My ChaoticLife

Fixing up the House

2010-06-29T20:07:00.001-07:00

Well, after the wife had surgery a week and a half ago I found myself with a day at home with the boys making sure they stayed out of trouble. I decided it was about time the front yard got some love, in this case cleaning it up some so it looked nicer.

I took the cottage stones from a stack in back that have been waiting for a year to be used in another project. Picked up 2 yards of 3-way topsoil down at Carpinito Brother's and put in a full day plus some to get it done. Next up is to plant some of the potted stuff we have around the house and make it look all sorts of pretty. Probably will also include a run down to McClendon's or a nursery to pick up some grasses and other nice plants/flowers.

This is what I had to start with...

After the grass is all removed, it's time to start filling back in with topsoil and setting the stones to build a small planter area.

The finished product, minus plant life. Hopefully this weekend we'll get down to a nursery and get it fixed up.

After the planter area was completed it was time to add a raised garden bed out front and see if we can get some nice fresh veggies one of these days...

Sometimes the warranty does payoff

2010-06-23T15:58:00.001-07:00

I have always been torn between buying something with an extended warranty or buying a more expensive model because it has a longer warranty. This really goes for anything, electronics, cars, tools, appliances, etc. I have made a few exceptions in life, like I prefer Craftsman hand tools and that's all I buy given the chance (OCD thing really). The reason I like Craftsman hand tools is simple, Sunday afternoon and I break a wrench or pliers or whatever and a quick trip to Sears gets it replaced for free.

Now, the real reason I decided to blog about warranties today is because of the water heater in the house. In the fall of 2004 when we bought our house and had the plumbing replaced from the meter to the house and throughout the house we also have them plumb in a gas water heater. This, in my opinion, was a great upgrade to the electric that was there when we bought the house. Here we are, 6 years down the road, and we start having problems keeping the pilot light lit. Going on worst case, I figure we are out anywhere from $500 - $1500 depending on how we replace it. My dream would be to go with a tank-less water heater, and bigger than we actually need for upgrades/add-ons to the house. But I digress, the next step was to hit Google and see if I could figure out what was wrong. After 5 minutes of checking multiple sites, I concluded that it's probably the thermocoupler. Being mechanically inclined, I figure this is something that I should be able to replace, if I can find the part...

Yup, that was the real problem, finding the part locally seemed to be nearly impossible. However, as I was gathering the model number, serial number and other information I noticed that it stated on the tag that there was a 9 year parts limited warranty. What the hell, why not! So I call the number on the side of the water heater, spent 5 minutes talking with the customer service representative at Whirlpool support; yes, we have a Whirlpool water heater. He came to the same conclusion, bad thermocoupler. He then took the time to explain how the thermocoupler that came with mine worked and how they discontinued that model; instead he would send me a whole new kit to replace the thermocoupler and the over-heat shut-off. He then went on to state that the parts are covered under warranty and that they would waive the over-night shipping fees for me.

So here I sit, wondering if I will need to re-light the pilot light tomorrow morning before I head into work. The answer is probably yes, but if things hold out like they are, Friday morning it will be lit and stay lit until the water heater is either intentionally shut off or removed from service in the future.

The long story short here is, sometimes having a warranty is a good thing. Will this change the way I look at warranties, not really. I will consider the cost of the warranty compared to replacement cost of the unit and how long I personally expect to have to deal with this problem should it actually fail. Had I been flipping the house in 2004, I probably would have taken price over warranty. Since I plan on living here for the foreseeable future, I will honestly consider going with the longer warranty just to make my life easier.

Trailer is just about done

2010-04-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long project for me, but we are getting close to finalizing the first part of the roof rebuild. First part really just means it's installed, canvas is up and the entire trailer is completely (100%) functional. What's left for other phases is things like getting some lights mounted, eventually putting up insulation and a ceiling, and any other modifications that I think need to be done.

An Engineer's Son!

2010-04-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, leave it to an engineer's son to come up with plans for building a LazyKate. First off, for those non-family members who might stumble across this, my father is a retired Mechanical Engineer. Second, for everyone who is wondering what a LazyKate is... It's a device to hold multiple bobbins for plying yarn after it's been spun. Or at least that is my understanding of it based on what my lovely wife has shown and explained to me.

The task at hand was to come up with a simple design for a LazyKate that I could build to suite her needs. After doing some searching I found a bunch of DIY projects that generally involved using boxes and knitting needles along with other items to create this. I decided that just wasn't going to cut the mustard, as that is what she has been doing thus far.

Upon further investigation I found there were several different designs both commercially available and homebuilt. These started with a wooden box or frame based on the DIY box method either laying flat or angled in some fashion. There were also some along the same design as what I plan to build, where 1 bobbin is raised higher than the other 2. I choose this design as it gives the whole setup a smaller base, in this case I am planning on 10" long, 6" wide and 4" tall. With the bobbins in place the height would be 5" to account for the diameter of the bobbin.

Without further ado, the plans can be found here!

My standard disclaimer on this... Just because I designed it, doesn't mean it will actually work as is. Should you take it upon yourself to build anything based on this design you do so at your own risk and can not hold me liable for any damages.

With that said, I don't mind if you pass these around and build one for yourself or a spinner you know. If you improve upon the design, let me know and I can either host the updated designs and/or will definitely link to them. Once I build the first one and know what costs/time is involved I may even build you one for a minimal cost of materials, and shipping/handling.

Trailer Update

2010-04-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well, as we all know I have been working hard on completing the tent-trailer roof. Something about aspirations of actually camping this summer and enjoying it!

As luck would have it, yesterday was a beautiful day and I got a lot of work done. Cleaned all the metal trim on the new roof, then put down a bead of caulk (inside) and installed the trim pieces. With help from my father, we were able to install the roof.

Before doing all this, I was able to install 4 new lift springs and eye-bolts on the trailer which makes a world of difference on being able to lift/drop the roof. In fact, so much so, that right now the front lifts off by at least 12" when not held down (hence the straps used in the pictures...

Next up is to take care of the roof hold-downs front/rear, hang canvas and install the vent & skylight.

Coming along nicely

2010-03-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been taking longer than I would like but then again the wife always says I have unrealistic timelines!

So this past weekend I spent most of my time at mom & dad's house to work on the trailer roof. We made great headway, given that the roof now has shape and should be getting fiberglassed this week. That would leave us with needing to get a new roof vent (old one broke during removal) and then building the surrounds for the roof vent and skylight. It's been a fun build so far, but I really can't wait to see how it looks all finished up and ready to use this summer.

If you want to see the whole set of pictures (includes the old roof demolition), click HERE! Click on the small thumbnails to see the larger image.

Trailer roof

2010-03-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, getting farther and farther along on the trailer roof! Last night we were able to start putting the frame on the trailer to make sure it would fit as expected. Also gave us some time to go over the entire frame and determine what we needed to do to make sure it is strong and will be ready for anything mother-nature throws at us while camping, travelling or just parked in the yard.

The other thing that we (Dad and I), was to start installing the alternator/charging system on the Tohatsu 6HP outboard for the sail boat. I will blog on this over on killin' Time's blog though.

All I can really say at this point is that things are really starting to look good. I am excited to be making progress on the tent-trailer and look forward to using it this summer. It's also nice to see some of the projects for Killin' Time come together so we can make better use of that as well this summer.

Wow...

2010-03-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

All I can say is Wow! I hadn't even realized it has been over a month since I was last Blogging. I am trying to get better about jumping on and updating about life and general happenings; of course with the new job I don't spend nearly the time online after work that I used to. Even my Facebook page is feeling the neglect and unloved since I can't access it from work.

The flip side is that I am much more involved in my family life and the happenings at home. To this extent, I have also had free-time to work on the trailer more and live life as it were.

Now the trailer, "The Rolling Maxi-Pad" as my wife has affectionately calls it, is coming along nicely. I doubt anything will really be changed on the interior other than the roof for this season. We are updating where we need to and fixing what needs to be fixed but it will probably be a few seasons before I address my dislikes of the floor plan. Instead, this spring I am focusing on changing the reason for it being labelled The Rolling Maxi-Pad.

As I have noted, many times before, the roof leaked for many years. This caused an excess of water to be collected and stored in the wood framing and foam insulation (until I removed it last month)... This prompted a long debate in my head as well as with others over the merit of just fixing what I have and building a new roof. Being the son of an engineer, I have found that there are certain "quirks" that I apparently have. One of these is the idea that I can build a new roof better than the old one. Now this comes from the belief I have that the manufacturer was looking for quick and cheap manufacturing of the roof and that it needed to last just beyond the warranty period. My approach is much more along the lines of, last as long as absolutely possible.

To this end, working with my father, we have started building the new roof. It's not overly complicated, a frame made of 1 x 10 and 1 x 12 spruce with 2 - 3/4" braces that will run across the roof for attaching the roof and ceiling to as well as strength. The roof will then be covered in 2.7mm plywood, and then covered with a single layer of fiberglass cloth and 2 - 3 coats of resin. Once this is done we will cut out and frame the vent and skylight openings, then fiberglass those in place and wrap it up by putting all the metal back for the manual lift system. The ultimate design will be set so the roof is peaked in the middle and drops ~2" on the sides, this will require that the skylight and vent frames be raised a little bit to ensure a level base.

The overall goal is to have a roof that won't leak, isn't too heavy to lift up (manual Heco lift system) and will last for a long time. This works with my ultimate goal of using this trailer as the kids grow, then using it for me and the wife to camp in once the kids are out on their own. Who knows, maybe even eventually pass it on to one or both the kids as they grow older.

In wrapping this up, I will give a quick status update on the roof. As of right now we have cut the sides, ends and braces. Due to weight concerns we have taken 3/4" off the hight and will start putting the frame together this week. We have decided to do the framing and put the plywood on then wait for the new lift system springs to be installed before we fiberglass. This will allow us to test and adjust weight (thin out the wood) prior to final assembly.

The springs and skylight were ordered Sunday evening, so once they show up I should be able to make good progress if weather and kids work in my favor.

Working on the trailer

2010-02-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally jumped in and started working on the tent-trailer. My wife has started to affectionately refer to this trailer as the "rolling maxi-pad". Can't blame her really, it soaks up water better than a sponge, or used to anyway...

The first step was to start tearing down the old roof so I could really see what was going on up there. Found out that the leaks should be easy enough to seal, a few pinholes here and there (I may have created one or two of those while taking the old insulation off) and the seam going down the middle. It was pretty painful taking all of the old "insulation" (i.e. sheets of injection molding foam) since they used a lot of glue to hold these sheets up to the metal shell and then again to hold the door skin to the foam.

There were two areas that really scared me, first was the back 1/3 or so from the middle seam back to the corners (think triangle) where it was actually wet once the foam was removed. Most of the foam in the back 1/2 of the trailer was wet to some degree or another. The other area was where the mounting brackets for the solar panel are located, 3 out of 4 of them had something growing around the bolts that actually seemed to be eating the foam away (I have pictures of one or two of them).

The end result, after probably 6 hours of scraping away, was that the roof is now down to metal and wood (some rotten). The advantage here is that I believe it will probably take me a long weekend to remove the roof from the trailer, remove the wood frame, rebuild and re-install. The best part of all will be having a tent-trailer that isn't super absorbent, although the wife says she will still call it the rolling maxi-pad...

Halloween...

2009-11-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

Well, another Halloween over and done with. The boys did pretty well this year, for the first time since we moved to Seatac we stuck around the house for Halloween. We've always known that our street doesn't get hit much by trick-or-treaters so around 6pm we took off for some of the side-streets closer to the school. It took about 1.5 hours to fill 2 plastic grocery bags (one for each boy), but they seemed to enjoy it.

The fun part is that they surprised me and actually trekked for that much after spending the day working in the yard with me. We cut up, then split and stacked a 60+ foot tree that came down out of the neighbors yard last weekend. The tree was cut down and laid across our backyard because it was dead and that was the safest place to drop it. Let me tell you the little boy was tired, he almost fell asleep before we headed out trick-or-treating. Big borther on the other hand didn't feel the need to work quite as hard and so he wasn't quite as tired.

A change in attitude

2009-09-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

There was a time, at one point in my time with my current employer, that I wondered if I would ever get through all the projects and tasks I have assigned to me. I kept really wondering if they would ever add someone to my team that adds value to what I do. Then it dawned on me that I am that value added to my team. Sounds weird, I know, but everytime I let the projects and tasks get me down I brought myself down and that brings IT down. This is especially true in an environment where it's 2 people, the IT Manager and myself.

What this boils down to is that the high-level planning and general (easy) operations/maintenance is always going to be done by the IT Manager. This also includes the visible projects; he wants to be seen by the management and executive team, that's why he is the IT Manager. I prefer to be much more technicial and the preferred support person by the people actually doing the work, that's why I am the Systems Administrator.

Where this leads is alot of fun projects that I get to control and run without much interference. A couple that are currently in the works are the System Center Operations Manager 2007 and deploying Windows 7. Then there are the ones that are even less visible like System Center Virtual Machine Manager and general infrastructure cleanup. Then there are the day-to-day operations and support for our user base, which can be boring yet interesting.

What this really means is a change in focus for me. I may not always like the people I work with, I may even have trouble respecting the skills they bring to the table to perform their duties; I always try to be the IT Professional and do the best damn job I can on my tasks and projects. If I play my cards right, every project and task will lead to new skills and knowledge; these in turn lead to new opportunities and even more growth. All of this really just leads me to enjoying life more, it's not about how much money I earn but instead how much I enjoy my time at work and my time at home with my family/friends.

Breaking out of the shell...

2009-09-23T10:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I have always been seen as kind of an extrovert. The funny part of that is, usually I am very shy and uncomfortable around people whom I don't know and trust. This also means that I don't blog as often as I would like to. Along with that is not doing things like creative writing, which I love but usually I am too concerned with criticism to write anything down.

I am now trying to break that shell and expand my horizons more, and I have my sons to thank for helping me to see things clearer. It really is different when you see things through the eyes of a child. My older boy who will be 10 next month pointed out that his reading teacher is a Nerd but continued on to say that it was ok because his dad is a Nerd too and is very successful.

If we re-wind back to when I was his age, we were just getting ready to move from Bothell, WA to Renton, WA for my dad's job. I remember that my parent's had 2 computers about that time, one was the IBM XT, dual 5.25" drives at the time (no hard disk) and the other was a TRS-80 Color Computer with 32KB (Kilo Bytes) of memory. I could run either computer by myself with minimal help from my parents. I was also using basic word processors and spreadsheets for doing things like writing short stories. I was also the biggest Nerd/Geek around (or so I thought) and that wasn't a good thing back then, at least not to most of the kids I knew.

Jump into college and all of a sudden I am everyone's best friend, at least the night before a big paper is due and I am currently fixing their word processor/computer or letting them use mine. Then they start coming out, people who think it's cool to be into computers because it might pay big when they get out of school. About this time I started taking pride in being a Geek and a Hacker. I didn't break into any systems, I usually had access or could get access to whatever I needed. I was an old school Hacker (capital H), I could hack together code and make the computer do what I wanted for the most part.

Now, we are on to a new stage in life. Being in my early 30's with 2 boys that are learning right and wrong from my successes and my failures, it's time to shed my fears and open the door to new opportunities. I may end up really failing at creative writing, then again I could turn it into a living. Either way, at least I will have tried.

On a side note, my 10 year old revealed the other day that he is thinking that someday he wants to be a video game programmer or working in fields like Archeology/Geology/Palaentology. I wish him the best of luck in anything he wishes to become.

I am not a pet person, really!

2009-09-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I will be the first to admit that I am not much of a pet person. In fact somedays I am not much into anything or anyone other than me and my wife, which both of our kids don't always like. But that's for another day, I bring up the pet situation because of an incident concerning our 9 year old cat that started on Sunday.

George, short for Curious George, is roughly 9 years old and has been an indoor/outdoor (mostly outdoor) cat for the last 6 - 7 years. We've known for the last 4 (or more) years he has also been getting into fights and such but he always came home and usually if he spent a night outside was waiting to be let in for food/water at 6am.

Sunday, Sept. 20, George wasn't waiting to be let in when I got up. Figured not a big deal, it was warm out so he might just be hiding out somewhere since I slept in rather than getting up early. Starting shortly thereafter, periodically we would hear an animal howl, just once. Mid-day we went out looking around the yard to see if we could find the animal in pain. That's when we found George lounging on the front porch back in a corner. Again, not thinking much of it, he normally would find a cool place on the porch or out front to lounge during the day, we left him be. An hour or two later, when he moved, I realize he was the one making the noise. Not being able to catch him, he took off into the back part of our property and the vacant lot behind us. Not a big deal except that we couldn't find him buried in the blackberries.

Finally, Tuesday evening he came out and crossed the street to hide in a culvert. After a couple hours of trying to get him out we were able to grab him and get him into the house. Some food, water and a trip to the Vet Hospital ER ($400 later) he is drugged up and at home again. No broken bones, just in pain and needing rest.

Moral of this story, according to my wife, I am a pet person. I can deny it all I want, but I actually am kind of fond of the cats, bird, lizard and any other animals the kids try to bring home.

They stole the lawn mower?!?

2009-09-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's right someone stole my lawn mower. Not sure exactly when it happened because we don't water the lawn which means we don't mow it that much over the summer, only in the spring/fall. We think it was while we were gone on vacation through most of July, but don't really know.

What really pisses me off about this is that we have been known to forget to lock the cars leaving electronics and other stuff vulnerable. We have left the kids' bikes outside over the weekend. The Thule cargo box, Yakima basket and hitch basket are all left outside pretty much year round and what do they steal, my damn mower.

The good news is that Home Depot had a reconditioned model on the floor for $124.99 so it came home and does a fine job of mowing the grass. Next up, garden shed to lock the mower and other stuff in...

Spring cleaning, a little late...

2009-09-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally are getting around to getting rid of junk. Over Labor Day weekend we held a garage sale, then took a full car to GoodWill. Now we are going through even more junk and cleaning out even more.

So we got a little behind over the years, and life does just seem to happen. The interesting thing is, when you start to really look at the junk and really think "do I really want to keep this?" or "is this really a project I want to spend my time on?" it makes it really really easy to let things go. Who knows, maybe by the new year I will be able to sit in my home and relax and not wonder why I have to move so much junk to relax...

Spring cleaning just came a little later than it should have, but it is coming in full force.

and How was your week(end)?

2009-06-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, my great adventures started last week when my motorcycle decided to die on the freeway. I believe it's one (or more) of the 4 carbs that needs to be cleaned. Then there was trying the new water system in the tent-trailer (overpressurized the tank inlets on the faucet). This was kind of cool until I realized that the drain hose was kinking and not draining all the water being pumped into the sink.

There was the Microsoft test that I took on Friday and failed, by 6%, but a failure is a failure and time to buck up, sturdy harder and pass the second time. Then leaving about 3 hours late for the camping trip meant putting up camp in the dark.

Saturday started off pretty good, given that we were camping on the East side of the cascades just West of Yakima. Saturday mid-day brought on a nasty thunderstorm with hail and pounding rain (think flash flood). Saturday evening turned out really nice, same for Sunday morning. Thinking that I might want to not try Chinook pass where I have no cell coverage on a steep winding 2 lane mountain pass I opted to tow the trailer into Yakima, up to Ellensburg and across the mountains that way... Got to Highway 18 & I-90 where the Blazer finally overheated and stopped forward momentum. Did I forget to mention that the trailer still has a roof problem and apparently during the pounding rain it took on more water.

Then there was the dowtime Sunday night where I had to be at the co-location (4 miles away) to do a memory upgrade. To start it off I locked my keys in the car, then the memory didn't fit (physically) as not all Server DDR2-PC4200 memory modules are not made equal. Of course, after the day I had, it didn't occur to me to catch the bus that runs right out front or call a cab; instead I walked the 4 miles back home to get a key to the car at 9:30pm!

Well, today I get to go to work. Figure out a starting problem on my Blazer, resolve a fuel problem on my motorcycle, solve weight and water system problems on the tent-trailer and live life to the fullest...

Another good weekend

2009-05-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend had to be good cause it started with my oldest friend getting married. From there I went on to work around the house getting the bathroom closer to being done. Now all that's left is some final detail work like trim and touch-up painting.

Sunday I got out and rode the motorcycle for a little jaunt. Realized as I am flying up I-5 into Seattle that the speedometer might be a little off. According to the guage I was running between 80 and 90 MPH to keep up with traffic flow. I am pretty sure on a Sunday afternoon that traffic is not flowing at 80 - 90 MPH past Boeing Field and into Downtown. Beyond that, the bike seems to be running pretty damn good this year (so far). Looks like most of the electrical problems were due to bad pos/neg battery cables.

It's about damn time!

2009-04-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened! Bryan is getting married so we took him out for a "bachelor party". Now, being the good boy that he is the options became limited (no strippers, no booze, etc). Being the "good" friend that I am; I determined the best way to celebrate would be to take him out into the woods for a weekend with friends.

The group was Bryan, Craig C., John, Rob, Kyle and me. Two campsites at Deception Pass State Park (45 / 46), 2 trailers and tow vehicles, 2 tents, and 1 motorcycle is all it takes to get one group of obnoxious guys all together. Overall the weekend was fun, we started by meeting up for a late dinner at Bob's Burgers in Burlington (highly recommend this place) then off to the campsite. Apparently the park's check-in hours end before we got there at 10pm, but with a gate unlocked we just went on in anyway.

I won't go into details, but Bryan was given all the "tools" he will need for next Friday night! A nice late night fire and alot of bs-ing for some good times. Saturday brought about more bs-ing along with a beach trip and a trip across the bridge to the island for some time relaxing and watching the tide change (slck tide into receeding). Back to camp for dinner and guess what, yup, more bs-ing. Dinner got more interesting when Craig C decided to give Roger (the dog) a nice dinner plate so he didn't have to keep getting fed from everyone's plates. Round it out with another nice long (hot) fire and it was pretty good.

Check out the pictures on Flickr.

Thursday Night, Progress is Made!!!

2009-02-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well, Bryan came down and helped me out tonight. I got all the wire run for the electrical, Bryan finished up the framing behind the tub and I finished up framing up the medicine cabinet over the sink.

Then we hit the drywall... So far the back (outside) wall is mostly complete, I just have one more partial sheet of 5/8" drywall along the top, the cabinet area is mostly done (thank you Bryan!!!) and I figure there is 6 pieces (+/-) and some trim pieces to complete. Who knows, maybe tomorrow it will all be done... Then again, maybe not, as only time will tell...

Oh, and new pictures are posted on the Flickr site, so go check those out too...

Quick Update...

2009-02-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I spent some time today and this evening working on the house. The flooring is in, the plumbing is all good to go. The eletrical and framing are works in progress, I may just have to take an extra hour or two off tomorrow afternoon to get an early start on those.

I am bound and determined to start (and finish?) drywalling on Thursday. Given that this is our only bathroom and until it is done we are refugees at my parent's house (don't get me wrong I love my parent's, but I want to get back to living in my house), I am anxious to be done and have a livable bathroom again.

Hopefully tomorrow's update, and some new photo's will show alot more progress...

Awesome New Coffee Shop

2009-02-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

About 6 weeks ago a neat little coffee shop opened up just down the street at the Military Road, 164TH & 41ST street intersections in Seatac, WA. Those who know me well, know I have a preferrence for local "mom & pop" type shops to help build community; with one caveat and that is that you have to do it well. In this case, another coffee shop isn't really anything to shout from the roof-tops. I mean really, how many neighborhood coffee shops are there in the greater Puget Sound region? Not to mention the Starbuck's, Tully's, and other chains...

Well, lately I have been either getting coffee at the local Safeway (Starbuck's) or at the Mezza Cafe in Skyline Tower (Bellevue). This morning, after dropping the kids off at school and before hitting the computer to work K suggested that we try "Mike's Community Cup". It was new and we had heard that it was great coffee, and we heard right. I had my usual caramel sauce latte (16oz/Grande) and K had one of her frappicino style coffees. To say the least, the coffee itself tasted better and I wasn't waiting to hit the bottom or stirring frantically to kill the sharp (burnt) taste of the coffee. Normally I don't care for the foam on top either, today neither one was an issue.

We stopped and chatted for a bit with Mike, the owner, and found out that it's a family/friends business. Mike works there as well as running the business, he also has his daughter, one of her friends and the daughter of a family friend that all work there with him. As I looked around I found it nice to see that he had setup his "office" on a table out front where he could interact with his customers. Top that off with having a variety of smoothy type drinks for kids, CarpiSuns in the cooler ($0.75 each), lots of room to hang out and a desire to be a local hang out for kids and adults. Needless to say, I may find myself working from there on occasion just because it's a cool place to be.

I am sure this isn't the last time I will comment or blog about Mike's Community Cup... There's just something nice about seeing an honest man trying to build a business on making the community better. Whether that is providing a place to hang out or giving some of the profits back to the community ($0.10/drink).

Making Progress!!!

2009-02-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

Well, we were able to get all the flooring cut out tonight. Unfortunately, Dad ran out of steam before we could fit everything into place. I have a few cuts to make in the 2nd layer so that they can be layed down but Wednesday evening will be all about framing and drywall...

I will post pictures soon, but this is good news for us. All I need is an extra pair of hands and we can be doing both drywall and framing for Wednesday. I figure 2 people can be cutting and installing drywall while someone else is doing the framing (not much) and we are good to go. All in all, it's possible that tape and mud are started either late Thursday or Friday sometime which means that I have no doubts about being back in the house by the end of the weekend.

Of course, an evening of working with Dad always leaves me with some new insight... Tonight I learned that shutting the water off is probably good when installing flooring in the bathroom. Yes, K, I should have learned this with Tracy & Rick's bathroom flooring job. At least, it wasn't as bad as that one either, in that as we were putting the first layer down somehow the valve for the toilet got turned approximately 1/4 of a turn which sent water spraying straight up and misting us. Luckily for us, no major damage other than a little wetter than I wanted to be working on this cool evening...

Of course, as promised I finally posted pictures to K's Flickr account under the title "Bathroom Remodel".

Still Slow Going...

2009-02-23T21:11:00.001-08:00

Well, we did manage to get the floor supports (nailers) in place tonight. We thought about cutting the first piece of flooring but realized that by the time we got ready and made the cut(s) it would be 9pm or later and it was probably better to call it quits before we ran too late and too tired.

Well, that just means that flooring and framing go in tomorrow. With any luck, both will be done and then we can start hanging drywall...

Moving Slowly...

2009-02-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well, over the weekend we finally got all of the flooring out and the walls stripped down to the studs.

The biggest problem is that it is shear back breaking work to pull up the 2 layers of 3/4" tongue and groove wood. Couple that will old wall board that is nailed up and it meant a very slow going.

We also found a small basketball sized bees nest under the floor boards up against the foundation, which is cool. We took it down and most of it went to the dump while some sections were saved by Karen for the boys to take to school.

Still taking pictures, and sooner or later I will even get them uploaded to Flickr...

Tonight's plan is to start putting up all the nailers so the sub-flooring can be nailed down. Hopefully we will also get the sub-flooring cut to fit around pipes and such. If this works out, it's entirely possible that at least one layer of floor (if not both) could be down as soon as tonight or as late as tomorrow night.

After that I need to do some eletrical work and set the tub in place. Once that is done there is some framing work that needs to be done around the tub and for the medicine cabinet, and putting up insulation. Once that is all done we get to start putting up drywall again.

It's all pretty simple when you look at it like that, and I realize that it may take longer. Then again, it could all be going back together on Wednesday/Thursday and we are living in the house again on Thursday/Friday.

I would hazard a guess at this time that even if the flooring comes in this weekend we will probably wait until mid-March to paint and lay down the new flooring along with new molding around the walls. But I have been known to be wrong on timelines or guesstimates... Just look at the last post and where I expected to be by this time...

This Sh*t Sucks!!!

2009-02-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, so last Sunday evening (Feb. 15) we discovered that the original galvinized drain line(s) in our house have started to corrode and rust through. Not so bad in and of itself, except it also turns out that the septic system has been backing up too. This means everytime the toilet flushed or the shower runs or the clothes washer, dishwasher, kitchen sink, bathroom sink or any other water runs into the system it ends up on the floor of the crawl space. Unfortunately, this meant that no plumber would climb under there to replace the pipes until it was cleaned up.

Monday morning brought about a fun morning of talking with several plumbers and a couple of water damage clean-up crews. We settled on 1-800 Water Damage to do the clean-up, which was probably wise, as they were very fast and efficient. By 6pm on Monday the mess was cleaned up and fans were running to air out the space, by Wednesday mid-day they had come back and laid new moisture barrier down. We also settled on having Mr. Rooter come out and replace the pipes starting on Wednesday mid-morning. the bid on the plumbing included a couple of nice to have items like moving the clean-out access to the garage instead of under the house and doing a hydroscrub of the mainline along with a video (roots growing into the mainline outside the foundation).

By Monday evening we had also discovered that the septic tank is not draining and needed to be pumped. Tuesday afternoon the guys at G&N Septic were nice enough to come out and pump out the tank. They also talked us through some possible scenarios and average costs to start looking at the septic system. Unfortuantely (fortunately ?) we can't get someone out to start looking at it until early to mid-week this next week.

Wednesday was a nice productive day, they started the plumbing work, I spent the morning tearing up to levels of subfloor over the original floor. I also replaced the bathtub with a nicer one from my parent's bathroom remodel. Then it was time to spend more money down at Home Depot to get everything to make the bathroom look all spiffy...

Thursday evening, after work and dinner, I went over to the house and started in on getting ready to rebuild the bathroom. Only to find out that the floor is pretty rotten in several places so with the help of a friend we ripped up most of the floor. I get to finish this work after I leave the office today and start prepping everything for a new floor and new drywall. If all goes well, we should have a new and functional bathroom by the end of the weekend.

This brings us up to date so far, and I will blog more as time allows and I do more work. To answer the unknown question, I don't believe I am delusional or on medication, but I am having fun with this and seem to be able to smile throughout the day at the office and at home while working on the house. I will also try to find some time to post pictures of the bathroom in the various stages of work on K's Flickr account.

Fall camping in the NW is good for the soul...

2008-09-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Location: Deception Pass State Park (Whidbey Island, WA)
When: Sept. 19 - 21
Site: #11

So, back at the beginning of September, my good friend Bryan suggested that we go camping this fall. Get out and use the tent-trailer at least once this year since we haven't really had time before now. This lead us to making reservations, that same day, for Deception Pass. I haven't been there since I was much younger, but it is still a fun and exciting place to go play for the weekend.

We pulled into the State Park around 7:30pm Friday night, it took us about 3 hours to get from Seatac to Deception pass (100 miles). I knew that site #11 would have some kind of steep incline/decline from the online description. Turns out it was a steep incline into the site, but the trailer (tent pad) area was nice and level and then a slight downward slope from the trailer to the fire pit area. Bryan had site #10, which was right across the road from us and a nice little trail (5 feet long) lead from our fire pit to the road and his site.

By the time we pulled in and started getting everything setup it was dark outside. After a stressful couple of weeks this meant I had some "issues" getting things to work. Simple things like the stove wouldn't work right and the fridge wouldn't light on propane so I assumed that the tank was empty and didn't even try the heater. Turns out the tank was full and the fridge wouldn't work on electric or propane, but the stove just needed the hose re-routed a little bit to not kink. The city water connection also proved to be a problem for me, partially user error and partially needed to clean the faucet so the valve on the city water connection could work correctly. With Bryan's help I got the furnace fired up and the city water flowing good, which the family was very happy about.

On Saturday we took the boys to the beach after breakfast and then again before dinner. There was a lot of fun walking around on the beach and just exploring the rocks/cliffs. Big C had a great time and put his climbing skills to good use, going places even I don't think I would have tried. Little K on the other hand did a great job learning to navigate the rocks and pushing the limits. He did have trouble though in that he wanted to follow Big C and Bryan around and that put him into areas he was VERY uncomfortable with. Alas, Little K spent a fair amount of time showing us his big strong arms as he threw rocks into the water and moved drift wood around. After lunch we ran down to Coupeville, WA, which was about 30 miles south of us. This was because K knew of a yarn shop there she wanted to visit, but also gave us an opportunity to swing through a Safeway and grab some ice cream for dessert. After we got back from the excursion, Bryan and I took the boys to the beach again while K stayed at camp and made a REALLY great chicken chili over the fire. That was one meal that really hit the spot, at least for me. After dinner, of course, you have to have smores over the fire and we couldn't let the ice cream sit in the freezer for too long so it had to be eaten. I should mention that Saturday also brought a fair amount of moisture in the form of rain and drizzle.

Sunday brought a rest from the wet stuff, but also a shortened timeline as we needed to be heading out of the site by 11am. Breakfast was fun, in that I cooked bacon over the fire on a griddle and caught a couple of pieces on fire. The boys loved seeing the grease fire on the griddle and bacon, and the bacon only turned out a little crispy. Breaking camp wasn't too hard with the trailer, but still took a good 45 minutes to get everything done and ready to go. This brought a final trip to the beach, where we hit the North beach, up close to the bridge. Big C went even farther on the rocks pushing my comfort level, and wearing his crocs instead of real shoes/boots to boot. Little K just kept exploring the trails and finding more rocks to throw into the water. Big C did take part in a Banana Slug relocation program by picking one up along a trail, taking it down to the beach then climbing up one of the cliffs to place it in the woods at the top. At which time he had trouble finding a line back down. Bryan ultimately climbed up and helped him back down as I had Little K down below on the rocks watching.

Alas, it was time for lunch then the 2 hour drive (no traffic) back home. After unloading the car we hauled the trailer over to my folks place where we could set it up under cover to let it dry out and clean it out. Next up, another fall trip with our friend Karen, but that we still need to plan.

After a wet couple of days, the boys being well... Boys and not always listening, then me coming down with a cold or allergies or something and being grumpy most of the weekend... Basically it was a good weekend just being away from work and life relaxing with good friends, family and fire in the woods. For those interested, the pictures are now on Flickr...

Now that's alot of work...

2008-07-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

Now that's alot of work, to pull the carpet up and expose the hardwood floors in a 1200 square foot house while still living in it. Yup, that's what we have been doing this week while I am on vacation. So far the hallway, dining room, and most of the living room has been cleared (including all staples and tack strips). Next step, the office and bedrooms. Those should be interesting since the boy still hasn't cleaned up his room yet so alot of toys may get rolled up with the carpet...

Well, at least one of the major projects for this summer in the house is a good 2/3's the way done. Time to go get cleaned up and relax for a bit...

Waking up at 80 MPH...

2008-06-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

I like to refer to it as "waking up at 80MPH"; however, we can call it what it really is which is getting back on my bike and riding again. Now some people would argue that running in and out of work or just around town isn't really riding. I can agree with this, since I long to get out and really stretch the legs on my bike on some open road. On the other hand, she does need some work before I can honestly feel safe running her out on the open road away from immediate assistance should something go wrong.

The bike, is a 1983 Honda V45 VF750S (750cc Sabre). A good bike by any means, but when I got the bike she didn't start right away. That had something to do with the crankcase being filled with gasoline, as someone back down the line kept forgetting to turn the fuel off when it got winterized. She actually took very little work to get running, to keep running she has needed some new parts here and there.

The trick now is to find the wiring that keeps shorting out the entire electrical system. Going over bumpy roads the electrical system likes to keep going on and off. This could be a problem, but so far she hasn't died on me when this happens, cross my fingers and knock on wood.

So now where do we go from here? The truck (1996 Dodge Dakota) is up for sale, the Blazer (1993 S-10) is getting a new engine soon, the tent trailer is pretty much ready to rock and roll, and the Sailboat is in the water waiting to go sailing...

I think it's time I get out of the office and outdoors a little more...

Another day another project to work on...

2008-06-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

Ever have those days where it feels like just another day with yet another project to work on? Don't get me wrong here, I am not complaining about not having enough to do or even having too much to do. My complaint is more in my time management, at least when at home...

At work, no problem there with time management, I just come in and hit it trying to get everything done. The list keeps growing but I do manage, for the most part, to keep it tame enough that I don't bring work home too much.

At home on the other hand, there's the work on my S10 Blazer, prepping the sailboat for launch, prepping the trailer for camping, wash and wax all 3 vehicles, fix the motorcycle, clean the garage, clean the house, remove the blackberry bushes, mow the yard, weed the yard, etc. etc. etc.

I don't really have a complaint against all of this because it keeps me busy and out from in front of the TV becoming a vegetable. On the other hand, I want to get all of it done now (well except maybe some of the yard work just because it sucks). Then I want to go and do everything now, like camping and boating and just generally causing trouble...

This really just brings me back to the beginning, another day another project to work on and sooner or later I will get everything done (I think)...

You can teach an old dog new tricks...

2008-06-01T21:35:00.001-07:00

So, some old dogs can learn a new trick or two; in this case I have learned how to splice braided rope. Given that the picture is attempt #2 and is done with used line which makes it that much harder, I don't think it's too bad of a project...

So, with the sailboat I decided it's about dang time I learned how to properly work with lines. This includes splicing, knotting and general use. So to this end, I went out and purchased a Samson Ropes Splice Kit from Boater's World, some thimbles, whipping line and needles from West Marine and started splicing. So far, it is going well so I will keep at it and see how it goes since the worst case scenario is that I will spend a day on the boat "Just Killin' Time" and working with some lines...

The bigger is not always for the better...

2008-05-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I am a fan of the "bigger is better" philosophy, of course there are always exceptions to this rule. The one I have found now is that of The Stretch Truck Company (http://www.stretchtruck.com/). To be honest, yeah the nice big red 6 door F650(?) truck is downright cool. If I were to own this truck, across the sides and back would be a nice big "Big Red" and a bulldog or someother fierce dog painted on it. But do we really need a 6 door Excursion?

Of course, at one point everything thought that a Ford version of the Suburban would flop. Most didn't know that Centurion verhicles was building custom Ford Suburban's for people wanting them. Who know's maybe in 10 years Ford will be mass producing these stretched Ford's for everyone to buy and drive. Given current gas prices, they may want to find a really fuel efficient engine for these to run on.

Microsoft released RSAT...

2008-05-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Microsoft released RSAT, back in March... Goes to show just how important these tools are to me at this point. Actually, I gave up on them for a while because I was trying to get a bunch of my infrastructure upgrades completed and just didn't look for them.

Now that I have found them, KB 941314 for x86 / x64, there is the little side note of you have to be running SP1 on Vista to run these tools. Well, I just rebuilt both my desktop and laptop so SP1 will be installed this week and then the tools will be installed.

I shall blog about how well the do or don't work over the next few weeks.

Woohoo, rock garden is getting done...

2008-04-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so being that we have had snow, rain, hail, sleet, and whatever else mother nature can throw at us in the last few days; it's time to get outside and play in the dirt a little bit. For those of you that remember, we had a tiered area outback that was broken up by 3 - 8' railroad ties that were rotting out. Since I completed the stairs and retaining wall, and had to remove some of the railroad ties anyway, time to turn it into an extended rock garden. Now we just need to weed the original rock garden to bring the upper boards to match.

Karen has wanted to extend the rock garden since we started talking about what to do back there. We kept looking around the property for nice rocks to use, since they liked to use decent rocks for fill in areas. Turns out as I did the retaining wall I got more than enough rocks to use, which is good because Byron and Carla had expressed interest in a rock for their house and I have extras.

Ok, so many of the rocks used around the edges of the new area are definitely 2 man rocks. I should specify that by 2 man rocks I really believe 2 men rolling these rocks into place. Of course being stubborn I didn't actually acknowledge this until after I finished the job.

Well, off to the next project taming the children, which I think is a lost cause; but since I am commited to a loosing battle I might as well go head strong into it.

Killin' Time has a blog

2008-04-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got around to building a blog for Killin' Time, our 1978 San Juan 23. This blog will be used as a sailor's log book so to speak. I will try to update it with pictures and information as we spend time working on and sailing this wonderful little boat.

Check it out at http://killintimesailing.blogspot.com/

Over the next few days I will compile a list of all the past projects / sailing logs (not many) and post them up there as well.

REI's Pinnacle, again...

2008-04-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we headed on up to REI's Seattle Flagship store to tackle the Pinnacle once more. This time we had a few changes to the group, for one Bryan joined us this time and second is that Colt had to sit out. Apparently he was having a hearing malfunction day, i.e. he did not complete his chores after constant reminding. Mom was nice and let him come watch the rest of us, so at least he got that.

So, I got to be first up and tackled the route they named "Baker" which I found just a little ironic as I prepare to climb. Of course being me, I think I spent just a little too much time analyzing it because I only got just above the technical area and called it good. I probably could have gone all the way, but for some reason chose not to. I won't go into it too deep here, by I think it all came down to psyching myself out. Bryan on the other hand, second up, bested me by a long shot and hit the top without problem. It did help that the technical part he was able to stretch over, but that gave us all a good laugh as he had to darn near lift his foot to where his hand was.

Anyway, all in all a good evening activity. I don't think we will be heading up next week as it sounds like the Pinnacle is getting maintenance done. Stay tuned, as I am sure we will continue to do this and possible grow the group we go with.

Another project, almost done

2008-04-10T09:48:00.001-07:00

Well, I kinda like having spring break off and just working around the house and yard. It's amazing how much you can get done. I started off last weekend by just completeing all episodes of Star Wars Complete Saga on the Wii. This basically opened up all the levels for ths kids to free play on, and I just have to complete some steps like finish getting all the mini-kits, red bricks and buying all the cool characters / extras I can. Although the wife was less than amused that just about every waking hour was, "hey if you aren't watching TV, mind if I play Star Wars?"

Well, with that over with and the wall now done, it was time to move onto another project. I have a 1993 S-10 Blazed that has been a project for about 3 months now (we aren't going to count how long the 1989 Blazer was a project for here). I have just about completed it, and in fact it is drivable and has insurance therefore it gets the done stamp.

The only things left to do are, 1) fix / replace the right rear passenger seat belt, 2) replace the trailer wiring, 3) re-attach the door panels for the front 2 doors, 4) replace the cruise control cable. Yesterday I climbed under it and fixed the exhaust leak. This was a fun little project in that it required removal of the y-pipe and catalytic converter so I could repair a bend where the pipe met the manifold. The funny thing about a little S-10 Blazer, there isn't a lot of room under there to move stuff around.

Well, on to finish those last few items on the Blazer then see what other trouble I can cause around here. Still have the rock garden to build for the wife, clean the house some more, clean my garage, do a metal recycling run, clean the sailboat (interior), and probably a bunch more stuff too...

Another project, DONE!!!

2008-04-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so last summer I bought 2 pallets (96 blocks / pallet) of Windsor blocks from HomeDepot. The plan was over a few weekends at the end of the summer and into early fall I would take out the rock garden / wall in the backyard and put up this nice new wall and some stairs. Well summer turned to fall and fall into winter and still the blocks have been sitting in the backyard waiting to be put in place.

Well, what better use of srping break than to get to some much needed yard work. Since I already had planned to take the week off and spend it around the house with the wife and kids getting some house and yardwork done, this seemed reasonable. Monday afternoon I started on the stairs and spent a few hours working on this. Tuesday, we'll call it suicide day, I finished the entire wall.

Now, this is no small feat since I still had 3/4 of the original rock wall / garden to remove and they weren't small rocks either. Most of the rocks the previous homeowner had used would be considered 2 man rocks, being stubborn I moved them by myself. Then there was moving all the dirt; first to make room for the wall then to backfill the wall and hold things in place. Of course, we can't forget the fun of moving the blocks from up by the trailers down to where the wall it being built. The first couple of trips were easy and kind of fun, the rest got harder and harder as time went on. I can't forget to mention my helpers, we'll just refer to them as "the boys" (8 and 5 years old respectively), who decided to help. The bigger one was able to lift the first couple of blocks each day and carry them, then he moved on to rolling them to me which was ok but a little slow. The little one, when not getting mad at his brother, was kind enough to steal my tools and stomp on the blocks to make sure they are level and secure. Together, the boys were kind enough to assist in this project as long as their TV shows weren't interesting and it wasn't raining, and only long enough for dad to get frustrated enough to let them go back to said TV shows.

So, the statistics on these blocks... 12" W x 8" D x 4" H, weighing in at 24 pounds each. I used 180 of my 192 blocks which means that I moved 4,320 pounds (this is just to get them from the where they were unloaded to the project area). Then there's the rocks and dirt to go with it. Let's just say that this project has left me a little sore and really tired but it's done, looks good and the sore muscles remind me that I did more than hold a chair in place for 2 days.

A nice day in Seattle

2008-03-23T12:09:00.001-07:00

Well, yesterday wasn't too bad of a day weather wise around here so it was a great day to open the trailer up and air it out.

We found that there are some holes (small) in the canvas that we will need to deal with and a few other odds and ends that need to be done. The best part was my buddy Bryan stopped by and helped set it up and take it down, which was a big help. He also helped me test out the furnace, fridge and stove to make sure they all work correctly. So far, everything that runs on propane works fine, all though the fridge didn't seem to work on battery but the battery could have been too low to run the fridge. Basically, all in all, we are ready to hits the woods and do some camping. Now it dosen't really matter if it rains either, we have an awning, indoor cooking, sleeping and eating space and some room for the kids to play games or color or whatever...

The list of to-do items shrunk dramatically after yesterday, in fact there is only a half-dozen or so items that need to be done and we are ready to camp.

Snaps on the canvas where it meets the screen door (the velcro isn't holding it in place)
Clean and test water system (not necessary, but would be nice to have)
Charge the battery
Patch small holes on front canvas
Wash canvas (sometime this summer)
Get leveling jacks for all 4 corners...

Of course, you can't have a good friends over and not have some fun too. So after all was done with the trailer we lit a fire in the fire-pit out back and had a great evening. We cooked hot dogs (Bedder Cheddars) over the fire then made smores. The fire got put out around 9pm as the kids are sent in to bathe and Bryan got ready to head on home. During the course of the evening we had a nice visit from our neighbor Mark, and generally just enjoyed the evening and watching a fire burn.

The fun part was Friday being pretty good too, Kevin and I went out and washed the trailer with a pressure washer. It took a little longer because Kevin wanted to help and being 5 makes it tought to control the wand. But I put him on top and let him pressure was it which he had a great time doing, just walk around pointing down and everything gets clean.

After pressure washing it we replaced all the light bulbs for the running lights and tail-lights, those all work now but I have grounding issues with my truck so I get to deal with those next. Just looks kinda weird how for the first few miles all the lights blink when a turn signal is on and go out when you press the brakes...

Well, off to enjoy some Easter fun with the family and see what happens next in life...

Another toy...

2008-03-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been wanting a trailer of some kind to take the kids and wife camping in for some time now. I will admit it, tent camping is fun and all but you can't beat climbing into a trailer that at least has a heater running and a dry place to enjoy a meal. So, through a friend I was able to locate a good condition Sun Lite Firebird V tent-trailer. For the reasonble price I paid, it's in pretty good condition, the canvas has already been replaced and is in good condition. Has a newer propane tank and battery, along with solar charger for the battery. Other nice features include a DC / LPG fridge (1.2cf ?), LPG heater, 110V inverter and basic cold water holding tank. Outside, it is setup with an awning permanently mounted and room to mount the table and stove outside. This includes a nice LPG connection right by the door so there is flexibility there too. Basically, ready to roll with now and we can go camping any weekend we want.

Of course, as with all my toys I am already starting my to-do list on it. There is a 110V power source and I have a 3500W generator, just need to figure out where to carry the generator. Of course, even with the trailer you can't camp without a fire in the firepit so I also need room to carry wood or other supplies. There's always the possibility that I will want to carry my little sailboat on the top should we head for somewhere with water. Then again, I might steal Dad's wood strip canoe to take with us instead.

Well and what toy of mine would be complete without the list of things it needs done. First off, I need to go through all the running lights and replace bulbs while re-sealing the lights to the trailer. Then there is also the rot along the back on the roof, hey it basically sat unused but also uncovered. In the Great Northwest, that means alot of rain touching down on the roof. It's not so bad that we can't get out camping, but something I really plan on getting to this summer.

Well, let's see if it takes me another month to find something to blog about... Depends on how long it takes me to finish the current project (1993 S10 Blazer)...

Vista and all the joys for a Network Administrator

2008-02-20T20:40:00.000-08:00

Yup, well it's true I wear the title of "Network Administrator" which is cool an all but means I put way too many hours in doing work and generally working on the computer. I have been running Vista for a while now, at least 6 months, because I have to support the users in the office and need to know it intimately. As a network admin, this means pain and suffering when it comes to working with my servers and network appliances.

Most everything DOESN'T work with Vista well. Connect to that new gigabit switch and configure it, oh yeah where is my terminal emulator... Found and downloaded PuTTY, I highly recommend this one... Need a TFTP server, not many out there that I could find that worked reliably... Need that good old AdminPak for Server 2003 or Exchange 2003 Admin tools, neither one works worth a darn... Burning ISO's to disc, again not alot that works really well in Vista... Now, Microsoft is releasing SP1 for Vista, so what's gonna break now????

Well, I installed SP1 this morning, that was a fun hour of twidle my thumbs... So far, I am happy to report that it is running very nicely... So, tonight I jump back on my hunt for RSAT (Remote Server Admin Tools, or something like that) to see if we are any closer to a release date. Everything I find, comes from speculation mostly, states that sometime after SP1 releases... Great, Microsoft release SP1 to manufacturer's earlier this month, released to partners via MSDN around mid-month, and states that SP1 will release to the public mid-March... Looks like at least another month before I can even hope for RSAT to come out. Guess I just keep looking and finding freeware tools to support my assigned duties....

I shall also take a moment to rant about Dell's 2161DS-2 KVM switch. As I stated about a week ago, and I back in the same big server location listening to all the servers and AC systems running; I installed and got running a 2161DS-2 switch from Dell. It's great and wonderfull, except for connecting to legacy hardware from Dell... Specifically, the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC Blade rack, which has a uplink SIP built-in to the KVM system from the factory... Turns out that even though my KVM can see and remote control the KVM on the 1655 the software used to access the KVM remotely can not, does not, and will not have that capability. Apparently it hasn't been there for a couple of versions and won't be fixed even though Dell is still supporting warranty contracts on the 1655 through 2010, according to my Dell tech that assisted with getting the system up and running in the first place. Thank you very much Dell for a half-assed solution, if only the software would let me force the tiered switch on the correct port it would all be good. Wonder if this happens with other legacy KVM switches that are or are not Dell models...

The Geek Speaks... And rants

2008-02-13T23:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have long enjoyed the title GEEK. I will admit that growing up I was referred to as a NERD, GEEK, DWEEB, etc. Not being very "athletic" in competitive sports I turned to things that interested my mind. Mainly books, building stuff, cars, trains, etc. This also included the computer, which as a boy was a good old TRS-80 color computer. Thoughout my years I have played with various other systems as well such as Amiga, Apple, Tandy, Commadore, and I enevitably settled with the good old x86 PC.

Through the years I have played with most Microsoft OS's starting with DOS 3.3 and Windows version 1. As time has gone on, I actually got a job doing what I enjoy... Playing with computers. It actually seems kind of odd that I am sitting in a co-location filled with servers, not just the ones my employer owns either, and find peace in the constant noise of the servers and AC systems running in the background...

Well, as I said, this is been typed while sitting in a big server room in the middle of the night. Why am I here, because there is a pesky problem with the Digital KVM system that just bugs me. Most people would probably say something like "why bother" or "is it really worth it" and to them I say, because it's a problem that I am going to fix and YES damn it, it is worth it.

So, the problem is that we have an old dell Blade rack (1655MC) that I am trying to get to play nice with a Dell 2161DS-2 KVM, which should be really simple I am told. Fair enough, I get it mostly working right. On the console you can see the individual Blades, by name, but through the remote console they don't show up. A quick call to Dell reveals that both the KVM and the ERA/MC firmware software needs to be updated. Great, download them from the website and upload the KVM part first. This goes easy, then just apply the update to the individual blades and we're done with that one. Dell even put the tools right into OSCAR for you to update the servers one by one or all at once.

Now comes the problem, time to update the ERA/MC firmware. Should be easy, log into the website and just tell it what file and where to pull it right?!? WRONG... Keeps erroring out, and failing to find the file... Now we get into the fun part. Ever try to run TELNET or some other tool on Windows Vista x64? I don't recommend it unless you want to spend even more time fighting with Vista. My solution, PuTTY (do a search, it's available free), which works really well for Telnet, Serial, FTP, etc. so, I login through a Serial connection (thank GOD the previous admin never set this up correctly so the defaults are still valid) and start checking things out. Starting with some simple racadm commands to see what the status is and what not. There's a possibility, a command called fwupdate... Hmmm, wonder how this puppy works... Ok, so I run the HELP command and find just the flags that can be used. Do some web searching, oh yeah this thing is ancient so no good docs anymore easily available... Time to play...

racadm fwupdate -u -g -a xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -f firmimg.cm1

For those of you wondering, that is an IP address in place of those x's... Wow, it takes about 10 minutes and the ERA/MC reboots. Log back in and time to check to see if it's updated... racadm getsysinfo and sure enough, we are at version 1.44 (Build 04.15)... Oh, but fancy that the time got flushed on the system so I have to go back in and setup some basic settings... Guess there's either no onboard battery or it's dead.

Well, the last thing to do before calling it a night and heading home, check to see if the remote console software can show the remaining servers... NOPE!!! Well, guess I will call it a night and work on this tomorrow morning. Then again, if I wait another 20 minutes it will be tomorrow morning...

Cleaning up the backyard...

2007-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a nice young man posted on Craig's List that he was looking to put his muscle or mind to work trying to earn a little extra money. So, seeing how I have yard work that I just don't have time to do, I made an offer and now have him out here doing work today.

Now, I know that sometimes things get "lost" when the blackberries take over. However, I am trying to figure out how a 2' stainless steel whisk gets lost in a suburban backyard... The cool thing is, it doesn't look too bad given it has been sitting under the blackberry bushes.

Check out the picture, make your own guesses as to how it ended up there. For now, it is sitting in my kitchen sink waiting to be washed while I sit here and wonder what else we might find here...

That Darn S10 Blazer...

2007-11-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well, in Sept. 2006 I decided that I had to have a 1989 S10 Blazer. I thought the one I found on CraigsList was perfect, straight body, known tranny issues but the engine seemed to run strong (or so I thought at the time).

Well, replaced both the engine and the tranny / transfer case. Went through the engine replacing gaskets and worn parts, and basically giving it a good once over she is almost ready to go. Tonight I put on some decent tires that are actually worthy of the vehicle, new shocks (cheap Schuck's) that will work when getting me to and from work or around town.

Next up, tomorrow I try running it through emissions in Renton, WA. The final test, if it passes then I get new tabs and possibly plates. If not, then I get to do $150 (or more) worth of certified emissions work. With the $150 minimum they will pass it automatically if it fails the second time. Let's hope it goes well the first time because I really don't want to sink another $150+ into this project just to get it running again.

Well, that's all for now. Next up, not sure but I know I can find another project to keep me busy... Maybe I will start working on that 1983 Honda Sabre 750 V45 motorcycle as it needs a new clutch and some gaskets...

Killin' Time - On a trailer

2007-11-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a long time coming (like 4 months) of getting Killin' Time onto a trailer. So, in July we bought a 1983 EZ-Loader trailer that was modified to fit a swing keel sailboat. It's a tandem axle and fits the San Juan 23 almost perfectly. We have some more modifications and upgrades to make the trailer road-trip worthy, but the 5 miles to and from the launch ramp was fine for us.

So, the biggest trick was to find a day when the weather would hold so we could motor across Lake Washington from Lakewood Moorage (north of Seward Park, just south of Stan Sayers Pit) over to Gene Coulon Park where we were pulling it out. We pulled out of the moorage at 9:50am and arrived at Gene Coulon right around 11am, so that little 6HP motor did really well given no formidable winds / currents.

Now, the real trick is that this boat has been in the same slip since 1978. We don't know it was ever pulled out and the Lake Washington slime was well coated on here. So, needless to say I had a fun day of pressure washing the hull and deck to clean it up. Well, she may not win any awards and may not be the prettiest girl at the ball, but she looks nice and with some good work over the winter she will sail really nicely next spring.

I will try to post some pictures in the near future, but they are currently on the wife's camera so it will have to wait for now.

The Yard Attacks, Attack Back

2007-05-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the blackberry bushes have been driving me crazy since we moved into the house almost 3 years ago. It's kind of like the way the hedge drove me nuts cause it made the house darker and I lost 10' + of my backyard running down 1 side. So, I have taken on the challenge that mother nature has given me, cut back the blackberry bushes to find the property line.

If nothing else, when I am done I will have a place to park my trailer(s), spare vehicles, cages for the children, pretty much whatever. So, I started digging back along the back sid eo fthe property. The neighbor told me that there is a tree that marks the corner of my lot, the lot behind mine and the side of his. Well, I do believe I have found that tree, now I just need to uncover the rest of the blackberry covered area up towards the house. I hope I don't find any dead bodies or anything...

Arboretum Plant Sale - April 28th

2007-05-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

So, we went to the Friends of the Seattle Arboretum plant Sale on Saturday, April 28th. What was cool was we got lost of tomatoe and pepper plants, since the boys love those. A nice lilac for the backyard and time with Byron, Carla and little Max. Since the sale is help over at San Magnuson Park (the old Sandpoint base), which happens to be near their house, it provided a nice chance to visit a little.

Anyway, Saturday was pretty much shot for working in the yard. Sunday brought about a big day getting the front yard ready for the Toms and Peppers. That meant a trip to HomeDepot to get the bricks for building a wall around the garden area and clearing all the weeds. Karen did an awesome job in clearing the raised garden beds outback while I worked out front and the boys ran around the house causing trouble, as always.

Monday brought a yard of "top soil" from Carpenito Brother's down in Kent on the way home from work. So Monday, just as the rain was starting to come in, everything was planted and ready to go, including a rain barrel setup and collecting water Which was filled to capactiy (~60 gallon) overnight, guess the gutters are draining the water to the right place.

Cleaning Day

2007-04-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well, Sunday had excellent weather conditions down on Lake Washington, unfortunately without an outboard we aren't able to really leave dock. So, cleaning day it is. So, we started cleaning and spent a couple hours and let me tell you what, the boys were scrubbing harder than anyone out there. Unfortunately, not enough to totally wear themselves out and chill out for the evening, but enough to do some good cleaning.

All in all, another good day down on the boat.

The motor runs...

2007-04-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we pulled the outboard motor, a 1973 Johnson 6HP. In doing a once over, the upper part of the engine is extremely clean. This probably has to do with the leaking gasket that is capable of pushing water 5' away with the cover off at idle.

Well, mark down one more item on the to-do list for the sailboat. But, after another trip down to the boat today, things are kind of looking up. The port side lower shroud needs to be tightened and it looks like the turnbuckle has room to adjust this tighter. If my luck holds, this will be a quick fix and we will be that much closer to being able to sail out on Lake Washington.

Well, let's see where it goes from here. Some cleaning later this spring and then a date for pulling it out and cleaning the bottom. Then some good sailing around south Lake Washington.

I got a sailboat...

2007-03-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, almost correct... My dad bought this San Juan 23 sailboat off my aunt, and it is currently moored down in Lake Washington. Being that I have always loved sailing, since I was a small child, I plan on putting alot of elbow grease into it and getting the right to sail it too.

Who knows, maybe even try and get the kids out overnight on Puget Sound. If all else fails, it will give me a good reason to throw the boys into the lake and they just think its fun...

Well, off to the hardware store so I can build a stand to test the outboard on. Get the parts for tuning up the outboard and maybe, just maybe get some of the last parts I need to finish my 89 S-10 Blazer that has been taking up driveway space (both at home and at dad's house) for the last 6 months or so...

I am a GEEK!

2007-02-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so last Friday I attended a TSC Webinar for deploying Microsoft's Windows Vista and Office 2007. It was cool enough, given that the tools I wanted back in the Windows XP and Office 2003 deployment are finally starting to show up in Microsoft's BDD. What this means for those of you who are not Geeks like me, my job just got easier because the tools are there to automatically installed Vista and Office 2K7 in a business environment.

Beyond the class, I decided it was time to get myself up to speed on Vista. Since I still can't install Vista on a production workstation, no Domain Admin tools for AD 2003 SP1 or Exchange Management tools. I have setup a Dell Latitude D600 with Vista and XP SP2, currently in dual boot. Given that I have more space on the hard disk, I will be adding another OS to this system and include a Linux flavor. Talk about being a true Geek, a laptop that boots to 3 (or more) different OS's, a challenge but definitely worth it.

Since we will be going out of town for a long weekend starting tomorrow, I will probably post sometime over the weekend on our adventures down in the Columbia Gorge, just east of Portland, OR. Until, I shall keep on geeking out with my new lapotp config.

1 Project - Almost done...

2007-02-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

Well, of all my many projects, I have almost completed 1. That's right, the trailer that I got for free on CraigsList.org way back in July. It's from a 1989 Dodge Dakota shortbed that was modified into a tilting trailer before I got it. So far, I think I am about $300 into it with tax, licensing, tabs, and tires.

Not bad for a free trailer, it was only suppose to take me 2 weeks or so finished about 6 months later...

Next up, finishing that dang Blazer...