Well, hello there. Four of my dash lights, which have been dead for about three years, suddenly woke themselves back up during a beer run this evening. The contacts on the back of each of these gauge pods (temp and oil are in one pod, alt and fuel are in the other) are finicky, and thus not reliable at 40 years of age.

I haven’t had a working speedo light in about 10 years, so I’m hopeful that one will wake up too.

→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.

Date posted: September 29, 2019 | Filed under Inspiration, Scout | Comments Off on Illuminating

That up there is a couple more hours of progress in the bathroom, specifically over the back window and doorframe. I took about two hours to work out the compound angle of the crown moulding, by cutting two 2×4’s down to the right dimensions and working out a jig on the table saw. Once I had that worked out, I measured the position of the scrap wood on the crown moulding and cut it to fit. It’s off by about 1/18″ but you’d have to know what you’re looking for to notice. That particular problem has been vexing me for weeks, so I’m glad to have solved it.

When that was done, I unboxed and hauled four of the five small cabinets up to the bathroom and set them in place. This revealed a new problem to solve. There are two sets of water supply lines coming through the floor, and two drain pipes coming through the wall. The left set of piping is close to the edge of the left cabinet, but should be OK to route inside. The right side drainpipe, however, is aligned with the edge of the right cabinet—which makes it impossible to get inside.

I’ve got two options here. I can cut a huge chunk of the cabinet out to fit new piping (the redneck option), or I can cut a chunk of the wall out and re-route the drainpipe inside to get it further to the right. The water supply lines aren’t that big a deal; I can route piping sideways through the toe kick area under the cabinets to where I need it and then pop it up inside. I’m going to have a sit and a think about the drainpipe for a week or so until I come up with a plan.

Downstairs, the front window sash pockets are filled with insulation and buttoned up tight. I caulked the outside and made them as airtight as possible so that we won’t be losing more heat out the front wall of the house. My plan is to measure and buy two more for the living room windows and try to get them in before Halloween; this would mean all of the windows on the first floor, except for the galley window in the pantry, are modern replacements.

Date posted: September 28, 2019 | Filed under bathroom, house | Leave a Comment »

I don’t have much to write about right now. This week has been a grind for various reasons, and I’m looking forward to the weekend so that I can keep making progress on the house.

  • The dog is still in a holding pattern. We’ve got an appointment with an outside trainer who will come to the house and train us how to live with Hazel. Hopefully he can help us find a way for the five of us to coexist.
  • I’m about to pull the trigger on having our driveway dug up and paved properly. It currently looks like shit. It was last paved around the Eisenhower administration so there are vestiges of asphalt under the grass and weeds, and now there’s a huge pile of mulch in the back half where the tree used to be. I found a company who will set up a diagonal drain to guide the runoff down into the neighbor’s yard (the lowest spot in the area) instead of directly into our garage. It’s not cheap but it will drastically improve the curb appeal of our house. They will also widen the entry so that it’s a proper two-lane driveway, which will make jockeying cars much easier.
  • Windows are in but the front pair still needs insulation and final touches on the outside, and I can call that project done for now. Paint and final touches can come later.
  • I’m headed to Easton on Sunday to help Karean with a pile of IT issues—she has an old Mac that contains her picture archives and a bunch of other hardware that needs service, so I’m going to pack up a toolbox and see if I can’t solve a bunch of problems for her. If the weather is nice I might drive the Scout over there.
Date posted: September 26, 2019 | Filed under life, list | Leave a Comment »

Impeach the Motherfucker. Just what it says on the label.

Date posted: September 25, 2019 | Filed under humor, politics, shortlinks | Leave a Comment »

Massive Attack

Massive Attack

The show was awesome. It was more than I expected, and sounded fantastic. My ears are still ringing.

Update: A quick interview with 3D about the ideas behind the tour and the album at 20. I have a lot of respect for him and for the questions he’s asking through his music.

Date posted: September 25, 2019 | Filed under music | Leave a Comment »

Nation Perplexed By 16-Year-Old Who Doesn’t Want World To End. 

“I know she’s from another country, but she’s still a teenager, right?” said 33-year-old Sophia Williams of Kenosha, WI, her confusion reportedly shared by millions of Americans who recalled that during their own adolescence they had hated the world and everyone in it and had felt the end couldn’t come fast enough.

Date posted: September 24, 2019 | Filed under humor, shortlinks | Leave a Comment »

Date posted: September 24, 2019 | Filed under music | Leave a Comment »

“It was two camps of managers, the Boeing Boy Scouts and the ‘hunter killer assassins,’” remembered Cynthia Cole, a former Boeing engineer who led the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) during the 787 saga. “How do you merge those two management philosophies? The hunter killer assassins will destroy the Boy Scouts. That’s what happens.”

I’ve been quietly wondering what the hell is going on with the 737 Max program at Boeing. This New Republic article goes in to the backstory behind the mess, and how management culture sowed seeds of deadly consequence.

Date posted: September 23, 2019 | Filed under shortlinks | Leave a Comment »

Driver's Seat

→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.

Date posted: September 23, 2019 | Filed under Inspiration, Scout | Comments Off on Driver’s Seat

The second set of replacement windows is in place in the dining room. This was a two-day project due to all the unknowns and the extra work I had to do to get the frame prepped and the sash pockets insulated. The original windows came out easier than I thought they might, after battling years of old paint and caulk to get the moulding off. Once that was done I put in and took out the replacements a total of about six times for fitment and prep work.

The difference in light is dramatic. The old windows were the original wavy glass from 1925, and when compounded by a pair of storm windows covered in dirt, we may well have just covered them in plywood for all the light that made its way through.

These new windows go up and down like butter. They’re quieter. The top window isn’t painted shut so we can vent the hot air up at the ceiling. This is going to make a big difference.

Date posted: September 23, 2019 | Filed under house | Leave a Comment »