Of the three, one has been completed (the office closet) and another really shouldn’t be that big of a problem (the master bedroom closet). The kicker is going to be the balcony addition, and whether I even do it or not.
I think I’ve hammered out the engineering of the beams and support, but my concerns are about the floor underneath the supporting wall. Currently the wall is nothing more than a solid banister that extends past the fireplace. The new design will take that wall out and replace it with one that goes all the way up to the floor of the balcony. David’s confident it’s not a problem. In the least, it won’t take any extra support and at most, a jack under the house will be more than enough to solve any problems.
My plan, for carpeting anyway, is to wait until I get my tax refund next year. Even with adjusting my exemptions to take my mortgage interest into account, I’m expecting a sizable check from Uncle Sam. As for the balcony, well, I’m not sure if or when that’s going to happen. I’m budgeting it at $1000 (which I think is even a little high), but I’m still paying off my deck addition (two months left on that). Plus, it’s a serious project… one that I’m not sure I’m entirely up for.
Meanwhile, I STILL have a large jagged hole in the drywall where the balcony will be going… during a conversation with David, we came to a point where we needed some answers and the only way to find out was to go inside the wall. Normally we’d use the sawzall for exploratory surgery, but not so in this case. My trusty hammer made quick work of a one foot square spot about eight feet off the floor. It’s been that way for almost a year.
The girl that cuts my hair turned me on to a friend of hers who’ll likely give me a seriously good deal on painting my living room. I’m not adverse to painting (or asking friends to help), but I don’t relish the thought of going up a ladder or asking my friends to go up a ladder either. It’d be a lot of work and I’m happy enough to pay someone with skills to get up there to do it right and quickly as to ask that much of my friends. Painting, of course, won’t happen until after the balcony is done (or I’ve decided not to do it) and before the new carpeting is put down.
