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.

Now for a little something different [s]

I read that the next Watchmen trailer can be seen at Quantum of Solace. Opening for Batman and James Bond, not too shabby. I was blown away by the first peek, and then slightly anxious when I read that Alan Moore didn't want any credit or money from the project. Further investigation (wiki) is more reassuring; apparently Moore hated the first screenplay written twenty years ago and then declared that the medium was not appropriate for his story. Cut and dried, his point is that only with comic books (/graphic novels) can the audience deliberate on the intricacies of each frame and reference previous moments with ease.

Well the film was made. With any luck the final adaptation resembles the second script, written by Solid Snake, which was regarded by Moore to be as close to 'filmable' as Watchmen can be.

Without a doubt Watchmen is very subtle and detailed in its dialog and imagery. The theatrical experience will be a much different one, perhaps replacing the brooding feeling with greater tension.


I cleared out the media room some. At center is the mst3k 20th anniversary box set.


I put the upstairs bathroom vanity in tonight. The granite top was a bit weighty, but I managed to not ding anything.


The shower was finished a little while ago. It's nice.






I was talking to Sarah and realized I should be keeping track of Good Spots for recommendations and those times where my cranial isn't firing on all two cylinders. I'm in the initial listing process with specs, reviews, and approximate prices to come. Then I'll open it up to collaboration and never have to wonder where to eat/drink/go out again.

Upstairs bathroom [s]

Getting there [s]

The 'rents came down this weekend. Mom bought me the taxadermed animal I wanted so badly.



Cement board, tile saw, sealer...



The media room has a long way to go. But Justin's gaming chair has found a good home.



The chandelier aglow.



Upstairs bathroom preparations. Copper green on the studs, plywood on the studs, roofing felt on the plywood, cement board on the felt, tile on the cement board.



For this one I'm going with some 16x24 travertine pieces. The lighter color is key for not making the tub look freakishly out of place.

More work [s]

The first round of tile went in to the downstairs shower.


China multicolor slate.


Laid out as you'd be looking from the top down. Left wall of 12x12 and 24x24, middle wall of 24x24 and then 12x12, then the right wall of three 12x12 columns.


Windows at last. Vinyl frames, bright white to contrast the swiss coffee interior paint color.


Rob dug up some photos from his trip down. Here you can see Connie knocking out a wall. I added few more pool photos to a previous post.

The Singapore GP was a good watch. How I long for it to be covered in hd and see the full brilliance of the machines at night. The significance of the safety car leads me to wonder if it'll be Ferrari or McLaren to first have their number two driver strategically impact a wall. You know, the Hamilton-Massa gap is only six points and that's nothing considering the final race is in Brazil.

Construction site with amenities [s]

Progress. I picked up the centerpiece for the media room. Furnishings include a futon and Justin's chair. The game systems are there, though tomorrow I have to call Microsoft to take the xbox back a second time. And the tv speakers were atrocious enough I immediately set up audio system.

The components are there, but much needs to be done before it actually looks like a media room. Of course this all comes after flooring and bathrooms. But the plans include:

• Paint the walls a darker shade to eliminate distractions.
  
• Polish the concrete floors for style, resilience, and benefits to electronics (cooler and dust free).
• Wall-mount the lcd.
  
• Feed wires through the walls for 5.1, mount the speakers appropriately.
• Devise a shelving system for electronics and accessories.
• Recessed lighting on a dimmer.
  

Tiling soon. Picked up some 12x12 and 24x24 slate pieces that should look pretty good.