let's be frank

okay, let's just say it. plaster as a subject is a little boring. not boring itself, but not much to write home about. it's white, so it doesn't photograph well. even the sounds of applying it aren't so hot. and really, at the end of the day, it's hard to notice that second and third coats have been put on.  but that is what they have been doing, third day running. it is just about ready. tomorrow they will do a final coat, to get the plaster to match the texture already on the walls. when that is all done, there will be some priming and then...cabinets can be put in place! but not yet. patience, patience....

nice, neat plaster job of my soffit and vent shaft:

listen here. it's the sounds of plastering multiplied by two. plaster is half as interesting as this, which you'll find out, isn't really interesting at all.

click here!

finally! some color!  just how many joint and taping knives does one need?

apparently, nine.   a few more of them found here:

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time saving calculations

some of us were checking out the kitchen walls on sunday and noticed there are quite a few numbers, maybe calculations, written on them. someone around here is doing a lot of figuring.

the mysterious notes:

i am concerned they may be missing some very important calculations, so i have taken the liberty to write a few more on the walls. wouldn't want them to overlook something. they have so much on their minds already.

this one is a classic. i want them to keep in mind einstein's idea that energy equals matter times the speed of light squared.  this could affect how the cabinets will fit, based on how quickly they are installed:

this next one shows the total energy of a particle. i want to remind them that based on all the particles of dust in my apartment now, there is no reason why they shouldn't have enough energy to get the job done on time:

lately, i have been thinking a lot about heisenberg's uncertainty principle, so i thought i should also give the guys a heads up. given the large number of particles in the apartment, and the uncertainty of their position, and god knows how long it will take for this project to get done, they should be prepared for the standard number of deviants likely to come strolling through. this formula will help them calculate that number with greater certainty. 

and finally,  i want the guys to see that within our grasp is the obvious conclusion that schrodinger was right! particles in 3 dimensional space in the presence of V will act like this:

V, of course, being the velocity of my kitchen as it hurdles through airless, vented space. knowing this should cut down on their prep time and could potentially save me hundreds of dollars! how will they ever thank me? 

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chocolate factory

well, gee, so many things going on today. where shall i focus??? hmm, the big deal was that the inspector was supposed to come and check the screws. sorry to say, he failed us. he is letting my kitchen sink! but progress was made in spite of him, so our spirits remained undaunted. plaster went forth into every nook and all the crannies. I didn't even know i had crannies. but i'm glad i do. they go so well with my furring and gas shut-off valve and the electrical panel that makes me look fat.   so here is some plaster for your approval:

screws taped and plastered: 

nicely done corner. it has a metal edging so everything is super neat. 

bubbles in the plaster. i hope this isn't a problem....

i have a confession to make. the hole in my hallway wall was patched today,  but i touched it while it was still wet!  so there was this big old finger print right in the middle of the super neat wall repair.  i started to try to fix it with the plasterer's tools.  I kept fixing and re-fixing it and getting it worse and worse and all of a sudden i found myself in the middle of an i-love-lucy moment, and i'm thinking, "whaaa, oh  ricky!" and making a mental note to myself to never apply for work in a chocolate factory. it took a while to finally come to some kind of resolution with it, where it was smooth enough but not too thin. then i had to wash off the tools and i may have cleaned them in the wrong bucket, but maybe not, hopefully not. as long as i didn't clean them in drinking water, i think i'm okay. 

"fixed" hole:

plaster water bucket. which would you choose?

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inspirations

well, gentle readers, it seems this blog is developing quite a little following. what started out as a modest daily diary of events here has suddenly turned into what might well be defined as a real movement. my simple revelations are inspiring some very impressionable people to take action of their own. can you believe it? for instance, little johnny s., in kissimmee, florida, reports that his grades in school have risen above a c+, and annie g. of atlanta, georgia, says she was finally able to get a good night sleep after reading one of my entries. the stories and determinations are just pouring in now, and the list includes some novel and surprising ideas to:

- finally get around to that kitchen remodel (but have it in the living room)
- have their eyes checked
- vote for Obama
- install wall-to-wall tacky paper (another green idea, eliminates the need to vacuum. excellent!)
- have a nice slice of lemon meringue pie
- establish a sanctuary for abused and errant chickens
- install a gas shut off valve in an all-electric kitchen (saftey first!)
- call my psychiatrist and let him know my medication is no longer working

of course, this raises new and troubling questions about just who these people are and how sorry their lives have become. but who am i to judge? if you have been inspired as well, please post a comment! i'd love to hear from you. your successes are mine (i take full credit). let's keep this movement going!

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nothing

well, kids, sorry to say nothing happened today!  the inspectors had the day off, so not one bit of anything new happened. as you can see from my photo below, it was a little boring. hopefully, things will be back on track monday morning. have a great weekend!

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prepare yourself

this post intends to be educational.  for those of you new to the world of construction, there is a lot more to it than what you are seeing on these small pages. there are smells of wood and kraft paper wrappers. there is dust everywhere and then there are the sounds.  guess what sound is hiding behind this little plastic wall?

click here!

ouch! obnoxious, i know! glad i had to go in to work today! i'm sorry i did that to you. but it was for your own good. you would have found out sooner or later. i am concerned that my neighbors did not complain about this today.  didn't they hear this? i should arrange for an audiologist to come over and do a complete auditory physical on everyone here once the project is done. 

in the end, the day was productive.  the drywall has agreed to stay, so here is the initial set up. inspectors will come soon to make sure the proper screws were used. did you know that one of the factors of the sinking of the titanic was the use of poor quality rivets? nothing will sink my new kitchen! the inspectors will protect me!

i just like how this looks.  everything covered in a thin white dust, like some pompeiian ruin.

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electrical greetings

before i begin today's official entry, i would like to give a little electrical "shout out" bouquet to my brother, who is currently convalescing in the tropics. not great timing, but then, not a bad time to be surrounded by lots of folks who love you. get well soon!

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fun house no more

our friends at wikipedia say,  "in light frame construction, furring strips are long thin strips of wood or metal used to make backing surfaces to support the finished surfaces in a room." well, today nathan installed lots of long (and short) thin strips of wood to be used as backing surfaces to support the finished surface of my room. know why? because tomorrow drywall is coming to town! and i plan on asking it to move in with me!

here is some furring for your furring-viewing pleasure:

furring is very important and will play a critical role in keeping my walls feeling straight and balanced, instead of feeling like the fun house at coney island. i am so glad i have furring. it goes well with my gas shut-off valve and the electrical panel that makes me look fat.

nathan also finished installing the meringue insulation. here we are now, totally insulated from the outside world, except for the window and the occasional visits from errant chickens:

i was also pleasantly surprised to find that nathan had installed a gap for me (see arrows).* how thoughtful. this gap will allow for a smoother sliding door, since without the gap, it was not smooth or even creamy. it was chunky, and tended to scrape the paint off the door if i wasn't very, very careful. which i rarely am. this was a good day.

* actually, i found out later that's not really what he did. he just removed the trim.

but he did fix it later. so think of this part of the entry as more of a premonition than a report on the days events.

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cozy

today, things started feeling a little cozier around here. doesn't this look good? in my dreams, i will imagine it is a giant slice of lemon meringue pie. but, i'm afraid i have to let you in on the fact that it is not pie, and in fact something much less enticing than pie. it is not even a warm cotton comforter. it is... it is... okay, it's fiberglass insulation! for the love of god, don't touch it!

the room is gradually filling up with this stuff, as we get ready for the dry wall to go up on thursday. before the walls cover everything, nate will take pictures of all of it, so he knows exactly what is underneath and where. he could ask me what is where, because, by now, i have a pretty complete record of it all. but he doesn't know he can ask me, so it is unlikely that he will.  tomorrow he will continue to stuff this stuff into the walls.  when they are fully stuffed, they will be covered over and likely never be heard from again. because they are soundproof. 

the trim has also arrived. as you can see, it is nice and level and looks excellent right where it is. maybe i will leave it there.

art shot: more trim. not too exciting, but it's here so it will have its 

15 minutes of fame.

pile  o'  tools

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ring my bell

it was a very special day today at the site. not only was it electrical inspection day (we passed), it was doorbell day as well. hooray for us! My new back door bell was installed and i must say i love it. here, try it:

click here!

come in!

alongside my new B, i think there is really something smashing going on around here.

for those of you with a sentimental side, i will include a picture of the old bell.  actually, it looks better here than it ever did on the wall.

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x-treme makeover

it's the weekend so nothing to report on the kitchen front. but having way too much time on my hands has given me an idea. why stop at the kitchen? why not just remodel the whole neighborhood?...

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5 items

every day i come home to find more things done, and more items ready to be put into action.  today i found that electrical items were finished up (for the moment, anyway) and that they fixed the hole in my wall:

why didn't i think of that???

the vent is ready to carry off all unwanted air. not to be confused with a soffit, which is hiding space, although air may be in the space. and the vent will be taking up space, but not taking away space.  and although there is no air in space, there is plenty of space for air. 

the reason why you have not been invited over recently...

mysterious and unexplained things i find when returning home:

edge of sink:

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electrical panel day!

yes, it happened! my electrical panel was installed! did you celebrate?  they came, they built, they left.  really quick and actually very neat. 1 new panel, 3 upgraded office outlets, three new ceiling cans.  so far so good.  don't know if they work yet, but the odds are in my favor.

your standard view of the new panel:

a somewhat more detailed view of the new panel, as seen from the front:

(does this panel make me look fat?)

an even more detailed view looking down from the panel in the wall: (is this too much information?)

the ultimate view — what the panel will be seeing: 

of course, you need to also visualize occasional glimpses of me running back and forth in front of it. 

now, what is going on here???? i just found this hole in the hallway, no explanation, no nothing.  either it has something to do with a new outlet, or i have a terrible pest control problem on the horizon. 

new ceiling light installed, right on center. excellent!

three lights installed. now i will really be able to see all the twinkies i plan to eat when the project is done.

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talk, talk, talk

there sure is a lot of planning that is going into this project. planning the height of the counters, the placement of the stove, the type of lights and where they should go, when appliances should be delivered,  ordering the window sill wood, size of glass tile, exact placement of the tile, and other things. and that was just this morning's conversation.  i must say, these guys are thorough. everything must be ordered, measured and totally mapped out or disaster could strike!  hard to give you pictures of all the talking, so here are some other shots for you:

the backsplash color: olive

the fabulous all-gas bertazonni stove: stainless (that means no stains)

future home of a very nice window sill:

an electrical conversation in the works:

tomorrow is electrical panel day! how will you celebrate?

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to inquiring minds

gentle readers, inquiring minds are asking,  "what the  ?!$@!!  is a soffit?" 

well, maybe not asking quite like that, but, you know, those inquiring minds really, really want to know. so here's the story: 

soffits are the fake walls above the cabinetry. they hide space, without actually being anything themselves. it's really kind of profound when you think about it and would make a good riddle if someone could phrase it properly. 

the new soffits were started today. they are not yet hiding anything, but someday, when they are big enough, they will hide all the space within.  then they will officially be soffiting all that big, ugly unnecessary space. they will also be discouraging dust bunnies and perhaps a chicken or two. 

now here is an interesting new development in the high-tech world of modern construction: tacky paper.  it's fascinating. no really. before you leave the construction area, you step on it so all the dirt on your shoes sticks to it, and, voila! no tracking messy construction dust all over your nice clean carpeting! it's like magic! it's right up there with zippered plastic walls. someone out there has made a bundle with this stuff.  

other news of the day: electrical plans for the kitchen. a bit like dance instructions, without all the music. mirror balls, you say? no, no mirror balls are in the design plans. some fluorescents, some halogens, some puck lights. today, we found out i may have to change out the halogens to conserve energy. first person to guess which are the halogens gets their name mentioned in the next installment. 

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