The journey continues...

Brian Bilbrey October 27, 2013

Winter inbound

We've had frost on the ground the last three days running. It's not been much below freezing, since the hanging baskets and roses on the front porch are all still alive ... but Winter is coming. A productive weekend: remote work and chores ate almost all of it. All standard stuff I've talked about a dozen times. Boring, but productive. Tonight I had a nice chat with my oldest friend (not elderly: but I've known him since I was four). Highlight of the weekend, really. * * * Our condolences to the family, friends, and unit of Lance Cpl. Christopher…

Brian Bilbrey October 26, 2013

Pi tricks

But first, 0630 EDT on Saturday the 26th day of October, 2013, was brought to you by the word "Fahrenheit" and the number '28'. Brrrrrr! * * * I got home from work yesterday evening, and found Marcia watching something that probably first appeared on an obtangular Philco Predicta television in the late 1940's. I threw an ENOTINTERESTED exception, then I came upstairs and started mucking about with the Raspberry Pi. The little credit-card sized computer, named Dortmunder (for REASONS), has languished in a corner for quite a while. I first discovered that my phone life-extension battery (acquired at VMworld,…

Brian Bilbrey October 20, 2013

Fencing, continued.

Yesterday, I got all of the left side front fencing replaced. Today, I executed the decorative arches on those sections: I set a horizontal string line across the sections, and measured down, sinking a screw at each bottom end of each arch. I then used a quarter-inch thick, 7' long cutoff from a piece of cherry, braced against the screws and pressed upwards in the middle to describe each parabolic arch. A quick swipe with a pencil marked each arch. I cut them with the circular saw, first plunging in the middle, then working along the curve to each end.

Brian Bilbrey October 19, 2013

Fencing

At 1100 this morning: The gates are staying. The four fence sections, two to each side, they're toast. I cut them off the posts. The posts are in fine shape on this side of the house. So I measured and cut and clamped and screwed new horizontal 2x4 PT lumber onto the posts, then nailed PT fence boards up. Fortunately, I'm using a nail gun, instead of a hammer. Otherwise I might still be out there now. Instead, at 1530 EDT: I might have kept working, but it was starting to rain, so I hauled all the tools inside the…

Brian Bilbrey October 13, 2013

Downs and Ups

In one sense, it was a really bad week. Hours after I posted last Sunday, I became violently ill, almost certainly due to something I ate. After about 24 hours, I was able to start re-hydrating, and taking in such challenging foods as soda crackers (in small quantities - I had ten crackers, all of Tuesday). Wednesday was slightly better, and that night I slept through the night. So I went to my one day of work on Thursday, and got enough done. The upside of the week was Capclave, which I attended on Friday and Saturday. It was going…