There was pressure applied, of the psychological variety. A job, that had to be done, by me. And so, faced with an increasing level of timely reminders, I decided to get busy. Found a nail, and a studfinder. Measured and checked the level (pointless, really; only one nail). All to hang a clock, in exactly the right place.
posted in music, technology | Comments Off on Finding the tick (or the tock) | 266 words
Maybe it was due to the subliminal suggestion, implanted during last evening’s weather forecast. Or perhaps a restless dog, anxious not to miss a moment of a new day. Whatever; I was up before dawn, in time to see the crescent moon, Mars and Saturn in conjunction. Pretty, even if I still have no idea how to capture the image for posterity.
posted in technology | Comments Off on New tools | 274 words
Consider me as a reformed serial tool abuser. There. Confession is good for the soul (and the machine). Been ages since I used a handsaw to unscrew a bolt, or shaped a piece of anything with the wrong end of a clawhammer. I’ve decided to go with the right stuff.
posted in humour, technology | Comments Off on It seems that there is a right tool for that job | 269 words
Enough snow fell overnight that I had to do a personal version of “A Call To Shovels”. Heavy, but clean, snow on the deck, with a forecast of rain… no choice. With the new vigour of a fresh season, I cleared a path in front and a whole surface out back. I know, that rain will take care of the job for me, but one must keep up appearances. As for the driveway, that can wait. Didn’t need to go out today.
posted in technology | Comments Off on A call to shovels | 263 words
For the last six months, I’ve had a job on my list that just seemed to stay beyond my reach: finding the correct way to treat wood on a butcher block surface. I read, I asked advice, I shopped around. This morning, even before I put in my eye drops, I decided to head to the closest shopping area. And there, on a shelf. The Grail, or as the label said, “Tung Oil”. That was the exact concoction that one of those woodworking forums had touted. I bought the can and headed home.
posted in technology | Comments Off on Not exactly tung oil | 252 words
This afternoon, I succeeded in doubling the height of our Christmas tree-to-be. Found another section in the big cardboard box… Try doing that, you “natural tree” aficionados. I admit that I do envy your balsamic odour, though.
posted in technology | Comments Off on Doubling the height | 255 words
I came awake to the sound of the laser printer exercising, but quickly decided that this was a symptom, not a cause. The generator had kicked in with that growl I’m still learning to appreciate, and even though the light was still on in the kitchen, we had moved from grid to self-sufficiency. With my ‘net feed sustained, Twitter confirmed that I had joined a community of close to twenty thousand “in the dark” residents.
posted in technology | Comments Off on Off the grid for the morning | 263 words
As part of an ongoing mission, I had the camera out, last evening. Capturing images of a wet piece of windowsill, to be then sent to the two mailboxes of the contractor. With a “read” return, of course. Both bells rang, this morning, quickly followed by a promise to visit and rectify the ongoing problem, this week. I’m willing to stay close to the place, if this actually gets me some satisfaction. On the other hand, if the next four days are just a cooling off exercise… well, we’d better hope for a cold snap. This has been dragging on for about six months.
posted in environment, technology | Comments Off on A promise to rectify things | 263 words
Back in the spring of 1972, I purchased my first bicycle. Used, but useful. Daily fun until an unfortunate accident (still wear my scars). The bike was beyond repair, so I saved my pennies for several months (things were cheaper back then) and replaced the pile of scrapped steel with something brand new. Faster. Yellow.
posted in technology | Comments Off on Rolling toward a shorter list | 275 words
The wonderful thing about gadgets is that they don’t (necessarily) come with a “best before” date, unlike food. I have gadgets, but there’s no set rule that says I have to play with them every day, or all at once. I don’t even have to match the date I receive one with the date I actually try it out for the first time.
posted in technology | Comments Off on A tale of iffy batteries | 314 words
