Yikes, I've really let this blog wither on the vine! Three months since my last post is a bit much.
Not too much happened in February, though the re-Cycles shop got an offer to relocate into a much better space, and conveniently right door to the one we were in! So once that got set in motion (we moved March 13) things have been a bit of a blur. I had to work up a floor-plan, and get the move organized, and we're still cleaning up and sorting stuff, since the move happened (like last time) right on top of the start of the busy season. I do have photos of a cool drum to post, and am collating the various photos taken of the shop's relocation. Time to get back at it!
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Xmas tree stand hack
I hadn't had an Xmas tree in years, but since my nieces were coming to stay for a few days for the family holiday gathering I thought it'd be nice to put one up. I picked out a 5-footer from the Market, and brought it home in the trailer.
One problem, though. Since I'd not had a tree for a while I f course had not opened the box of decorations during that time. So as I sorted through the box I found the cup / holder part of my old tree stand, but not the support legs. Where the heck they went is now lost to time, but how was I going to put up my tree?
I could have gone to a local thrift store and found a complete stand, but that'd be too easy. But fashioning legs had a challenge, because the receiver for each legs was fairly small. What did I have that was narrow enough but strong? Drum sticks! :)
I sawed off some old hardwood sticks about six inches from the tip. The important part is that each tip was small enough to fit each receiver, but then flared out a bit so that there was enough wood to receive a wood screw up through a plywood base.
It worked, the tree stayed up, and the cats did not try to bring it down. :)
One problem, though. Since I'd not had a tree for a while I f course had not opened the box of decorations during that time. So as I sorted through the box I found the cup / holder part of my old tree stand, but not the support legs. Where the heck they went is now lost to time, but how was I going to put up my tree?
I could have gone to a local thrift store and found a complete stand, but that'd be too easy. But fashioning legs had a challenge, because the receiver for each legs was fairly small. What did I have that was narrow enough but strong? Drum sticks! :)
I sawed off some old hardwood sticks about six inches from the tip. The important part is that each tip was small enough to fit each receiver, but then flared out a bit so that there was enough wood to receive a wood screw up through a plywood base.
It worked, the tree stayed up, and the cats did not try to bring it down. :)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Fun book
Flights of fancy can be a very good thing. Sometimes they can lead to new and interesting things, and sometimes they are just a bit "out there", and make you think.
I'm browsing through a .pdf version of a book full of all sorts of wonderful weirdness called the "Codex Seraphinianus". Some are calling it The World's Weirdest Book, with images such as:
I think it's a hoot. You can download the pdf file (50meg.) HERE.
I'm browsing through a .pdf version of a book full of all sorts of wonderful weirdness called the "Codex Seraphinianus". Some are calling it The World's Weirdest Book, with images such as:
I think it's a hoot. You can download the pdf file (50meg.) HERE.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
catching up...
Two weeks ago I observed my 50th birthday. At some point I'll start acting my age, maybe when I'm 60.
Here's one for the numerologists in the crowd: within a period of three weeks I turned 50, my step-mom turned 80, and my niece Marianne turns 20. So I'm in the middle, with a fabulous woman 30 years on either side. ;)
My birthday week was a tad hectic. On the Monday I was at the re-Cycles shop from noon until 5pm, then had to zoom home, gulp dinner, then load the trike and head off to the weekly Propeller Dance gig (where the gang gave me a fabulous pre-birthday celebration).
On Tuesday, I was up at 7:30am (yikes!) to head into the recording studio for three days with a new group I've joined called "Art Nuvo" (more on them later). I was home from that by 4:30, then off to a b'day dinner 'til 8pm, then picked up at 8:30 for an IJO rehearsal that lasted until about 11:30.
Wednesday saw another 7:30am wake-up, and I got home from that session around 4:30 again, then had a 3-hour choir rehearsal from 6-9.
Thursday was like Tuesday, without the b'day dinner in the middle. Thankfully I had nothing booked for Friday, and I did as little as possible. Ok, so I spent three hours sorting stuff at the re-Cycles shop, but that was on my own schedule, and it had no music! My ears were a tad fried by this point...
The following weekend was busy, and by then I had run myself down and was sniffling with a cold by Monday. And it became the worst cold I've had in three years (after not being sick all winter), and I spent a bunch of time half passed out on the couch. So if spread out over the past two weeks I guess I did a normal amount of work. :P
While I was sick I watched an excellent BBC documentary about the Second World War, produced in 1973 and running for almost 24 hours. It had been uploaded to YouTube in the allotted 10-minute increments, so it took a while to wade through, both mentally and emotionally. But I finally have a full understanding of the insanity of that war: approx. 60 million dead, and half of those were Russians. The Nazi ideology, the various cold and calulated programs they put in place, how much the German populace bought into it all... (let's face it - none of it would've happend if most of the people had not wanted it.) Truly wrenching stuff, but I would consider it mandatory viewing.
Here's the playlist link.
Here's one for the numerologists in the crowd: within a period of three weeks I turned 50, my step-mom turned 80, and my niece Marianne turns 20. So I'm in the middle, with a fabulous woman 30 years on either side. ;)
My birthday week was a tad hectic. On the Monday I was at the re-Cycles shop from noon until 5pm, then had to zoom home, gulp dinner, then load the trike and head off to the weekly Propeller Dance gig (where the gang gave me a fabulous pre-birthday celebration).
On Tuesday, I was up at 7:30am (yikes!) to head into the recording studio for three days with a new group I've joined called "Art Nuvo" (more on them later). I was home from that by 4:30, then off to a b'day dinner 'til 8pm, then picked up at 8:30 for an IJO rehearsal that lasted until about 11:30.
Wednesday saw another 7:30am wake-up, and I got home from that session around 4:30 again, then had a 3-hour choir rehearsal from 6-9.
Thursday was like Tuesday, without the b'day dinner in the middle. Thankfully I had nothing booked for Friday, and I did as little as possible. Ok, so I spent three hours sorting stuff at the re-Cycles shop, but that was on my own schedule, and it had no music! My ears were a tad fried by this point...
The following weekend was busy, and by then I had run myself down and was sniffling with a cold by Monday. And it became the worst cold I've had in three years (after not being sick all winter), and I spent a bunch of time half passed out on the couch. So if spread out over the past two weeks I guess I did a normal amount of work. :P
While I was sick I watched an excellent BBC documentary about the Second World War, produced in 1973 and running for almost 24 hours. It had been uploaded to YouTube in the allotted 10-minute increments, so it took a while to wade through, both mentally and emotionally. But I finally have a full understanding of the insanity of that war: approx. 60 million dead, and half of those were Russians. The Nazi ideology, the various cold and calulated programs they put in place, how much the German populace bought into it all... (let's face it - none of it would've happend if most of the people had not wanted it.) Truly wrenching stuff, but I would consider it mandatory viewing.
Here's the playlist link.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
tech blending
Last summer I bought a new mouse for my Mac, and in December I bought a new electric razor. They look similar enough to confuse me in my morning dopiness if I shave while at the computer...
Friday, March 13, 2009
fun with power tools
Anyone visiting the re-Cycles shop will see two rooms; one being the front "sales" room, and the other the work room. Some folks might even get to see the basement, where the largest room holds all the donated bikes that have come in (which at this time of year have mostly been made ready for sale and are awaiting the Spring rush).
Then there's the smaller basement room, where we store scrap metal for eventual recycling, dead tires awaiting recycling, supplies, spare parts, etc. This room also contained appliances that had long been taken out of use but never removed, such as the building's furnace (each tenant now has their own furnace) and water storage tank (for the old hot water radiators). These things took up a lot of room that we really needed. So we got the landlord's permission to remove them and hired a contractor.
And Mr. Contractor actually showed up. Once. He had quoted two nights to shut off services and disconnect, and then cut things up enough for us to add to our metal scrap pile. Well, he got as far as shutting off power and gas and some of the water and left things to drain. Then he disappeared, as contractors so often do.
By the time the Christmas Holidays rolled around a month later we figured the guy was gone, and somebody had to finish the job. The shop had recently bought an angle grinder with a nice cutting disk, so I thought what the hell I'll see if I can do the job.
The furnace was pretty straightforward. A few pumps had to be disconnected, and I could tell they had been put on not long before the furnace had been decommisiond, as the bolts came undone easily (and the old dead pumps were lying nearby). The pumps were taken by HPVOoOer Mike Watson for a project, so nice to see them reused and not scrapped when they were perfectly good.
The big water tank was another thing. It had cut-off pipes sticking out of it so I presumed it to be drained and started cutting into the bottom pipe. And water starts spraying out! Just what I want when using power tools... (the tank had water, but obviously not enough to overflow the upturned open pipes.)
A quick clamping repair was made using a section of innertube and a hose clamp. The tank needed to be properly drained, and fortunately fellow HPVOoOer Charles was upstairs working on his winter bike. It was off-hours, but I was glad I'd let him use the shop while I was downstairs, because he was able to scoot the few blocks back to his place and get a garden hose. This was attached to the tank's drain plug and left overnight. (He also took the above photos of me.)
The next day the remaining pipes were cut and the tank was waddled out of the way. The furnace consisted of a sheet metal top resting on a core of metal and fire bricks. That core was extremely heavy, and I could only heave it aside by squatting and putting my shoulder to it.
The various cut pipes were sorted by metal type for our scrap removal guys (copper being the most valuable), and then all taps and fittings removed.
The grinder was a fabulous tool for this project. It certainly would not have been a fun task to do all the cutting using only the shop's hacksaw...
A little while later the scrap guys came and hauled most of it away, and it took three people to get the furnace core and big water tank up the stairs.
Then there's the smaller basement room, where we store scrap metal for eventual recycling, dead tires awaiting recycling, supplies, spare parts, etc. This room also contained appliances that had long been taken out of use but never removed, such as the building's furnace (each tenant now has their own furnace) and water storage tank (for the old hot water radiators). These things took up a lot of room that we really needed. So we got the landlord's permission to remove them and hired a contractor.
And Mr. Contractor actually showed up. Once. He had quoted two nights to shut off services and disconnect, and then cut things up enough for us to add to our metal scrap pile. Well, he got as far as shutting off power and gas and some of the water and left things to drain. Then he disappeared, as contractors so often do.
By the time the Christmas Holidays rolled around a month later we figured the guy was gone, and somebody had to finish the job. The shop had recently bought an angle grinder with a nice cutting disk, so I thought what the hell I'll see if I can do the job.
The furnace was pretty straightforward. A few pumps had to be disconnected, and I could tell they had been put on not long before the furnace had been decommisiond, as the bolts came undone easily (and the old dead pumps were lying nearby). The pumps were taken by HPVOoOer Mike Watson for a project, so nice to see them reused and not scrapped when they were perfectly good.
The big water tank was another thing. It had cut-off pipes sticking out of it so I presumed it to be drained and started cutting into the bottom pipe. And water starts spraying out! Just what I want when using power tools... (the tank had water, but obviously not enough to overflow the upturned open pipes.)
A quick clamping repair was made using a section of innertube and a hose clamp. The tank needed to be properly drained, and fortunately fellow HPVOoOer Charles was upstairs working on his winter bike. It was off-hours, but I was glad I'd let him use the shop while I was downstairs, because he was able to scoot the few blocks back to his place and get a garden hose. This was attached to the tank's drain plug and left overnight. (He also took the above photos of me.)
The next day the remaining pipes were cut and the tank was waddled out of the way. The furnace consisted of a sheet metal top resting on a core of metal and fire bricks. That core was extremely heavy, and I could only heave it aside by squatting and putting my shoulder to it.
The various cut pipes were sorted by metal type for our scrap removal guys (copper being the most valuable), and then all taps and fittings removed.
The grinder was a fabulous tool for this project. It certainly would not have been a fun task to do all the cutting using only the shop's hacksaw...
A little while later the scrap guys came and hauled most of it away, and it took three people to get the furnace core and big water tank up the stairs.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Family stuff
Last summer was tough for my family, as my Dad died (age 92) in July, then one of his younger brothers (my uncle Tom) died in August. Tom's funeral was held in the patriarchal family town of Bowmanville, Ont., where the family had founded and run the Bowmanville Foundry from 1901 to 1988.
My brother Mike and I drove down in his Honda Del Sol (not really a sports car, but just a cute little two-seat Honda Civic), and before heading back home I wanted to get a photo of Rehder Avenue.
Our great-grandfather Christian Rehder started the foundry business, and it remains one of the town's major employers. Christian later bought some land to create a little subdivision as an investment, and why not name a street after the family?
Footnote: the current owners of the foundry commissioned a book about our family, the business and the town, and it was published in 2002. While I knew many of the facts and figures, I was heartened to read some very positive things I had not known about.
One being that during the Great Depression business of course dropped off significantly, and Christian showed all the employees the order book and told them how bad things were. But he was not going to lay anyone off and would give work as it came in. And to help them out he said he'd cover any basic purchases at the local grocer, so that no one had to go hungry while waiting. He had always intended to keep the company small to maintain quailty control, and doing so also allowed him to give back like this.
The second was when the union came calling. My grandfather Ernie had taken over by then, and was incensed over the implication that a union was needed. As noted above, the company had always looked after its employees, granted in a old-fashioned patriarchal way. My Dad was summoned to deal with the negotiations, and once the union was in everything went well, with company management dealing directly with the union reps in all future contract talks. There were no work stoppages or grievancs filed in all the years the family owned the business.
It's nice to know that I did not come from a line of greedy corporate types, and perhaps that's where my community-minded ethic comes from.
My brother Mike and I drove down in his Honda Del Sol (not really a sports car, but just a cute little two-seat Honda Civic), and before heading back home I wanted to get a photo of Rehder Avenue.
Our great-grandfather Christian Rehder started the foundry business, and it remains one of the town's major employers. Christian later bought some land to create a little subdivision as an investment, and why not name a street after the family?
Footnote: the current owners of the foundry commissioned a book about our family, the business and the town, and it was published in 2002. While I knew many of the facts and figures, I was heartened to read some very positive things I had not known about.
One being that during the Great Depression business of course dropped off significantly, and Christian showed all the employees the order book and told them how bad things were. But he was not going to lay anyone off and would give work as it came in. And to help them out he said he'd cover any basic purchases at the local grocer, so that no one had to go hungry while waiting. He had always intended to keep the company small to maintain quailty control, and doing so also allowed him to give back like this.
The second was when the union came calling. My grandfather Ernie had taken over by then, and was incensed over the implication that a union was needed. As noted above, the company had always looked after its employees, granted in a old-fashioned patriarchal way. My Dad was summoned to deal with the negotiations, and once the union was in everything went well, with company management dealing directly with the union reps in all future contract talks. There were no work stoppages or grievancs filed in all the years the family owned the business.
It's nice to know that I did not come from a line of greedy corporate types, and perhaps that's where my community-minded ethic comes from.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Real Hobbitts?
I've always had an interest in anthropology, and a few years ago things were shaken up by the discovery of some controversial bones on a small Indonesian island. They seemed to be of little people that may not have been Homo Sapiens, and they existed up until recent times.
See more at:
http://www.nature.com/news/specials/flores/index.html
and
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hobbit/program.html
A review of the above program:
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/tv/hobbit-nova-2008-live.html
See more at:
http://www.nature.com/news/specials/flores/index.html
and
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hobbit/program.html
A review of the above program:
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/tv/hobbit-nova-2008-live.html
Monday, November 10, 2008
Halloween costume
I had a few Halloween events this year, and thought it would be fun to make a costume. I bought some outlandish hats (who, moi?) at Value Village, but instead of using any of them I opted for a rather sinister look in dressing as a medieval plague doctor.
Here's what I came up with, using an old trenchcoat, my elderly "Indiana Jones" model fedora (didn't have a black hat), and the mask was made from a generic plastic mask from Wallack's Art Supply, to which I fastened a beak made from cardboard, tape, and some black fleece fabric. I'd like to make a better mask next time, preferably out of leather like the original ones. But this did the trick:
(thanks to RealGrouchy for the photo).
The plague doctor wore what could be called the first hazmat gear. It was thought that the plague was spread through the air, and so he was covered from had to toe. The hat was what all doctors wore in the day (an identifier, much like a chef's hat), and the clothing was coated with wax to keep anything from sticking to it.
The beak of the mask was stuffed with herbs and camphor to act as a sort of gas mask, and while it of course did nothing to stop non-existent plague vapours it probably at least helped cover up the smell of dying and dead people. The creepy look also served as a warning to people, per a comment I found: "The Plague Doctor's appearance was actually meant to strike fear into the populace. There was no mass communication at the time and his appearance sent the message - 'Stay in your homes - plague is here. You may be dead within days.' It was a form of crowd control, basically."
Here's what I came up with, using an old trenchcoat, my elderly "Indiana Jones" model fedora (didn't have a black hat), and the mask was made from a generic plastic mask from Wallack's Art Supply, to which I fastened a beak made from cardboard, tape, and some black fleece fabric. I'd like to make a better mask next time, preferably out of leather like the original ones. But this did the trick:
(thanks to RealGrouchy for the photo).Yes, I know it also looks like Black Spy from Mad Magazine...
I wore this first for a Halloween party of the Monday dance class for which I do music accompaniment, then for a 'Ween night ride with HPVOoO friends, then later on to a party at my neighbour's place. It seemed to creep people out, so it had the desired effect. But it was NOT a good thing to wear while riding a bike...
The plague doctor wore what could be called the first hazmat gear. It was thought that the plague was spread through the air, and so he was covered from had to toe. The hat was what all doctors wore in the day (an identifier, much like a chef's hat), and the clothing was coated with wax to keep anything from sticking to it.
The beak of the mask was stuffed with herbs and camphor to act as a sort of gas mask, and while it of course did nothing to stop non-existent plague vapours it probably at least helped cover up the smell of dying and dead people. The creepy look also served as a warning to people, per a comment I found: "The Plague Doctor's appearance was actually meant to strike fear into the populace. There was no mass communication at the time and his appearance sent the message - 'Stay in your homes - plague is here. You may be dead within days.' It was a form of crowd control, basically."
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
dance show
My friend Amanda Bon is a local dance artist, and she is in a show at La Nouvelle Scene this coming Thursday and Friday. She is also a very talented singer-songwriter, and I've been working with her since last September. We've done a couple of gigs and are constantly working on new music, and are in the midst of putting a demo together. Her "day job" is in Modern and Flamenco dance (both as teacher and performer) and I'm going to enjoy seeing her in action at the Friday show.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Culture
Since January is the quietest month gig-wise I've had more evenings off recently, and so time to take in some movies and even a bit of theatre.
Two weeks ago I saw "I'm Not There" a film "inspired by the many lives of Bob Dylan". It was an interesting flick, but is of course geared towards Dylan fans, of which I'm not much of one. I do know his more popular tunes, and the various stages of his life, such as the motorcycle accident and the anger directed at him when he "went electric". But since he is not an icon for me I was not able to keep track of what was metaphor or imagery or an actual event.
That said, as the reviews have noted Cate Blanchett is amazing in her depiction of mid-60's Dylan. She really did a great job of capturing the energy and personality from that time period.
Next up, I went with a friend to see the National Arts Centre's newest production of MacBeth. I was not originally intending to go, as I don't really care for people talking in Elizabethan English, but my friend said she had 1/2 price tickets, so why not check it out?
I must say that it was very well done. Peter Hinton's direction was excellent, and the minimal set, complimented by the sound and lighting, was well thought out. The first part of the show did wander a bit for me, due to that Eliz. English thing, but then I started to grin when I realized something...
The part of MacBeth was wonderfully played by Benedict Campbell, but at certain times under certain lights he started to resemble William Shatner! And as MacBeth got more deranged and over the top the resemblance grew even stronger. See if you agree:
Fortunately (or unfortunately) that saved the play for me until the 2nd act got going, and then it really drew me in and was very good. Kudos to the cast and crew for a very fine show!
(I can't believe I just spent time Googling for just the right Bill Shatner photo!)
Two weeks ago I saw "I'm Not There" a film "inspired by the many lives of Bob Dylan". It was an interesting flick, but is of course geared towards Dylan fans, of which I'm not much of one. I do know his more popular tunes, and the various stages of his life, such as the motorcycle accident and the anger directed at him when he "went electric". But since he is not an icon for me I was not able to keep track of what was metaphor or imagery or an actual event.
That said, as the reviews have noted Cate Blanchett is amazing in her depiction of mid-60's Dylan. She really did a great job of capturing the energy and personality from that time period.
Next up, I went with a friend to see the National Arts Centre's newest production of MacBeth. I was not originally intending to go, as I don't really care for people talking in Elizabethan English, but my friend said she had 1/2 price tickets, so why not check it out?
I must say that it was very well done. Peter Hinton's direction was excellent, and the minimal set, complimented by the sound and lighting, was well thought out. The first part of the show did wander a bit for me, due to that Eliz. English thing, but then I started to grin when I realized something...
The part of MacBeth was wonderfully played by Benedict Campbell, but at certain times under certain lights he started to resemble William Shatner! And as MacBeth got more deranged and over the top the resemblance grew even stronger. See if you agree:
Fortunately (or unfortunately) that saved the play for me until the 2nd act got going, and then it really drew me in and was very good. Kudos to the cast and crew for a very fine show!(I can't believe I just spent time Googling for just the right Bill Shatner photo!)
Monday, December 17, 2007
"let it snow let it snow let it snow"
We got smacked with a big storm yesterday, with the heaviest single-day snowfall in years. I had to get to an important rehearsal in the next neighbourhood, and cycling was not the best option. I could've walked or waited forever for a bus, but then inspiration hit...
My neighbour Scott was digging out his car and saw me heading to the basement door and asked if I was going to get out my bike, and I said "no, my skis!" He took this photo:
As I made my way into the Glebe neighbourhood I stopped on Lyon St. for a photo op. Looking ahead:
Looking behind (not much difference, eh?)
Looking down:
Coming home later that evening was a bit more of a challenge, as the plows had scraped most roads down to a thin layer of snow. The first trip had been bad enough for the ski pole tips striking through to pavement, and now I had to watch for the bottoms of the skis themselves. Fortunately it wasn't bare in very many places and I got home just fine.
This was not my first time skiing through urban streets. Who needs groomed trails anyway? ;)
My neighbour Scott was digging out his car and saw me heading to the basement door and asked if I was going to get out my bike, and I said "no, my skis!" He took this photo:
As I made my way into the Glebe neighbourhood I stopped on Lyon St. for a photo op. Looking ahead:
Looking behind (not much difference, eh?)
Looking down:
Coming home later that evening was a bit more of a challenge, as the plows had scraped most roads down to a thin layer of snow. The first trip had been bad enough for the ski pole tips striking through to pavement, and now I had to watch for the bottoms of the skis themselves. Fortunately it wasn't bare in very many places and I got home just fine.This was not my first time skiing through urban streets. Who needs groomed trails anyway? ;)
ice
Here at my new place the trikeport I built is underneath where the roof runoff occurs. A neighbour had warned me that a lot of ice can hang there, so while the port's roof is only 1/4" plywood (with a tarp over top) the framing is 2x4s across with 2x6 supports. For the winter I laid a sheet of 3/4" plywood over top to help spread the weight of any ice and snow that might build up until I could clear it.
And as winter showed up this year not with a whimper but with a bang the accumulation has been strong. Clearing the snow has been easy, but the flat roof of the rental house is not well insulated, so there's a lot of dripping water off the back on all but the coldest days, and I was caught off-guard at how much ice was layering up underneath. Late last week I discovered that the entire top of the trikeport was covered to a depth of at least three solid inches. And on top of that a fat stalagmite was building up from the main drip.
Here's the blob up close:
Its source:
This accumulation explains the pick-axe I found in the basement when I moved in! I happily took that beast in hand and started hacking away at the solid ice. This photo shows the thickness of the layer:
Making progress, but then had to stop for the day:
The following afternoon, with some overnight snow and yet more dripping:
30 minutes of hacking later and the blob is gone!
All done:
Of course, the next day a thin film of ice was covering everything...
And as winter showed up this year not with a whimper but with a bang the accumulation has been strong. Clearing the snow has been easy, but the flat roof of the rental house is not well insulated, so there's a lot of dripping water off the back on all but the coldest days, and I was caught off-guard at how much ice was layering up underneath. Late last week I discovered that the entire top of the trikeport was covered to a depth of at least three solid inches. And on top of that a fat stalagmite was building up from the main drip.
Here's the blob up close:
Its source:
This accumulation explains the pick-axe I found in the basement when I moved in! I happily took that beast in hand and started hacking away at the solid ice. This photo shows the thickness of the layer:
Making progress, but then had to stop for the day:
The following afternoon, with some overnight snow and yet more dripping:
30 minutes of hacking later and the blob is gone!
All done:
Of course, the next day a thin film of ice was covering everything...
Monday, November 05, 2007
Blogger is being dopey
Blogger's photo uploading feature has been buggy for the past few weeks, and they keep saying it's fixed then it breaks again (this is rather amazing for a billion dollar company). So until they resolve the issue the current workaround is to upload photos to Picasa, and then manually put the HTML links in the posting. This is more time consuming, so it'll take me a bit to get caught up...
Monday, September 03, 2007
bike co-op break-in
Well, it took 8 years, but we finally had a break-in at the re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op. Some time last week between the Wednesday and Thursday shift someone got into our shop. They did not pick the lock or kick the door in, but simply punched their way through the drywall right beside the door, and reached around and undid the latch. They then found our cashbox and made off with it. The bikes and tools were left alone, since I guess none of that stuff would fetch very much money, and cash is, well, cash! To add a weird twist, when the volunteer mechanic showed up and discovered the break-in he noticed that the thief had taken our plastic sign off the door and used it to cover the hole! The Police were called, and the sign was taken for fingerprinting, and the officer said they would be investigating.
Fortunately we only lost around $150, so not a huge loss. But still, to think that someone would rob a community non-profit operation is appalling, and we're certainly hoping it wasn't someone who had been in our shop before. Yes, I know that even churches get ripped off, but I still think it takes a low form of life to steal from those that have given a lot to their community (remember that re-Cycles has been run for all these years by volunteers).
But we will not let ourselves get paranoid. The punched-out wall is being reinforced so that method of entry will no longer work, and we will now be emptying our cashbox after each shift. An alarm system and security camera are being considered as well.
Fortunately we only lost around $150, so not a huge loss. But still, to think that someone would rob a community non-profit operation is appalling, and we're certainly hoping it wasn't someone who had been in our shop before. Yes, I know that even churches get ripped off, but I still think it takes a low form of life to steal from those that have given a lot to their community (remember that re-Cycles has been run for all these years by volunteers).
But we will not let ourselves get paranoid. The punched-out wall is being reinforced so that method of entry will no longer work, and we will now be emptying our cashbox after each shift. An alarm system and security camera are being considered as well.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Fire
My previous neighourhood here in Ottawa was Chinatown, which is on the west side of Bronson Ave. (I'm now a few blocks east of there). That area unfortunately has seen more than its fair share of fires over the years, and this past week saw three of them. Fortunately, no loss of human life reported in any of these, though I don't know the status of any pets.
The first one was last Sunday. As the weekly HPVOoO dinner was ending and we were all coming out onto the street we noticed fire coming from a dumpster behind the pizza shop at Somerset and Bronson. Fire trucks were already on their way, and things were quickly dealt with.
Then on Monday night, a derelict house caught fire a block from there. From the Ottawa Citizen: "A fire that tore through a two story duplex at 164 Cambridge at 9 p.m. Monday night is still under investigation. The fire started in an abandoned structure that was home to vagrants, said district chief Monty Malloy. The fire was under control just before 10 p.m. No one was hurt during the blaze, but the structure was totally destroyed, with damage estimated at $100,000.".
And then in the wee hours of Thursday morning the buildings at the NW corner of Somerset and Booth were ablaze in what seems to so far be the worst fire of the year, and arson is suspected. "A total of 30 apartments in the century-old buildings and five street-level businesses, including a pizzeria, pool hall and Asian and Caribbean grocery stores, were destroyed."
You can read CBC articles on this fire here and here.
I went and had a look yesterday afternoon and took some photos, as demolition was taking place and firefighters continued to hose down the remains. It was a sad sight...
Booth St. just north of Somerset, looking west behind the row of buildings
UPDATE: Lots more photos at the Ottawa Firefighters website.
The first one was last Sunday. As the weekly HPVOoO dinner was ending and we were all coming out onto the street we noticed fire coming from a dumpster behind the pizza shop at Somerset and Bronson. Fire trucks were already on their way, and things were quickly dealt with.
Then on Monday night, a derelict house caught fire a block from there. From the Ottawa Citizen: "A fire that tore through a two story duplex at 164 Cambridge at 9 p.m. Monday night is still under investigation. The fire started in an abandoned structure that was home to vagrants, said district chief Monty Malloy. The fire was under control just before 10 p.m. No one was hurt during the blaze, but the structure was totally destroyed, with damage estimated at $100,000.".
And then in the wee hours of Thursday morning the buildings at the NW corner of Somerset and Booth were ablaze in what seems to so far be the worst fire of the year, and arson is suspected. "A total of 30 apartments in the century-old buildings and five street-level businesses, including a pizzeria, pool hall and Asian and Caribbean grocery stores, were destroyed."
You can read CBC articles on this fire here and here.
I went and had a look yesterday afternoon and took some photos, as demolition was taking place and firefighters continued to hose down the remains. It was a sad sight...
From the southeast corner of Somerset and Booth.
On Somerset looking northeast, halfway between Booth and Rochester.
Booth St. just north of Somerset looking west.
Booth St. just north of Somerset, looking west behind the row of buildings
UPDATE: Lots more photos at the Ottawa Firefighters website.
Monday, August 13, 2007
to tell the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but...
In an hour I have an appointment to get a tooth pulled. It chipped lightly a while back, then cracked badly, but fortunately has not hurt at all after the initial incident. I'm getting it pulled instead of fixed because a) I don't have a dental plan to cover any repair costs, and b) it's the last molar at the end of the row, so I'm not really going to miss it.
But it's still never fun getting dental work done, so with apologies to Al Gore it's been
(wait for it...)
An Inconvenient Tooth.
But it's still never fun getting dental work done, so with apologies to Al Gore it's been
(wait for it...)
An Inconvenient Tooth.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
"You are the leader pot smokers emulate"
Every now and then I stumble on one of those silly quizzes, and sometimes I take the bait. I liked the results of this one so much that I had to post it here! ;)
(with four blog posts today can you tell that I took a rest day from unpacking?)
(with four blog posts today can you tell that I took a rest day from unpacking?)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
raccoons!
In my previous place the cats had their own door for coming and going. Until earlier this year that is, when after the fourth visit from a raccoon I closed that door off and the cats had to put up with me letting them in and out the front door.
Now we're in the new place, which is one of three apartments in an old house. My kitchen and bathroom windows look out onto the flat roof of the unit below, and there's a fire escape to the side which the cats use to reach the ground. I leave the window open for them to do this, and last night I heard a noise and went into the kitchen and there's a raccoon about to come in! He sees me and runs back onto the roof, but then turns around, lies down and looks at me!
Cheeky little bugger...
He didn't come up the fire escape, but from the roof of the house to the left in the photo (you can see the flat roof and deck just past the sloped part). I fabricated a wooden barricade that should keep him away, and that will also keep Jett from exploring over there, which he has done a few times now (I don't mind him wandering around, but I'd rather he visit the neighbours on their porch and not through an open upstairs window).
UPDATE: it's a few hours later, I'm busy unpacking things and figuring that there's now no worry about leaving the kitchen screen window open so the cats can come and go, and a bat flies into the apartment! He fluttered about for a minute or so then flew out the open balcony door. After closing that I went into the kitchen to close the window and Kitty was there with eyes wiiiide open after seeing the flying mouse...
Now we're in the new place, which is one of three apartments in an old house. My kitchen and bathroom windows look out onto the flat roof of the unit below, and there's a fire escape to the side which the cats use to reach the ground. I leave the window open for them to do this, and last night I heard a noise and went into the kitchen and there's a raccoon about to come in! He sees me and runs back onto the roof, but then turns around, lies down and looks at me!
Cheeky little bugger...
He didn't come up the fire escape, but from the roof of the house to the left in the photo (you can see the flat roof and deck just past the sloped part). I fabricated a wooden barricade that should keep him away, and that will also keep Jett from exploring over there, which he has done a few times now (I don't mind him wandering around, but I'd rather he visit the neighbours on their porch and not through an open upstairs window).
UPDATE: it's a few hours later, I'm busy unpacking things and figuring that there's now no worry about leaving the kitchen screen window open so the cats can come and go, and a bat flies into the apartment! He fluttered about for a minute or so then flew out the open balcony door. After closing that I went into the kitchen to close the window and Kitty was there with eyes wiiiide open after seeing the flying mouse...
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Spam
I've been getting a bit more spam in the comments than I care to deal with, so I've turned the verification thingie on.
(And I'm noticing that Blogger has not adjusted their date and time stamp to meet the new Daylight Savings Time.)
(And I'm noticing that Blogger has not adjusted their date and time stamp to meet the new Daylight Savings Time.)
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