Time Spent

Well, it’s been some time has it not?

Time has gotten away from me here, mostly because I switched jobs. Again, the third time in as many years. I am still with the same company (only the second company) but doing something new. A lot busier, a lot more challenging and NOT working nights. The bags under my eyes are slowly fading…
But alas it leaves me with little time or energy to get to writing posts.
Not that I’ll give up.
I finally finished the up stairs hall, No more plumbing problems and I am hoping to get that hole in the kitchen ceiling fixed sooner rather then later…

this weekend is supposed to be amazing weather wise so I doubt I'll spend much time indoors. I know Saturday we're going to go wander downtown and eat at Matchbox (can't wait for that Pizza!).
That’s all for now, another post will be forthcoming with pictures I hope!

Cheers!

An Odd Mix, Or Form One End To The Other.......

The last week has been, well a mix of crap, more crap and some tastiness.

As I mentioned before we have been experiencing some plumbing problems. Well that is RESOLVED! almost... The plumber has been working on it since Thursday, it's Monday... not done... not his fault though he had t order a special toilet from New Jersey (go figure...). I didn't mind, this special toilet saved me 3,000.00 dollars, yes folks 3K. how? well it has what is called a Macerator box. Sounds lovely, no? It's not. It's a toilet tank sized box below the toilet tank that completely liquefies anything that goes threw it. Apparently the plumber saw a demo where they sent 20 tampons threw at once and just liquid came out. So that's some chopping power!
How did this amazing poo chopper save us 3k? well with the pooerator toilet there was no need to jackhammer up all the old pipes, just cap them off put a small line directly to the main drainage pipe and whala! all done!

I'll put some pics of the finished work in soon...

I know, it's not nice to talk about things like poo-annihilation devices in public, but it makes me happy (more then I think it probably should, more then anything that deals with poo ever has before, except when they put in the Porto-potties, back when I was stuck in the desert, and we didn't have to pour diesel fuel into a bucket of poo and burn it to dispose of it anymore, that's the happiest anything that has to do with poo has ever made me......


Ok done now, I promise!


So if your still reading (I wouldn't blame you if not), this is what I started while the plumber was busy at work.





Mr. YDIOBIDICWAC (that's "you do it over because I did it completely wrong and crappy") ,the guy we bought the house from, replaced sections of baseboards with completely different trim and boards...













It's coming along ok, I think I need to pull off all the old stuff in this area and redo it to avoid it looking like I just patched it up... yay more work. And it's hard to pull that off without putting holes in the plaster! the trick is a shingle or putty knife behind the pry-bar to disperse the pressure...

Though this may be ill advised I'll come full circle and end on a tasty note...

For dinner I made Pepper steak on the old grill. I must admit this is perhaps the simplest and most delicious steak I have had in a long, long time.
Start here...
That's:
Black Pepper
Salt
dried mixed garlic and herbs (I like the Spice Islands version set to a course grind)
Olive oil (On the veggies)
Garlic (also only on the veggies)






I used Green Pepper, Onion (one half large white) mushrooms (Baby Bella) and one lager Red Potato.
Wrap the veggies in Aluminum Foil


Drizzle on the olive oil
Liberally grind on pepper and spice
salt to taste (I am a sparse salt person, K is not...)
and place the garlic on top (I used about a table spoon, or more... I like garlic... a lot...)

wrap it up and put it on the grill.
about 30 or 45 minutes, second shelf 400-500 degrees.



Meanwhile rub the steak (I suggest the thickest cut you can find) with the salt, pepper and herbs. Wait till the veggies are done to cook if you want it rare like me, or throw it on for 20 minutes and make it blackened like K.






And your done!














And done!


















Remember to let the meat sit for about 5 minutes after you take it off, it's lets it finish cooking...



Cheers!

The Crap Abounds

The last week has not lived up to expectations. Not that I actually had any for it, but it didn't live up to any that I or anyone else would have had...
It started out as a good weekend, Friday came, wine was had, bagels for Saturday breakfast, pizza for dinner at a local dive (more on that later) and a lazy night of beer and annoying the dogs... I had hoped to rototill the garden but some much needed rain came and fouled that all up. Sunday is where the crap hit...

Wake up at 8
watch the Sunday morning news and read the paper
notice that I have a runny nose and feel a little crappy
notice a strange "poo" smell
notice the smell is getting stronger as I move towards the laundry room
enter the laundry room
notice about 5 inches of water
notice it's welling up through the floor....
notice we're not going to have a good day...

So what has happened is a continuation of a problem that has been lurking about since a month or so after we moved in. The wonderful (only in his own head) DIY guy that owned the house before us had apparently washed tile grout down the drains, which then solidified making the diameter of the pipe about one inch, a small rough hole that clogs when anything but clean water passes through. We knew this thus we only used the toilet for #1, did not use the shower and I put a laundry sink in that bypassed the pipe.

Problem solved (or at least delayed until we could afford to have the floor jack-hammered out and the pipes replaced, about year 3 or 4 in my mind) or so I thought.

So what's going on? I wish I knew. Now when water is run ANYWHERE in the house for more then about 1 minute, out it comes from said hole. And the fait poo smell has me worried.

After about an hour of vacuuming up the water and beaching the floor (all the while noticing that I have developed a nasty head cold) I called the plumber. He could come today (for an exorbitant "emergency visit' price or tomorrow for the normal fee (which I had a coupon to waive) so we waited...

I was nice taking 1 minute showers and not washing any dishes...

Monday, I feel like crap, my head has kittens in it that are scratching up my eye's and nose for the inside and I have to work all night...

About 10 the plumber shows, goes over all the problems, looks in the drain, takes out a pen and a calculator (now I know I'm screwed) and starts adding up a lot of numbers.

long story short, that 3 or 4 year off project is happening Thursday and Friday. the floor is coming up, the pipes will be replaced, a new toilet and sink will be put in and the whole layout is going to change. NOT what I had wanted. I wanted to wait and do it slowly, when I had money and time to really plan it out. But we need to be able to wash/shower/cook/flush etc...

yay for us

On a back note, we went to the Stained-glass pub for pizza and beer. when we showed up the cops were taking two rapscallions away, we went in anyway. it's like going back to 1988 the minute you walk in, acid washed jeans were seen... But the pizza is good, greasy and cheesy and the beer is cheap... we'll be going back

Now I just need to get over this damnedable cold...

Cheers...