Project Paint the Porch: Stage 1 begins

I wanted Atlantic

I have done the first coat on the porch though not as far as I had hoped.  The edger I got, from Aldi of
all places, held up pretty well until I was almost done and then it came apart with two small sides left.  It isn't an easy thing to fix with paint on it so I did the best I could but decided not to do the steps and just focus on the whatever the formal name of the porch platform is.


I didn't start as early as I could have for a couple of reasons.  First, I went for a run before work because my kids miraculously woke up early and we were able to get them off to school.  My New Normal is to log into the office around 7 am or earlier and just check emails though I officially start at 8 CST.  I got back right at 8 and decided to cool off and then mow the postage stamp sized amount of grass in the backyard.

I didn't start on this yesterday because the humidity was right at 79-80 and I didn't want to take a chance, especially since I had just power-washed the porch on Tuesday.  Today was much hotter but the humidity only about 40 right now.

I also couldn't start on the painting too early because part of the prep involves using a leaf blower to clear any dust and debris.  While it only would have been for 5 minutes at the most, I don't want to be the neighbor that makes that kind of noise before 8 AM.

I need to do a second coat, which I should be able to do this evening before nightfall.  When we get back from Michigan, I'll have all summer to finish though I do not plan to take that long.  The weather looks decent next week so I should be able to get the spindles knocked out then.  After that, it's the railings and risers.



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Project Paint the Porch: Stage 0

The time has come to paint the front porch.  This is actually a stop-gap solution because we
eventually will have to repair/replace the porch at some future date.  I'm hoping that future date is sometime after we sell the house.

My neighbor used a product called Deckover and it looks pretty good on his old steps.  I thought I'd give it a try.  I wanted to change the color of our house and shift from Green to Blue or grey or something that isn't green because our house has an overabundance of green.  However Nightingale pointed out that it would look too funny if we didn't paint all the trim around the house and it would be too much work to do so.  Hence we are going with Mountain Spruce.

My plan is to do this in stages since I need to do it when the little DN are at school and the weather cooperates.

• Stage 0:  Power wash and Prep the area
• Stage 1:  Paint steps green.  Two coats
• Stage 2:  spindles (another color)
• Stage 3:  green railing
• Stage 4: risers
• Stage 5:  install quarter rounds on the six steps and paint those green as well
• Stage 6: Touch up and cleanup

I bought everthing I need (except the quarter rounds) over the weekend so I should be able to start if the weather cooperates.  The temp needs to be between 50-90, with less than 80% humidity and no rain expected for 24 hours.

It's raining today and it is also supposed to rain this weekend, starting Friday.  This is what my phone app says right this minute, it's always subject to change.  That gives me a slim Tues-Thursday window, depending on when the rain will come friday.  We are also traveling to Michigan for Memorial Day weekend so I won't be able to finish (or start) until next Wednesday.







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Changes at the Office and home

So I made it through year number two at Big Audit.   It has been rough from almost day one.   I realize belatedly that one of the reasons Headless Nick was so cold towards me was, from his perspective, I was replacing him.

 So a week or so ago my PML forwarded me an email from the person who manages hoteling in the Chicago office.  Note: they reach out to our PMLs instead of to us directly.  This is one more sign of how dysfunctional things are at Big Audit.

I'll miss the white board and coat cubby

The issue was they wanted to move some tax group into my area, which would mean relocating me.  At the same time,  Hoteling Dude asked if I really needed a permanent seat since my utilization was under the threshold.  I could come to the office and hunt for a desk, but that doesn't make sense.  I do not work with anybody in the Chicago office and coming to the office is really just a thing I did to make Headless Nick happy and provide me some structure.

When I started in 2016, we could somehow get the kids to daycare and get to work between 8 and 8:20, especially with my mom helping out in nicer weather.  However, as the kids have gotten older and are learning to test limits, getting them to daycare has become a longer battle ordeal in the mornings.  I simply cannot get to work anywhere in the zip code of On Time.

Anywho, I'm giving up my desk at the office and WFH more.  Until they officially take my desk away, my plan is to go into the office a couple times mid-week.  Eventually I will switch to full time at home, unless and until the rumored restructure impacts me. 


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What I am watching these days

It's not easy for me to watch anything on TV these days. Movies involve a babysitter and a tight window of opportunity. Our TVs are usually streaming Octanauts or PJ Mask (and whatever the next cartoon moose and squirrel find appealing). The intersection of time that I'm in front of a TV and there isn't a small child usurping it is extremely scant.

So when I say binge-watch anything these days, I mean that I watched consecutive episodes in a finite amount of time spread over a couple of days versus the more conventional definition of completing a season in an afternoon or a series within a weekend.

It's an achievement in itself that I was able to watch 10+ hours of Netflix Lost In Space. Luckily, I didn't have to rewind episodes like I did with Altered Carbon because of all the AC Universe jargon that is shoved down your throat.

I am able to stream stuff on the tablets, though.  In fact, I rather prefer it this way. The closed captioning helps my old man's hearing and it can multitask somewhat.  

• The Expanse  
• The 100
• The Handmaid's Tale
• Westworld 

Haven't seen Handmaid's Tale yet, and cannot get Westworld yet until I figure out how to get HBO without a subscription.  Maybe it will be better to wait until I can binge watch it on Prime or Netflix.

Update from the Future:  I was able to watch WestWorld because streaming services changed enough that a subscription to one gave me access to HBO.  I could also watch Handmaid's Tale but only on the main TV instead of my iPad, which I prefer.

Not doing the push ups anymore

The second half of march -- Ides of March forward -- was almost perfect.  Something like 14 for 16. And April started off stellar but then crashed and burned.  I have not done my 10 push-ups a day thing for over a month. 

Part of the reason was many mornings I'd wake up with my back sore from sleeping in a twisted position because one of the kids was sleeping with their feet kicking into my liver. 

The rest of the reason was pure laziness.  I'm should resume the endeavor, even if it's just unofficial but what are the odds that happens.  Maybe once the warmer weather arrives and I run outside more.








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HELOC process start to finish

Since we had a few things that needed doing around the house, I applied for a HELOC with Chase in February.  I knew it was a long shot but I also knew that there are $500K homes going up nearby and that the people who calculate these home values don't know Portage Park from Lincoln Park so why not.  

• Feb 9: applied online
• Feb 12-14: missed calls
• Feb 15: sent financial documents
• Feb 16: drive-by appraisal.  I actually saw some camera flashes but was on a call so I didn't go look
• Feb 21: appraisal came in $5k higher than I submitted.
• Feb 22-27: request for 2 more documents
• Feb 27: confirmed they have all they need and will reach out to schedule closing
• Mar 2: closing scheduled
• Mar 3: closing rescheduled because wife signature needed.

So it only took a month and we got a small but not trivial amount of money to help with some home repairs.  I looked into getting some type of Air Conditioning system but the costs were too high given we might not be here much longer.  Instead, I decided that the first order of business was to get the rails on the back deck replaced.


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A touch of the Writer's Block

It is probably very obvious that I haven't posted much here lately.  Usually by this time of year, I've surpassed my lowest years (2010 and 2011) of published posts.

Writing in the morning works for me because I have access to a brain that doesn't exist any other time of the waking day. Think about what the brain was doing just minutes before that alarm clock went off. It was dreaming. Creating storylines with strange plots, strange casts of characters, and no real sense of a structured plot. That's the brain you can tap into at five or six o'clock in the morning. Peak creativity. -- Chris O'Brien, Medium Rare.

I have been in a slump since the start of the year. First off, my daytime paying job has been busy, stressful and more demanding than usual.

Time for grilling

Second, I'm going through what I refer to as the Groundhog Day Phase with my kids.  Everyday it's pretty much the same thing:  Fight with them to wake up in the morning, get them dressed and off to daycare.  Then scramble to get to work at a time that is in the ballpark of "Start Time".   Hope that things are quiet enough that I can leave on time and meet my wife at daycare and bring the mini-tyrants home, feed them and fight with them to go to sleep at a decent time.  Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Finally, as the quote above suggests, I do my better writing first thing in the morning these days.  But my mornings are chaos and by the time things settle down, the day is half over and my energy and creativity are depleted.  

On a side note, I've opted to take advantage of my job privilege of flexible schedule and working from 

Home more often.     I should probably cancel my gym membership.    

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