Yet another cock-a-maimy idea

So, how many of you are tired of hearing of my cement pouring dilemma? Guess what, get ready for another one. I have yet a new plan to tackle this unwanted entrance into our humble abode. This one is very doable and, in fact, I plan to start doing tonight. My main problem has been trying to figure out how to pour the cement in such a way that it isn't essentially water, but flows freely and smoothly enough to cover the entire underside of the slab where the patio door is. Last night, while talking with one of my poker buddies, he suggested that maybe going all cement is a bit much. So, my new plan is cover the underside with as much pea gravel as I can. I can start dumping it down the hole until it piles up, leaving me a nice base on which to pour the concrete. I will also shove the pea gravel under the slab from the front, using a PVC pipe, a 45 degree bend, and a funnel (why does that sound like the start of a really interesting bet). After I have a good amount of the gravel under there, I can use the cement to wall around it. This seems to be the best way to get what I want, which is to stop the little bastards form digging under the patio slab. Cuz now, all he's going to find is a lot of rocks and cement and no nice, cozy, insulation filled cubby to make himself at home in. TAKE THAT NATURE!

My niece

July 26th, 2006 at 5:35 EDT, Alexis Rose Brown was born. Vitals are 6 lbs, 10.2 oz and 19 3/4". Welcome Alexis! Mom, Dad, and baby are all doing fine.

Possum Entrance Experiments

Today, I prepared the area for pouring of cement. I still haven't quite figured out how this will work, but I bought a grout bag (thanks to an incredibly insightful suggestion from the fabulous Mrs Tora Pines). I also bought the cement. Eighty Pounds of it. So, all I need to do is rent a mixer and we should be good to go.
As part of these activities, I needed to clean up the surrounding area from all the insulation I pulled. Nothing like wearing jeans, a long-sleeved flannel shirt, and gloves in the middle of summer. I also need to pull in the steel fish tape I had used the night before to see if the hole easily led to the outside (it did). But before doing that, I got an idea. secure a small flashlight to the fish tape. Also secure some twine to the flashlight and see how far back we can pull it. I went outside to watch the flashlight descend under our house while Debbie got the enviable job of pulling the tape slowly. Turns out, the twine wasn't very necessary. She managed to pull the flashlight from our deck, under the slab where the patio door is, and right into the basement. It was enough to make we wonder if 80 lbs will be enough. This should be a roaring good time when I get that going!

The Great Possum Hunt (Continued)

I spent several hours last night doing something I never thought I would have to do. I searched the area in the ceiling of our basement hoping to find the hole through which the dreaded possum made its way into our house.
There are 3 things that made this task difficult. The first is that I was searching an area where I knew a possum had been at one point. Who was to say a new tenant hadn't taken up residence since the previous one was evicted? Nothing like poking around in a very small area only to have a wild creature jump out and bite you in the nose.
Next: insulation. Lots of insulation needed to be pulled out of there so I could see what was going on. I knew I was on the right track when after some pulling, I saw a nice area of insulation covered with leaves to make a nice little possum home. Fortunately, no new tenants had taken up residence.
Third: the area I was operating in was incredibly cramped. I had to move some ceiling tiles (thank god we had a drop ceiling installed or this would have been a lot messier!), then cram myself between the floor joists, over the drywall, and try to see beyond the foundation wall. It was slightly less wide than my shoulders, which was quite annoying since I needed to use both my hands for this task.
I finally found the hole. Of course, the little bastard had to make it difficult to find. It was a little area right next to the foundation wall. Seeing as I couldn't stick my head far enough to get beyond the foundation wall, I actually used our Canon A80 with tilt out, swivel LCD screen. There you go Canon. Another use for the A80: "Helps you see around corners and in dark areas of your house where possums once hid". Having found the hole, the next step was to find a way to fill it. If I was Shiva, I would have just enough hands to do the job. Being a mere mortal, I propped the flashlight in such a way that it shone on the hole, then held the camera so I could see that hole, then use my other hand to orient the nozzle of Great Stuff Insulating Foam. I should have hired someone from Cirque de Soleil to do this, because my joints didn't like being positioned in that way.
Now, I'm a little confused as to what I should do next. I thought the insulating foam would be enough, but one of my friends seemed skeptical and said I should put cement in there. I have no idea how the hell I would do that without some complicated syringe like contraption that I have neither the time nor the energy to build. I had a next step in mind also using the Great Stuff, but I may switch that to cement. Where the patio door is, there is a cement slab what has a lot of dirt dug out from underneath. I'm pretty sure the hole I found in the basement, leads to somewhere in this area. So, I should really seal this area as well. I don't know how effective putting more cement down there would help, but I don't think it would hurt, and it would probably serve as a better deterrent than foam. Maybe ... I don't know. Anyone have a thought on this?

My New Toy

I'm a bit of technophile and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I just finished a project where I wired the cable such that my new Series 2 TiVo would be viewable throughout the house simply by tuning to channel 92. That way, I could leave the TiVo out of site in my office and could watch shows either there or in the family room. This presented a minor problem. We have 1 TiVo remote and I didn't want to worry about carting it back and forth from the basement to the first floor to switch viewing stations. The obvious answer was we needed another remote. I currently have a universal remote in a Phillips Pronto TS1000. It is a very nice remote and quite flexible, but it is a bear to set up. I have already spent several hours working on it and it still does not do precisely what I want for all me devices. The thought of adding a TiVo functionality to this just scared me. In addition, I really like pressing buttons and found the touch screen a minor annoyance. I couldn't feel my way around the buttons when changing channels. I had to constantly stare at the screen to find what it was I wanted to do. So, what to do now that I had eliminated using this universal remote? I could buy a second TiVo remote, but that cost ~ $30 or more and I thought there were better alternatives. That's when I found this baby: the Logitech Harmony 628 Universal Remote. I heard a lot of great things about this regarding ease of setup, ability to communicate with devices, and ergonomics. I found a deal for one at $50 and convinced Debbie it would be a good thing. In only 10 minutes after opening the package, I had a fully functional universal remote that communicated with all my devices. All I had to do was enter the model numbers of the devices I had and tell it how I watched them (like DVD's on Video Input 1, TiVo on channel 92, VCR on channel 3), and it set. It even programmed some common macros. For example, it set the "Watch a Movie" macro to turn on the TV, Turn on the DVD Player, Turn on the Receiver, Set TV Input to Video 1. I loved it. Debbie loved it because it actually works and is very understandable.
So, that is my new toy. Well worth the money if you ask me. Sometime soon, I'll show you all what I did to put my TiVo on channel 92. That was another adventure unto itself.

Major Breakthrough

My dad could not have asked for a better day. After church and breakfast, we put Lauren down for a nap. Mom decided to do the same. Debbie and I figured, since we had several errands to run, and with mom and dad there, we could do that while Lauren napped. We were gone for about 1.5 hours. When we came back, there was Lauren sitting in the family room, having a grand old time playing with Pop Pop. Turns out, Lauren was not consulted for the day's schedule and felt a nap was completely inappropriate. Pop Pop was worried when she started to cry, because the last time he went to get her, she screamed louder than if we had sent Freddy Krueger to get her. This time, though, there was no crying. There was no screaming. Only a smile and a simple plea to get the hell out of her crib (we really need to work on Lauren's language, she curses like a drunken sailor on shore leave). Pop Pop was very happy and took her downstairs, all the while worried she would realize a mistake had been made and commence her total meltdown. Even when she realized mommy and daddy were no where to be found, she was just as happy to play puzzles, Magna-doodle, dolls, and other fun games with Pop Pop. The smile on his face was priceless when we got home. It was obvious he was eating up the attention she was doting as much as she was eating up his attention. Way to go Pop Pop! Way to go!

How to upset me

It takes a lot to get me upset. Particularly when I am dealing with someone in the service industry. But, one gentlemen on Friday made it very easy.
We had to take the Mazda MPV to the shop because every time we made a right turn, there was a loud clunking sound (like the sound made when driving over a metal grate). It was only when we turned right, never left. There were a couple things I thought it could be, none of which would be in my realm to fix. With that in mind, I took it to a local Mazda dealership. After an hour of waiting and not hearing any status on my car whatsoever, I find the service manager. When I come to his desk, there's my paperwork right on top in front of him. All he could say was "Oh ... yeah ... I need to talk to you about this". The good news was the noise we heard was easily and cheaply fixable. Apparently, the spare tire which hangs from the car was loose and was swinging back and forth. Whenever we turned right, it would hit the shield producing said clunking sound.
So, here's mistake #1. He obviously had this paperwork for a while and who knows how long it would have taken if I had not tracked him down.
So, there were some recommended maintenance procedures suggested and I took a few of them. After another hour, I notice my van sitting in the lot waiting for me to pick it up. The problem was I had no paperwork. So, I go up to the cashier desk and asked if they had my paperwork. They did not, so I went back and found the service manager again who saw me and said "Oh ... yeah .. here it is".
Mistake #2: I find it very rare that the vehicle makes it out of the shop before the customer has gotten and paid for the work. While waiting, I saw a number of people who had paid and were waiting for their cars to show up. So, this begs the question: How long was he sitting on my paperwork and was he really going to come find me?
After having paid and left (the work was done quickly and professionally), I saw the little sheet that says "If you cannot rate this visit as a 5, please call this number". I am not a complainer. This was the exception. I actually left the shop pissed at the wait I experienced. Whether justified or not, I felt the service manager extended my wait by a significant margin because he did not take the time to come find me.
Sorry for the rant, but I needed the cathartic experience because it still upsets me a bit. Now, I should be good. My parents just arrived and are going to spend the week here, so that should be lots of fun.

10 Important Lessons from the Weekend.

Lesson #1: Sprained ankles hurt.
Lesson #2: Mowing the lawn with a sprained ankle doesn't tend to help the situation any.
Lesson #3: Ice packs are wonderful for numbing the pain.
Lesson #4: After purchasing items for a project I want to undetake, I should really get on that project as soon as possible.
Lesson #5: If you wait 3 years and one of the devices has an issue, returning it is not really an option.
Lesson #6: I should have just bought the bottle of coke at Home Depot so I wouldn't be forced to carry a gift card with a grand total of $1.20.
Lesson #7: Even though it was called a "riveting" game, even golf is more interesting to watch than soccer.
Lesson #8: Shoot outs are an ineffective way of determining a world champion.
Lesson #9: When your daughter asks you to join her on the trampoline, before jumping at the chance to do so, it is best to consider the effects a trampoline would have on a sprained ankle.
Lesson #10: If you ignore #9, it is only by God's good fortune that you don't end up in serious pain or a hospital.

Signs I am getting old

I thought I was young and vibrant. I thought I was hip and with it. Today, that was dashed. How so? For no real reason I can recall whatsoever, I sprained my ankle today. As far as I can tell, I sprained it by walking or going up a flight of stairs. No, I didn't trip or miss a curb. I couldn't even tell you when it started. All of a sudden, I was limping and my ankle hurt. I think it's time to trade me in for a newer model.

I think she wants me to go

A conversation at Lauren's daycare between Lauren, myself, and Miss Nadia:

Lauren: (to Miss Nadia) Num Num?
Miss Nadia: Yes Lauren, we'll get you some num num.
L: Wawa?
MN: Yes Lauren, we'll get you some water too.
L: (to me) Bye Bye.

I guess we know where I stand.

An assistant may be helpful

So, today was project day apparently. I did 2 major projects in addition to the weekly lawn care routine, so I'm feeling particularly productive.
The first project involved fixing a toilet in the guest bathroom that has been making gurgling sounds ever since we moved in. I won't say how long that is, but it seemed like a task I just didn't want to get into without a lot of time. Today, I finally gave in. Lauren had gone down for a nap and Debbie was nagging me about doing something other than sitting on my ass watching TV. I, for one, thought that would be a good way to spend some quality time together, but NooOOOOOOOoo (notice inflection). She wanted to me to do stuff for some silly little reason like my parents coming to visit in 2 weeks or something like that. Anyway, I got my tool bag together, grabbed my Home Depot Home Improvement book, and headed up to the guest bathroom. I put on my handyman face (with accompanying visible butt crack), popped open the book, took off the top of the toilet and proceeded to trouble shoot. It took a while, but I fixed it. That's right world ... I ... all by myself ... was able to fix a problem with a toilet. And would you like to know the massive feats of strength and ingenuity involved in such daring? Are you curious as to what impossible achievements were necessary to reach this goal?
Well ...
um ...
I turned a screw ...
about 1 full turn.
That was all it took to stop this fodder for Debbie's nagging. I'm never going to hear the end of that.
So, to make it up to her, I got a bathroom cabinet installed. We had decided we wanted one over the toilet in our master bathroom to hold things we don't want Lauren getting into. Nothing fancy mind you, just a simple white wall cabinet. Debbie helped a bit because, as the instructions said, "An assistant may be helpful". I don't really agree. I mean, all it involved was awkwardly holding a 40 lb box as I tried to screw the cabinet to the studs, while keeping everything level. I mean, who can't do that by themselves?
So, thus brings an end to my productive deeds for the day. Don't miss tomorrow when you can hear Debbie say: "An assistant may be helpful"!