Really

The right tools

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:32:56 -0600

This week Chaz is having the pool replastered - I have to agree that it's in bad shape. It got drained in about 15 hours, and this morning the guys are already cutting around the tile and sharpening a chisel to get after it.

Remodel Chronicles - Holiday Party edition

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:48:46 -0600

Here's a quick runthrough of the house all decked out for the holiday party we had last night, December 10th. It was the first really big party, and we counted 105 people through the door - lots of neighbors, tons of friends, and a few coworkers made it. We had food in the great room, and a couple of cocktails back in the back. So far, the responses have been great, but Chaz and I are exhausted today.

The artist at work

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:09:28 -0600

Bud spent most of last night working on a backdrop for photos for our party this weekend. It's pretty amazing watching him work.

Backyard Lights

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:40:12 -0600

I got lights on the backyard as well as the front. We see the backyard more, the way this house is laid out. I kind of like it all lit up - we added some 'motion lights' on the palm tree today before the weather turns bad. Hopefully we'll have a few more nice days so I can get the camera higher to get the reflection in the water.

Fan problem.. deferred

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:48:40 -0600

We got the fan in there last night - trusty Dewalt driver by the ready, and 4 inch screws to go right into the beam. That sucker's not going anywhere, but there remains a slight problem.. the hole from the prior fan box. That's going to be a bit of an eyesore for a bit. Probably next year if we get to do the master bathroom, we'll patch it with some drywall. For this week's visitors, this will do.

Remodel Chronicles November edition

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:44:05 -0600

While things mostly look good around the house, there's a lot of things that are not done. And not all of them have to be finished completely, but we're making progress on them bit by bit. In this video, a lot of work went into the trim for the steps. And a lot went into unpacking things. And a lot of things left to do are turning out to be pains in the asses, like installing a ceiling fan in the middle bedroom. The original junction box wound up shredded, and there's not enough room to get a traditional brace (16-inch on center) up there, so today we're totally baffled. My vote was to get a 'saddle' box and put a medallion on the ceiling to cover up the hole left by the other box.. Chaz outvoted me though.
Speaking of him, he's starting a new job tomorrow with a company in Austin. As good as IBM was, his 'work location' was still Lansing, and he was 'long-term supplemental' which meant after 3 years, he was out the door in any case. Having a real tangible position in Austin is a good thing. The fact that it came with a raise was even better. It's been kind of strange, as in the past 3 months, his phone has been ringing off the wall with java positions in Austin; that hadn't happened since early 2000's. My suspicion is that a lot of the java programmers that kept their skills up went ahead and started moving on to php/app/mobile web centric companies and startups, so there is some backfilling going on.
My family comes down for a visit for the turkey day meal - Chaz is really excited about having so much of his family down her at this house. I'm not quite sure how it'll work with this tiny kitchen, but between him and his mother, they'll figure something out.

I can haz nu Fone? Yes!

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:02:59 -0600

My 2 year anniversary with the Samsung Moment was done at the beginning of the month, so I was eligible for an upgrade discount. With Sprint getting the iPhone 4s, I was considering it for a bit, but opted instead for the Galaxy S II. Faster processor than the 4s, more memory, exchangeable sdram, and I'm kinda cheap: Sprint charges $120/yr more for smart phones since they turned on their 4g network, whether the phone could access it or not. The android has 4g, iphone, nope. Maybe next generation - until then, I'll just ask someone standing next to me to ask siri silly stuff.

Carspotting

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:02:50 -0600

Chaz and I saw this critter running down Mopac this weekend. Austin's been funny like that lately. There seems to be a profusion of Smart cars running around north Austin where we live, and more than one Leaf in the hood. Don't get me wrong, there's still tons of Hummers in the parking lot of Costco with little adhesive stick-figures representing the entire brood, but there are signs of change. Makes me feel a little less guilty about putting off the repair to my car's exhaust that is probably offsetting something small and electric.

Remodel Chronicles Sept 25

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:21:30 -0600

So it's to a point now where things are livable, and enjoyable, but there's a bit of construction going on in corners here and there. I have a bathroom fan that needs doing, some dimmers here and there, spray painting some light fixtures. Odds & ends. My Dad made it down for a visit a while back, and Mom's going to be by here sooner or later. She just finished a trek through the Cinque Terre, so hopefully once recovered, she'll bring some stories down here.

Dog Days of Summer

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:57:45 -0600

The lazy cow claims more victims.
We've had a busy August laying down floors, laying down tiles, trying to keep on top of our regular paying jobs, and occasionally going out or to a baseball game. Tonight starts the last homestand for the Express, and I think I'll be heading out there for it.

Remodel Chronicles 28 July - move in mess!

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:16:34 -0600

We're in there now.. unfinished mess and all.

Remodel Chronicles 21 July

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:18:32 -0600

This week Chaz and I both took a step away from our full time jobs to make progress on the house. Today we finished getting the floor down in the 'great room' or den. Wood is down now in 2 bedrooms, 1 hall, and this room, with 1 bedroom, 1 hall, and the great hall in the front of the house to go yet. We bought 86 boxes of wood, and there's 40 left to install. It won't all be done this week, but we've got enough down to start moving some stuff in.

Bathrooms are coming along as well - Chaz did the tile in 1 bath, and that's going to be the one we use when we move in. Tuesday we've got a mover scheduled to get everything from the duplex and the 2 storage units in to the house. Wednesday the internet is slated to be turned on there. Once the broadband is there, then we're home. Funny how that works.

Remodel Chronicles 17 July

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:31:29 -0600

We've been crazy busy with the house, and work hasn't let up too much with its demands. Had a quick and fruitful trip out to Phoenix to visit a customer, which turned out to be terrific fun with a former coworker and friend who's living there now and working for said customer. Good to have a network on the inside.
The new house is coming along, and most of the really messy work is finished, and now we're prepping it for a move-in hopefully this month. The painters did a great job finishing the walls, and the travertine looks amazing. There was one hiccup with an expired permit to build the pool that has been on the city's books since 1981 (!) that got resolved only after 2 visits to city hall, and about 3 hours of wait and shuffle-paper time until I met someone that just twiddled the bit in the database the right way. Here's a quick run-through of where we're at!

Remodel Chronicles June 18

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 08:26:59 -0600

Whooooo-whee! Things have been busy at the new place. Dumpsters are gone, and the AC guys have run new ducting and inlets, and we're just about ready for the drywall to go in. The AC comes just as we've had yet another record-breaking hot day. This afternoon we're going to install some lighting, and host Chaz's parents for father's day.

Annoyed and perplexed

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:40:22 -0600

Gigi's spent a lot of time on laps lately shuttling between a construction project and a mess of boxes. There's some squirrels out there that need chasing badly!