Thursday, June 30, 2005

The Great Re-Decking Project: Day 5


The Near-complete deck
Originally uploaded by The Faderjockey.
So, I have been a little lax in updating the project chronicle, but I have had other things on my mind of late. Anyway, there wasn't much to report; just work continuing as normal. However, as we near the end of the re-surfacing portion of the project, it seemed time to start keeping the log again.

So here we are! The surface is nearly all laid down. Some tacking-in remains, and there are a few things that may need to be altered. In the photoset, you will see that our maintenance guys have decided to use nails as the primary method of fastening the masonite to the subfloor. They use screws in the four corners, then tack down the maso with lines of nails. In today's photoset, you will see a closeup showing the nails and another one that shows a Grand Canyon-sized gap between two of the panels. Hopefully these will be rectified by the time that particular panel gets tacked down . . . but it makes me a tad nervous.

We shall see how that works out.

Friday, June 24, 2005

The Great Re-Decking Project: Day 2


The adventure begins
Originally uploaded by The Faderjockey.
The work continues. The crew did a great job today knocking out a large chunk of our previously mentioned staple problem.
As you can see, the momentous "first panel" went down today, and your humble narrator was there, camera in hand, to document the proceedings. As before, click the above link for a photoset of today's progress.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

The Great Re-Decking Project: Day 1

Well, the process of replacing the floor in the McAlpin has begun. Today we, along with a prison work-gang and a rep from maintenance, pulled up all the masonite on the deck. Click the link above for photos.

We found that the masonite has been secured by (literally) thousands of staples into the wood sub-floor. What that means for us is that the next step consists of crawling along the floor with a screwdriver and hammer; cleaning the masonite debris from underneath each staple, then hammering them into the wood, so that we get a nice, smooth, sub-floor on which to lay the new maso. It is going to be a long project, and I will be providing photos and commentary on each step of the process.

An interesting note for today: The 20 years of paint that had been laid down on top of the old masonite came up separate from the maso itself. We ended up with large 1/4" thick chunks of paint. You can cut it with a matte knife and see the hundreds of layers of paint, in different colors. Pics are in the day's photoset.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

A few questions -- and a harsh realization

So, I've been semi-house-sitting for Misti this past week, and in doing so I have been able to watch cable TV for the first time in quite a while. I have realized something..... It sucks. Cable TV... 135 kabillion channels of pure, unadulterated shiat. I mean, damn! Okay there are a few shows that I like. However, for the most part the shows that I have seen, or have seen advertised, seem like they don't belong in a hospital waiting room. How can people watch this stuff? The so-called 'reality TV', these 'captivating dramas', the re-re-re[e23]-cycled 'comedy', hell even the news was less than satisfactory, the latest celebrity antics taking a much higher position than real world events. It seems like the entire purpose of TV these days is to shut people's brains down and stop them from thinki........ but I'm saving that particular rant for Mass Media: Part II (in revision, coming soon).

I digress... here are a couple specific questions and observations that I have made, since having access to cable for a few days:
  1. When did every retail sale become an "event?" A World's Fair is an event. A rock concert is an event. A history-making moment is an event. Saving $5 on the latest shirt-thing at The Gap is not an event. Neither is some extravagant, falsified special on the latest SUV. Quit trying to make things seem more important than they really are. I would like to hope that people don't by that type of elementary mind-farking, but I would probably be wrong.
  2. I saw Ringo Starr get interviewed on The Daily Show. He was promoting his new album. Pffftshabuffita-whaa? Why on earth would Ringo Starr be recording an album? He's a drummer! Not a particularly good drummer either. Who allowed him to be a "producer?" Okay, I liked the Beatles, but they are dead! Please, for the love of all things sacred please, all you formerly good and decent artists, please don't ruin it in your later years by making an arse of yourself.
  3. The harsh realization: I was watching Who's Line is it Anyway tonight. Unfortunately, not the good version with Clive Anderson, but the sad American revival hosted by that useless piece of flotsam, Drew Carey. What I realized, as I watched this travesty unfold, is that the performers, most of whom were on the show when BBC was doing it with Clive Anderson, cannot stand Drew Carey. It becomes amazingly clear. They make snide comments about him on the air, they cringe when they "win" the episode and have to perform a scene with him., they grimace every time he tries to make a joke. How could anyone in their right mind allow Drew Carey, an unfunny moving prop whose one sucessful show hinged on playing up his pathetic nature for laughs. It is sad really. To Greg Proops, Colin Mocherie, Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, I am deeply sorry.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

An interesting copyright statement

Check out this link above. An interesting article. Personally, I think that copyright should only extend to the life of the creator's work. Thoughts?