I did not get a nice long bike ride through Nisene Marks today which was one of my Father's Day wishes. But that's okay, I'm still cleaning out from this spring cold I had earlier this week and biking is a lot less enjoyable when you're horking out lung butter all the time. I will be bringing my bike to work this week though so I can get a ride in after hours.
Nope, instead we did some major damage on the mess that is our garage. Well, my wife actually did most of the work on the garage itself, I did a few projects, made a run to Orchard Supply with Grady and played with the boys.
My main project was removing the skanked fabric covers on the bunkbeds. The slats are all held together on a frame and that frame was covered in what was once a nice floral print. Those days were long gone though and it was nasty with stains and broken slats and worn out cardboard. I removed the million or so staples holding the fabric to the frame first with pliers and then with a screwdriver which made it about ten times faster and better since more of the staples pulled out.
After getting the two slat frames ready and figuring out how many replacement 1x4's I'd need, Grady and I went off to OSH. In addition to the boards, we got a cool coiled up hose that's see through so its like a 50 foot long crazy straw! And a spearmint plant so we can have some kickass mojitos whenever we want them. Which reminds me, I still need to get a dwarf lemon and a dwarf lime tree!
Getting the broken slats removed was really easy as they were basically stapled in with these big staples. I could just pull the broken stubs off, then I flipped the whole thing over and pounded them out with a hammer. The new boards got cut down to the right size and I screwed them into place. It was actually alot faster and easier than I was expecting which is always nice.
Not much more to go before the bunk beds are ready to put into the boy's room. We need a new mattress for Sully but then we'll be really close to being good to go. I'm excited about getting them!
After I was done with my stuff, I helped organize my bike and motorcycle stuff, designated some stuff for the upcoming yard sale, some for Ebay/Craigslist and called in an order from one of our favorite Mexican places. My wife got the vegetarian taco salad and I tried the Al Pastor Chimichanga which was full of win!
After dinner all four of us went for a hot tub, the boys had a ball swimming back and forth between us, jumping off the sides and just being the funny little guys they are.
When it came time to put Sully down for bed, I read a book to him, skipping pages as I could barely keep my eyes open. When the book was done, we closed our eyes together and I feel asleep half on and half off his bed. Not for a long time but fifteen or twenty minutes.
Now the house is quiet, save Nande's somewhat freaked out whuffles after each of the fireworks explosions goes off. Oh, did I not mention the idiots around here have been shooting off fireworks randomly for the last few days? Yeah, with the super dry conditions, the fires burning all over the state and these fools are still lighting them off.
When I checked in on my internet stuff, I came across a great deal! Two years of Wired for a shockingly great deal of $6! Today only and today's just about done. I am very, very pleased!
Time for this tired but happy poppa to call it a night. Tomorrow's the start of a good week, I hope. I hope all the dads out there had a great day, just like me!
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
6.15.2008
7.08.2007
Real and Virtual Uncluttering
The process of reducing overhead, clutter and distractions continues. We came back from Mexico with a vision of a reduced clutter life and it is hard to keep an eye on that vision through all of the crap that is around us, both online and off.
I've made great strides in reducing the distractions on my desk and in my office space but there's still the rest of the house to be dealt with to some degree or another.
My online clutter is no less distracting and I've been working hard to cut through it. A big step for me is to eliminate extraneous contacts on Flickr. I had well over three hundred contacts, some of whom hadn't uploaded a photo in nearly two years. They are no longer contacts. Now I'm further winnowing through my list and removing people I've not ever looked at their photos or can't even remember why they became contacts in the first place.
Next up will to be cut through the clutter that are the nearly 400 groups I belong to. Many of which are defunct and just taking up space both in my Flickr profile and space in my mind.
Because I have learned that clutter never goes away on its own and clutter exists in your head as much as in your reality. If you know you've got a messy desk, you're less inclined and able to sit down and focus. There are too many things to pull your eyes and attention away. Or you're frustrated by the clutter and just want to sweep it all into the trash or a drawer.
And, actually, sweeping it into a drawer is a semi-viable way of clearing it. Just having your decks cleared can allow your brain to concentrate and be more productive. And productive is what I really need to be these days.
Take a look around your world and see if there aren't things that you no longer need or want to have around. You'll be amazed at how much clearer your thinking can be without all the accoutrements and knick-knacks and whatevers hanging all over. There is something to be said for minimalism and I'm pretty sure its something good.
I've made great strides in reducing the distractions on my desk and in my office space but there's still the rest of the house to be dealt with to some degree or another.
My online clutter is no less distracting and I've been working hard to cut through it. A big step for me is to eliminate extraneous contacts on Flickr. I had well over three hundred contacts, some of whom hadn't uploaded a photo in nearly two years. They are no longer contacts. Now I'm further winnowing through my list and removing people I've not ever looked at their photos or can't even remember why they became contacts in the first place.
Next up will to be cut through the clutter that are the nearly 400 groups I belong to. Many of which are defunct and just taking up space both in my Flickr profile and space in my mind.
Because I have learned that clutter never goes away on its own and clutter exists in your head as much as in your reality. If you know you've got a messy desk, you're less inclined and able to sit down and focus. There are too many things to pull your eyes and attention away. Or you're frustrated by the clutter and just want to sweep it all into the trash or a drawer.
And, actually, sweeping it into a drawer is a semi-viable way of clearing it. Just having your decks cleared can allow your brain to concentrate and be more productive. And productive is what I really need to be these days.
Take a look around your world and see if there aren't things that you no longer need or want to have around. You'll be amazed at how much clearer your thinking can be without all the accoutrements and knick-knacks and whatevers hanging all over. There is something to be said for minimalism and I'm pretty sure its something good.
7.03.2007
To the Dump, to the Dump, to the Dump, Dump, Dump
Oh boy, what a great follow up to yesterday's crazy blockbuster yard clean-a-rama! Today I got to go rent a trailer, load it up with crap twice and dispose of it at the city land fill and then at the much closer drop-off in town.
The old fence? Gone. Along with its snails, nails and rotten timbers.
Yard debris? Gone. From the area along the road and inside the fence, enough to fill a 5 x 9 foot trailer about 3 1/2 feet deep.
All in all, we got rid of about 550 pounds of trash today. Not counting the bits that went into my eye.
I also got a good amount of work done on my photography site. Not enough to post the URL here yet but it is closer than it was yesterday, by a long, long shot.
And Grady had a pretty decent birthday. The part I was with him for, at least. I expect he had a pretty great time visiting with our friends up in the east bay. The pool was a big, big draw. I wish I could have gone too but it just didn't make sense to go when I had so much to do here.
Oh yeah, I even made cupcakes for his birthday, with green and red sugar sprinkles and funfetti frosting!
But now I'm going to bed as my body is weary and my eye is bleary and teary.
The old fence? Gone. Along with its snails, nails and rotten timbers.
Yard debris? Gone. From the area along the road and inside the fence, enough to fill a 5 x 9 foot trailer about 3 1/2 feet deep.
All in all, we got rid of about 550 pounds of trash today. Not counting the bits that went into my eye.
I also got a good amount of work done on my photography site. Not enough to post the URL here yet but it is closer than it was yesterday, by a long, long shot.
And Grady had a pretty decent birthday. The part I was with him for, at least. I expect he had a pretty great time visiting with our friends up in the east bay. The pool was a big, big draw. I wish I could have gone too but it just didn't make sense to go when I had so much to do here.
Oh yeah, I even made cupcakes for his birthday, with green and red sugar sprinkles and funfetti frosting!
But now I'm going to bed as my body is weary and my eye is bleary and teary.
5.07.2007
Sunday's Lesson: Motorcycle Gaskets Can Be Very, Very Sharp
In the process of continuing the breakdown and dispersal of my SV650's carcass I learned a painful lesson. The SV has several metal gaskets on the cylinder cases and I sliced my thumb good on the second one. But, since I was so close to finishing the dismantling of the bike, I pressed on with a towel around my thumb. Another, minor lesson, is that it is hard to swing a hand sledge with just fingers, thumbs are important for stability.
In the end, the bike frame and swingarm are no longer connected, the rear shock is in a box and we're going to reclaim a bunch more floor space in the garage and we'll get to recycle the frame too since its all aluminum.
Today will see us take a big load of recycling to the recycling center (hint, for maximum redemption value, don't let them weigh and "guestimate" your total, they always err waaaay on their site, count out your cans and bottles). And that'll do two things, one, it'll pay for just about an entire tank of gas and two, we get even more space in the garage back. Win/win, for sure.
Oh yeah, I also set aside a box of parts to put up on eBay for other SV riders.
In the end, the bike frame and swingarm are no longer connected, the rear shock is in a box and we're going to reclaim a bunch more floor space in the garage and we'll get to recycle the frame too since its all aluminum.
Today will see us take a big load of recycling to the recycling center (hint, for maximum redemption value, don't let them weigh and "guestimate" your total, they always err waaaay on their site, count out your cans and bottles). And that'll do two things, one, it'll pay for just about an entire tank of gas and two, we get even more space in the garage back. Win/win, for sure.
Oh yeah, I also set aside a box of parts to put up on eBay for other SV riders.
3.12.2007
Today's Lesson: Dead Fish Don't Help Fish Tank Pumps Run Better
I bit the bullet yesterday afternoon after both the boys had crashed out for their long afternoon naps. I rolled up my sleeves and dove into the project known as cleaning the fish tank. I knew it involved fish guts, fish poop, fish slime and, quite possibly, fish bodies. I was not "disappointed" at all, lots of everything!
It also involves the further escalation of my war against this nasty horse-hair algae that makes the tank look like an extra from Stephen King's Creepshow (you know the episode in the movie where King touches a meteorite and turns into a plant?). The stuff is incredibly aggressive, grows very, very quickly and pretty well just pisses me off.
But its been reduced to a mere shell of its former glory and those remaining shell fragments are slated for eradication later this morning once the boys are at daycare.
Anyway, here's a little hint that I'm sure nobody needs to know about. Dead fish do not, in theory or in fact, make for a better running fish tank filtration system. Not one fish body and definitely not two fish bodies. And most definitely not when they've been there long enough to start to rot. Lovely.
I also reworked the filter system so that it works better and makes more sense too, always a plus. I never really understood the reasoning behind the original set up, it just seemed stupid and helped a good proportion of the water water bypass the charcoal filtration altogether. Anyway, now it rips along, won't get clogged as easily and the water passes through a foam filter, charcoal filter, bio filters and then a last foam filter before going back into the tank, should help keep the works clean, for now.
I pulled the rocks and driftwood from the tank to clean as well, that'll be fun. I'd originally thought I'd boil the rocks to get rid of the algae but we don't have a pot big enough for that. So, instead, I'm soaking them in a bleach/water solution that should kill off the algae, eventually. I'll let each rock sit for a couple of days and then dry in the sun and then soak in clean water for a few days. With some luck, we'll put the nasty horsehair infestation behind us.
And, because I've lost a few fish here and there over the last couple of months, I think it might be time to get some new fish for the tank. And some new plants too.
It also involves the further escalation of my war against this nasty horse-hair algae that makes the tank look like an extra from Stephen King's Creepshow (you know the episode in the movie where King touches a meteorite and turns into a plant?). The stuff is incredibly aggressive, grows very, very quickly and pretty well just pisses me off.
But its been reduced to a mere shell of its former glory and those remaining shell fragments are slated for eradication later this morning once the boys are at daycare.
Anyway, here's a little hint that I'm sure nobody needs to know about. Dead fish do not, in theory or in fact, make for a better running fish tank filtration system. Not one fish body and definitely not two fish bodies. And most definitely not when they've been there long enough to start to rot. Lovely.
I also reworked the filter system so that it works better and makes more sense too, always a plus. I never really understood the reasoning behind the original set up, it just seemed stupid and helped a good proportion of the water water bypass the charcoal filtration altogether. Anyway, now it rips along, won't get clogged as easily and the water passes through a foam filter, charcoal filter, bio filters and then a last foam filter before going back into the tank, should help keep the works clean, for now.
I pulled the rocks and driftwood from the tank to clean as well, that'll be fun. I'd originally thought I'd boil the rocks to get rid of the algae but we don't have a pot big enough for that. So, instead, I'm soaking them in a bleach/water solution that should kill off the algae, eventually. I'll let each rock sit for a couple of days and then dry in the sun and then soak in clean water for a few days. With some luck, we'll put the nasty horsehair infestation behind us.
And, because I've lost a few fish here and there over the last couple of months, I think it might be time to get some new fish for the tank. And some new plants too.
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