BruceHartman.net

There are certain things I can be really obsessive about. If I start to collect something, and there’s even a remote possibility that I can complete the set, I usually do it.

I began a subscription to Make Magazine about a year after they started publishing. I planned to buy the back issues eventually, but there was always something else to spend money on. This evening, however, my tax refund hit the bank, so I decided to splurge a little and get caught up. Of the twelve issues published so far, I had seven (I lost one somewhere).

I also picked up slip covers for the second and third years, as well as the one issue I can’t find.

Aw yeah.

You may remember my sojourn late last summer to the land of flat furniture in the big blue store. I had one thing on my must have list: a HOL coffee table and a matching end table for the living room.

Of course, there was no stock on the coffee table.

I was sitting here this evening thinking to myself that I’d really like to run up to Ikea again this weekend to pick up the coffee table. So I checked their website to see if stock was available, but alas, still no stock.

What the hell? I checked stock at all of their stores and only found it available in seven… and I’m not prepared to make a trip to

Bollingbrook, Illinois,
Canton, Michigan,
Orlando, Florida,
Round Rock, Texas,
Schaumburg, Illinois,
Staughton, Massachusetts,
or
Twin Cities, Minnesota

for a $70 table. (For those keeping score at home, that’s 26 out of 33 stores with no stock or 79%).

As cool as I think Ikea can be, I have to wonder what’s up with them. Their product lines seem tailor made for internet shopping, yet everything I want is not available online, and even when I’m ready and willing to drive an hour and half for the privilege of spending money, the one thing I want is out of stock (seemingly forever). Come, guys, get it together.

Whenever I do get my hands on one, I want to cut it down to make it short. From this:

To this:

Then I’m going to make (or have made) a cushion to go on one half of the top and I’ll also get a piece of glass cut for the other half, so that it ends up being a cushioned footstool and coffee table. Slick, eh?

I used to make this pretty regularly, but over the last five or six years I’ve only been making it around New Year’s. Mom has her pork and cabbage, this soup has become my tradition.

There isn’t so much a recipe as much as a framework. Here are the basics:

2 Packages of Beef Smoked Sausage (like kielbasa, but beef sausage)
2 Large-ish onions, chopped
Some Zucchini, chopped
2 Cans of Crushed Tomatoes
2 Cans of Diced Tomatoes
1 or 2 Packages of Frozen Chopped Spinach
2 Large Packages of Tortellini
Liquid (Beer, Beefstock, Wine, or any combination of these)
Garlic
Salt
Cider Vinegar
Sugar
Basil, Oregano, or whatever other spices you want
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Slice the sausage into reasonably sized pieces and cook it in the pot you’ll be making the soup in. Once the sausage is well browned, drain the fat from the pot being careful to leave whatever crunchy bits (they add flavor). Reserve a bit of the fat (a tablespoon or two).

Saute the onion and the garlic in the reserved fat, and add the zucchini if you’re including it in the recipe. If zucchini’s not your favorite, leave it out.

Once the zucchini starts to cook, add back the sausage.

Add the two cans of diced and one can of the crushed tomatoes. I hold the last can in reserve and sort of judge whether it should be added or not depending on the volume of the pot.

Add your remaining liquid to bring up the volume. This isn’t rocket science… if you like a really soupy soup, then add lots of liquid, but keep in mind that the tortellini are thirsty little bastards and will require a good amount of liquid on their own.

Let the soup (sans tortellini) cook for a couple of hours on medium low. Two to three. After about the first thirty minutes, dial in the flavor by adding the vinegar, sugar, and salt as you see fit.

About twenty minutes before serving add the tortellini. Once the tortellini is cooked, serve. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.

My soup generally turns out to be more of stew in consistency. No bother… no one EVER complains.

The no-knead bread is PERFECT with this soup. In fact, it’s nearly mandatory that you serve home made bread.

Seems Ebay is the place to go for sinks. I’ve found a dozen or so different styles of rectangular vessel-type sinks in the $100 to $150 price range (delivered). Here are a few that appeal to me:

#1

Best Choice Products
$84.99 BuyItNow + $29.99 Shipping

#2

Aqua Imports
$99.00 BuyItNow + $40.00 Shipping

#3

AFaucet
$109.99 BuyItNow + $35.00 Shipping

#4

AFaucet
$119.99 BuyItNow + $32.00 Shipping

#5

Galaxy Tool Supply
$59.99 BuyItNow + $15.75 Shipping
Also available via there traditional webstore

I think my favorite is the very squarish model from AFaucet (#4).

There are tons more listed… I found the more interesting ones in the “Other Vessel Sinks” category.

I’m not sure if I haven’t completely screwed myself with the sculpture I’m working on.

It’s basically a cast of plaster. I made a rather complex form from cardboard, and then filled it with plaster. Once the plaster set, I stripped the cardboard and set about removing all the bits of paper and tape.

This morning I started painting it, and I think this is where I made the mistake. I’m beginning to think I should have let it sit for at least a few days, if not a few weeks.

Whatever the case, it’s being painted right now. I’m planning about six or eight base coat layers, and then there’ll be a glaze of sorts to highlight all of the texture. I’m also thinking about a final layer of clear epoxy to really set the whole piece off. Once the coating process is finished I need to come up with a mounting solution. More than likely it’ll just be some steel pins to act as a stand, but I might go so far as having a base machined out of steel. I haven’t quite finished thinking all that through yet.

This is the first time I tried this sort of casting. I think if I do it again, I’ll use a sand bucket to help support the form. Also, I don’t think I’ll make such a complex shape… I’ll stick to something more conducive to the flow rate of plaster. I made an absolute mess in my office. I am, however, very pleased with the final product here. The weight of the plaster in the form contributed to some warping and shifting, which added some to the complexity.

This technique has real promise and I’m already imagining future possibilities.