6ixString's Home Improvement and Mindless Ramblings Thread....
POSTED BY: 6ixStringJack
UPDATED: Monday, May 9, 2016 00:48
VIEWED: 54567
PAGE 7 of 21
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Put the final 2 yards of black dirt on the pool that I needed before seeding the huge crop circle in the back yard where the pool used to be. In all, that was 15 yards (more or less 15 tons) of dirt, and nearly 400 bucks of dirt. SOOOOOO nice to have that behind me.
Mehehehehe.
That quote drew my interest, but the one that REALLY hooked me was this little tidbit.
Quote:
The Board of Governors: This seems a steep price for so small a service: to crush a powerless cripple.
Tan'elKoth: Doubly fools. He does have power. One power: the power to devote himself absolutely to a single goal, to be ruthless with himself and all else in its pursuit. It is the only power he needs - because, unlike the great mass of men, he is aware of this power, and he is willing, even happy, to use it.
- Blade of Tyshalle
Being on many occasions essentially "helpless" since age and injury has crept up on me bit by bit, I do a lot of stuff by proxy(1) or even, as our society grows ever more dependant on it, over the net - but the core of WHY is still the same, always was, always will be.
(1) I have a neato telepresence rig, really it's just a webcam with audio to a wireless enabled laptop, but as long as someone is on-site and running it, it's almost as good as being there, especially since we use a teamspeak server and I have voicecom with the person carrying it.
Oh, and the car I am working on - it looks about identical to this:
When I get done with the repair work, I might well go full resto and have the paintjob cleaned up and the hood badge replaced, cause at THAT point she'll be factory-spec and then some, mint condition just like she rolled off the line.
The "and then some" is cause I bagged a Magnaflow performance exhaust way cheaper than OEM stock.
-Frem
"I do not serve The Blind God."
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Haha, nice pic Frem. Though I more resembled a glimmering Greek God after I was done with my tan and sweat and 2 back to back days of hard labor, rather than a 12 year old big-eyed Anime girl, the rest of that pic was pretty spot on for the work done in September. I managed to keep pretty clean this time around though since everything was cold and dry and I was only doing 2 yards instead of 11 yards. 
I was going to put grass seed down today, but there's no need to rush it and do a poor job. I'm going to mix in 2 bags of this starter soil/starter fertilizer with a rake and then use my awesome new broadcast spreader to spread the seed, rather than do it by hand. Unfortunately, nothing but 3 13.5 hour days of work ahead of me now, and I have some other side work that may extend that even longer. It's still early enough in the spring that I'm not really worried about my immature grass getting killed by heat and sun if I didn't get it done today.
Where's that quote from Frem? Is that from one of the books you suggested?
Also, that car is MAJOR bling Frem. I'm not looking at what it looks like or runs like now, but if you put the care and money into it that I know you will, that thing is going to turn a lot of heads. Have you thought of a color scheme yet? I know black sucks because every single spec of dust shows on it, but when you have a ride that sweet, I think you're insulting it by not having a beautiful, shiny jet black coat that you wash every week. (As opposed to my tan Camry, which almost never shows any dirt and I've only washed twice in 2 years 
)
I never do webcam or teleconferenceing myself, but the internet is a godsend for today's DIY'er. For more personal touch type of stuff, I usually like running ideas by places like here and seeing what people like Wish think about them. But for the cut-and-dry stuff like refinishing hardwood floors and fixing a sabatoged furnace, my cable internet has paid for itself 100 times over since August.
After paying things you don't pay when renting (property tax/homeowner's insurance/gas/water/trash pickup), figure I'm saving nearly 1k a month owning a house this size in this area outright rather than renting it (not to mention the as-of-yet undetermined equity this implies). Also, because (up until recently) I had nothing but free time on my hands, I don't really factor in my own time/labor as an expense. So, being able to do so many things in the last 8 months on my own, for just the costs of materials and tools, I've avoided paying anywhere from twice to 10 times the cost of paying professionals to do the work.
BIG THANKS to all of the pros out there who take the time to answer questions on forums and/or write up how-to articles for people like me. There has rarely ever been an instance that I could not find answers to questions about home improvement online, and so far... the results of access to this knowledge bank and a little bit of time and elbow grease have been astonishing.
As an interesting side-note, "implied value", a term that many Texas Hold'em players worth their salt are aware of, the implied value of being rent-less and mortgage-less, especially in this economy is staggering. If my estimate of 1k a month saved by not renting a place this big after the costs that owning it is true, that's 1k a month that would have been spent on rent AFTER taxes were taken out (Which would require AT LEAST $1,134 gross a month before taxes).
If you do the math of that....
$1,000 a month x 12 months = $12,000
$12,000 / 2,080 hours (what you'd work in a year at 40 hrs a week) = $5.77
This "implies" that, AFTER taxes, no matter what tax bracket I end up in (and whether I'm actually working or not), I'm making $5.77 an hour (after taxes) for 40 hours of my life every week I live here, just by not paying rent.
I just wanted to state those facts because I want people to realize t
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Yeah, I know - that pic is far more representative of Byte, but it was all I had in hand at the moment to make fun of you staggering in all dripping dirt and sweat everywhere...
I had to help take down a fire damaged building once - in my youth I worked for a light construction/demolition company, and mosta the demolition was by hand, which was fine by me since I had a lot of rage to work out, I used a long-handled rock hammer/pick in my left and a six pound maul in my right and would just go to town on places, the combination of fury and knowing when and where to apply it make me damn good at taking condemned residental buildings to bits in short order.
Anyhows, end of THAT day, what with all the soot (not being an idiot I was using an SCBA unit) every damn where I looked like one big clump of anthropomorphic coal, with EYES, bwahahaha.
Some of the best jobs, the most fun gigs, are the ones where you wind up covered in grunge, which drives me a little batty as fastidious and finicky as I can be, but there's no way in hell you're gonna tear down and fix half a dozen small engines, then replace a minivans cracked oilpan and seal gasket without getting any on ya, and for me the scent of gasoline, coolant, transfluid, motor oil and baking asphalt is a homey, nostalgic smell anyways, throw in a puff of exhaust and some revving engine and I'll all but spring a hard-on, cause that means SHOWTIME!
(I did mention participating in a couple backwater smashfests, yesss?)
And yes, that quote is from Blade of Tyshalle, in regards to the badly damaged (physically, emotionally and psychologically) Hari Michaelson, aka Caine, STILL managing to be quite a pain in the ass to the Board of Directors - it's worth mentioning the guy schooling them USED to be an outright God, till Caine completely whupped his ass despite being technically outclassed on every level.
As for the Beamer, Jack - that's prettymuch the original color, the picture angle makes it look a bit darker, but it's more of ye olde BMW silver, and with a Beamer or Mercedes you kinda gotta go with the silver-grey scheme as homage to the original color balance.
I might have the paintjob redone and touched up, if I have the budget left to do it, but imma stray with the default color if I can find a place that'll match it correctly.
And it has those same rims as in the picture, which are the originals and happens to be mounting a set of Pirelli tires with about 80% tread remaining on em, plus a full size spare (no steenking donut for a Beamer, no!) in the trunk with about 70% of the original jack + toolkit back there, and even the trunk upholstery is mint condition, plus I just put a brand new high grade battery in, kind of necessity in cold-ass Michigan, not to mention I am the one who jumpstarts residents with dead batteries around here.
My cables are long enough that the battery in the trunk actually is gonna make it easier cause I can just roll in behind em at 90 degrees and hook em up.
And you betcha on internet writeups, cause THIS is what we're gonna do.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/101-Projects-20-E30-Timin
g-Belt/101-Projects-20-E30-Timing-Belt.htm
All that, plus distributor cap and rotor, plug wires, plugs, fluids and filters.
I've got all but a few of the parts sittin behind me right now, I just have to wait for the rest to be shipped in from another warehouse since the parts supplier didn't have em in stock (despite saying they did) and then it's off to my hired mechanic - I suppose I maybe COULD do it myself, but my "shop", still located in my ex's garage(1) is focused on small air cooled two stroke, so I am operating outside my expertise on large four stroke engines, and replacing a timing belt is a step or two beyond my actual competence... that and I'm lazy, mehehehe.
But no, the consequences of fumbling the timing on a Puch or a Honda is that it runs badly or don't run, you blow it on this yer gonna smack a piston into a valve and all hells gonna break lo
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Bleh, looks like Indiana has a bit more red tape and BS than Michigan, well, *technically* Michigan is worse thanks to cops getting MI Public Law 338-1968 shoved through after the "Police Riots" of those years caused folks to seriously think about replacing them with contract guards - essentially they made it so you HAVE to be an ex-cop to run a security biz, which itself wound up violating other federal acts against monopolies and anticompetitive behavior and was thus later amended with a provision titled "persons excluded from this act", which I have exploited the everliving hell out of...
Although our compliance with the uniform requirements is voluntary, I insist on it cause it standardises everything, and makes my people less likely to get capped by some triggerhappy nutter or cop.
Quote:
In the state of Indiana both the armed and unarmed security guard need to be licensed in order to work in the security sector. Even the unarmed guard that will find employment in the private sector will need to possess a state license. This licensing is pursuant to the state legislative regulations IC 25-30-1-3 Section 3, these regulations mandates the applicant will provide personal information, and they will attend a state certified courses. The unarmed security guard license will need to be renewed prior to the date it will expire or the applicant will be required to take the training course before it will be renewed. The personal information that will be required is as follows:
The applicant applying for an unarmed security license in the state of Indiana will be at least 18 years of age
The applicant will be finger printed
They will submit to an FBI style background check
The applicant will have a high school diploma or an equivalency certification
The applicant will submit to drug testing
There will be no felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions.
The applicant for the unarmed security license will be required to attend training courses that will prepare them for work in the security sector. These courses will be at facility that has state certified courses by the Indiana Department of Public Safety. The courses will provide education in emergency situations and criminal activity, along with education in the states regulations and laws. When this course has been taken successfully and the personal requirements satisfied the Indiana Department of Public Safety would issue an unarmed security licenses that will enable the person to be employed in the security environment. The course education is as follows:
Legal and ethical issues
Professionalism with the public
Non-lethal force
Detainment methods
Medical emergencies including CPR
The training course is designed to enable the unarmed security guard to professionally handle daily situations and emergency situations with confidence, until police, fire or ambulance officials arrive. The unarmed guard will also be trained in working with officials and reporting to them in emergency or criminal situations. The Indiana licensing opens up many employment positions for the unarmed security guard that will utilize their training skills.
There are different types of security opportunities for the unarmed security guards that are in the public sector and those that are in the private sector. Opportunities in the private sector often include gate duty outside of a residence. Some of the available positions for the licensed unarmed guard can be found in:
Banks
Financial institutions
Schools
Colleges
Malls
Retail stores
Parks and other public lands
Museums
Hospitals
Apartment complexes
Guarded housing developments
Private security
The unarmed guard might also be required to have a valid Indiana driver’s license for some types of security employment. There are other opportunities that will be found in the security environment for the unarmed security guard licensed by the Indiana Department of Public Safety.
Still, having
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Hey Frem,
Don't know why, but I didn't even get an email that you replied. Seems a grave injustice to you since you put about the longest post ever made on the site here if you string the two together.
To add insult to injury, I'm going to try to reply quick again, but this time out of necessity. I've been up since 12:00AM, and couldn't sleep until it was time to get ready for my 5:00AM job I show up 20 minutes early for. Didn't get home till 7:00PM (on Easter Sunday, with no overtime or double time all the other types of employees got today, for that matter), and I'm already 5 beers deep into it and need to be up at 3:30AM again tomorrow morning for another 14 hour shift. lol
Dirty work is FUN, if you're in that mode. As disgusting as the mold remediation was, I was well protected, and I got to SMASH a LOT OF SHIT!!!!! The only thing that sucked that first month, is that even in 95 degree days, I still had to take ice cold showers at night when I was done before I bought and installed the water heater :(
I LOVE the finished project as much as the next guy, but there's a special place in my heart for destroying stuff that I have every legal right to destroy, whether it's mine outright or it's a job requirement
Silver is a cool color too. Don't let me force my own latent "goth"-black tenancies on you.
It will look freakin' awesome whatever you do with it!
I don't know shit about cars or car repair, and never had a garage to work with before, so your intended fixes are over my head right now. I so wish I had this 2 1/2 car garage 2 years ago before I sold the near-mint bodied LTD that was a year older than me.
Internet writups for your passion are truly the shit though....
I'm friends with a lot of my ex-es too. Crazy and even normal types. "Friendly" would probably be the more appropriate word though... I'd love to talk to them more often, but we're all still relatively young (not much older than the Brat Pack in St. Elmo's Fire... at least the age of the actors, and the fact that I've probably proven myself on a regular basis over the years to be way to eccentric to be any real competition to a stable relationship, I get the feeling that the hubbies, even the one's I like and approve of, don't like me being around all that much ;)
Glad it is working out for you though. It gives me hope. Maybe when we're all older we can be closer. For a long time, some of them were my best friends before I imploded. The sex, which was usually way to vanilla for me anyhow, was just a perk.
I really don't have opinions on cars, foreign or US made. I've never owned a new one. I've always gotten great deals on what I was buying. Most lasted only a few years, a Cavalier that was 3 years old lasted me nearly 9 years. My Toyota now, save some electrical problems that no mechanic could figure out I've sidestepped by upping the fuel intake, has served me well for 2 1/2 years. I get less gas mileage now, but it's still better than a lot of cars. It used to die VERY often when I stopped at a light or stop sign because the RPMs would fall below 500. Putting it in neutral wouldn't help, like it did when I had similar problems with the LTD. Upping the fuel intake seems to have been the perfect fix. The only caviet is that I can't drive over 75mph on the expressway or the first stop I make when I get off it will die. Don't ask me why it happens, but maybe it's God keeping me honest. It's been 5 years now since my $400+ ticket and 15 day license suspension for going 102 mph, and even though that kept me honest for years, I noticed myself getting "braver" as time went by without further incident.
About putting away for a rainy day, I wasn't suggesting at all that people should do it now. It's too late. That would be asking meth addicts who already give sexual favors for thei
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Heehehehhehhheeeeh... Tiny spark....tiny spark... Put all the siding in a pile and pour me some flamables, and weeeeeee tiny spark- go woooooosh!
No more siding, mama, I don't wants the siding!!! 
Wishy crawls into a corner and makes a fort... OUT OF SIDING!!!!
*Giggles maniacly* It has foam, jack...it'll keep my fort warm this winter!
FOAM!
FOOOOOAM!
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Alas I've not the time at the moment for a real reply either, but yanno I always liked that song...
AND - it's also what drew me over the line to being an actual fan of Hatsune Miku, who covered it like she owned it, in phonetic-english no less.
Hoo boy, monday comin up, fun fun fun, NOT!
Oh, and no, YOU don't own the license, THEY do - it's their way of keeping a leash on you, but maybe you can sidestep it by perhaps having the board issue you a copy or something...
-Frem
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I finally finished Bourne 1, I thought it was definitely better than the movie. I'll add Bourne 2 and 3 to my list, I doubt I'll read any of the others because Ludlum died after 3 and the others are written by other people, and series who get written by someone new just don't feel right.
There's just not enough time for reading anymore, honestly this site eats up a lot of my time during the week.
I assume you're my pal until you let me know otherwise.
"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya.
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Ahhhhhhh Wish.... Now I know where you've been. Been inhaling the foam, have ya?
Seriously, that is the craziest post I've ever seen from you. It made me laugh.
Sometimes I wish I lived that far south that I could actually burn my siding and not get arrested for it. I'm just assuming what would happen if I made a fire that big in my back yard with plumes of black smoke coming out of it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think I'd get away with just a slap on the wrist and a fine.
Hey Riona,
I know all about reading and time. I hope I can make some time for it semi-regularly in the future. As much as this job blows, it is nice to be able to read again.
Haha Frem,
My short term memory isn't always that great. I forgot you posted that just the other week. Funny how the subconscious works. Last night I thought I hadn't heard that song in ages, but I did when you posted the anime version of it. Doh!
Quote:
Oh, and no, YOU don't own the license, THEY do - it's their way of keeping a leash on you, but maybe you can sidestep it by perhaps having the board issue you a copy or something...
Drat, I figured as much. By "board", you mean... who exactly? :)
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ONE SIDE DONE! 90 feet long...Sooo much sunlight, blink blink... Neighbor drove by today and I asked him how he liked it and he says "You gonna fix that soffit er what??" No pleasin some people... One part was a mess, they spanned gaps with siding and had glued bathroom panneling up?? and it had rotted... had to spend two whole days making that right before I could do anything...
Oh, and remember that lawn mower I got?? Didn't see a force flex trash bag till it was too late... I did something bad. It's now smoking and dripping oil. Have to wait n see...
Oh, and the a/c went out on my lovely car that only has 27k on it(used! no warrenty left, 2005) THE BASTARDS WANT $1500 to fix....dammit...
I'm not sure what's making me go MORE crazy at the moment... fixing things...or breaking things....
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