Archi-blog-o

Bartle Doo!

2008-09-05T09:48:00.003-04:00

You've got to take a look at this video -- not for the subject of the vultures -- but for the interviews with the fisherman. I defy you to tell me what the gentleman at :30 says.

Have you ever watched videos on Youtube by Ed Bassmaster? He has a character called Mumbles. They guy in the above video is a real life incarnation of Ed's character.

Brian Schweitzer lights up the DNC

2008-08-27T13:51:00.002-04:00

Colleen and I are having fun watching the spectacle of the Democratic National Convention. Rolling our eyes at MSNBC and CNN on Monday when all they could talk about, or interview people about , was if Hillary would unify the party. From what I read, she did a good job last night (she was on too late for us to watch live). But, now her staff has leaked that she will definitely run in 2012 if Obama is unsuccessful, and that her motive for showing a positive face last night was to preserve good will with the Democratic National Party.

I was looking forward to hearing Mark Warner's speech (he's the former Virginia Governor, and current senate candidate), since he is being billed as the "future of the democratic party." That seems strange since Obama is so junior himself. Kind of premature to be billing someone other than the junior senator from Illinois as the future of the democratic party. Warner's speech was full of grand pronouncements with no details. Full of "if we achieve energy independence, we can....[insert nirvana here]." Well, sure, but HOW do we achieve energy independence? So, I was ultimately unimpressed.

Then I read that Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana, was the only real surprise of last night. Evidently, the networks paid him no attention, but once they got wind of how he was energizing the crowd, they cut to him. I found a YouTube clip of his speech and enjoyed his showmanship. He's rough around the edges, seemed to tickle both Pres. Clinton and Michelle Obama, and led the crowd in school-yard taunts. It was a good show. What do you think?

Bottle Top Toppler

2008-08-26T09:04:00.002-04:00

There's something endearing about this video of a cat toppling over bottle caps. Perhaps its the cat's gentle touch. Or, perhap it's that the cat is like an annoying little brother.

Affirmation

2008-08-21T12:06:00.002-04:00

Last night I had dinner in the North End with my godfather. We ate at our favorite restaurant, Pomodoros (on Hanover Street). After dinner when I stepped out of the restaurant, an attractive young woman was walking by, talking on her cell phone. I overheard her say affectionately, "You are powerful and cool."

Is there any better affirmation?

Twiggy

2008-08-14T12:32:00.002-04:00

Have you seen the video of the Swedish weightlifter yet? Pretty brutal. Fast forward to 30 seconds.

It reminds me of the Joe Theisman injury. Fast forward to 40 seconds.

Costanza Wallet No More

2008-07-25T16:28:00.003-04:00

I happened upon a listing today for a wallet called the Jimi, which is billed as an anti-wallet. It holds 4 cards on one side and on the other side just 1 card and 3 bills double-folded. It got me wondering if I could reduce what I carry around enough to meet the Jimi standards.

My essentials:
Primary credit card
Business credit card
ATM card
Driver's License
Commuter Rail Pass
Usually about $40 worth of cash

My non-essentials:
AAA Card
Health Insurance card
Mass General Hospital card
Secondary credit card
Car/Home Insurance card
Stamps
CostCo AmEx
Commuter Rail Schedule
Pictures of Grady & Liam
Address/Phone List of friends & family that I typed in tiny font

So, I technically could "qualify" to carry the Jimi anti-wallet if I just stuck with the essentials. The main benefit being that I could fit in my front pocket. I find myself taking my fat wallet out whenever I drive and sometimes when I'm on the commuter train because it's just uncomfortable to sit on for a long period of time. My chair at work is cushy enough that my wallet doesn't bother me there.

But, I have a nice leather wallet that is just a year or two old, and I would rather keep a few of the non-essentials handy, like the kids' pictures, the adddress/phone list and the AmEx. So, for the cards that I never need to swipe, and just need the information from, I typed out in tiny font the info and taped it onto the back of the address/phone list. So, I eliminated the stiffness and width of 4 cards from my wallet: AAA, Mass General, Health Insurance, Car/Home Insurance. I took the book of stamps out, and threw out some old receipts, and now my wallet is about 1/2 the size it was.

Thank you to Jimi, the anti-wallet, for inspiring me to downsize.

Oh, and I also found a scrap of paper in my wallet that had an 800 number and PIN number on it. I had no idea what it was, so I called and found out it was long-distance minutes that I had purchased at CostCo via an MCI Card several years ago before we had unlimited long distance through Vonage and now Verizon. The balance was $33.49 (or 11.5 hours of talk time), so I posted an ad on Craigslist offering it to the first person who responded. It took May about 10 seconds to e-mail me. I hope May and her friends get value out of my find.

Ridiculous

2008-07-21T13:41:00.005-04:00

Internet advertising has hit a ~~new~~* low.

*Evidently I did a post about this same ad back in March. I guess it still grates on my nerves.

JibJab's Time For Some Campaignin'

2008-07-17T14:19:00.003-04:00

JibJab has done it again. Obama riding on the unicorn is a highlight.

Computer Fixes (Dell Dimension 8400)

2008-07-17T10:05:00.002-04:00

We have a 4 1/2 year old desktop computer -- a Dell Dimension 8400 -- that has served us very well for e-mail, digital picturs/video, online music, web surfing and the occasional work task in Word, Excel or Powerpoint.

But, in the last 6 months our trusty Dell 8400 has begun to show its age. First, the CPU would not stay powered on. I'd be able to turn it on, begin the start-up stages, but then it would suddenly die. After a few days of trying to diagnose the problem via the web on my wife's work laptop, I found the most likely culprit to be the power source inside the machine. I took the leap of faith and ordered a new power unit at PCPowerZone.com and opened the 8400 for the first time when it arrived. 20 mins. of tinkering and moving wires this way and that, I had the new power source in. Closed everything up, and....success!

Three weeks ago the DVD and CD drives stopped being recognized. The drives were still receiving power, since I could open and close with the external buttons, but no application recognized them. I tried downloading new drivers, uninstalling and reinstalling via hardward/software remove, all to no avail. It wasn't until I decided to upgrade to the new PhotoShop Elements 6.0/PhotoShop Premiere 4.0 that I got really serious about it. For, there was no way to load the new programs into the computer. So, I scoured a bunch of user group postings and registered for private ones only to find nothing helpful. But, by chance, some kind soul posted a direct link to an obscure Microsoft Support article on the subject. It involved going into the Registry and deleting UpperFilter and LowerFilter, and restarting the computer, and crossing your fingers. If that didn't work, the only other suggestion was to load the CD Drive installion CDs. But, how was I supposed to do that with OEM hardware that didn't come with installation CDs, and besides, what good would loading an installation CD if Windows was not recognizing CD drive?!? There was no reason to fear, because upon restart, I heard a reassuring whir in the drive, and saw a comforting hourglass on screen that then diappeared and the CD started playing. Success!

It feels good to be able to fix these computer problems myself, saving lots of money on the process.

Now that we are 99% done with our kitchen (I'm waiting for a few small details to be finished before I post some pictures), and the desk area is complete, we are talking about buying a family laptop for that space. But, it's my goal to keep the Dell 8400 running for many years to come.

Deconstruction

2008-07-16T17:26:00.002-04:00

Sweet Juniper! has a wonderfully thought-provoking post today about the forces behind the deconstruction of some of Detroit's historic buildings.

Gas & Planes

2008-07-11T09:43:00.008-04:00

There's an interesting CNBC article on MSNBC.com today that profiles American Airlines' effort to shave fuel consumption in a program called Fuel Smart. Some of the statistics that surprised me:

It costs $77,000 to fill a Boeing 737 (20,000 gallons)
A cross country flight uses 9,000 gallons of fuel, or $34,000
Average revenue on a cross country flight is $54,000, leaving just $20,000 for maintenance, salaries, food, inspections, etc.
Each pound shed from a plane saves the company 14,000 gallons of fuel a year!
American Airlines has 700 planes in its fleet
They spend $10 billion a year in fuel
American Airlines uses an average of 95 gallons of fuel each second of every day

So, they are replacing food carts with versions 17 lbs. lighter, removing magazines from seat pockets, carrying less water, considering decals on the outside instead of paint (that would weigh 400 lbs less, and save nearly $20 million per plane per year), and trying to get pilots to request less fuel. And, of course, finding ways to pass the increased fuel charges onto customers.

Dan Garton, EVP of marketing for American Airlines said, "Seventy-eight percent of our customers fly once a year. And so some of those people may not be able to fly anymore, because we will raise our prices by hook or by crook.” (emphasis is mine)

Mind Games

2008-07-11T07:05:00.004-04:00

Courtesy of Will over at The [Cherry] Ride:

Grady's Race

2008-07-07T21:48:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I posted Liam's winning race. Today, I have the misfortune of having to post Grady's tough race. In it, he is wearing a grey shirt and red shorts, and is leading the pack of 6 & 7 year old boys by at least 2 steps, but stops early, mistaking the old finish line from younger kids' races as his finish line. You can see the other boys who were trailing blow by him in the "extra" 10 yards to the actual finish line. He was pretty upset, as you'll witness.

Nice Trips

2008-07-06T23:17:00.006-04:00

In the last couple of weeks, we visited Virginia for 3 nights and spent five nights in Maine. My most recent Flickr pictures are from the long weekend in Virginia visiting my family and friends. I added a Flickr bricklet that displays my most recent pictures over to the right. I'm working on the pictures from our time in Wells, Maine where we spent the 4th of July with my wife's family. We've done that ever since we've been together (1995) and it was idyllic as always. Below is a video of Liam showing a rare competitive side during the 4th of July Beach Games on Moody Beach.

Oh, and our kitchen is 99% done. The granite installers made an error, so they come back Tuesday to fix it, but everything else is in place. I'll be sure to take some pictures soon.

Helping Hands

2008-06-23T12:20:00.005-04:00

Every day on the train there is a young man who rides in the same car as me. He is challenged in some way, as he is in contant motion -- rocking, standing, sitting, hopping, craning his neck, twitching face, etc. Even in the dead of winter when it's 10 degrees outside, he's in a sweatshirt and sweatpants -- the same thing he wears on 90 degree days. And, when he checks the time on his phone, he holds it up so close that it's touching his nose. When he gets off the train, he doesn't walk, but skips. All in all, he is a happy guy who keeps to himself.

Today he was wearing a sweatshirt that read

Helping Hands
Monkey Helpers for the Disabled

That intrigued me, so I searched for it when I got online. Check out this video our local CBS station did on the program. I love the part where the monkey puts the straw in the bottle and also where the monkey washes himself in the sink The Today Show ran a segment too.

More Kitchen Remodel info...

2008-06-20T14:02:00.002-04:00

The floors are being sanded today and will receive the first coat of stain. Tomorrow the workers will buff up the first coat and apply coat #2. After everything is finished in the kitchen, they'll come back and apply a final 3rd coat. Hopefully it matches nicely to the existing hardwood floors that it will border.

I found a picture on the internet of a slab of Sucuri granite that looks identical to the slabs we have on hold at the granite yard.

Kitchen Remodel Update June 19, 2008

2008-06-19T21:11:00.002-04:00

Lots of progress today. The door and window went in. The cabinet doors were put on. The island received the decoractive panels. The recessed lights went in. One coat of paint was applied. And, the counter folks came and made templates.

Colleen comes home tomorrow after a week in London, so she's going to be wowed by the progress. This weekend we have to pick out the pendant lighting for over the island, the light fixture for over the sink, and we need to visit the granite yard to pick what parts of the 2 slabs they are holding for us should go where on the templates. The granite we picked has lots of movement to it, so one area will look drastically different than another. That's one reason we picked such a neutral wall color -- the busy granite will be a strong element.

The seeds were being raided again, so I set a second mouse trap. I caught a chipmunk! Poor guy. There are about 6-8 of them that play around in our yard and live in our lawn, so I'm hoping this one was a youngin' and not some patriarch or matriarch. It's certainly giving me the evil eye, deservedly so.

Kitchen Remodel Update June 18, 2008

2008-06-18T22:13:00.000-04:00

On June 18, Chris and Rob put the base cabinets in and placed cardboard where the island countertop will be.

Kitchen Remodel Update June 16, 2008

2008-06-16T23:17:00.003-04:00

The floors went in today. Base cabinets go in tomorrow, then the counter guys come out to template on Thursday. After the painters do their job sometime this week, the floor guys will come back and stain and coat them.

The flash was off, but I liked the atmospheric result.

Kitchen Update June 12, 2008

2008-06-15T10:35:00.005-04:00

The floors had to spend the weekend in an air-conditioned home to shrink the wood down before they get installed on Monday. But, the contractors started to hang some of the upper cabinets, and then covered them with cardboard to protect them.

We have picked a paint color -- a light khaki that should off-set the cabinets nicely. The door and window, that have been covered with plywood the last two weeks, should be finished Tuesday.

I don't think I've ever named our contractor, who we are thrilled with, in terms of his design ideas, his availability, the way he keeps the job site clean, and his craftsmanship. He is Chris Coppellotti of Coppellotti Construction, LLC. He works with his brother, Rob, and I highly recommend them. Chris is about 30 and very modest. Chris's brother, Rob, is a few years older than he and a bit more gregarious.

Cabinets can be seen on the left.

The temporary door. A desk will go under that bank of upper cabinets on the left.

View towards the hallway that leads to the garage.

The dumpster is full. Good thing it's now just bringing in new things. The demo is all over.

The Season I Live For

2008-06-10T14:30:00.003-04:00

I LOVE SUMMER!!!!

Kitchen Update June 6 -7 , 2008

2008-06-07T15:29:00.007-04:00

June 6, 2008
After several days of changes that weren't that visible -- plumbing and electrical work & inspectons, the crew put up the blueboard and started plastering. Click any picture to enlarge it to full size.

The blueboard that is helping reduce the opening of the doorway to accomodate the kitchen cabinets on the other side.

June 7, 2008

The plaster is still wet in this picture, but the 95 degree days we expect will take care of that quickly. The old maxim that empty rooms alwyas look smaller than ones furnished sure holds true here.

The view to where the peninsula and sliding patio doors used to be.

View towards the hallway that leads to the garage.

The reduced opening with wet plaster.

We're also putting in crown moulding in all the downstairs rooms, as well as trimming out every opening to give this 1989 house a bit more character. I would have opted for a bigger crown moulding, but it wasn't to be.

The temporary window and door until they arrive on June 16. You can see the replacement siding too that will need to be repainted. I think we have enough paint left over from the housepainting project 2 years ago to get a very good match, though we may end up painting everything in the porch white to brighten it.

We had contemplated removing this screen porch from the back of our house because it makes the kitchen too dark. But, the estimates we got to replace it with a deck were too expensive. So, we compromised and put skylights and recessed lighting in, which makes the space much brighter.

The next steps are to let the plaster dry, then bring in the hardwood floors to let it acclimate to the environment. Our contractor expects to lay the floor on Friday. The new appliances are due today within the next 30 minutes, and we have all the new cabinets staged in our garage. So, I think the project is going to come in on time (estimated at the beginning to be 4-6 weeks).

Updates

2008-06-02T17:05:00.003-04:00

Nothing visually interesting has been done to our kitchen the last few days. Lots of electric work.

My brother-in-law, Chris, invited me to last night's WBCN River Rave that featured Stone Temple Pilots, Filter, Everlast and a couple of other bands. It started at 4:00 and we snuck out before STP's first encore around 11:00 p.m.

Scott Weiland sounded unbelievably great. We were able to confirm it because WBCN replayed the live set during our ride home. So, it was like two STP concerts in one night. I wish that he didn't wear a huge sombrero-type hat and dark sunglasses -- it made the performance a bit impersonal. But, the sound and lights more than made up for it. I've read STP is going to tour the country this summer, so I recommend going to see them.

We had a great time, consumed some beers and just generally enjoyed beautiful weather and each other's company.

From last night's show (grabbed from Flickr):

Mega Post

2008-05-29T22:08:00.009-04:00

3 posts in 1! (Be sure to click a picture if you want to enlarge it and see more detail.)

Kitchen Remodel Udpates
First, here are the updated pictures from our kitchen remodel. Original pictures can be seen in the post below.

First day of remodel and the demolition went very well. The dining room wall came down, the ceiling was removed, and all the drywall was gone.

View to where the desk will go and where the slider will be replaced with a single full-view door.
Looking towards the hallway towards the garage and mud room. You can see where the peninsula used to be if you look for the missing tile.
Day 2 and all the flooring is up, including the tile and the hardwood that used to be in the dining room. Also, the far wall that was red in previous photos is now gone too.

OK, now on to our mouse story.

When we left for Memorial Day weekend, we mistakenly left our garage open. In our garage we keep a bag of sunflower seeds that we feed to our cardinals, squirrels and other wildlife that frequent our bird feeder. The bag had been ravaged after 3 days of exposure. Shortly after we arrived home, Colleen saw a mouse dart under the new kitchen cabinets we are storing in the garage. She thought it might be a rat because of the long tail, but settled on it being a mouse. So, we went to the hardware store and got two mouse traps and I set them about 4:00 p.m. Before I went to bed at 10:00, I checked the traps. Lo and behold! We had caught the thief.

Poor guy probably didn't even get a taste of the peanut butter before his head was cleaved in half. POP!
I feel just a tad guilty.

Now onto another POP, but this one is a little bit more friendly...

8 days after Liam's 5 1/2 birthday, he lost his first tooth. The Tooth Fairy wrote him a note encouraging him to brush, floss and use mouthwash, left him $5 and an Indiana Jones action figure. The next night, he said his second tooth was ready to come out. If you turn the volume up, you can probably tell it was about a day too early to pull it. Pop!

Kitchen Remodel

2008-05-27T13:47:00.003-04:00

Our big kitchen remodel began this morning, and our contractor told me they already have all the old cabinets, counters and appliances out. I posted the cabinets/sink/garbage disposal on Craigslist for free last night around 8:30 and by 8:45, I had received 3 phone calls and no less than 25 e-mails. It was crazy. It feels good to pass on these items to someone in need. They pick them up at 7:00 tonight.

We're selling the dishwasher for $75 and the stove for $150 -- much lower than they're probably worth, but we would like to take in some money since we're paying out so much.

After the remodel is over, we'll sell the fridge and microwave, since we're using those now to keep some semblance of a kitchen in our house. We've outfitted our family room with the remnants of our kitchen. Hello paper plates & bowls, plastic utensils, and I'm sure a big restaurant bill over the next 4-6 weeks.

Here are the pictures I posted on Craigslist for the cabinets. It'll give you a good "before" look. I'll post ongoing shots.