Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I went to the Habitat for Humanity house today. There was a man there, Charlie Somebody, who was "in charge", and two girls, I don't know what age, maybe even high school. Nobody else. Whoa! Nobody. Isn't there supposed to be a future homeowner doing sweat equity? Where are the other volunteers? Weren't there supposed to be lots of retired able-bodied men for me to meet?
I got the impression the girls were interning in construction or something. They were being paid a few dollars a day, and they got scheduled timed breaks, and went to "the center" (?) for lunch. They've been working on the house all along. They couldn't understand why I was doing this for free. Apparently volunteers are rare.
I got assigned to spackle the upstairs bathroom.
I had a short stepladder, a cordless drill with a Phillips screwdriver bit, and the spackle and tools. The sheetrock job was BAD! Huge gaps, holes, screws sticking out all over, edges that don't seem to be in the same plane, wavy corners. The sheets had been badly cut, and badly sized - one sheet would be screwed straight into the joist, and the next missed the joist so the screws were at a 45 degree angle to catch the joist. One of the girls told me about the guy who did it, "That's his business. He does sheetrock all the time." I didn't say it, but my thought was that if anyone did that to MY bathroom, we'd be in small claims court discussing the fact that I refuse to pay him. Frankly, I could do it better myself (except maybe for the ceiling). At least I'd know enough to put shims on the joists to line up the surface.
So, anyway, I had to work with what existed. The first thing I had to do was tighten down all the screws so that the heads were slightly below the surface. Sounded easy, what with the power screwdriver.
Not easy.
Bathroom sheetrock is not the same as in other rooms. Most of the walls and the ceiling had a very hard green stuff (the inside of it was not the softish chalky stuff I'm used to, it was very hard, you couldn't even scratch it), and around the tub it was a beige-gray, which was filled with CONCRETE!
I tried to tighten the screws down, and even leaning my shoulder into the drill, the bit just went bump-bump-bump in the grooves of the screw heads, threatening to strip them. I finally figured out that what I had to do was back out the screw, and then wiggle it around in the opening to chew a hole big enough to accept the head. Then I could put the screw back in, and it would tighten into below the surface.
When it came to the concrete stuff, there was no way. The Charlie guy said he'd bring in a concrete bit tomorrow to cut an inset (there's a name for that, but I forget) so the screws could be tightened in.
The screws alone took hours, and the cordless drill was heavy, especially when doing the ceiling. Corded drills are so much lighter! My right shoulder aches.
I like spackling. I'm also very good at it. One of the first things I learned about spackling is that the worst, ickiest, nastiest, dirtiest, hardest part is sanding it when it's dry, and then cleaning up the dust from the sanding. Plus, sanding roughs up the paper around the spackled spots. So I spackle so neatly that it needs almost no sanding. My spackled spots look sanded! I do three thin coats, the first to fill the hole, the second to fill after shrinkage, and the third to feather. It's important to use the full surface of the knife very flat against the wall. I use a damp finger to smooth any tiny rough spots. When you lay your head against a wall I've spackled and look across, you won't see any bumps or high spots.
I'm rather proud of the job I did today.
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Showing posts with label Habitat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Habitat. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
1254 Fried Day
Friday, May 18, 2007
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights I got to bed before midnight, and was up about 8 am. Said "oh what a good girl am I" and decided to do that some more.
Last night I went to the Third Thursday Mensa dinner (Zig, Bets, Roman, and me), got home about 9 pm, and then lost track of time. I crawled into bed about 1:45 am, worked on some crossword puzzles, and didn't fall asleep until after 5 am. I don't know why. I wasn't thinking about anything in particular, just couldn't get to sleep. I woke up a few minutes before noon.
I had taken a rather powerful antihistamine before leaving for dinner last night, and maybe that's what kept me awake, but I don't really think so because the dose was supposed to be repeated every 4 hours, so I don't see how it could have lasted for 12. I dunno.
Piper called before I'd even had my morning yogurt, and we decided to meet for late lunch and conversation. I had a screwdriver. For breakfast. Bad girl.
Then I stayed in his office for a few hours to use the WiFi to peruse a backlog of videos people had recommended or had sent me. At one point a client came in, so I wandered off for a bit to the antique shop around the corner, where I found a beautiful ring. It's a rectangular red stone set crosswise on the finger, in a sterling silver antique-looking setting, with marquisite (sp?) on the sides - for $20. It looks like a ruby! It can't be at that price, in silver rather than gold, but it is a beautiful ring.
You know, I'm always finding very beautiful rings in antique shops, yard sales, and at auctions, and what's amazing is that they always fit me perfectly. Then one day I realized that I wear an unusually small size (4.5 to 5.5), and the reason that these beautiful rings that fit me perfectly are sitting there waiting for me, not already bought, is that they fit hardly anyone else who might have been tempted. Cool.
Got home about 5 pm and got an almost immediate call from Russ at the museum. He wanted to know exactly what the problem was with the membership data base, so he could work on it. I described what was happening, and he said yeah, he'd seen that before, which felt good because that means I probably didn't cause it.
Then FirstWoman called. It had been a while since we had talked (I had assumed she'd be at last night's dinner, and was disappointed when she wasn't - especially since I had finally remembered to bring some disks I owe her), so we were on the phone for a while.
Then Russ called back - he was able to display the correct labels, and wanted to know if I could come in next Tuesday so I could try it while he was there. Oops, next Tuesday I'll be at Habitat. He'll be away for two weeks starting Wednesday. Sigh. So he's going to print the labels I need this evening, and they'll be in my mailbox for whenever I can get in next week.
I forgot to tell him that I hadn't tried printing the membership cards. I hope there's no problem with them. Oh, bleck.
.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights I got to bed before midnight, and was up about 8 am. Said "oh what a good girl am I" and decided to do that some more.
Last night I went to the Third Thursday Mensa dinner (Zig, Bets, Roman, and me), got home about 9 pm, and then lost track of time. I crawled into bed about 1:45 am, worked on some crossword puzzles, and didn't fall asleep until after 5 am. I don't know why. I wasn't thinking about anything in particular, just couldn't get to sleep. I woke up a few minutes before noon.
I had taken a rather powerful antihistamine before leaving for dinner last night, and maybe that's what kept me awake, but I don't really think so because the dose was supposed to be repeated every 4 hours, so I don't see how it could have lasted for 12. I dunno.
Piper called before I'd even had my morning yogurt, and we decided to meet for late lunch and conversation. I had a screwdriver. For breakfast. Bad girl.
Then I stayed in his office for a few hours to use the WiFi to peruse a backlog of videos people had recommended or had sent me. At one point a client came in, so I wandered off for a bit to the antique shop around the corner, where I found a beautiful ring. It's a rectangular red stone set crosswise on the finger, in a sterling silver antique-looking setting, with marquisite (sp?) on the sides - for $20. It looks like a ruby! It can't be at that price, in silver rather than gold, but it is a beautiful ring.
You know, I'm always finding very beautiful rings in antique shops, yard sales, and at auctions, and what's amazing is that they always fit me perfectly. Then one day I realized that I wear an unusually small size (4.5 to 5.5), and the reason that these beautiful rings that fit me perfectly are sitting there waiting for me, not already bought, is that they fit hardly anyone else who might have been tempted. Cool.
Got home about 5 pm and got an almost immediate call from Russ at the museum. He wanted to know exactly what the problem was with the membership data base, so he could work on it. I described what was happening, and he said yeah, he'd seen that before, which felt good because that means I probably didn't cause it.
Then FirstWoman called. It had been a while since we had talked (I had assumed she'd be at last night's dinner, and was disappointed when she wasn't - especially since I had finally remembered to bring some disks I owe her), so we were on the phone for a while.
Then Russ called back - he was able to display the correct labels, and wanted to know if I could come in next Tuesday so I could try it while he was there. Oops, next Tuesday I'll be at Habitat. He'll be away for two weeks starting Wednesday. Sigh. So he's going to print the labels I need this evening, and they'll be in my mailbox for whenever I can get in next week.
I forgot to tell him that I hadn't tried printing the membership cards. I hope there's no problem with them. Oh, bleck.
.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
1248 Highway Signs / Habitat
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
New York has a law that loose loads in a truck or trailer must be covered, with a tarp or otherwise, so that bits don't blow out on the road. Driving to Rochester, I saw several several of those highway department mini-lightbulb signs along the Thruway, saying:
Panel 1: "Uncovered loads"
Panel 2: "Will be enforced"
Huh?
I don't think what it says is what was meant.
But I guess it's still better than one of the signs, that said:
Panel 1: "Untarped loads"
Panel 2: "Will be enforced"
Untarped? "Tarp" is now a verb?
I guess any word can be verbed.
-----------------------------------
One small town along the northern reach of the Thruway has a public relations problem. Just before the exit was a large "Attractions at next exit" sign. Below the header, the sign was a vast expanse of blank space.
------------------------------------
I got up in good time this morning, groomed and dressed in grungies, located my work gloves, and headed for the Habitat for Humanity project. Only problem was that I couldn't stop coughing. I feel fine, don't feel sick, but as usual at the end of a cold my sinuses are in major flush mode. The least little bit of gluck down the back of my throat will make me cough, and this gluck is the consistency of rubber cement, so there's nose blowing, schnuffing, choking and coughing. I had taken a cough suppressant, but I don't think it affects this kind of cough.
Anyway, I walked into the old house where they're tearing out walls, and within minutes started coughing so furiously I couldn't even stand. I had anticipated a problem and had taken some dust masks along, but they didn't help. Choked out my apologies and left.
I'm unhappy about that. The work schedule goes until the end of the month, so I hope I'll still have an opportunity.
.
New York has a law that loose loads in a truck or trailer must be covered, with a tarp or otherwise, so that bits don't blow out on the road. Driving to Rochester, I saw several several of those highway department mini-lightbulb signs along the Thruway, saying:
Panel 1: "Uncovered loads"
Panel 2: "Will be enforced"
Huh?
I don't think what it says is what was meant.
But I guess it's still better than one of the signs, that said:
Panel 1: "Untarped loads"
Panel 2: "Will be enforced"
Untarped? "Tarp" is now a verb?
I guess any word can be verbed.
-----------------------------------
One small town along the northern reach of the Thruway has a public relations problem. Just before the exit was a large "Attractions at next exit" sign. Below the header, the sign was a vast expanse of blank space.
------------------------------------
I got up in good time this morning, groomed and dressed in grungies, located my work gloves, and headed for the Habitat for Humanity project. Only problem was that I couldn't stop coughing. I feel fine, don't feel sick, but as usual at the end of a cold my sinuses are in major flush mode. The least little bit of gluck down the back of my throat will make me cough, and this gluck is the consistency of rubber cement, so there's nose blowing, schnuffing, choking and coughing. I had taken a cough suppressant, but I don't think it affects this kind of cough.
Anyway, I walked into the old house where they're tearing out walls, and within minutes started coughing so furiously I couldn't even stand. I had anticipated a problem and had taken some dust masks along, but they didn't help. Choked out my apologies and left.
I'm unhappy about that. The work schedule goes until the end of the month, so I hope I'll still have an opportunity.
.
Monday, May 07, 2007
1234 Home Again
Monday, May 7, 2007
Tired. Three days behind on everything. Rochester next weekend, for Jay's father's 90th birthday. Laundry to do before then. Sigh.
I left a hotel in Edison, NJ, this morning, drove all the way to Suffern, NY, stopped at the first rest stop on the Thruway for ladies' room and tea, and realized I'd left my robe in the hotel room. I WANT that robe. I knew if I didn't get it back before the cleaning crew left, I'd never see it again.
The robe was a gift, and I took it with me specifically as a kind of exorcism. Which point would be lost if I then lost the robe. I couldn't allow it to escape.
Frantic phone calls (I didn't know exactly what exit to take off 287 to find the hotel, and I didn't have the phone number for the hotel). Had to go all the way to Harriman before I could get turned around on the Thruway, back to Edison. They still had my robe, although I had to argue to get it. The woman at the desk insisted I had been in a room on the first floor, and I insisted it was the second floor. I distinctly remember the flippin' elevator! She made me actually take her to the room. Then she finally found the robe in a bag with the room number on it, in the lost-n-found basket. The Man had made three calls to the hotel, asking about the robe, before I even got there - you'd think she'd have looked before arguing with me.
Briefly considered going south to visit Daughter, but it was 2 pm ish then, and I'd have to wait for her to get off work. Gave it up. Turned around again and headed back home. Stopped in Suffern again, finally got my tea. It was so hot and the "medium" was so large, it took me almost an hour to drink it. Got home at 5 pm.
Tired.
The driving wasn't the problem. Driving is not tiring. Not sleeping well three nights in a row is tiring.
Habitat called this evening. I've committed to insulation and drywall on Tuesdays in May, starting on the 15th. I wonder if I'd have committed to that if I weren't tired.
.
Tired. Three days behind on everything. Rochester next weekend, for Jay's father's 90th birthday. Laundry to do before then. Sigh.
I left a hotel in Edison, NJ, this morning, drove all the way to Suffern, NY, stopped at the first rest stop on the Thruway for ladies' room and tea, and realized I'd left my robe in the hotel room. I WANT that robe. I knew if I didn't get it back before the cleaning crew left, I'd never see it again.
The robe was a gift, and I took it with me specifically as a kind of exorcism. Which point would be lost if I then lost the robe. I couldn't allow it to escape.
Frantic phone calls (I didn't know exactly what exit to take off 287 to find the hotel, and I didn't have the phone number for the hotel). Had to go all the way to Harriman before I could get turned around on the Thruway, back to Edison. They still had my robe, although I had to argue to get it. The woman at the desk insisted I had been in a room on the first floor, and I insisted it was the second floor. I distinctly remember the flippin' elevator! She made me actually take her to the room. Then she finally found the robe in a bag with the room number on it, in the lost-n-found basket. The Man had made three calls to the hotel, asking about the robe, before I even got there - you'd think she'd have looked before arguing with me.
Briefly considered going south to visit Daughter, but it was 2 pm ish then, and I'd have to wait for her to get off work. Gave it up. Turned around again and headed back home. Stopped in Suffern again, finally got my tea. It was so hot and the "medium" was so large, it took me almost an hour to drink it. Got home at 5 pm.
Tired.
The driving wasn't the problem. Driving is not tiring. Not sleeping well three nights in a row is tiring.
Habitat called this evening. I've committed to insulation and drywall on Tuesdays in May, starting on the 15th. I wonder if I'd have committed to that if I weren't tired.
.
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