The Great Kitchen Massacre of ‘08, part 1

This may seem like an odd time to go over all of this since we’re moving, but it’s my blog, so I get to do what I like.

We bought this house with full knowledge that we would have to completely remodel the kitchen.  There were nowhere near enough outlets, no space for a dishwasher, the hot water didn’t work, and the layout sucked.  (The fridge opened into the entryway.)

The original beast.

The first thing that we did was add a door to the back yard.  There was only a door from the side of the house, and we got tired of walking the dog to the back yard gate every morning.  So we picked a 25 degree January day to knock out a window and put in a door.

The one on the left is going away

I dropped all of the trim and removed the section of drywall below the window.  Then I busted out the reciprocating saw (one of my favorite tools) and removed the window.

January may not be the best time to take out a window

From there, the recip saw just buzzed down to the floor and cut out the remaining part of the wall.

Don't mind the A/C unit

The siding had to be cut back to allow for the door trim that is a part of the fram.  This was done with a circular saw adjusted for the depth of the siding.

The gap between the siding and door trim wasn’t as pretty as I would have liked it to be, but the door was level and square.  I’ll have to come back and clean it up with some wood filler and caulk.

 

Once the door was secured with an ample number of 3.5″ screws some flexible spray foam was used to fill in the gaps.  Once dry the excess was trimmed with a razor.  It’s important to note that you shouldn’t use hardening spray foam to fill gaps near windows or doors.  Foams such as the red can of Great Stuff can actually expand and bend the frame of the window or door. 

Next time we’ll talk about tearing up the old kitchen.

 

Heading North

It doesn't look that cold.

The call has come.  We are moving north.  I don’t know whether I should be scared or not.  It’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with true winter.  Kansas City has been good to us, but my ladyfriend has a new job in the Twin Cities.  Minneapolis actually looks pretty cool (no pun intended).  December is a great time to head north, right?

I’ve made some good friends down here, and I’m bummed about leaving for that reason.  I’ve really grown to like the Prairie Village area.

One thing that I am most excited about is the biking accomdations up there.  It kills KC on the biking front.  Check out this bikeway map! (large PDF)  KC has something like two trails, and Johnson County (KS) has a few more, but nothing compared to this.  This alone gets me pumped.  (Pumped is awesome.)

 

Running and Yoga

surprising forms

I know what you’re thinking, “mmm… granola is tasty.”  We’ll you’re right it is tasty.  Emily over at Barefoot Fitness found an article that echos my sentiments on the yoga/running combo.

Back in college when I was running everyday, and training (mostly) properly, I was fairly strong and flexible.  But in this older, more domesticated life as a desk jockey, my body’s resilience is waning.  My workouts (if you can call them that) are also much more sporadic: short run here, long run there, bike ride whenever…  So basically adulthood is cramping my style.

I’m not a full-on yoga fiend (remember sporadic), but when I do include it as a regular-ish part of my routine, my legs feel less restricted and I’m more injury free.  All of my chronic injuries since college have been soft tissue/flexibility related and yoga seems to keep this beast at bay.  The right instructor and studio/dojo combination can also do wonders for your stress levels.  I can come out of certain sessions feeling as good as I do after an hour massage.

• Full article at Silent Sports

 

Chuck Palin

Or is it Sarah Norris?

Sarah Palin Facts

 

To Pee or Not to Pee…

I was googling Arien O’Connell to find out more about her getting screwed out of her victory in Nike Women’s Marathon when I found a site that spoke to me.  Arien O’Connell’s issue says more about caste and robotic policy, which I find frustrating and filled with asshattery.

But the site that I found broached a topic I feel is common to runners around the world.  It’s also my favorite nation: urination.

Sometimes you get started on a run and forget to go before you head out the door.  Other times you didn’t have to go when you left, but it came on strong.  I have had several run-ins with this issue.  I’ve peed in parks, behind cars, buildings, storm sewers, and even during a race while running.  (I didn’t want to give up my position.)  And more than once have I had to drop the emergency duece on the run.  I’ve wiped with leaves, grass, paper, and even snow.  It’s not too much of a problem when you can find a public restroom, or are in the woods, but when you’re in an industrial park… I was just glad it was Saturday, so there weren’t many people around.

Vanilla appologizes for all of us on Half-Fast.

 

They Call Me Buster

In The Real America, they call me Buster Taint Palin.

Find out what Sarah Palin would have named you: Politsk.BlogSpot.com

 

Alright, I get it.

Pants, what you really need to know.

A couple of friends (are they friends if you pay for them to hang out with you?) have informed me that I haven’t been attending this blogishness, so I’ve been really, really, REALLY bad about keeping this thing updated .  I’ve been busy… I think.  We’ll go with that.  But, I have drank a lot of beer, worked a lot on the house, and occasionally gone for a run or bike ride.  So, for that one person who checks this site monthly, I may have some content.  But it won’t be interesting; it won’t be like the Obama Shamwow infomercial that was on last night.

 

Slavery might not be that bad

Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers

Sooner or later we are going to have to snuggle up and get comfy with the idea that we are going to be subject to Google’s rule.  I’m guessing it will be more like enlightened absolutism than fascist autocracy.  Google seems bent on gathering hordes of data and puting it towards (thus far) useful purposes.  That doesn’t mean I can’t see them using this mass of info and overthrowing governing bodies.  But hey, life under Google may not be that bad.

One of my friends and wife (he doesn’t know we’re friends) works for the big G out in NYC.  They are provided meals on a daily basis and all sorts of other perks.  The pancreas exploding meal pictured above was actually served for lunch recently in the Google cafeteria.  I got diabeetus just from the picture.

 

It’s the simple things

I don’t know if I have the words to express the feeling.  It could be joy, maybe even elation.  But certainly a weight has been lifted.  What weight you ask?  The weight of dishwashing.  We haven’t had a dishwasher since our first house, which we sold more than four years ago.  We never got around to adding one to the second house.  But after a year, and nearing the end of a drawn-out kitchen remodeling, we finally have a fully functional dishwasher again.

The sink and countertop are rigged in place.  The fridge is in the garage.  But we have a machine that washes dishes.  Life is good.

 

Another MR340 write-up

Here’s one of the best (allbeit) dramatic write-ups on the Missouri River 340 yet.  Here’s to dreaming of next year!

• Up Show-me Creek