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June 24, 2020 – Think like a raindrop

June 25, 2020 /

It has been a long day. I usually post in the morning, but today I started work early because it is hot on the roof. So, I spent all day on the roof, making a lot of progress, but I had to stop because I am waiting for vent pipe to be run through the roof so that I can flash around them and finish this thing off. Rain is in the forecast for Sunday and Monday.

After looking inside the bathroom, my wife was concerned that it was too dark. Add a skylight to the list. And then when I was talking to the contractor, he was surprised that I didn’t vent the roof. Now, quick aside for a moment. I listen weekly to the Fine Homebuilding podcast and according to them, the science on vented roofs says that venting really does not actually extend the life of a roof, and therefore unnecessary.

Moisture management is really the key concern, not roof life. Even though the addition is open to the currently vented roof, I am a little concerned that moisture from the bathroom cannot adequately equilibrate efficiently, so I am going to add a roof vent as well.

Think like a raindrop was a phrase that my grandfather used. The older I get the more I understand. At seventeen, I didn’t really understand how water behaved. Now knowing some science I can understand water travels by gravity. It also adheres to surfaces with surface tension. You want to keep water away from the building and make paths for efficient flow.

I remember roofing a garage or some other outbuilding and he kept saying over and over that you need to ‘think like a raindrop’. He must have seen the puzzled look on my face, because he then said ‘if you want to keep the water out, you need to think like a raindrop’, he laughed and moved on. He was always saying some sort of colloquialism or bit of wisdom that was wrapped up in a cryptic message of sorts. It’s funny, but those are the things that stick the most to my memory.

I am cutting this a little short since I lost internet connection last night when I wrote most of this (and lost a bunch of additional work too). It seems like a fitting tribute to my grandfather that I can do all these things. I almost cant wait for the rain this weekend to prove the I can now think like a raindrop.

June 23, 2020 – Motivation, Determination and Imagination

June 23, 2020 /

I am giving credit here to Jack Spirko at the Survival Podcast for coining the three things to make a business (or any endeavor) successful. There may be a little bit of self analysis here too before I get done.

Back when I was working a job, I was a support manager for a software engineering company. One of the frequent hang-ups between adding a new customer was whether my company had in-depth knowledge of the software that we were potentially proposing to support. The prevailing position was that if we did not write the software, then we would not be able to support the software.

Yes it is true that potentially supporting software that was compiled by someone else could leave some risk. Before I get too technical, compiling is the act of taking some base level computer code and packaging it up into an executable form. You could make the analogy to baking. The code is the ingredients and what runs are the results. In the case of software, you cant get from the cake back to the ingredients unless you made the cake. I hope that was simple enough.

Here is a another fact, my team did not write any of the code that we supported. So, to them it was frequently all new. Having access to subject matter experts was possible but it was just as possible that the person that wrote the code did not work at the company anymore. Real production type emergencies did not allow us the time to do any sort of reading or studying of what the system was supposed to do anyway.

My team bid on, won and successfully supported systems that our company did not build. They did not have the same boundary issues that others did in the company.

It is time to refresh on the ‘Toolbox Fallacy’.

You see, the Toolbox Fallacy is the antithesis of motivation, determination and imagination. It is all the reasons and excuses of why something cannot be done rather than just doing it.

I am no exception to this problem. I have told myself that when my pantry project is over, I can dedicate more time to this endeavor. Then came the apartment remodel. I want to move from this free blog format to a dedicated host (when this project is over). I need to develop a clearer purpose and target audience before I migrate. I told myself that would first work on posting consistency before progressing into podcasting. I have been very comfortable posting once a day and then moving off to work on my project.

I suppose the thrust of the analysis is why am I lacking Motivation, Determination and/or Imagination in this endeavor. I can see aspects of all three. I know that in my logical, analytical mind setting goals and working toward a schedule would go a long way into remediating this. Another aspect is accountability. I could skip a week or a month without any real consequences (other than personal).

Despite all of that, at this stage I am going to hold on to the Toolbox Fallacy a little longer. I can see the light at the end of my project. It doesn’t mean that I don’t think about developing this medium daily… maybe it means that this is a hobby and not a future job. My recent spiritual re-awaking is starting to clarify aspects in my life that have long been fuzzy. It has made me accountable and thoughtful in more emotional ways than ever before.

One example of unexpected consequences was that I made a video about repairing a nail gun and now I am approaching 2000 views. I made it for a post on this blog, but now I have gotten a lot of questions about repairing nail guns. I never looked to see if there was any content out there and I made it for my own reasons, but maybe I should look at tool repair videos?

The final message for today is that I will keep looking at these principles and adjust accordingly when and where appropriate. Take a listen to the podcast because there is a lot of good information in there if you ever considered doing something of your own.

June 22, 2020 – Father’s Day and Leadership

June 22, 2020 /

Yesterday was a good day, for me. It started off early where I got up and started the smoker. Our lives are so noisy, that it is sometimes difficult to recognize and therefor enjoy the hour or so of quiet on a Sunday morning. I got the turkey on about seven and cleaned and organized the garage while I was tending the smoker. That was the trend for the whole day, lots of small things got completed, like finally getting my plants in the ground. I think that I am going to have twenty tomato plants and ten cabbages from the looks of the starts.

It very well might be unpopular in today’s society to consider the father the ‘leader’ of the family. But we all know that traditionally that was the case. I suppose that it is pretty fair to say that not all leaders are cut from the same cloth. Many happen to get the title because they were there, not necessarily on qualification. Unfortunately, that is true across many aspects of life, both business and fatherhood included.

I am pretty sure that if you are reading this, than you are at least aware enough for self-reflection and interested in personal development. Evaluating the trend of today’s relativistic and hedonistic culture, I am concerned for the future. I am the last person that is going to preach or tell someone what to do. I am a libertarian anarchist after all.

So, knowing my opinions and thoughts you might be able to anticipate how I would approach the issues, lead by example first. I have said it before, freedom requires free will and choice. To me that also means some people are unfortunately not going to make the cut. They will willingly make the wrong choices. I am at peace with that, what I need to work on a more is acceptance through continued interaction (to lead by example).

This week’s questions are as follows

  • Where do you find protection, support and leadership in your life?
  • What is one thing that you can do to develop leadership this week?

If you are following along, you can tell that these weeks are all sort of intermingling. I believe that is by design. I have know this for some time now, but as I shared in our group yesterday that my healthiest levels of leadership were when I also had some sort of mentorship at the same time.

I believe that it is part of why I got to the point of leaving my job. I felt a tremendous amount of stress, I was unable to forgive perceived (or real) transgressions of the past and I had no level of mentorship or advocacy within my company. My team loved me and half left within three months of me, but everyone needs support and I didn’t have it.

Looking at the questions, the person that is in that role for me is my wife. That seems proportionately correct. However, when it came to things like my last job we had strong disagreements about whether I should quit my job without having a replacement. In the end, she was right that everything was OK and I am glad that I did at this point. That being said, one person cannot be all things.

For me, it seems like I need to increase the size of my social circle and seek mentorship as part of my self improvement journey. Those two may not be mutually exclusive but may come in the same package. I don’t know if I can realistically do all that in one week, but I have taken the time to identify that problem and will keep an eye out.

June 19, 2020 – Maybe I should become a wood poet?

June 19, 2020 /

Sometimes my mind goes in a direction that seems like it is different than everyone else. For instance, while remodeling the kitchen to add the new microwave hood, I found a piece of blocking in the wall that was rough sawn oak. I have written about wood and my speculation of it’s origin before.

To the untrained eye, this would have been tossed out with all of the other debris. It is too short to re-use anywhere. It is still full of nails and has a sizable knot on one edge. But I saw something different.

I first noticed that is rough sawn. That is why I set it aside to look at it later. Then I noticed that it is a true 2″ piece of dimensional lumber. After I pulled the nails out, I started to notice the saw markings. If you look closely, one face is cut with a circular saw (those are the curved lines) and the other face was cut with a band saw (indicated by vertical lines).

Now, I am going to jump around a bit as I do to eventually get to a point (you can feel like you are getting a Malcom Gladwell experience here). In 2015, we wanted to paint the house. While attempting to do some rot repair, we found that the house was constructed in an unusual way. That led to adding new siding. After everything was completed, we were paid a visit by a former owner (Lloyd) who brought us a handful of pictures and a couple hours of stories as it was from the 1960’s when he purchased the house.

Over the years, we have had a number of run-ins with people that are connected to this house. It first started in 2005 (our first year here) when we had a garage sale. Some people that stopped by said that their grandparents lived here and that they used to stay here in the summertime in the 1950’s as children. Everybody knows this house, it is a big, blue Victorian at the top of the hill on Main St.

It seems as though the history of the house is uncertain. The county list the date as 1893. Former owner’s claim that is when records began and that this house dates back to 1873. Further, stories allege that this was the original homestead in the area, with all the lumber from the site. Now, we are starting to circle back to wood.

Let us assume that the rough sawn board on the left is from this site. I counted the growth rings on that board as 36 from what I could see. Not knowing the ultimate size of the tree, a person could speculate that tree was at least growing in the 1850’s (1893 – 36 = 1857).

The board on the right is definitely from this site because I milled it in 2006. When I cut down the fir tree, it had 56 rings making it planted in 1950. The history of the house in that period is much more certain.

Lloyd tells a story that he was living in an old farm house across the street. He was noticed that it was empty and went to inquire about the future of the house. The city considered it a nuisance house (it was previously spit into college apartments) and was going to tear it down, so Lloyd purchased the house. I guess you could say that Lloyd saved the house, but somewhat killed it at the same time because the house was stripped to the framing both inside and out.

The lap siding was replaced with T1-11, the plaster gone, windows replaced, doors and Victorian decoration all gone. On the upside, we got a modern electrical service (200 amps) and insulation and a new lease on life. We heard about how he ceded a portion of the property in back so that the neighbor had a lot size big enough to build a house. We heard about how the other neighbor built the fence on our side of the property line. All-in-all, it was an extremely interesting and surprising visit.

At this point, no one fully knows what was happening on this property in the 1850’s. The town was incorporated in 1859, the same year as the state. One of my future goals is to look at historical pictures and see if I can discern any truth about the origin of the house, including architectural details. I have seen some aerial photographs taken from a balloon that date to the 1880s, but they always orient toward the city center, which is to say away from this house.

There have been numerous changes in the town landmarks over the years. Houses have been moved, rails were removed, even the highway was moved in World War II to accommodate for an army base down the road. It will take a keen eye and thoughtful mind to reconstruct the past, but it sounds like fun.

Happy Father’s Day everyone.

June 18, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

June 18, 2020 /

‘Gun guys’ are acutely aware of the history and politics of firearms. I am probably a gun guy, but I am too young for some of the most pivotal moments in recent history. I will summarize in layman’s terms what I am talking about.

The Gun Control Act of 1968.

  • Firearms required a serial number on each unit
  • New firearms could only be sold through a dealer network although private party (used) sales were permitted
  • An official prohibited persons criteria was created
  • Imported firearms are prohibited, they must be assembled in the USA

The Gun Control Act of 1993

  • All new firearms have a mandatory background check
  • Five day minimum waiting period on new firearm purchases
  • All new manufacture of detachable magazines were limited to 10 round capacity
  • Stocks could not have a pistol grip

There has been lots of activity before during and after those two landmark points. But, today I don’t want to talk about laws so much as I want to talk about magazines. Magazines are arguably the most vulnerable part of a firearm from a legislation change as well as a functional point. In other words, the firearm is nearly worthless without a magazine (when designed to use one).

There are states today that limit magazine capacity. Fortunately, my state is not one of them (yet). However, I am convinced that it is a matter of time. There is an extreme left leaning agenda in today’s state government. There has already been talk of introducing such bills but the walk out prevented it this session.

My angle today is to buy magazines if you can. Many are available and reasonably priced. I try to have 5-10 magazines per firearm and I will give you some practical reasons why, not just hiding from the boogie man.

  1. Magazines are mechanical. They foul, break and jam. They can be imperfect and cause functioning problems. If you don’t have more than one or two then you may not be able to determine malfunction issues. Without a magazine, the firearm is a single shot.
  2. I like to have enough magazines to at least load a box of ammunition. That way I can spend time on the range shooting rather than loading magazines.
  3. As I have stated above, laws can change regarding capacity or availability. There is nothing saying that new legislation will grandfather the ‘standard capacity magazine’ but why not have the option.
$10 magazine

I think that when you consider the investment in the cost of additional magazines, it also makes me want to be able to justify owning the firearm. So, for instance magazines for one firearm is $35 ea. I have more into the magazines than I actually do in the firearm itself. Since that one is used often, so I think it is justifiable.

Not all magazines are created equal. I really lean toward OEM manufacture even though considerable savings can be made buying aftermarket. The one exception is in the Military Specification (mil-spec) realm. Mil-spec means that things are made to a minimum specification and to work across platform or brand. In those cases, aftermarket may be considerably better than OEM. They can offer additional features like dust caps or sight windows or just better construction.

So, maybe Dad’s a shooter and you are not or you are one of the millions of new gun owners that has decided to take a step in your own wellbeing. These are the reasons I believe in having extra magazines around. I am looking forward to not working seven days a week and twelve hours a day so that I can get out to the range again.

June 17, 2020 – A progress report

June 17, 2020 /

Last night, I started a test to see if I could get non-hosted videos on this blog. Unfortunately, I have to upgrade packages to do so and I know that this is not the final home of this blog, so I am not going to invest in that at the moment.

In lieu of doing something new, I will summarize where I am at on this current project. I am in the punchlist phase. That means that I am essentially done with my work in the apartment minus a few things here and there. I still need to

  • Hang a ceiling fan
  • Install some window film to obscure direct view – waiting for delivery
  • Build a face frame for the microwave cabinet
  • Oversee cabinet painting and final ceiling touch-up – waiting for paint
  • sub floor patching
  • Install the baseboard molding – waiting for floor
  • Move in and install the appliances – waiting for floor

As you can see, the bathroom is a long way from being done. I would estimate two weeks of solid work. I will be doing the roofing when the framing is done. And I am waiting for the framing to be done so I can finish the siding and painting.

June 16, 2020 – Whose fault is this?

June 16, 2020 /

It has been said that some businesses have excellent return policies. These companies have come to mind Costco, Nordstrom and Amazon. Other companies offer no excuse, 100% lifetime warranties like Orvis and Lands End. That is a different criteria but an example of the breadth of differences with companies and products.

A few years ago, I needed some new shoes for an upcoming half marathon. This was a time when I was working a lot and shoes are a very personal thing. It seems like some brands need some miles on them to become comfortable while others comfort fades. Some brands seem to comfortable for everyday wear and others never. It is very difficult to know with a store fitting and always somewhat of a gamble.

It was late in the evening, like nine PM and I couldn’t decide. I was persuaded to get both, run in both and return the ones I didn’t like. I did, and I hated myself the whole time. I didn’t think that running in shoes for a week and returning them was the right thing to do. What happens to those shoes? Are they sold as new again?

Recently I bought some roof jacks from a home center. I was in a hurry when I grabbed them and they looked a little scuffed up. Overall, no big deal. When I got home and looked at them more carefully, I could clearly see signs that these had been used and returned. The scrape patter of sliding on shingles, the nail marks from where they were fastened, the tar from shingle contact, etc.

Now, these are items that will last a lifetime, especially at my usage level. There really is no harm in them being used, and obviously lightly. But, it got me thinking of the psychology of someone using something and then returning it (again).

I have bought the ‘open package’ before and low and behold it was missing some critical component. I just dont know if the missing part was removed or carelessly not returned. With today’s customer service at stores, their only real recourse is to replace the entire contents rather than make it whole which is another hassle. So, I have become a person that avoids obviously opened packaged because I have been burned by the consequences too many times.

See my post about Amazon Warehouse. They clearly did not inspect the item as the policy states or they would have known that they did not even get the same part back.

On my current project, I mistakenly bought 5lbs of 3 1/2″ box nails instead of sinkers. I didn’t even notice for weeks because I was working out of another source. I hadnt even opened them but I was going to refill my working container and noticed that they were the wrong type. So, I returned them because I can never see myself using those nails (in that quantity). In that case, the package was unopened and as new.

So, I get down to the fundamental question. Who’s fault is it when something clearly used is sold on a store shelf? Is it the returner who treats the item as a loaner? It is the store who is unable/unwilling to make a judgement on accepting items for return and by the same turn resells used items as new? Or is the consumer who expects that everything is new including the price?

Not surprisingly, I think a little bit of all three. It first starts with ethics. If a store’s policy and practice are to accept all items, regardless of condition then that is OK. To try and return the item in as un-used is not. If the store wants to resell used items, that is OK. I would like a discount (or at least a warning so that I pay more attention to the selection). The consumer should not mindlessly grab and go if these factors are important.

Multiple times, I have grabbed items from the same bin which turned out to be different. Things like pipe fittings and cabinet hardware come to mind. I now pay a lot more attention to make sure that I getting what I think that I am getting. I would like to point out that this seems to be much less so at the small hardware stores. Not only is the customer service more personal, they know their inventory and do a better job making sure things are in the right place. They also tend to have much less inventory which makes a different sized pipe fitting stand out much easier.

In the end, I just want to know that some items could be used and I will decide whether I want to shop there or purchase there.

June 15, 2020 – You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with

June 15, 2020 /

I am not 100% sure if Mondays will be a continuation of Sunday small group discussion topics or not. I was asking myself if this is how I want to run this blog? Having spent the better part of my working life primarily around proclaimed athiests and agnostics it kept me a quiet about my beliefs.

On the other hand, this last year has been a new direction. I have never strongly felt that that my identity or path was truly laid before me. I suppose that I have felt like I have one, and not worried too much about it. Maybe this is God’s way of correcting me and setting me straight. In the words of Aaron Tippin, ‘You’ve got to stand for something, or you will fall for anything’

This weeks application of freedom takes a look at how our relationships influence our thoughts and behaviors. The basic concept of being that we behave as an average of the five people that we spend the most time with. Ideally, if Jesus is one of those people then your life will be elevated for the better.

This is an interesting concept for me, because I don’t spend a lot time around people outside of my home. At least quality time or time in relational sense. So, I could complete the activity and add some names into that circle, but I would argue that my small interactions are of little influence. So, I suppose my first order might be to add people, in addition to Jesus.

So the questions this week are

  • Who are the top five in my circle of interaction?
  • How can I reasonably add Jesus into that circle?

Before consistently writing this blog, I used to write in a journal. I tried to write weekly, but sometimes it was only quarterly. I did this for over ten years and it was mostly about goals, accomplishments and book summaries. I suppose it was more like an activity log than anything, but during those periods where I was reading devotionals or more spiritual work I was definitely more deliberate in my thoughts and actions. I would think about and apply what I was reading on a more consistent basis.

One of things that is important with freedom is that we have to respect choice whether we agree with it or not. Without choice, there is no true freedom. I am choosing to try and make myself a better person. With that, welcome to this digital, Christian oriented small group.

June 12, 2020 – Still going… barely

June 12, 2020 /

On Wednesday, my wrist was exceptionally painful. It was to the point that I had to grit my teeth to use my right hand. After making my post, I spent the rest of the morning pacing around and trying to figure out how I was going to get anything done. I went parts shopping for a lot of the afternoon and settled to the reality that I was going to have to do my best with my left hand.

I am OK with my left hand. I can shave, brush my teeth, use a fork and kind-of write. Toe nailing a 16p sinker is not as easy. I know that it is a practice thing. It is the very reason I have spent some time shooting left handed, because you never know if you will always have use of your primary hand. The thing that I noticed is that my left hand is nowhere near as strong as my right, as well as being awkward.

After immobilization, ice, ibuprofen and CBD cream it seemed a little better yesterday. Last night I didn’t wake up from the pain. I don’t want to push my luck though. So, the carpet is in the bedrooms, the broken window has been replaced so those rooms are done.

We bough new appliances to replace the downdraft range so the vent is also a microwave. That required re-routing electrical, cutting a vent slot and sheetrock work. I also have to build a new cabinet for the above the microwave. I am hoping that will be complete before the weekend is over.

I must say that throughout this process, my fear of disturbing sheetrock has gone away. I am to the point now where I would rather spend time repairing the sheetrock than trying to guess or work with it in place. This building seems to have structure ‘at random’. This patch seen here is a 24 inch stud bay that also had blocking for the cabinets (which weren’t used).

This Friday playlist sort of describes how I feel about this week. It has been pretty dark, some hurt, anger and craziness. Have a good weekend, with hopefully better days to come.

June 10, 2020 – 100th post and a side of pain

June 10, 2020 /

I suppose that I have been lucky in life. I haven’t had any broken bones, so far no chronic illness and never a trip to the ER. I do occasionally have some kind of issue in my wrist that is triggered by typing on my lap and some prolonged mouse usage. That stems from a time when I was a young man and holding a high pressure hose all day.

The pain goes away in a few days by modifying how I use the computer and lightening up a bit on things like typing. This last week, I have been dealing with some wrist pain. Unfortunately, it is not getting better but worse. It now feels like it is sprained and is visibly swollen.

My body is telling me that I need to stop and take a break. Unfortunately, that is about a week and a half too early. Ironically, as much as I have been fortunate, I have a lot of experience with the medical system around some of the lessor known specialties.

The science of pain management is much less developed than trauma or acute medicine. It has been a number of years now, but I believe my wife has some sort of immunodeficiency. It started with psoriasis and manifested into full body pain. That lead to incorrect diagnosis of fibromyalgia, then later lupus suspect to eventually disappearing. The complete tale is very long and not really my story to share.

What I am trying to say is that based on my experience, the medical system does not know how to treat pain. The basic approach is to keep trying pharmaceuticals until the pain goes away or you do. It seems to me that the hospital is pretty quick to offer Dilaudid of Fentanyl but root cause is lacking.

I have observed this process several times. Here is a simple workflow.

  1. Person feels pain, goes to ER
  2. ER doesn’t know what to do, sends person back home to follow up with Primary Care Physician (PCP)
  3. Person meets with PCP. PCP doesn’t know what to do and prescribes drugs and tests. Person is told ‘if this doesn’t work then follow up’
  4. Repeat steps 1-3 until PCP refers to specialist
  5. Now substitute specialist for PCP in the chain until specialist gives person back to PCP or hopefully the problem is solved.

In the end, who is managing the care? It is the patient not the doctor. If you do not advocate for yourself or you are not pushy enough then you may end up near death before the issue is addressed. You cannot abdicate your health to someone else, that is foolish.

I am not anti-doctor, nor am I claiming that this is an easy job. What I will say is that they are overburdened and dare I say a little too comfortable writing prescriptions rather than root cause analysis. What changed our lives was investigation and education into actual science. Learning about the causes of inflammation and a willingness to admit that lifestyle and not a drug deficiency was the problem. Cutting out things in our diet that were causing inflammation made those problems disappear.

This has been over ten years now. The experience has made me much more receptive to the idea that there are things broken within the medical system. Care is actually one of them. It has made me realize that there are other tools that aren’t used enough like physical therapy and nutrition. If you are over weight and eat garbage then you are suspect to these problems as well.

The experience has opened me to the idea that there are new frontiers that are not medically or politically acceptable but can be effective like the cannabinoid receptors in our body. I do believe that the legalization argument for marijuana is largely for recreation use but so what? That doesn’t mean that we should write off what is possible.

Wow… I didnt wake up seeing this go this direction this morning. I was thinking that I was going to justify waiting out the pain. I feel like I have a lot more to say but I think that would be rambling at this point.