Though we normally live a relatively quiet life, for the past week I have really been hitting the town in an attempt to up my Can-con street cred.
Last Sunday Jeannette and I attended a screening of the made-in-Saskatchewan movie Corner Gas: The Movie (obviously a spin-off from the similarly named TV show Corner Gas). Though ravaged by a Globe and Mail review (that hardly discussed the movie), Jeannette and I both enjoyed the experience and thought the movie was pretty much what you would expect from a TV to movie translation of the show.
On Tuesday Jeannette and I attended the annual Vinyl Cafe Christmas show (an event we also attended last year). This is the third time I've attended a Vinyl Cafe live show and the third time I have enjoyed the performance.
On Thursday a friend was kind enough to invite me to the Regina stop of the Trailer Park Boys Christmas tour. Though not the greatest theatrical event of the year, it was nice to see Ricky, Julian, and Randy in person (while living in Halifax Mr. Lahey could routinely be spotted near our apartment and Bubbles could be seen at Bubbles' Mansion events - like the shopping car race we once happened upon).
[Embedded video]
This weekend, if I can get my act together, I hope to catch one of the Cirque du Soleil shows happening in Regina. Because of Jeannette's clown phobia there's no way I'll convince her to attend and as I haven't made any attempts to find someone else to attend with if I do end up going I think it will have to be alone.
And if I really wanted to 'do it all' I could also attend the upcoming Tom Jackson Huron Carole event (though at this point it seems very unlikely that I will be going this far in a quest to consume as much Can-con as possible).
Saturday, December 13, 2014
It was also new snow tire day
Just as the installer was finishing with our new garage door, I was making my way north to our snow tire installation appointment.
This winter, our third in Regina and our third with this car, we decided to switch from the all-season tires that came with the car to dedicated snow tires. Though we hadn't had issues with the tires over the past two winters, we were assuming that as the tires aged/wore they would be less effective in Regina's winter conditions.
Pleasantly, the installation process was quick (even though the vendor, apparently, hadn't properly booked our appointment and then had to squeeze us in). Conveniently, it was also the case that it was snowing on the afternoon of our appointment so I had the pleasure of driving on our old tires to the appointment and then our new tires from the appointment.
Almost as soon as I started driving on the new tires I could feel the difference.
Of course, since the tires were installed we've hardly had any new snow (and for the past few days it has even been above zero).
This winter, our third in Regina and our third with this car, we decided to switch from the all-season tires that came with the car to dedicated snow tires. Though we hadn't had issues with the tires over the past two winters, we were assuming that as the tires aged/wore they would be less effective in Regina's winter conditions.
Pleasantly, the installation process was quick (even though the vendor, apparently, hadn't properly booked our appointment and then had to squeeze us in). Conveniently, it was also the case that it was snowing on the afternoon of our appointment so I had the pleasure of driving on our old tires to the appointment and then our new tires from the appointment.
Almost as soon as I started driving on the new tires I could feel the difference.
Of course, since the tires were installed we've hardly had any new snow (and for the past few days it has even been above zero).
Friday, November 28, 2014
New Garage Door Day
Even when we moved in to our house just under two years ago our garage door didn't shut properly (our neighbour later told us that it hadn't shut properly in the twenty years he's been living nextdoor). As we didn't plan on storing our regular sized car in our small garage this wasn't initially a problem.
The issue came to a head this summer when one of the mechanisms that held on side of the door became detached from the garage structure. I reattached the arm briefly but the old rotten wood just could not withstand the preassure of the spring loaded door mechanism (and another neighbour hinted that this kind if opener may no longer be considered safe).
So once we finally realized that our garage door was no longer moveable (it could stay in either the open or closed position but not move between the two) we agreed to buy a replacement door. Because we don't plan on using the garage as a garage we went for the cheapest uninsulated garage-openerless door we could find.
We eventually lucked into a sale and managed to find what we were looking for for only a few hundred dollars (installation included). The only downside was that they did not have the door in stock and once it arrived we would have to fit ourselves into the installer's schedule.
So now, over two months after we originally ordered the door, it is being installed. Unfortunately for the installer it is snowing steadily. The only good news for him is that it is a small, light, opener-less door. He isn't expecting it to be a long job.
That said, I'm quite excited to see the finished product after this long wait.
Sunday, November 02, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 616
-Today has been see-sawing between sunny periods and grey periods. Despite the less than perfect weather, it is much warmer and generally much nicer than when we arrived in Regina at this time of year two years ago. At the time Wascana Lake had already frozen and it wasn't until Spring that we had temperatures this warm.
-Yes, we've now been in Regina for just over two years (though three Halloweens). Last night we had dinner at the restaurant we first visited on our first night in town. The time has really flown by.
-Yesterday we went to Moose Jaw for the day to participate in an Ultimate tournament. Because we're too old for that kind thing (though we did manage to beat two younger teams) we're really feeling the effects today in a bad way. Hopefully we won't be in too much pain by the time we need to head to work tomorrow morning.
-My Margaret Wente pumpkin was a bit of a bust - not a single kid (or parent) commented on it. Maybe today's kids just aren't up on their national newspaper columnists? Or maybe I did a bad job carving her likeness? Or, more likely, both?
-Yes, we've now been in Regina for just over two years (though three Halloweens). Last night we had dinner at the restaurant we first visited on our first night in town. The time has really flown by.
-Yesterday we went to Moose Jaw for the day to participate in an Ultimate tournament. Because we're too old for that kind thing (though we did manage to beat two younger teams) we're really feeling the effects today in a bad way. Hopefully we won't be in too much pain by the time we need to head to work tomorrow morning.
-My Margaret Wente pumpkin was a bit of a bust - not a single kid (or parent) commented on it. Maybe today's kids just aren't up on their national newspaper columnists? Or maybe I did a bad job carving her likeness? Or, more likely, both?
Reverse synergy?
Over the course of the past few years I have listened to several episodes of podcasts about terrible movies. Unfortunately, I've found most of these explorations of this topic have been rather underwhelming and really aren't what I was hoping for.
These discussions tend to be rather superficial and just discuss aspects of the movie that didn't work/how they are bad.
What I keep hoping these these will be are real discussions of how experienced companies can have so many major multimillion dollar projects go so far off the rails. (One brief interview I heard about the making/meddling of Jaws 3 was quite enlightening.) It would seem that in some instances some form of groupthink so overwhelms the process that reverse synergy (or synergy that brings out the worst features of a project rather than the best) dooms the project.
Of course, I suspect that one of the major problems - if not the major problem - is that anyone who could speak to these matters authoritatively could only do so at the risk of damaging their career in the industry. Consequently the viewing public is left with Hollywood's true movie magic - no meaningful explanation of how experienced movie studios/makers allow themselves to regularly produce truly horrific duds for staggering sums of money.
These discussions tend to be rather superficial and just discuss aspects of the movie that didn't work/how they are bad.
What I keep hoping these these will be are real discussions of how experienced companies can have so many major multimillion dollar projects go so far off the rails. (One brief interview I heard about the making/meddling of Jaws 3 was quite enlightening.) It would seem that in some instances some form of groupthink so overwhelms the process that reverse synergy (or synergy that brings out the worst features of a project rather than the best) dooms the project.
Of course, I suspect that one of the major problems - if not the major problem - is that anyone who could speak to these matters authoritatively could only do so at the risk of damaging their career in the industry. Consequently the viewing public is left with Hollywood's true movie magic - no meaningful explanation of how experienced movie studios/makers allow themselves to regularly produce truly horrific duds for staggering sums of money.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
It's happening - 22
After a long weekend of work we are finally at a stopping point, though we will have a few thing to tidy up tomorrow.
We ended up throwing a quick coat of green on the primed wallpaper above the cupboards and then cleaning off the excess grout from the backsplash. Of course, we also moved all of the furniture and appliances back into place.
Tomorrow we will have to toss up another coat of paint and also seal the tiles. Hopefully that all that's left.
Monday, October 13, 2014
It's happening - 21
The grout has been floated (if that's the term). According to the instructions on the package we are now supposed to wait a few hours to give the tiles a good scrub to remove any excess grout. Hopefully these instructions are good.
Now onto dinner and pie before we return to the grout work.
And we've finally given up on waiting for the oil-based primer to dry today. We'll just have to see where it is tomorrow.
It's happening - 20
In an attempt to speed things up with our slow drying oil-based primer we have cranked the heat and are also applying directed heat to some specially selected sections (i.e. blasting portions of the wall with a hair dryer).
It would be quite nice if we could start the painting sooner rather than later as we still have grouting and feasting to do.
And in other news - I just made a pumpkin pie (well, I made the filling and slapped it into a frozen crust). The main course is to be mushroom and barley soup.
It's happening - 19
The second coat of green on one side the kitchen is now up. Sadly, we are still waiting on the oil-based primer to dry before we cover the tour two walls in green.
We are hoping that by about 5:00 we'll be able to throw up the grout and the final few coats of green paint. If all goes exceptionally well the whole project should wrap up by early evening.
It's happening - 18
We are now into the third day and still working hard. This morning we woke before 7:30 and had a first coat of green up before 8:30.
The real bummer of the morning was discovering that our oil-based primer isn't yet dry from last night's second coat.
Now we just have to wait for paint (and mortar) to dry.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
It's happening - 17
We are taking a quick dinner break at our local sushi shack. Our kitchen is in a state is disarray making food prep a bit of a challenge.
Once we get back we'll try to finish priming and then call it a night (at least as far is work on this project is concerned).
It's happening - 16
Well, the tiles are up an it's not even 6:00 PM. Aren't we proud of ourselves?
Once the mortar dries we can move on to grouting tomorrow evening.
Another bonus is that our first coat of primer should be dry - so we can switch back to painting now. What fun.
It's happening - 14
And on to positioning the backsplash tiles before we apply the mortar.
Before we know it we'll have tiles up and mortar drying.
It's happening - 13
For what seems like the 12th time in the past two days one of us will soon be heading to the store to pick up some supplies. This time I'll be heading out to get some painter thinning agents to aid in the clean up of our oil-based priming operation. Last time it was to grab some masking tape. And earlier today Jeannette had to get some other stuff - which at this point is so distant I can't even recall what it is she went to buy.
My uninspiring dream of the moment is that this will be the last such trip of the day/project.
It's happening - 12
We've just finished our first coat of primer. Unfortunately, the wallpaper that we're painting will require at least two coats.
As it stands now it's clear we don't have enough paint on the walls.
It's happening - 11
After a successful masking tape run and unsuccessful coffee run (one of the coffees had milk and sugar) I'm back and ready to work.
While I was away Jeannette sanded some of the plaster she put up earlier. Now I need to finish taping and sanding. After that we will be on to painting. Yum!
People shouldn't be allied to have this much fun.
It's happening - 10
After hours of diligent work by Jeannette and a bit of work on my part we have now finished the stripping process.
As soon as Jeannette gets back from the store we'll start patching the wall and getting ready to paint. After we're done with the painting we will have to start preppin the areas for the tile backsplash (which won't actually be located behind the sink).
We certainly have many hours of work ahead of us today and tomorrow.
It's happening - 9
Somehow it's already tomorrow morning and Jeannette's been hard at work for hours. Like magic most of paper behind the stove and microwave have been removed. Now we really just have several inches and two small patches to finish. 
It's happening - 8
After attending a comedy show/fundraiser we can back and went to work stripping that wallpaper. It's now two hours later and I feel that we don't have all that much to show for our work.
The only good news is that most of the square footage of stripping is done - we just have the finicky bit left.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
It's happening - 7
We're taking a brief break to head out to a comedy show. Back at it hard tomorrow (or later tonight).
It's also clear now that this isn't going to be done by the end of Monday. Hopefully by Thursday it will have clued up.
It's happening - 6
I spoke too soon - my easy to install adhesive backsplash has been converter to a tile backsplash.
Who hasn't wanted to play with grout?
It's happening -5
Exciting change of plans - we're going to leave some of the hard to reach stuff up and paint it or cover it with adhesive backsplash tiles. All of a sudden this seems like a moderately manageable project.
It's happening - 4
We've now finished two small sections and it only took a few hours and about 2.5 bottles of wallpaper stripper and all kinds of back-breaking unpaid labour.
The real killer is that from here on out we only have really tough spots left to strip.
It's Happening - 2
Well, stripping wallpaper is definitely work. We've been foin at it for a while and we haven't even finished the first smallish section of the wall (let alone the sections of the wall above the cabinetry). 
Good thing we've got a bonus day this weekend.
It's happening - 1
Jeannette is finally getting her wish - we are stripping the wallpaper in the kitchen. I've been against it from the beginning, but now we're in the middle of it so I guess there's no backing out now.
Gross.
This is definitely going to take all weekend.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 615
-After several cold and grey days today was a pleasant change of pace. Eventually it was even warm enough that we needed to use the AC in our car. Of course, even this high wasn't particularly high and was certainly no where near the low 20s that were in the forecast a few days ago.
-Yesterday afternoon we tuned into the livestream of the PC convention in Newfoundland once we learned that the virtual tie on the second ballot was forcing a do-over/third ballot. Not only was it great to see all kinds of people I know (i.e. friends, former profs, former co-workers, and friends of my parents), but it was also neat to watch an entirely unscripted television event. Neither the viewer nor the producers knew what was going to happen and it was exciting.
-For some reason I recently remembered the idea of mushroom barley soup. This morning I started preparing a batch that we could have for lunch. Wow, that was tasty. I'm not quite sure why we haven't been making more of this stuff.
-I saw diagram outlining the ideal viewing areas for the recent Northern Lights eruption and it seems that Saskatchewan was one of the worst viewing locations. I guess now I don't feel so bad that we didn't try to wait for the clouds to clear. Hopefully we'll get another chance soon.
-Yesterday afternoon we tuned into the livestream of the PC convention in Newfoundland once we learned that the virtual tie on the second ballot was forcing a do-over/third ballot. Not only was it great to see all kinds of people I know (i.e. friends, former profs, former co-workers, and friends of my parents), but it was also neat to watch an entirely unscripted television event. Neither the viewer nor the producers knew what was going to happen and it was exciting.
-For some reason I recently remembered the idea of mushroom barley soup. This morning I started preparing a batch that we could have for lunch. Wow, that was tasty. I'm not quite sure why we haven't been making more of this stuff.
-I saw diagram outlining the ideal viewing areas for the recent Northern Lights eruption and it seems that Saskatchewan was one of the worst viewing locations. I guess now I don't feel so bad that we didn't try to wait for the clouds to clear. Hopefully we'll get another chance soon.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Working for the weekend
It's just after 10:00 AM and I already feel as though I've got hours of work under my belt.
The major project I've been addressing this weekend is to put the aesthetic touches on a handrail in our basement that I constructed last weekend. The posts (rather ugly 2x6s) are being painted a greyish colour while the hemlock handrail is retaining its natural colour.
The handrail was given a quick second coat early this morning and should be ready for a third and, maybe, final coat this afternoon (though I have a sneaking suspicion that a fourth or fifth coat may be ideal). As each of the first two coats have been significant improvements, I'm hopeful that these additional coats will really be worth the effort.
The first of my removable posts has now been given two coats of paint is ready to be re-installed once it has fully dried. Once this post is back in place I will swap out the other post and give it two quick coats and then re-install it. To save time I have pre-woodfilled the second post so that I can have two streams of drying occurring simultaneously. Ideally, both posts will be complete and back in place by Sunday evening at the latest.
Of course, while allowing paint and finishes to dry I've been busy taking care of other chores. Dishes, laundry, and baking have all be going on in the background. Sadly, I suspect laundry, which we've allowed to pile up all week, will also stretch through the weekend.
The major project I've been addressing this weekend is to put the aesthetic touches on a handrail in our basement that I constructed last weekend. The posts (rather ugly 2x6s) are being painted a greyish colour while the hemlock handrail is retaining its natural colour.
The handrail was given a quick second coat early this morning and should be ready for a third and, maybe, final coat this afternoon (though I have a sneaking suspicion that a fourth or fifth coat may be ideal). As each of the first two coats have been significant improvements, I'm hopeful that these additional coats will really be worth the effort.
The first of my removable posts has now been given two coats of paint is ready to be re-installed once it has fully dried. Once this post is back in place I will swap out the other post and give it two quick coats and then re-install it. To save time I have pre-woodfilled the second post so that I can have two streams of drying occurring simultaneously. Ideally, both posts will be complete and back in place by Sunday evening at the latest.
Of course, while allowing paint and finishes to dry I've been busy taking care of other chores. Dishes, laundry, and baking have all be going on in the background. Sadly, I suspect laundry, which we've allowed to pile up all week, will also stretch through the weekend.
Hunting for the Northern Lights
One of the advantages of living in Regina is that it is the furthest North I have ever lived in Canada. Presumably, this should improve my chances of seeing the Northern Lights rather dramatically. And several times since we've been here the forecast has called for the Northern Lights to be visible from this area.
Last night was one of those nights that the Northern Lights were supposed to be visible throughout wide swaths of the North (or the not-so-far-North-but-further-North-than-most-of-the-North-American-population). As neither Jeannette nor I have seen the Northern Lights we thought we might try to find them.
Fortunately, it was easy to head North and make it out of the city. Not long after we were out of the city we were even off the more well traveled paved roads and really making our way through rural Saskatchewan. Our hope was that if we were as far away from the city as possible the light of the city wouldn't bleed out and obscure our view.
Unfortunately, despite the clear skies we observed all day long, as the sun set cloud cover spread across the sky. By the time we found our selves driving among several of Saskatchewan's many fields there was so much cloud cover the moon wasn't even visible. Eventually things cleared enough that we were relatively confident that we could identify the outline of the moon.
So, not surprisingly, our first real attempt to head out to see the Northern Lights was a complete bust. I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes on the Northern Lights forecast and hope for better weather on our next trip.
Last night was one of those nights that the Northern Lights were supposed to be visible throughout wide swaths of the North (or the not-so-far-North-but-further-North-than-most-of-the-North-American-population). As neither Jeannette nor I have seen the Northern Lights we thought we might try to find them.
Fortunately, it was easy to head North and make it out of the city. Not long after we were out of the city we were even off the more well traveled paved roads and really making our way through rural Saskatchewan. Our hope was that if we were as far away from the city as possible the light of the city wouldn't bleed out and obscure our view.
Unfortunately, despite the clear skies we observed all day long, as the sun set cloud cover spread across the sky. By the time we found our selves driving among several of Saskatchewan's many fields there was so much cloud cover the moon wasn't even visible. Eventually things cleared enough that we were relatively confident that we could identify the outline of the moon.
So, not surprisingly, our first real attempt to head out to see the Northern Lights was a complete bust. I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes on the Northern Lights forecast and hope for better weather on our next trip.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 614
-Though thunder showers were originally in today's forecast, it turned out to be an almost perfect day. It's been sunny, still, and about 22 for quite a while.
-Much to my chagrin, thanks to coaxing from Jeannette I ended up watching today's 'Labour Day Classic' between the Roughriders and the Blue Bombers. After the lead changing hands a few times in the 4th quarter the Riders managed to pull out a last minute victory. Despite the lead changes, it didn't seem to be a particularly exciting or well-played game (not that I'm in a position to be much of a judge of these things).
The best part of the game was from about the 1st quarter on when Pierre decided to take a nap on my lap. He more or less stayed in place for the rest of the game (even after I repositioned him).
-Sooner rather than later Jeannette and I need to arrange for a new garage door. We did some preliminary investigating a few weeks ago and a little more today. Hopefully we'll have something fingered out in the next few days. The upside may be that the new door should be much better than our old door, even before it was broken.
-Our garden harvests have been quite plentiful this year. Today I was able to make some cabbage soup with carrots, green beans, and potatoes from our garden. Maybe today or tomorrow I'll have to head out and snag a big harvest of spinach and kale and also a squash or two.
The new soil and raised beds we added to our set-up really seem to have helped. If we're able to add two more next year, as we're planning, we should really be in position to have a substantial harvest.
-Maybe I'll manage to get Jeannette to go for a walk this evening. It really is a perfect night for a walk.
-Much to my chagrin, thanks to coaxing from Jeannette I ended up watching today's 'Labour Day Classic' between the Roughriders and the Blue Bombers. After the lead changing hands a few times in the 4th quarter the Riders managed to pull out a last minute victory. Despite the lead changes, it didn't seem to be a particularly exciting or well-played game (not that I'm in a position to be much of a judge of these things).
The best part of the game was from about the 1st quarter on when Pierre decided to take a nap on my lap. He more or less stayed in place for the rest of the game (even after I repositioned him).
-Sooner rather than later Jeannette and I need to arrange for a new garage door. We did some preliminary investigating a few weeks ago and a little more today. Hopefully we'll have something fingered out in the next few days. The upside may be that the new door should be much better than our old door, even before it was broken.
-Our garden harvests have been quite plentiful this year. Today I was able to make some cabbage soup with carrots, green beans, and potatoes from our garden. Maybe today or tomorrow I'll have to head out and snag a big harvest of spinach and kale and also a squash or two.
The new soil and raised beds we added to our set-up really seem to have helped. If we're able to add two more next year, as we're planning, we should really be in position to have a substantial harvest.
-Maybe I'll manage to get Jeannette to go for a walk this evening. It really is a perfect night for a walk.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 613
-Much to my surprise, we've had a few grey days in the past few weeks. Maybe even more troubling, these grey days (as well as some of the non-grey days) have been rather humid (though not quite New York/Ottawa humid). In any event, the temperatures have felt very summery (though that may just be the humidity speaking (as it's supposedly only 19 today and it feels borderline miserable).
-Last Friday night we experienced one of the most impressive lightning shows I've seen in my life.
[Embedded video]
For several hours there were near constant lightning strikes lighting the sky. For the first while there wasn't even any rain or wind where we were. If you watch the above video you should be able to hear when the rain and wind really started. It eventually became much more intense and several nearby areas are still cleaning up from the damage caused by the storm.
-Apparently I haven't been very good at keeping this up to date recently. Not entirely sure what's up with that but it certainly my plan to improve.
-I knew I didn't sleep well last night, but I was still surprised when all of us (Jeannette, the cats, and I) fell asleep in the living room for three hours (well, Pierre and I fell asleep for three hours - the ladies were still sleeping when we left). Now that I've had that rather long nap I'm feeling much more refreshed.
-I guess now that I'm so refreshed I should consider tackling a laundry folding project I've been putting off for some time?
-Last Friday night we experienced one of the most impressive lightning shows I've seen in my life.
[Embedded video]
For several hours there were near constant lightning strikes lighting the sky. For the first while there wasn't even any rain or wind where we were. If you watch the above video you should be able to hear when the rain and wind really started. It eventually became much more intense and several nearby areas are still cleaning up from the damage caused by the storm.
-Apparently I haven't been very good at keeping this up to date recently. Not entirely sure what's up with that but it certainly my plan to improve.
-I knew I didn't sleep well last night, but I was still surprised when all of us (Jeannette, the cats, and I) fell asleep in the living room for three hours (well, Pierre and I fell asleep for three hours - the ladies were still sleeping when we left). Now that I've had that rather long nap I'm feeling much more refreshed.
-I guess now that I'm so refreshed I should consider tackling a laundry folding project I've been putting off for some time?
Sunday, June 22, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 612
-Though we can often go months and months without any real rain, for the past week or two rain has been a very regular occurrence. For most of the past few days we've had more than one very intense rain shower, and on a few occasions we've had rather extended rainfalls lasting for hours at a time. Not surprisingly, the ground is now absolutely drenched. What fun.
-A few nights ago we even had enough rain that we had a little water in our basement. While it's unfortunate that we have any water problems in our basement, I'm glad that it is only when we have either massive thawing or a substantial rain storm that we have problems. Arguably, that water came in exactly where I hoped it wouldn't because of an epoxy patching agent that I'd used at least somewhat conclusively confirms my sense that the patch work didn't stick.
If the rain ever stops I'll have to head down and try to do some crack patching again. Hopefully this time I'll use something that at least works for one major rainfall.
-Since the local grocery stores started carrying cherries in the past few weeks we've really upped our cherry consumption. If I know what's best for me I should probably consider dialling it back down to under two pounds of cherries a day.
-Last night we received a last minute invitation to attend a barbecue with a few neighbours. Aside from the sudden downpour that forced inside for about an hour, we had a great time. Because we brought a tray of vegetables with us I finally had the excuse I needed to harvest the first green onions from our garden. As expected, they were pretty green oniony.
-While the rain means that we haven't needed to water our garden in weeks, a little more sun would probably be good at this stage. I guess probably shouldn't be complaining too much - basically everything seems to be growing. The potatoes, in particular, seem to be doing well.
-This year we've also planted a garden in front of our house. Our original plan was to plant a variety of plants that would look nice and complement each other in terms of height and style. As the absence of sun seems to have stunted growth I'm not sure if the plan will come to fruition this year. Of course, even if it doesn't we should at least manage to grow a few potatoes, some corn, and a few tomatoes.
-A few nights ago we even had enough rain that we had a little water in our basement. While it's unfortunate that we have any water problems in our basement, I'm glad that it is only when we have either massive thawing or a substantial rain storm that we have problems. Arguably, that water came in exactly where I hoped it wouldn't because of an epoxy patching agent that I'd used at least somewhat conclusively confirms my sense that the patch work didn't stick.
If the rain ever stops I'll have to head down and try to do some crack patching again. Hopefully this time I'll use something that at least works for one major rainfall.
-Since the local grocery stores started carrying cherries in the past few weeks we've really upped our cherry consumption. If I know what's best for me I should probably consider dialling it back down to under two pounds of cherries a day.
-Last night we received a last minute invitation to attend a barbecue with a few neighbours. Aside from the sudden downpour that forced inside for about an hour, we had a great time. Because we brought a tray of vegetables with us I finally had the excuse I needed to harvest the first green onions from our garden. As expected, they were pretty green oniony.
-While the rain means that we haven't needed to water our garden in weeks, a little more sun would probably be good at this stage. I guess probably shouldn't be complaining too much - basically everything seems to be growing. The potatoes, in particular, seem to be doing well.
-This year we've also planted a garden in front of our house. Our original plan was to plant a variety of plants that would look nice and complement each other in terms of height and style. As the absence of sun seems to have stunted growth I'm not sure if the plan will come to fruition this year. Of course, even if it doesn't we should at least manage to grow a few potatoes, some corn, and a few tomatoes.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Conflicted viewing
As most of the world knows, FIFA's World Cup started on Friday.
Aside from a 1994 World Cup t-shirt I received as a gift, I recall that when I first remember hearing about the World Cup in 2002. I was in Newfoundland at the time and was relatively upset to hear people who otherwise seemed to have no interest in soccer/football acting as though this was an event they cared about. I couldn't understand how something that I basically hadn't ever heard of could be used as an excuse to cancel classes at university or motivate departments to book lecture halls for mass viewings. Just about everything associated with the World Cup seemed implausible and upsetting.
In 2006 just as the next World Cup was getting underway my parents began hosting a Brazilian grad student for the summer. Not surprisingly, she was interested in watching the World Cup - or at least those games in which Brazil was playing.
My recollection is that my parents didn't have cable or maybe they didn't have a functional TV - in any event, it was decided that World Cup viewing would happen at the house in which I was staying at the time (and that just happens to be adjacent to my parents' house). As I didn't have all that much furniture we were able to arrange everything in the living room to maximize our comfort while watching Brazil's games.
Of course, it didn't take all that long for Neil and I to enjoy watching the games and start rooting for Brazil.
Somehow in this midst of this increasingly intense World Cup experience a English friend without cable called out of the blue and asked if he could bring his Canadian-born kids over to watch England play for the first time. Within a matter of minutes they were in place for the game.
We were then drawn into the World Cup experience in a way I could never have expected even a week or two before. All of a sudden I began to see why even people who otherwise aren't particularly soccer fans might enjoy following the event.
By the time 2010 rolled around I was living with Neil and Rebecca in Halifax and most of the games were easily streamable. Instead of studying for then still-unscheduled comps (in my defense, I likely didn't even have a reading list by the time the event started) along with Neil (and sometimes Rebecca and Jeannette) I watched many more games than was likely healthy. I was fully hooked on the experience and even more convinced that of all of the non-annual international sporting events it was the best.
It's so clearly the best because it happens only once every four years. Or to put it differently, not so frequently that its appearance isn't noteworthy or that you're still burned out from all of the soccer you watched last time around. On top of that, and very much in contrast to the Olympics (Summer or Winter), by including only one sport it is almost possible for an dedicated individual to watch every game. And even if you don't watch every game there are few enough games that it is quite easy to keep up with the developments occurring in those games you don't watch. Of course it's also nice that even though soccer is played world-wide only a limited number of the best teams qualify for each World Cup. And even better is that when you live in a place like Canada that isn't likely to qualify this means that you (and also the networks covering the event) can focus on good games rather than distracting national allegiances.
Of course as enjoyable as the World Cup is as casual viewer, it's not entirely without its issues. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a great job of introducing a variety of these significant issues in a recent episode.
[Embedded video]
So, eight years after Neil and I first began watching World Cup coverage Neil opted out because of dissatisfaction with the organization behind the event. I, on the other hand, am also disappointed with the organizing body - but obviously not to the extent that I have decided to skip the event. Instead, Jeannette have taken advantage of several cancellations this weekend to watch as much of the coverage as possible.
Aside from a 1994 World Cup t-shirt I received as a gift, I recall that when I first remember hearing about the World Cup in 2002. I was in Newfoundland at the time and was relatively upset to hear people who otherwise seemed to have no interest in soccer/football acting as though this was an event they cared about. I couldn't understand how something that I basically hadn't ever heard of could be used as an excuse to cancel classes at university or motivate departments to book lecture halls for mass viewings. Just about everything associated with the World Cup seemed implausible and upsetting.
In 2006 just as the next World Cup was getting underway my parents began hosting a Brazilian grad student for the summer. Not surprisingly, she was interested in watching the World Cup - or at least those games in which Brazil was playing.
My recollection is that my parents didn't have cable or maybe they didn't have a functional TV - in any event, it was decided that World Cup viewing would happen at the house in which I was staying at the time (and that just happens to be adjacent to my parents' house). As I didn't have all that much furniture we were able to arrange everything in the living room to maximize our comfort while watching Brazil's games.
Of course, it didn't take all that long for Neil and I to enjoy watching the games and start rooting for Brazil.
Somehow in this midst of this increasingly intense World Cup experience a English friend without cable called out of the blue and asked if he could bring his Canadian-born kids over to watch England play for the first time. Within a matter of minutes they were in place for the game.
We were then drawn into the World Cup experience in a way I could never have expected even a week or two before. All of a sudden I began to see why even people who otherwise aren't particularly soccer fans might enjoy following the event.
By the time 2010 rolled around I was living with Neil and Rebecca in Halifax and most of the games were easily streamable. Instead of studying for then still-unscheduled comps (in my defense, I likely didn't even have a reading list by the time the event started) along with Neil (and sometimes Rebecca and Jeannette) I watched many more games than was likely healthy. I was fully hooked on the experience and even more convinced that of all of the non-annual international sporting events it was the best.
It's so clearly the best because it happens only once every four years. Or to put it differently, not so frequently that its appearance isn't noteworthy or that you're still burned out from all of the soccer you watched last time around. On top of that, and very much in contrast to the Olympics (Summer or Winter), by including only one sport it is almost possible for an dedicated individual to watch every game. And even if you don't watch every game there are few enough games that it is quite easy to keep up with the developments occurring in those games you don't watch. Of course it's also nice that even though soccer is played world-wide only a limited number of the best teams qualify for each World Cup. And even better is that when you live in a place like Canada that isn't likely to qualify this means that you (and also the networks covering the event) can focus on good games rather than distracting national allegiances.
Of course as enjoyable as the World Cup is as casual viewer, it's not entirely without its issues. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a great job of introducing a variety of these significant issues in a recent episode.
[Embedded video]
So, eight years after Neil and I first began watching World Cup coverage Neil opted out because of dissatisfaction with the organization behind the event. I, on the other hand, am also disappointed with the organizing body - but obviously not to the extent that I have decided to skip the event. Instead, Jeannette have taken advantage of several cancellations this weekend to watch as much of the coverage as possible.
A Few Quick Notes 611
-Today has been variously rainy, cloudy, and sunny. Unfortunately, the sunny portions of the day have tended to be the shortest. Apparently funnel clouds have been spotted in souther Saskatchewan - so there's that too.
-Maybe because of the rain we had over the past few days the mosquitos have been out in full force. While at our Ultimate game on Thursday I received several bites and this afternoon while we were in the garden briefly Jeannette received about a half dozen bites, most of which were through her clothes.
-Yesterday I made a quite enjoyable batch of pea soup for dinner.
-We've been on something of a fruit leather making kick recently. We've made three batches in the past few days. I think we're particularly motivated to make this much because each successive batch has been more successful than the previous batch. I'm convinced that part of the recent success stems from my decision to include both a wider variety of fruits and also to include the juice from one or two lemons.
As Jeannette can attest, the only problem with so many successful batches of fruit leather is availability of so much fruit leather. If one's not careful one can in a matter of minutes eat the equivalent of several pounds worth of fruit. I guess there are worse things one could be binging on.
-Maybe because of the rain we had over the past few days the mosquitos have been out in full force. While at our Ultimate game on Thursday I received several bites and this afternoon while we were in the garden briefly Jeannette received about a half dozen bites, most of which were through her clothes.
-Yesterday I made a quite enjoyable batch of pea soup for dinner.
-We've been on something of a fruit leather making kick recently. We've made three batches in the past few days. I think we're particularly motivated to make this much because each successive batch has been more successful than the previous batch. I'm convinced that part of the recent success stems from my decision to include both a wider variety of fruits and also to include the juice from one or two lemons.
As Jeannette can attest, the only problem with so many successful batches of fruit leather is availability of so much fruit leather. If one's not careful one can in a matter of minutes eat the equivalent of several pounds worth of fruit. I guess there are worse things one could be binging on.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Build-a-bed
When Jeannette moved from Wolfville to Ottawa a few years ago one of the first things she purchased was a relatively inexpensive, easy-to-assembly bed from a major Scandinavian retailer specializing in such things. Not surprisingly, by the time I arrived in Ottawa a few months later and we needed to disassemble the bed for the first time we began to notice a few signs of deterioration, though at the time they were all relatively superficial.
Despite these weaknesses we continued to use the bed, and even moved it from Ottawa to Regina. During this move more substantial damage to the bed was sustained, so much damage that the moving company compensated us for the cost of the bed. Of course, despite the damage (and likely because our belongings were delivered on the evening of December 23rd) we continued to use the bed.
While no new damage to the bed occurred during our move from our apartment to new house, it quickly became clear that our bed was on borrowed time. The absence of a head board which meant that almost every time one propped pillows against the wall behind the bed the bed would be pushed further from the wall was incredibly trying and maybe the single most compelling justification for us to get a new bed.
Because of our relatively unsatisfactory experience with our previous bed we began compiling a list of features, or characteristics, we hoped our new bed would have. We soon agreed that the bed should:
[Embedded Video]
In the end we used composite spruce boards we had cut at the store and some of the still functional hardware from the old bed. Somewhat later in our design process we also decided to cover all of the corners with corner moulding - a process that took hours because of the labourious process involved in making compound cuts with a hand-powered mitre saw.
The head board, a feature of which we are both particularly proud, came together once we'd more-or-less finished the rest of the bed and knew which materials we had left and once we'd made a trip to the fabric store and purchased some upholstery materials.
Now that we've been sleeping on the bed for about two weeks I think it's safe to say that the bed works and that we're quite pleased with the results of the project - it is neither ugly nor incomplete (my two fears). The only downside of the bed is that it is so large that it won't be possible to get it out of the bedroom without entirely disassembling it (the corresponding upside is that a huge amount of crap can be forever hidden under the mattress). (Fortunately we had the floors refinished just before we began work on this project.)
Despite these weaknesses we continued to use the bed, and even moved it from Ottawa to Regina. During this move more substantial damage to the bed was sustained, so much damage that the moving company compensated us for the cost of the bed. Of course, despite the damage (and likely because our belongings were delivered on the evening of December 23rd) we continued to use the bed.
While no new damage to the bed occurred during our move from our apartment to new house, it quickly became clear that our bed was on borrowed time. The absence of a head board which meant that almost every time one propped pillows against the wall behind the bed the bed would be pushed further from the wall was incredibly trying and maybe the single most compelling justification for us to get a new bed.
Because of our relatively unsatisfactory experience with our previous bed we began compiling a list of features, or characteristics, we hoped our new bed would have. We soon agreed that the bed should:
- be made of solid wood rather than some kind of fibreboard
- have a sturdy headboard
- not have a footboard (so I can hang my feet over the edge of the bed)
- match the other furniture in the room
- allow for storage underneath the mattress
After several months of relatively unsatisfactory, though lackadaisical, shopping Jeannette eventually realized that an option might be that instead of buying a bed we could try making one ourselves. This way we could ensure it would meet our various specifications.
At first I was quite hesitant to undertake such a project as I feared we might end up sinking quite a lot of money into the project and ending up with either an ugly or unfinished bed. Jeannette, thankfully, was quite insistent that we would be capable of successfully building an attractive bed.
Eventually, particularly once Jeannette found an appropriate non-plywood building material, I was won over and we started to make plans to build our bed.
[Embedded Video]
In the end we used composite spruce boards we had cut at the store and some of the still functional hardware from the old bed. Somewhat later in our design process we also decided to cover all of the corners with corner moulding - a process that took hours because of the labourious process involved in making compound cuts with a hand-powered mitre saw.
The head board, a feature of which we are both particularly proud, came together once we'd more-or-less finished the rest of the bed and knew which materials we had left and once we'd made a trip to the fabric store and purchased some upholstery materials.
Now that we've been sleeping on the bed for about two weeks I think it's safe to say that the bed works and that we're quite pleased with the results of the project - it is neither ugly nor incomplete (my two fears). The only downside of the bed is that it is so large that it won't be possible to get it out of the bedroom without entirely disassembling it (the corresponding upside is that a huge amount of crap can be forever hidden under the mattress). (Fortunately we had the floors refinished just before we began work on this project.)
Monday, April 28, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 610
-Yesterday evening snow started falling quite heavily. Fortunately, after a few hours it seemed that the snow had stopped falling. When we woke up this morning to about 5 cm of sticky snow we realized that we'd been wrong to think that the snow had ever stopped. Amazingly, after a day of thawing it seems to have started snowing again (though hopefully we won't again wake up to 5 cm of snow).
-Oh man, I'm super tired and it's not even 8:15.
-Much to my surprise, on Saturday I started to install our recently acquired anti-pigeon spikes.
Initially I only installed a two foot section, hoping that I might get some sense if were indeed a functional pigeon deterrent. Fortunately or unfortunately, by the time we returned from an afternoon there were fresh pigeon droppings on the other side of the porch - indicating that the spikes were working.
By the end of the weekend I'd installed all $100 worth of the stuff (aka 10 feet). The only bummer is that we'll have to buy another 10 feet or so for next weekend/later this week.
-On Saturday Pierre we being particularly cuddly. At one point he even took a rather long afternoon nap in my arms.
By that night and several hours of this excessively sedate behaviour we were starting to worry that something was up.
At about 2:00 AM Pierre confirmed that something had been up by puking up part of a rubber glove and some other garbage that he'd recently scarfed down behind our backs. For a small cat he really managed to save up a fair bit of puke for the event.
Unfortunately for Jeannette, I found the smell so upsetting that I had to leave the room to avoid adding to the mess. Fortunately, by the next day Pierre seemed to be back to normal (AKA the kind of cat that would sneak around trash cans to hunt for discarded rubber gloves to eat).
-Oh man, I'm super tired and it's not even 8:15.
-Much to my surprise, on Saturday I started to install our recently acquired anti-pigeon spikes.
By the end of the weekend I'd installed all $100 worth of the stuff (aka 10 feet). The only bummer is that we'll have to buy another 10 feet or so for next weekend/later this week.
-On Saturday Pierre we being particularly cuddly. At one point he even took a rather long afternoon nap in my arms.
By that night and several hours of this excessively sedate behaviour we were starting to worry that something was up.
At about 2:00 AM Pierre confirmed that something had been up by puking up part of a rubber glove and some other garbage that he'd recently scarfed down behind our backs. For a small cat he really managed to save up a fair bit of puke for the event.
Unfortunately for Jeannette, I found the smell so upsetting that I had to leave the room to avoid adding to the mess. Fortunately, by the next day Pierre seemed to be back to normal (AKA the kind of cat that would sneak around trash cans to hunt for discarded rubber gloves to eat).
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Because we don't have crocuses
We may not have crocuses, but we do have chives - and soon they'll be big enough to eat.
Aside from the arrival of a smattering of dead birds in our backyard, is there a clearer sign of spring then new growth?
The Birds Are Back
It's finally spring and that means that means the annual return of many species of birds to Regina. Unfortunately, it has also meant the return of two undesirable types of birds to our house and yard.
The first type of undesirable bird to return were those of the dead variety. So far I've found four dead birds in just the past few days. Even more unfortunately, I've now also found my first dead robin AKA first dead bird of any real size. I'm really hoping that these four are it for this trend this year.
The second type of undesirable birds to return this year are the pigeons.
A weekend or two ago we first heard the pleasant and distracting coos of pigeons roosting just outside of our bedroom window. Since then it has become a relatively regular occurrence. Maybe the most unfortunate development associated with the return of the pigeons is that they've started hanging out in the roof above our front porch - something we'd really like to discourage.
This morning I finally got around to putting up some of the mesh we used last year to discourage pigeon/miscellaneous bird roosting. Unfortunately, because prominence (i.e. the front porch) Jeannette was reasonably hesitant to ensconce the works of it in anti-bird mesh.
This reasonable position finally motivated us to look for anti-pigeon spikes that had been recommended to us last year by our neighbours' friend.
At $10 a foot, these spikes are a little more expensive than I'd hoped, but they look as though they'll be a little easier to install and will hopefully be a little less noticeable than wrapping everything in mesh.
Of course, there are still likely to be at least a few locations where mesh will be our only option.
Fortunately for my laziness, it's started raining. Now I'll be able to put spike installation off until at least tomorrow (though it really should be done as soon as possible so the pigeons don't develop more of a taste for our eaves and porch than they already have).
The first type of undesirable bird to return were those of the dead variety. So far I've found four dead birds in just the past few days. Even more unfortunately, I've now also found my first dead robin AKA first dead bird of any real size. I'm really hoping that these four are it for this trend this year.
The second type of undesirable birds to return this year are the pigeons.
A weekend or two ago we first heard the pleasant and distracting coos of pigeons roosting just outside of our bedroom window. Since then it has become a relatively regular occurrence. Maybe the most unfortunate development associated with the return of the pigeons is that they've started hanging out in the roof above our front porch - something we'd really like to discourage.
This morning I finally got around to putting up some of the mesh we used last year to discourage pigeon/miscellaneous bird roosting. Unfortunately, because prominence (i.e. the front porch) Jeannette was reasonably hesitant to ensconce the works of it in anti-bird mesh.
This reasonable position finally motivated us to look for anti-pigeon spikes that had been recommended to us last year by our neighbours' friend.
Of course, there are still likely to be at least a few locations where mesh will be our only option.
Fortunately for my laziness, it's started raining. Now I'll be able to put spike installation off until at least tomorrow (though it really should be done as soon as possible so the pigeons don't develop more of a taste for our eaves and porch than they already have).
Thursday, April 03, 2014
I've Been Benched
A few weeks ago Jeannette gave me an ultimatum: learn to knit or build a cat tree.
After a few minutes of trying to knit I decided I'd rather round up our scrap wood and build a cat tree.
A few hours later I walked away from a moderately satisfactory cat tree, or at least I thought so. The cats only seem inclined to use it when we're also in the room with them, something that suggests that it's not really as attractive a play thing for cats as I'd hoped.
Even if the cat tree was as successful at distracting the cats as I'd hoped, I think it was successful in another area - it re-ignited my interested in making wood products of questionable quality. So while I'm not knitting, Jeannette's ultimatum was successful in that it got me interested in making thing (which was really all she wanted).
After the cat tree process I began to realize that not having a stool to use at my work bench was a little frustrating. Over the next few weeks I began to think about various commercially produced stools that are available at some of the local stores. Of course, as I don't expect to use this stool all that much I wasn't interested in paying all that much.
Then, I think it was last Thursday (it could have been last Tuesday or the Thursday before that), I realized that we probably had enough wood left over from the cat tree scraps (which, as you'll recall, were themselves scraps) to fashion a quick stool, or at least something approximating a stool.
Almost as soon as Jeannette was out the door and on her way to band practice I got down to work on my stool.
Within maybe an hour or so I was done.
While I was relatively happy with my quickly conceived and constructed stool I was also aware that it wasn't the world's best stool.
Almost as soon as Jeannette returned from band practice she was shown my new stool.
Almost immediately Jeannette noted the stool's relatively unstable nature. That both of Jeannette's feet are off the ground when she sits on the stool make this feature particularly problematic.
Of course, even before Jeannette was kind enough to point out my stool's various faults, I was somewhat aware that it was a less than ideal stool. Hell, I even know that it was a touch 'tippy' if the user wasn't careful.
Almost as soon as I received this criticism I began to formulate plans for a bench that would be anything but unstable. If the Titantic was to be unsinkable, than this bench was to be untippable.
To achieve this untippable nature, I decided to use an A-frame base that would be quite wide, much wider than the bench's seating area. Of course this A-frame would then be braced in various ways to ensure stability and, most importantly, untippableness.
Of course, as easy as the a-frame concept was to devise, how I might attach a bench-like sitting area to an A-frame base wasn't immediately obvious to me.
I eventually settled on chopping off the top of the A-frame off and then just using a bunch of long screws to attach the sitting area to the base.
Once I'd designed the bench in my head (an approach to design that does not require one to take measurements or really even plan for likely problems) I had to convince Jeannette that buying wood and tools for this project was worthwhile.
Fortunately, Jeannette was relatively easy to convince and last Saturday after picking up about 90% of the necessary supplies I set about working on my bench.
Much to my surprise it started to come together quite quickly and easily.
By the end of the first day I'd cut all but two pieces (the 10% of the supplies I didn't have). On Sunday I cut the final two pieces and began to assemble the base - which also came together quite quickly.
On Tuesday evening I started assembling the sitting area. Unfortunately, relatively early on in the process I managed to snap a drill bit and basically bring the night's work to a screeching halt.
Finally, after getting a new drill bit yesterday after work, I was able to complete the assembly of the bench.
Unfortunately, this bench is also a little high for Jeannette (maybe one of the drawbacks of an all mental design process?) but just as sturdy and tip-proof as I'd hoped.
I've been doing a little sanding tonight and eventually we'll but some kind of finish on it and then we'll call it a day. Jeannette's even hoping that by next weekend things will be warm enough outside that we'll be about to use on our patio.
Anyway, if you ever happen to come over please feel free not to test the untippableness of this bench. As we all know, the power of hubris brought icebergs into the Titanic's path and I'm hoping to avoid a similar tipping related fate for this bench and those who might be sitting upon it at that ill-fated moment.
After a few minutes of trying to knit I decided I'd rather round up our scrap wood and build a cat tree.
A few hours later I walked away from a moderately satisfactory cat tree, or at least I thought so. The cats only seem inclined to use it when we're also in the room with them, something that suggests that it's not really as attractive a play thing for cats as I'd hoped.
Even if the cat tree was as successful at distracting the cats as I'd hoped, I think it was successful in another area - it re-ignited my interested in making wood products of questionable quality. So while I'm not knitting, Jeannette's ultimatum was successful in that it got me interested in making thing (which was really all she wanted).
After the cat tree process I began to realize that not having a stool to use at my work bench was a little frustrating. Over the next few weeks I began to think about various commercially produced stools that are available at some of the local stores. Of course, as I don't expect to use this stool all that much I wasn't interested in paying all that much.
Then, I think it was last Thursday (it could have been last Tuesday or the Thursday before that), I realized that we probably had enough wood left over from the cat tree scraps (which, as you'll recall, were themselves scraps) to fashion a quick stool, or at least something approximating a stool.
Almost as soon as Jeannette was out the door and on her way to band practice I got down to work on my stool.
Within maybe an hour or so I was done.
While I was relatively happy with my quickly conceived and constructed stool I was also aware that it wasn't the world's best stool.
Almost as soon as Jeannette returned from band practice she was shown my new stool.
Almost immediately Jeannette noted the stool's relatively unstable nature. That both of Jeannette's feet are off the ground when she sits on the stool make this feature particularly problematic.
Of course, even before Jeannette was kind enough to point out my stool's various faults, I was somewhat aware that it was a less than ideal stool. Hell, I even know that it was a touch 'tippy' if the user wasn't careful.
Almost as soon as I received this criticism I began to formulate plans for a bench that would be anything but unstable. If the Titantic was to be unsinkable, than this bench was to be untippable.
To achieve this untippable nature, I decided to use an A-frame base that would be quite wide, much wider than the bench's seating area. Of course this A-frame would then be braced in various ways to ensure stability and, most importantly, untippableness.
Of course, as easy as the a-frame concept was to devise, how I might attach a bench-like sitting area to an A-frame base wasn't immediately obvious to me.
I eventually settled on chopping off the top of the A-frame off and then just using a bunch of long screws to attach the sitting area to the base.
Once I'd designed the bench in my head (an approach to design that does not require one to take measurements or really even plan for likely problems) I had to convince Jeannette that buying wood and tools for this project was worthwhile.
Fortunately, Jeannette was relatively easy to convince and last Saturday after picking up about 90% of the necessary supplies I set about working on my bench.
Much to my surprise it started to come together quite quickly and easily.
By the end of the first day I'd cut all but two pieces (the 10% of the supplies I didn't have). On Sunday I cut the final two pieces and began to assemble the base - which also came together quite quickly.
On Tuesday evening I started assembling the sitting area. Unfortunately, relatively early on in the process I managed to snap a drill bit and basically bring the night's work to a screeching halt.
Finally, after getting a new drill bit yesterday after work, I was able to complete the assembly of the bench.
Unfortunately, this bench is also a little high for Jeannette (maybe one of the drawbacks of an all mental design process?) but just as sturdy and tip-proof as I'd hoped.
I've been doing a little sanding tonight and eventually we'll but some kind of finish on it and then we'll call it a day. Jeannette's even hoping that by next weekend things will be warm enough outside that we'll be about to use on our patio.
Anyway, if you ever happen to come over please feel free not to test the untippableness of this bench. As we all know, the power of hubris brought icebergs into the Titanic's path and I'm hoping to avoid a similar tipping related fate for this bench and those who might be sitting upon it at that ill-fated moment.
Sunday, March 09, 2014
Spring's arrival is no longer quite so ominous
After a little investigation yesterday morning, I was very happy to learn that all of my sump pump problems could be attributed to user error. I was also happy to learn that we don't have a sump pump with an internally wired switch - so if either the switch or the pump go I can replace the problem part and not the whole operation.
Maybe it was the good news on the sump pump front, but somewhere I found the motivation to finally open up and apply our epoxy crack filling compound. Of course, I'm not sure that the stuff will end up being all that effective as the instructions imply that it works more quickly and effectively when applied to warmer surfaces. Unfortunately, our basement walls aren't all that warm at the moment.
The other good news of the day is that the forecast sun hasn't yet arrived. With sun and higher temperatures we'd really be in the midst of a rather intense melt. The absence of the sun should slow things down somewhat dramatically - which will hopefully allow us to avoid any Spring melt related problems.
On the other hand, because of the location of the snow during last year's thaw we've been keeping the patio and side of the house free of snow and it would be nice to have a rather dramatic melt to provide me some comfort that my work was worth it or the knowledge that no matter how clear I keep the foundation we'll have thaw leakage.
Anyway, no matter what the sun does, we should have at least a little melting today and we should be ready for it. If I'm particularly motivated I may take this opportunity to remove some ice at the base of our driveway.
Maybe it was the good news on the sump pump front, but somewhere I found the motivation to finally open up and apply our epoxy crack filling compound. Of course, I'm not sure that the stuff will end up being all that effective as the instructions imply that it works more quickly and effectively when applied to warmer surfaces. Unfortunately, our basement walls aren't all that warm at the moment.
The other good news of the day is that the forecast sun hasn't yet arrived. With sun and higher temperatures we'd really be in the midst of a rather intense melt. The absence of the sun should slow things down somewhat dramatically - which will hopefully allow us to avoid any Spring melt related problems.
On the other hand, because of the location of the snow during last year's thaw we've been keeping the patio and side of the house free of snow and it would be nice to have a rather dramatic melt to provide me some comfort that my work was worth it or the knowledge that no matter how clear I keep the foundation we'll have thaw leakage.
Anyway, no matter what the sun does, we should have at least a little melting today and we should be ready for it. If I'm particularly motivated I may take this opportunity to remove some ice at the base of our driveway.
Saturday, March 08, 2014
Spring is coming
After a very solid four months of Winter, Regina's forecast finally includes several days in a row with daytime temperatures above freezing.
While I'm sure that just about everyone in Regina is ready for the Spring thaw, I'm also sure that just about every in Regina would have preferred not to have the 30, or so, centimetres of snow that we got over the past few days.
And to top off the impending thaw and new mounds of snow, our sump pump has recently started behaving erratically. Instead of just engaging when the float is lifted by water as it should, the pump has started operating whenever it is plugged in.
If we know what's good for us we'd probably take this last day of cold temperatures and had to a local sump pump supplier and pick up a back up pump before everyone else in the city also discovers that they are facing similar problems.
We might also take this time to try to fill any problematic cracks in our basement foundation, a task we've been putting off for a number of months.
Of course, because we're both feeling a little under the weather and are moderately sedated with cold medication it's possible that neither of these advisable courses of action will be followed.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
One year ago today
Exactly a year ago Jeannette and I moved into our current house, the first house either of us have ever owned.
By about this time of day a year ago we were in the midst of painting (I think we started with our bedroom). For most of the rest of the weekend we were either moving items from our old apartment or painting.
Amazingly enough, by the end of the first weekend we'd painted Jeannette's office and our bedroom. Within a few days we managed to paint my office. Also, while the paint was drying we managed to move most of our belongings and set up shop.
Since then we've had to do a fair bit more work, the re-roofing of the garage being one of the most onerous tasks (though the extra electrical work and the burst pipe and subsequent patch job weren't trivial).
Hard work aside, it's been very, after years of apartment living, to have a house of our own. I'm sure Jeannette's also appreciated finally fulfilling her long-time dream of owning a purple house.
Cameron - 21
Neil - 0
By about this time of day a year ago we were in the midst of painting (I think we started with our bedroom). For most of the rest of the weekend we were either moving items from our old apartment or painting.
Amazingly enough, by the end of the first weekend we'd painted Jeannette's office and our bedroom. Within a few days we managed to paint my office. Also, while the paint was drying we managed to move most of our belongings and set up shop.
Since then we've had to do a fair bit more work, the re-roofing of the garage being one of the most onerous tasks (though the extra electrical work and the burst pipe and subsequent patch job weren't trivial).
Hard work aside, it's been very, after years of apartment living, to have a house of our own. I'm sure Jeannette's also appreciated finally fulfilling her long-time dream of owning a purple house.
Cameron - 21
Neil - 0
Big hockey weekend
So not only is there plenty of Olympic hockey this weekend (let's not forget today's monstrosity), but tonight Jeannette and I will be heading to our first Regina Pats game.
If I understand thing correctly, the Regina Pats are part of the WHL - a junior hockey league. And if I understand junior hockey correctly, this is some kind of very minor, age-restricted professional level of hockey.
I'm sure that by the end of the night we'll know a fair bit more about the Pats and junior hockey.
Oh, and for those of you who are curious - this will be taking place in the same venue as the rodeo of a few months ago.
Cameron - 20
Neil - 0
If I understand thing correctly, the Regina Pats are part of the WHL - a junior hockey league. And if I understand junior hockey correctly, this is some kind of very minor, age-restricted professional level of hockey.
I'm sure that by the end of the night we'll know a fair bit more about the Pats and junior hockey.
Oh, and for those of you who are curious - this will be taking place in the same venue as the rodeo of a few months ago.
Cameron - 20
Neil - 0
Monday, February 17, 2014
Hard cuddles
Apparently just being near me on their window perch wasn't enough, they both wanted to be in my lap while I blogged about them.
Unfortunately, just moments ago noises occurring elsewhere in the house drew them away from me. Bummer.
Oh, I take that back - Pierre's just come back and is getting his full cuddle on.
Cameron - 19
Neil - 0
The other perch
As I was preparing the last post Pierre came into the room and hopped up on the window sill, reminding me that they both also like to sit there and watch the street.
Just to help me prove the point that both cats like this perch, as I was preparing this post Marie hoped up for a few moments.
Unfortunately, because there are a few plants nearby that neither of the cats are content to leave alone they aren't frequently allowed to take advantage of this perch.
Just moments after this photo was taken Pierre tried to climb into the ficus pot.
Cameron - 18
Neil - 0
Pierre's perch
When not sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, one of Pierre's favourite places to sit is atop the garbage can.
I presume that the advantage of this location is that allows him to see a little more of the action while we're engaged in food prep. What I don't understand is why he ever opts to sit on the floor where he can't see all that much and is likely to be stepped on.
Cameron - 17
Neil - 0
A Few Quick Notes 610
-We're just cluing up another slightly overcast, not particularly cold winter's day in Regina. I think there may have been a few flurries at various points throughout the day, or it may have just been blowing snow. It was a little hard to tell and not important enough for me to engage in a serious investigation of the matter.
-I sampled my ginger beer last night. It definitely had a bite, and it was definitely gingery. But I'm not sure it had the bite or ginger flavour I was looking for. My gut is that it basically tastes like carbonated ginger juice.
Fortunately, I've purchased some more ginger and am planning on working on batch two tonight. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have the process sorted out or have admitted defeat.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I picked up discounted copies of the first two seasons of The Wire. Apparently Jeannette's incredibly Olympics viewing capabilities don't extend to 10 year old HBO shows - she crashed during the first episode. I, on the other hand, couldn't believe how excited I was to be re-watching the show. Hopefully we'll try again tonight and this time it will stick.
Cameron - 16
Neil - 0
-I sampled my ginger beer last night. It definitely had a bite, and it was definitely gingery. But I'm not sure it had the bite or ginger flavour I was looking for. My gut is that it basically tastes like carbonated ginger juice.
Fortunately, I've purchased some more ginger and am planning on working on batch two tonight. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have the process sorted out or have admitted defeat.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I picked up discounted copies of the first two seasons of The Wire. Apparently Jeannette's incredibly Olympics viewing capabilities don't extend to 10 year old HBO shows - she crashed during the first episode. I, on the other hand, couldn't believe how excited I was to be re-watching the show. Hopefully we'll try again tonight and this time it will stick.
Cameron - 16
Neil - 0
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Another problem with the Olympics
Aside from the arguably more important problems with the Olympics that concern matters political and commercial, something I've noticed recently is that one of the reasons I don't join Jeannette for more Olympics viewing is that too many of the sports are just excruciatingly boring to watch (and the worst part is that they tend to show the boring bits and not the potentially exciting bits).
Now that I've taken time to think the matter over I've realized that watching top athlete after top athlete complete the same course makes for uninspiring viewing. Unfortunately for the Winter Olympics, this seems to characterize most of the sports (hockey, curling, cross-country skiing [and derivatives], and snowboard cross being the main outliers). There's no drama. And, most importantly, there's no real competition.
What's worse, is that not only do they insist on showing boring downhill run after boring downhill run, but they tend to focus on the final runs rather than the qualifiers.
This approach is problematic for at least two reasons. Firstly, the efforts of hundreds or thousands of Olympians go uncovered. Secondly, and more importantly, by focusing only on the best athletes inexperienced viewers aren't shown the full range of athletic talent at the Olympics. The fact that the best skiers routinely land their jumps would be even more impressive if we were shown the world's 30th-60th best competitors in the sport failing. Furthermore, for those sports where style points are in play (and lets not even get into the issue of the overall classification of these events as sports) the distinction between the first and second best skiers in the world is often almost impossible to spot, while almost anyone should be able to spot the differences between the first and sixtieth skiers.
So it seems that not only have the Olympics given us many reasons not to watch for moral and political reasons, it's also the case that they just don't put on all that great a show.
Oh, and I also really don't like watching teenagers and young adults risking serious life-long injuries or death just to entertain me on a grey winter's afternoon.
Cameron - 15
Neil - 0
Now that I've taken time to think the matter over I've realized that watching top athlete after top athlete complete the same course makes for uninspiring viewing. Unfortunately for the Winter Olympics, this seems to characterize most of the sports (hockey, curling, cross-country skiing [and derivatives], and snowboard cross being the main outliers). There's no drama. And, most importantly, there's no real competition.
What's worse, is that not only do they insist on showing boring downhill run after boring downhill run, but they tend to focus on the final runs rather than the qualifiers.
This approach is problematic for at least two reasons. Firstly, the efforts of hundreds or thousands of Olympians go uncovered. Secondly, and more importantly, by focusing only on the best athletes inexperienced viewers aren't shown the full range of athletic talent at the Olympics. The fact that the best skiers routinely land their jumps would be even more impressive if we were shown the world's 30th-60th best competitors in the sport failing. Furthermore, for those sports where style points are in play (and lets not even get into the issue of the overall classification of these events as sports) the distinction between the first and second best skiers in the world is often almost impossible to spot, while almost anyone should be able to spot the differences between the first and sixtieth skiers.
So it seems that not only have the Olympics given us many reasons not to watch for moral and political reasons, it's also the case that they just don't put on all that great a show.
Oh, and I also really don't like watching teenagers and young adults risking serious life-long injuries or death just to entertain me on a grey winter's afternoon.
Cameron - 15
Neil - 0
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Beverage update
You're curious, the ginger beer I made the other day looks like this:
I'm hoping to sample it a little later today. I'm a little worried that it might be a little strong, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Also, the sparkling apple juice drink that I've been making looks like this:
Cameron - 14
Neil - 0
Also, the sparkling apple juice drink that I've been making looks like this:
Neil - 0
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Ginger Beer
(not an allusion to Cockney rhyming slang)
At some point this summer I decided to try making homemade ginger ale.
Eventually I started to build from this recipe to make raspberry beverages and, once, a juniper (i.e. gin) based drink that was surprisingly palatable.
A few days ago after buying Jeannette some ginger beer I decided to try making ginger beer (the ginger ale just didn't have a satisfying kick).
After pursuing a few recipes and developing a plan of attack I finally sprang into action tonight and purchased a few pieces of ginger at the grocery store.
After dinner I grated the ginger and then used coffee filters and funnels to extract the juice.
If all goes well we'll have something approximating ginger beer in a few days. Unfortunately, I'm relatively certain that my recipe won't be perfect the first time around - perfection may take a few batches.
Cameron - 13
Neil - 0
At some point this summer I decided to try making homemade ginger ale.
Eventually I started to build from this recipe to make raspberry beverages and, once, a juniper (i.e. gin) based drink that was surprisingly palatable.
A few days ago after buying Jeannette some ginger beer I decided to try making ginger beer (the ginger ale just didn't have a satisfying kick).
After pursuing a few recipes and developing a plan of attack I finally sprang into action tonight and purchased a few pieces of ginger at the grocery store.
After dinner I grated the ginger and then used coffee filters and funnels to extract the juice.
If all goes well we'll have something approximating ginger beer in a few days. Unfortunately, I'm relatively certain that my recipe won't be perfect the first time around - perfection may take a few batches.
Cameron - 13
Neil - 0
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 609
-Today I walked outside and immediately wondered if I even needed a coat. Once I started the car I realized that it was still -16.5, but it was about 10 degrees warmer than the previous morning and certainly enough to feel the difference.
-Apparently today was budget day. I was pleasantly surprised to see that CBC did push back, or at least appeared to, push back Olympics coverage to do some budget coverage.
-I think we may need to head to the grocery store tomorrow after work.
-Over the course of the past few weeks I've been trying to sell Jeannette on the effectiveness of Shirley Temple's performances in her many childhood movie appearances. I think I finally convinced Jeannette that Shirley's movies are still entertaining.
So it definitely felt a little weird when this morning Jeannette emailed me to let me know that Shirley Temple had just died. Definite bummer.
Cameron - 12
Neil - 0
-Apparently today was budget day. I was pleasantly surprised to see that CBC did push back, or at least appeared to, push back Olympics coverage to do some budget coverage.
-I think we may need to head to the grocery store tomorrow after work.
-Over the course of the past few weeks I've been trying to sell Jeannette on the effectiveness of Shirley Temple's performances in her many childhood movie appearances. I think I finally convinced Jeannette that Shirley's movies are still entertaining.
So it definitely felt a little weird when this morning Jeannette emailed me to let me know that Shirley Temple had just died. Definite bummer.
Cameron - 12
Neil - 0
Monday, February 10, 2014
Hard to believe it's real
For some reason today I was inspired to use the WayBack Machine to find the earliest incarnation of the Google website available.
Once at the site I noticed that a link was provided to a 'stickers' page. And once I was on the stickers page I was surrounded by internet gold, or, more accurately, early/amazing versions of the Google logo that could be downloaded and posted on one's site.
I'm a big fan of the two early 'Google doodles' they had available for public consumption:
Burning Man festival
Of course, one wouldn't want to miss the earliest incarnation of the Google logo.
I can't help but wonder if WordArt was maybe a little too accessible in early Google offices.
Cameron - 11
Neil - 0
Sunday, February 09, 2014
Apparently I'm the only one here who doesn't like figure skating
Just like yesterday, Jeannette has been watching the Sochi Olympics today. And just like yesterday the cats have been spending more time watching with her than I have. Apparently, they're much more willing to sit through ice dancing than I am (especially in circumstances when gold and silver have already been determined and we're just waiting for the three worst teams to determine whose going to get bronze).
Cameron - 10
Neil - 0
Cats are definitely weird
Somehow Marie managed to make her way to the top of our bedroom door. At first she seemed a little unsteady, but after a few moments she gained her footing and didn't appear the least bit upset. Jeannette, on the other hand, was definitely not pleased to have Marie on top of the door.
Cameron - 9
Neil - 0
Saturday, February 08, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 608
-Apparently it's -29 with the wind chill at the moment. Because I haven't been outside (except when I reached out to grab the paper this morning) I'll have to take Environment Canada's word for it. Of course, as we're in Regina it's quite sunny.
-Though the Olympics aren't my thing (actually, I quite dislike them), we've been a pretty Olympics oriented house since Jeannette returned home from work yesterday evening.
Because of the time difference I'm not sure if anything but tape-delayed replays will be available this evening. If so, maybe that will be a good thing as most of the available content has already been viewed by the Olympics-watchers of this household.
-While Jeannette's been watching the coverage of the Olympics the cats have been hanging out on the foot of the bed.
Sometimes they were more clearly cuddling.
Has the more or less devolved into an excuse to post cat pics? And, if so, is that a problem?
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
-Though the Olympics aren't my thing (actually, I quite dislike them), we've been a pretty Olympics oriented house since Jeannette returned home from work yesterday evening.
Because of the time difference I'm not sure if anything but tape-delayed replays will be available this evening. If so, maybe that will be a good thing as most of the available content has already been viewed by the Olympics-watchers of this household.
-While Jeannette's been watching the coverage of the Olympics the cats have been hanging out on the foot of the bed.
Sometimes they were more clearly cuddling.
Has the more or less devolved into an excuse to post cat pics? And, if so, is that a problem?
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
Friday, February 07, 2014
Kitty pics or my feeble attempt at link bait
Because of the popularity of yesterday's cat-based post (the tweet highlighting the post was favourited twice) I've decided that I should share a few of the hot kitty pics I snagged today.
While maxing and relaxing after lunch and before tackling today's projects I suddenly found myself with a kitty on my lap. It wasn't long before the kitty was taking a quick nap.
At time he was more closer to wakefulness, but still just as disinterested in moving.
He also took advantage of today's bright sun.
Actually, they both did.
For old times sakes, I also feel like including two pics from their first days together. If I recall correctly, these were both taken relatively soon after they were comfortable enough with each other that they could be around each other unsupervised.
While they still aren't constant cuddle companions, they are pretty good at getting along.
And, not surprisingly, as I wrote this post he spent some time hanging out on my lap.
Cameron - 7
Neil - 0
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