It’s that time again… time for my annual fishing/camping trip with my dad and brothers. I’m heading down bright and early tomorrow morning.
The hope is that the fish will be a bit more cooperative this year. Last time… don’t even get me started.
See you Monday. Pictures will follow.
I’ve been thinking about installing an arch in the passage from the living room into the dining room/kitchen. There are just so many straight lines in this house, that I thought something a bit architectural would be nice. Rather than just dive into it, I figure it’d be a good idea to visualize the final result first.
I have the construction pretty well mapped out in my head, and I don’t think it’ll be very difficult. In fact, I don’t think it’d take David and I much more than a few hours to have the structure in place and ready for finishing.
I wonder if I could convince the cat to use this:
I really like the idea and it would completely eliminate all the concerns I have about any sort of conventional automatic pet waterer. I really dislike the unit I currently have for her because there are just too many nooks and crannies for bad stuff to hide in.
I’m very seriously considering this option. She could have 24/7 on demand fresh water, and I wouldn’t have to worry about it.
It may seem that I depend on technology too much to take care of the cat, but that’s not it at all. The feeder, litterbox, and waterer allow me to avoid becoming her slave.
Come and get it…
I have 10 9 8 7 5 2 1 invite for Grand Central. if you’re interested, leave a comment (using a valid email address) and I’ll hook you up. First come, first served. Sorry folks, all gone.
The other day at Lowe’s I picked up a nice new bucket to mix plaster in. I think it’s two and a half gallons or so. I also picked up a 18″ solid wood tabletop with the intention of using it as a base for the lamp I’ve been working on.
The plaster ended up being ballast enough, so I decided against using the tabletop for a footer, but in a moment of desperation, I put it the table top on top of the bucket because I needed a platform lower than my work table, but not as low as the floor.
Once I realized how useful the thing could be I slapped a couple pieces of 2 x 2 on the bottom to keep the tabletop from sliding around.
I’m pretty sure the insert will fit a five gallon bucket as well.
I’ve started a new project… a lamp.
Here’s the inner armature so far. The main column is 4 pieces of closet rod taped together. The result is a very solid piece with a hole for wiring that extends all the way through the center. The base is a Folgers coffee container. I cut a hole in one end and the column extends into the container. Once I plumbed the column, I filled the container with expanding foam to lock it into place. There’s another half container underneath that will ultimately be filled with plaster to act as ballast.
I’m not sure what the final result will look like yet, but I have a few ideas. I keep returning to a combination of my paper mache technique along with some glass mosaic. Also, I keep seeing some long sloping curves, but I’m not sure how they’ll manifest quite yet.
I had to run out to Lowe’s again this morning to pick up some plaster, and while I was there I bought a shop vac.
And if such a thing as a shop vac can be considered cute, then what I bought is, in fact, a cute little shop vac. It works great and is the perfect size for my office/studio.
And speaking of studios… this latest project has really got me thinking about building a big shed in the back yard that can used as a studio. I’m thinking insulation, electricity, running water… the whole bit. Working in my office is fine, but I tend to avoid certain sorts of projects due to the cleanup factor. A dedicated workshop would allow me to do a lot more.
As I told Ginny… one more house project to add to the list.
And someone please tell me why—with all of the Pittsburgh Steelers fans in the Richmond area—isn’t one network or another broadcasting this afternoon’s game? I mean, really… Philadelphia at Green Bay? Come on.
I’ve been remiss in not revisiting the subject of the prescription sunglasses that I ordered online the week before last, so let me start by saying I’m completely satisfied with my purchase. I don’t expect I’ll ever buy prescription eye wear from a brick and mortar store again.
The speed with which the glasses arrived was astonishing. I ordered on a Thursday and received my new glasses on Tuesday. Had the weekend not included Labor Day, I would have had them on Monday. The best turnaround I ever experienced in real life is seven days, and my most recent experience with Costco took ten days from start to finish. Is there really any excuse for it to take that long nowadays?
The old adage, “Price, Delivery, Quality… you can only pick two” just doesn’t apply anymore.
39dollarglasses.com is definitely worth a shot.
I was this close to buying some new furniture this weekend.
Haynes (I know, I know) was having a seriously awesome financing deal this weekend, so I went by their southside store on Sunday. If I had found the perfect dining furniture I would have bought it, a new bed, and a new mattress, but alas, I couldn’t find it, so I left with nothing.
I know what I want in dining room furniture. I want a 36″ square counter-height table with an 18″ leaf and solid, comfortable padded chairs. I want something that’ll be comfortable to sit in during a marathon game of dominoes. Haynes didn’t have anything small enough.
I was smitten with a pretty cool collection of bedroom furniture, and I nearly went back this morning to buy it, I want to do this once and once only.
There’ll be other weekends… it’s not like Haynes won’t ever have another sale.
