Friday
My life is decidedly not boring—but I realize that my blog is, at the moment, boring. So it goes. It lives by me, not me by it.
And! No martini last Friday. I was tired and knew I was going to drink German beer Saturday afternoon so I decided to take a night off. So count will be back to 1 in-a-row after tonight. Work remains a Wild West show. We are borderline out of control and pressure continues to mount. Hours are long and work is a slog, but I have my sights set firmly on a sabbatical in March of 2020. Between now and then, work, save money, and finish the camper and canoe. If time permits, maybe another project or two.
Now, once again waiting for the wi-fi guy to do his thing. Came home an hour early to let him roam around. He also came up with a few things that could be the problem but basically kept trying to suggest I am at fault because I don’t have an ethernet connection. Hhmmm…..They (Spectrum) advertise that they do wireless. They take my check for providing me with wireless service. But now it’s on me? He also kept making other suggestions which have nothing to do with the core problem which is that their signal to the back of my router is intermittent. He suggested a mesh system which would not help the problem I am having. And kept up with the ethernet comments even after I told him several times my MacBook Pro has no ethernet connector. Nor do I want to regress in technology. And then, because he asked what I did and I made the mistake of telling him, he took that to mean I had an interest in all the shit he was doing to try to get the internet to work. He did not get the hint when I kept working and typing while he was talking and telling me about the dual router, dual channel mesh/grid system he has in his 3 story house so his kids are always fully and fanatically connected—again, all suggestions that have nothing to do with the problem I am having but apparently got him chubbed up talking about it. I was desperately giving Mandela the ‘bite’ signal but she was ignoring me. I was just about to text someone to call me when he finally left. “Get me someone. Anyone“
Internet is working. For now.
I got the plans for the canoe so will get started tomorrow on building out the strongback. I need to get that project underway. Still thinking about the camper. Not yet sure what I am going to do there.
Sunday now
Good weekend for projects. House cleaned, laundry, and good progress on the canoe. I worked an hour or so yesterday and then again today, but trying hard to limit working on weekends. I was supposed to go hiking with Tina in Yellow Springs today, but she had a tough time getting someone to watch the kids so I stayed and progressed the project.
Yesterday I got the strongback assembled. I used 1/2” plywood when 3/4″ is recommended. I can see how the extra weight would be advantageous but I had so much 1/2″ material lying around that I want to get rid of that I just went with it. I had to extend my top by an extra 6” on either end since I am building a 17’ canoe and the sides by and extra 1” to compensate for the thinner construction material. I took my time and when finished it came out pretty damn level. Not perfect, but not bad. I think my garage slopes a bit but I can correct that with shims.
There is a lot of pre-work to do on a canoe before you lay the first plank.
Today I worked on the molds. I am using 1/2” MDF. I could have gone with plywood but one book said the MDF can hold up a bit longer if I decide to make multiple canoes from the same molds. My plans have 15 molds.
It’s a tedious process. I first traced the first 4 of the Aft molds (8, 7, 6 & 5) and then I cut out #5. I had to trace the pattern on to the wood on one side, then reverse the plans and trace it on the other side. I cut it within 1/16 of an inch, give or take, and then put it in the vise and sanded it down to the mark. I am trying to take a good deal of time on the molds. Tracing carefully using carbon paper and then flipping the plans over and tracing the other side. If the molds are fair and accurate, then the lines of the boat should be clean and symmetrical along the length—so I am moving slowly on this bit. Tomorrow or the next day I will get the cedar strips ordered. I should have already done it, but just been so damn busy at work that I am running a bit behind. But the project is underway and so now I must commit fully.
Now the shop (garage) is swept and neat–tools put where the belong. When I work I must take out the car, the motorcycle and both trash bins. So when I finish, after putting everything in its place and sweeping the floor, I must return vehicles and trash bins to their normal spots.
With the exception of a possible camping/hiking trip and a couple of family weekends, I will try to mainly focus on the project now through the winter. I may have to travel to Ireland or Singapore for work once or twice but will see. So now I am an aspiring boat builder. Come spring, if the gods smile on my efforts, I will be a boat builder.
I got in a few hours of Mark Twain this weekend too. Nice book; ‘Life on the Mississippi’. Easy but interesting read. I fell asleep a couple of times reading on the couch but I think it’s just because I am not getting enough sleep during the week.
Friday night I met Shannon and her friend Angela for dinner at J. Alexanders. Nice, fun night with lots of laughs and drinks. Larry and Terri are catering a food event at St. Joseph’s in Somerset. Sucking up to god it seems, as they are not charging for labor—just food costs.
Last night I felt like comfort food so I had country style ribs with hot BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes. Tonight, per convention, homemade pizza accompanied by a nice Caesar salad. A couple bites of chocolate for dessert. The hound and I got a few good walks in this weekend. Now we are outside on the deck; me writing and her surveying her lands.
The weather has turned fall-like all of a sudden. I am wearing a sweater and glad of it.
No other news of note.
Pictures of the project below.
The Martini Tales 