Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

Started by glenn kangiser, January 30, 2005, 10:24:03 PM

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Sassy

Quote from: Windpower on August 10, 2011, 08:20:11 AM
Glenn

I always am suspicious of the cleanliness of hotel coffee makers

I have started using the Folgers 'coffee bags' (like a tea bag only it is coffee)  in my travel -- just microwave them in a cup -- I like my coffee cool also so I just let the bag steep until it is drinkable -- my wife thinks it is cold coffee but then she drinks decaf (what is the point of decaf ?)


Windpower, I am too.  In one of the motels we were in years ago, someone had put some dental floss in the place where you put the coffee... 

Nothing can beat the friend that took up residence in the water receptacle for our coffee pot at home...  think I mentioned it a couple years ago.  I kept smelling this foul odor, looked all over, but couldn't find anything, weeeeelllllll, one day I decided to look inside the water holder, low & behold, there was a half rotted lizard in there  [yuk] [yuk] [yuk]  That coffee pot got a REALLY good cleaning...  and we had been drinking coffee out of there for days - never did make us sick  c*
http://glennkathystroglodytecabin.blogspot.com/

You will know the truth & the truth will set you free

Windpower

lizard coffee

it could catch on, after all don't they sell coffe that has been eerrm 'processed' through cats 



What  made suspect the coffee makers was I would never see clean coffee pots on the cleaning carts

so I take that to mean the room cleaning ladies wash up the 'dishes' in the sink or some such ......

maybe I am too picky
Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.


ben2go

MAN! This thread has everthing!Even Sassy's kitchen sink.  rofl [scared]

mtman

Quote from: ben2go on August 10, 2011, 03:19:18 PM
MAN! This thread has everthing!Even Sassy's kitchen sink.  rofl [scared]

It sure do. That's why I check it everyday, so I can see what Glenn is up too. ;D

glenn kangiser

mtnman, careful... I may warp your mind.... [ouch]




Crimoney.. I just told my son about the dental floss in the coffee pot..... but that flavorful lizard... with the flesh half fallen off ... looked like a leprosy poster child.... yum... that really does something for coffee.

My girl from Botswana just contacted me on FB.  She is the one who made Super Safety Man famous over there.  Gosh... Sassy and I wish it was not so far to Botswana.  



We miss all of our world wide friends. Heard from Myo in Myanmar a few days back also, and Cherry in Taiwan - I have been harassing her regularly too.  Just let her in on the fact that FB is used for all countries spy agencies to keep track of what everyone is up to... like they would care that I had a lizard in my coffee, eh?

Her reply?  "wow, that sounds very communist to me."



That's Cherry when we went hiking to the mine last winter.  Kyan from Japan was there also.  Wish I was there hiking instead of in this city working on the Safeway built on the Indian Burial Ground... just a theory..... [waiting]

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

Quote from: Windpower on August 10, 2011, 08:20:11 AM
Glenn

I always am suspicious of the cleanliness of hotel coffee makers

I have started using the Folgers 'coffee bags' (like a tea bag only it is coffee)  in my travel -- just microwave them in a cup -- I like my coffee cool also so I just let the bag steep until it is drinkable -- my wife thinks it is cold coffee but then she drinks decaf (what is the point of decaf ?)




Folgers coffee bags... hmm, Windpower.  It would be hard for a dental floss or a leper lizard to get into one of those. 

The Maid still left me two coffees today in case I wake up and pour it in the bag again I guess.  She probably thought it was hot when I poured it in the cup and felt sorry for me having to drink it that way....[noidea'
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

I must really be pathetic.... the maid left me a bag for my laundry today..... I put some in it - We'll see if she washes it..... :)

The Safeway is coming along --- not done but better.... ready to be paved tomorrow... not ready IMO but... they are going to do it anyway..... looks good though.



Heard from Seeng again in Botswana.  She said she will be sending pictures and has been telling her family about us.... She said they are .... so excited...

They must like crazy people....[ouch]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Windpower


Safeway sells coffee bags too....




of course in light of you current project problems maybe not the most appetizing
Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.

glenn kangiser

I wonder if I will ever be able to shop at a Safeway again..... hmm

For every problem we fix we find three more.  New foreman over "A" building... the old one just couldn't stand it anymore.  

The new guy is decent.  A bit cocky but no more cocky than I am.  Gotta test him out a little.  My guy mentioned something about the other building and the new foreman mentioned that he doesn't give a damn about that other building --- he just cares about this one......


I told him, "I've heard that Carnegie crap before and I know your boss's boss.  He cares about the other building and when I tell him you said you don't he'll be all over your case..."

He stopped for a second as you are not supposed to reply to his "don't care" BS... you are just supposed to be whipped into shape.  He laughed and said "Yeah he'd probably reply... that MF probably did say that didn't he."  Kinda funny if you are used to that stuff.  He seems like he will be OK to work with.  More knowledgeable  than the one who quit.  He knows we will have to build it a piece at a time to get it done.  A fight all of the way..





Got the other half up on the right tonight... 34'6" to the top.  [ouch]  
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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rick91351

I hate to says this but the phone just rang waking me up out a nice sleep dreaming of dreamy things to go down and get on a train at 02:25.  Thought I would look to see that old Glenn was up to as I grab a bite to eat and sip a Diet Coke here in the old hotel room.

Hate to be so critical but the building Looks pretty stupid with the glass in.  Just wonder who pays for the grinding and welding pops on the windows?  You could hang wielding drapes all day and still end up with damage.  Man they seem to just go way out of their way to slow the wheels of progress there. Most likely tomorrow the guys with the toilets will show up and find out the sewer drains were never installed the way this job has gone.

The big boss over this job will fire a bunch and get promoted higher.  Looks sort of like the gardener who plants a garden for the rich man.  Seeds start coming up, it all looks good.  He waters weeds and toils away.  Then when the garden is half grown.  The rich man has the gardener till it all up because he find out the importance of and humus and fertilizer at the local meeting of the Rich-man's garden club.  So the gardener tills up the garden spreads on the the humus and fertilizer, tills again and replants the garden.  The gardener then is immediately fired because the rich mans garden does not look as good as the others in the rich mans garden club.  Obviously the gardener was not doing his job and did not know anything in the first place.  The rich man was then elected to be the new chairman of the Rich-mans garden club because of his take charge, get things done attitude.
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

glenn kangiser

Thank you Rick... now I can see you entirely understand how this job is being run.  Everyone tells management GC they are slowing down progress - I asked old John for a hold harmless from weld or grinder spatter damage to the windows.  

He said, "Yah, like dat's gonna happen."  Think... the Godfather but a fairly mellow fellow with earrings.......  [scared]  

....and he thought I was weird for wearing a Hot Pink Bikini........ [waiting]

We are still dealing with the curbs being set in 2 1/2 inches - the elevator being set back 8 3/4 inches, the 5x5's moved to fit architectural, (see the beams sticking out -they are on the 5x5s)  the detailer making the 5x5's stick out half way through the face of the wall - we set them into the wall where they belong but now the canopy support beams are about 4 inches too short - he forgot to allow for the sheetrock too so our decking would have been sticking out all along the front.

Waterproofing  is now done on the roof garden so we will be welding over the waterproof plastic membrane as we try to protect it from flying splashing shattering spreading globules of molten steel that fall....... [waiting]

0' finished floor elevations changed about 1 1/4" between the CMU block contractor and the concrete contractor so some of our steel support beams that were put on the original columns as well as ledgers and beams installed on the CMU wall are low.  That will give us more trouble later.

All of the 12 inch channels that fit between the beams have 1/2 inch max tolerance so we have to make all of them to fit "as built" dimensions - and they also were pre-made per plan. I ordered about 200 feet of new 30 foot stock 12 inch channel to be galvanized to give us material to cut long enough ones from.  Obviously that will leave us that much wrong length waste.  I had to request engineers permission via RFI to move knife plates a few inches to fit the new locations for the architect.....

"It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind".... right?  That is an old saying... maybe from my mom?.... [noidea'

While there should be back charges and all kinds of paperwork for this stuff, the job has gone so bad that all are trying to finish it and just get out of it.  Maybe they will arm wrestle about it later.

Now the paver has said... multiple times to me.. It is not ready to be paved this early in the game as it will just get torn up.  I hundred percent agree.

...but



...as of yesterday about 2/3 of it paved even as the compaction testing inspector was running in front of the steam roller inspecting......  [scared]   ..nearly....

Management feels it is necessary to make any kind of progress to show a pushy Safeway boss progress even if it slows down the entire project... IMHO of course....  [waiting]

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

I guess a point we could take away from this here for our building projects is to think how early mistakes and improper sequencing affect the future of your job.  

That is why John's plans are nice.  I have never heard this type of nightmare stories from anyone who used his plans and thought their job out well.  :)

I hope I live long enough to complete this job and get back to the underground complex. [ouch]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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PEG688

 Excellent points about sequences Glenn.

My project managers in Poland on vacation , just before he left he said ,  "Try to get the patio's poured on the south side" ,

There's seven posts that need knife anchors poured in , the Engineer drew seven footing pier combos that hold the posts elevated 6" off the patio's , the PM said just pour then in as mono pours!  I talked to  him about a hour before his flight and asked IF we should just change the engineers plan, pointing out that was a very bad option IMO. So now we're playing email tag as he responds but doesn't give clear answers to the reasons to not  follow the plan. Like changing the joist size , after he gets approval to use TJI's he wants to up size the joist which will screw the plumber by taking his fall away for the waste lines. He also set the septic tank to high to use the thru foundation chase he poured in,  so we have to core bore a new hole, which equals extra dollars.

 Also IF we pour the patios now , before framing starts you know some one will ding up the concrete , just like that parking lot they just paved , although a repair on a tar parking lot at Safeway is way more do-able than a concrete slab on a custom house!  That parking lot will get beat up , cut , etc as a course of normal business and the up side is , IF they let you park on it, you'll have a flat spot to work on your broke down rigs the rest of the project !!  :)

Anyway the list goes on of "unintended consequences" to changes made on the fly!      
When in doubt , build it stout with something you know about .

Sassy

Well, I'm headed out to the Bay area to visit Glenn...  I have to laugh sometimes, he sounds just like I did when I worked in ER...  my brain would never shut off.  While you are at work, you are pulled in a million different directions by doc, patients, administration, families...  there is no allowance for "all our beds are full, the hallways are full, the waiting room is full as the ambulances drive up & unload their patients in the middle of a heart attack or stroke, in 4 point restraints or in C-spine...  you cannot turn a patient away.  What makes it worse, is that all the hospital beds are full so there is no where to send the patients if they are admitted.

Then you have the drunks that are yelling, pulling out their IV's cussing the nurses out, some even kicking & swinging at them... in that chaos, we have to make sure we notice every little nuance or change in the patient, every medication etc order put into the computer for our patients, we have to be aware of their condition, assessing them as needed, we have to bring water, clean & change beds, run labs upstairs, transport patients to xray, CT etc.  If a chest pain person comes in (that includes dizziness, abd pain, nausea) we have to get an EKG done w/in 10min, pt in bed on the monitor, IV inserted, draw blood for labs & an instant lab test called a troponin that will tell us w/in 10 min if there are any enzymes in the blood that could indicate heart muscle damage, assess pt, talk w/doc, check orders, talk w/pt & family, get xrays, give medications.

Then you have foley catheters to insert, dressings to change, urinals & bedpans to give & empty, poopy beds & diapers to clean, central lines to set up for so that the doc can insert a central IV line because the person has shot up too many drugs & has no veins left.  Some patient's respiratory condition is so bad, the doc has to intubate the patient & he has to be put on a ventilator to help him breathe.  Then you have the "code blue's" where a patient has gone unconscious, heart stopped, etc - that takes a lot of the staff - intubation, medications, monitoring, labs, IV's, meds, xrays, charting...  it is always hard emotionally to lose a patient, so you have to stuff that & keep on working.  

Then you have to be the go-between for the patients/families & doc, you have to explain everything that is going on, there are times when we have to console families when a new, serious diagnosis, pt failing quickly & nothing more can be done.

You get the idea - it's hard to shut your brain off after 12-16hrs of that...  you get home, finally go to sleep & suddenly wake up an hour later wondering if you gave a certain med or charted everything - if it isn't documented, it wasn't done

Glenn had a hard time understanding my being stressed...  I think he understands it now  ::)

I feel bad for Glenn, he's hardly getting any sleep, working 6-7day/wk, heavy physical labor besides all the brain work of dealing w/the crappy job - I'm thankful that he can do it & has the work.  My body just can't take being on my feet for all those hours anymore, lifting patients, etc.

Thank you Glenn  :-*  (he'll think I'm pretty sappy  :P )

Got all the hatches battened down, everything watered, chickens, cows, dogs, cats fed & feed available.  Our renter will come & check on everything for me - they're great people.  Had to pack, get gas, even washed my car yesterday - it was filthy, driving on our dirt road, got the oil changed last week, made sure all the batteries are full of water, hmmmm, what else? 

http://glennkathystroglodytecabin.blogspot.com/

You will know the truth & the truth will set you free


jeramiez

Hey Glenn, question about seasoning logs...
After a tree has been felled, should it be seasoned "whole" or cut into approximate lengths and then seasoned? Should bark removal come before or after seasoning? they do need to be seasoned right?
Looking to cut a few usefuell trees down soon and realized it was a step I hadn't really studied too much on except some confusing info on drying times.... lol

glenn kangiser

Let me catch Jeramie first here.....

Jeramie, It takes about two years to season a log.  By that time winter will have set in and the Mrs. will freeze to death.... then where will you be.

For a normal house where things are square and neat and we mustn't let that door frame be off an 1/8th ... yes - cut it dry it make it stable, but the nice thing about Oehler's method is that things just kind of dry and shrink together and the earth adjust a bit naturally then ten years later it may not be as square as it started out but.... it's rustic and you don't care too much.

Depends on what you want but the U house will work fine without being cured well.  Keep in mind shrinkage is more with wet boards - the pines I seem to find about 5/8 or so per foot of width as an average.

There are a couple theories about the time to peel logs. Right away when the sap is in them with a draw knife and hard work, but if stored up off the soil then six months or so and the bugs working on the cambium layer will help loosen the bark and carve decorations so you can peel it easily.  Depends on the time you have.  If on the soil, then fungus will send out tendrils drawing in water to rot the wood and it may be starting to get bad.  Depends on conditions.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

Yup, PEG... you know where I'm coming from.  I always try to follow the engineers spec exact.  I like having him take responsibility for the job.  If I make an unauthorized change they may likely come after me in the case of a failure.  [ouch]

CYA... that is the way I find I have to do it when working for the public.  When building for myself I feel it is my right to do what I want to do.

Today and yesterday - the frames I put in of course did not fit exact due to changes on the as built building and us having to meet them.  One of the things I like to do is to make the brackets, plates, welds back to the plan that way I don't have to bother the engineer for an RFI.  I just go as close to the plan as possible in a given situation then have the inspector check it off as "Per Plan"... no RFI needed for that.

I would be nervous about the changes you mention - footings - slab etc... six months down the road -- ugly cracks... your boss would buy that rather than the engineer.. but you know all of that stuff.   I hate it when unthinking bosses try to change stuff... you know they will try to blame you if things go bad.... [waiting]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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glenn kangiser

Hmm Sassy, it's one thing for you to be stressed.... I am not supposed to have to deal with it.... I'm a man....... [waiting]

If there is a job that may even pressure a Super Hero... Super Safety Man..... this could be it though.  [ouch]

Two fourteen hour days then a ten... glad things slacked off today... I need a nap.... [noidea'
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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Windpower

At least you are young, Glenn and Sassy

it must be where you get your energy, cause I know I couldn't keep up with you folks




Often, our ignorance is not as great as our reluctance to act on what we know.

glenn kangiser

60 is young.... ?   [waiting]

I hope so...  I think.... :)
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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rick91351

Quote from: glenn kangiser on August 14, 2011, 07:56:14 PM
60 is young.... ?   [waiting]

I hope so...  I think.... :)

Strange how you look around and you are there! [shocked] [noidea' [scared]
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

glenn kangiser

From what I hear, I am now older than my mother..... and  Sassy is only two weeks younger than me..... [ouch]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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MountainDon

... and you are both younger than me.   ;D
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

jeramiez

Thanks for the words of wisdom Glenn, made perfect sence!!!

glenn kangiser

Quote from: MountainDon on August 14, 2011, 09:01:40 PM
... and you are both younger than me.   ;D

We'll have to start calling you Grandpa Don.  At least somebody is older than us.... :)

Glad that was understandable, Jeramie.  

I often talk of the city people and how it is hard to find friendly ones.  Many in this area are known to be a bit snobby or in fear of talking to someone or making eye contact... yeah ... so somedays I could be mistaken for a panhandler, though not when we go out to eat usually.... [waiting]

That is the case a lot of the time here, but it is always great when you meet the nice ones because they shine so much more brightly out of the context they live in.  We have met a few this weekend.  

My wife got to meet Mohammed, my Muslim guard friend.  He got his citizenship and his wife will be coming from Pakistan within about six months. He showed us pictures of his family, a very beautiful wife, son and daughter.  He asked if he may have his wife make Sassy a dress from his country.  I told him we would be very honored.  We talked with him for probably an hour or more regarding America, Pakistan, BinLaden, 9/11, government. religion etc.  He bragged me up to Sassy way too much.... giving me that big ego.... [ouch]  A very enjoyable discussion.

We went to the Burlingame art fair and met a nice lady selling solar products.  I told her about how the rebate system is rigged and she said... yes, but don't tell these other people... She is going to look us up on the net.  :)

The one I want to share the most was at the Crepevine though as we were eating our morning brunch.  There was a nice family and friends group sitting at the tables next to us.  They were having a good time and taking pictures when one of the girls came over to take a picture by me.  In getting just the right shot, her bum bumped into my arm.  Sassy made a joking remark and they said something ... "I said well maybe I should get into the picture too."  I already knew they were the friendly type rather than typical city people as the other girl suggested Sassy sit her purse by the back of the chair as the place is always swamped with little room.

They agreed I should get into the picture and so we all got pictures together.  



The girl sitting next to me before the other came to take pictures talked with us quite a bit and asked us to come to their house in the next week or two for dinner.  She said she loves to cook and has a small catering business as well as working in the insurance field.She was from Nicaragua and her husband was from Colombia.  

What a breath of fresh air to meet such nice people in the big city.  :)



She also took a picture of Sassy and I enjoying our breakfast dessert crepes.  



The people who run the Crepevine all remember us and greet us like family when we show up there.  Nice middle easterners.  We also met a very nice couple from india while standing in line. They had not been there before and we assured them they would find it worth the wait.

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

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