Purchases, products, plantings [s]

Chilies and rosemary and stuff - plants that are used as seasonings so we don't have to grow a whole bunch to have useful quantities. Since I feel that organic foods are pretentious, I'm going to spray them with DDT every week or so.



The front yard is getting some love. The papyrus is doing well and Jes added some sort of flower. The grass is still flourishing, but now I need a damn lawnmower.



The deck's been cleared off for another coat of stain and then some heavy sealant. I'm not messing around with that thin deck sealant this time.

Also in store for the backyard is replacing all the pvc drain grates (most broken) with metal ones. They're actually cheapest at Home Depot.


Source.

I finally settled on wheels and tires for the vr4. Enkei pf01's with Sumi HTR Z IIIs from Tirerack. There aren't a lot of options for the Mitsu (see tiny caliper on Z above) but I like them and it's time. I stopped by Discount yesterday to see if their store selection differed from their site. Barely.

So the pfs have an extra half inch of width, are forged, and add about fifty pounds of lightness.

Now, as with surfboards, I'm set until I move up to carbon fiber (espp-dependent).


Source.

Along with replacement fridge water filters and a subscription to Roadracing World & Motorcycle, Amazon is sending me Endless Ocean 2.

Backyard lights [s]

One year [s]

So the little one had is first birthday this weekend. Cuteness abounded, and was equilibrated that night when his pops and friends went to see Zombieland. Great movie, I'd recommend it to anyone. It's funny, gruesome, and doesn't try to shoehorn too much meaning into a horror/comedy hybrid.



After a year of skimming, I've put up a net to catch most of the leaves upwind of the pool.



I bolted a steel cable to opposite ends of the deck to manage shear forces, but lacking help I haven't been able to tension it yet.



I pulled the rest of the drywall and plywood super-subfloor. Beneath that was some very thin acrylic that can stay. It's all been green sealed. Capping the shower revealed that the leak, it was at the soldered section at the topmost L-bend.



The interior walls weren't insulated, I took the opportunity to amend this for thermal and acoustic reasons. Small spaces were filled with foam, as was the area surrounding pipes since I hear the foam is superior to fiberglass.



So I'm thinking a main shower head aimed at 45 degrees so I'm not right next to the wall with six feet of unused bathroom space. The new wall should make plumbing the thing a bit easier; more space for the extra knobs and piping required for side sprayers.

Yard, tile, library [s]

One of these weekends I'll mortar some brick bases around the pillars. But at least I have a well supported deck.





Jon went after the tree that most overhangs the pool.



The hammer drill made short work of the downstairs tile. The next step is to grind off the thin set. If all looks well tomorrow/Thursday, I'll look into concrete stains.



Rfq has been graciously mailing contributions to the library which so far consists of engineering and mba texts. He's a shoe-in for having a collection named in his honor, but perhaps not the entire library. Should I become party to any groundbreaking bookshelf designs, I would be obligated to name the structure appropriately.

Reinforcements [s]

I had quite a few visitors this weekend. The main project - other than good times - was resupporting the deck.


1. Remove every other post.


2. Grind away rusted rebar previously used to align posts.


3. Drill the concrete for the new anchors, 5/8" or 3/4" or something.


4. Fill the hole with epoxy and sink the bolt, allow to set overnight.


5. Torque the u-brackets to the concrete, level the new posts and bolt them with 1/2" galvanized hardware.


6. Mime strange things.


7. Raise sagging parts of the structure as necessary.


8. Drill and bolt the tops of the posts.


9. Start over with the opposite sides.



So a moisture barrier is pretty important. The next step will be to skirt the new posts in brick to make the assembly more visually appealing.

Buying a hammer drill for the job was not exactly a feather in my cap, but it defintely made short work of the concrete - about a minute to sink the length of the bit. My newfound ability to anchor to concrete opens possibilities in the difficult pursuit of a pool enclosure. I need a means to deflect falling leaves from the southernmost few feet of the pool. The pool vac handles them just fine, but I dislike cleaning the filter every few days.

Traditional pool covers will simply dump the leaves and such into the water when they are folded or rolled up, so an above-water solution is ideal. I'd considered a canopy, though not many can accomodate the 12' width of the pool. Such a structure would have the benefit of providing shade in addition to leaf protection. Anything with a roof and walls is an asset to use of the pool heater, though I wouldn't want the area permanently enclosed.

Being able to affix something to the concrete around the pool means I could do something that resembles a pergola, but with the potential for a roof and/or walls. This would look better than a canopy and provide a platform for great things ranging from outdoor lighting to volleyball net posts.

This weekend's roll call:


Benhen.


Catherine (sp?).


Pops.


Bear.


Jes.


Kim.


Me.


Patrick Swayze Jon.


Ted.


Oops.


So that's an ostrich egg, slated for scrambling tomorrow morning.



The final presentation for photo is Wednesday, so I've printed a few more things. Here are some film shots from the March 7 autocross.

More milestones [s]

There was a scnax event this weekend. I stopped by to shoot a couple rolls and a few megs. The contact sheets are looking promising, we'll see if there's anything I can use for the final.







Replacing the deck supports is upcoming. I snagged some redwood for the task, though it kinda led to a ydiw moment.



Oh well, the posts are painted, as is the rest of the backyard. Cheers to that. Once I haul away the last wall of the sauna it'll look okay - save for the halfway landscaping.



I'm pleased to announce my new ethics services program, called Equal Cup. Clients of Equal Cup will be given the exclusive opportunity to purchase Starbucks offsets in order to reduce their impact on society. These offsets can be earmarked for any competing chain or a local establishment and I will personally see to it that every offset cup is thoroughly enjoyed.

And I was pretty happy about Watchmen. I suppose there's a glass ceiling to crediting any adaptation simply because it's not an original work. But the production was so faithful and detailed that I'd say it did great justice to the original media.