NYC Journal

I restored the basement widow In the morning. Good thing I had two tubes of caulking on hand to save me the trip to Home Cheapo.

Around noon I started ferrying mulch using my dump cart, but then I decided to add the use of a one-tonne “Man-Bag” that holds about a cubic yard in addition. I could load and lift it on top of the dump cart to speed up the moving. The leaves for the most part were dry and airy. They did not weigh much, but held a good amount of volume.

I broke off around 3:30-4:00 not wanting to kill myself. The warm part of the day was fading.

I also figure I’m still recovering from the cough and congestion that still lingers. I feel better every day, but I’m not 100%. I figure I got enough done today. Taking care of myself means not hammering.

It seems that the roofing crew not only stripped the old roof, but replaced also the entire roof in one day. 4-men did the install, and I think they had extra hands for the stripping and cleanup. A trailer filled with refuse is parked on the side yard I guess to be picked up tomorrow.

Not sure if siding will begin. The house is small, but still that roof got done quickly.

In my leaf harvesting I ran into one of my neighbors who is a contractor. When I mention how all the work is proceeding at a remarkable pace at the abandoned house, my neighbor thinks that he the owner of the abandoned house is trying to stay ahead of the building department. Technically he is just replacing what already is existing, but still we know that all that tree cutting was likely done without a permit.

So even if the house gets flipped, it will not be a cheap house, and it will be worth over $500K even though it is tiny. It does not have the charm factor, nor is it a “cute” house that stands out like our Baby-Victorian.

This weekend “Maggie” will be meeting with this woman who does the fashion event for the less fortunate. Maggie went through the bins to see if there is any denim to recycle. She is doing this reconstruction and mending. This is a good project for her.

There still is some other furniture to get rid of, but pretty much after that the basement will just be my stuff, plus her orphaned Trek Domane.

I see the basement as a storage and staging area mostly, but also room for a modest darkroom, and a work area.

The attic will be my studio for digital printing and for music. I set up my 300B tube stereo up there and store my electric guitars, bass’s and amps. The 15x16 room I envision with an A-frame roof an no knee walls will suit me fine.

Cal
 
The next best thing to sharing a meal with some friends is writing about my eating healthy.

I had a lean center cut pork chop leftover from grilling a few days ago. Basically I had an already cooked protein. I trimmed off the sliver of fat, and then sliced the loin thin as a quarter. I’ll be adding it to an Udon soup.

I threw the sliced pork into a bowl and then add about a tablespoon of Red Miso paste that I bought at a health food store. Meanwhile I have filtered water set to boil.

When the water is boiling I add a full 6 ounce package of fresh organic spinach from Trader Joe’s. It is triple washed on only takes about 2 minutes to cook. When done I use a fork to remove the now cooked spinach, and I add it to the bowl with the meat and miso.

The boiling water that cooked the spinach will also be utilized to cook Udon noodles that I get from my Korean owned super market two blocks from my Baby-Victorian. These noodles are imported from Japan, and I cook two bundles for me. They take about 12 minutes to cook.

As the noodles are cooking I chop a scallion and add it to the bowl. Enough water weeps out of the spinach to water down the miso paste into a broth. When the Udon noodles are cooked add the noodles to the bowl and add a good amount of the broth to create a hardy soup.

This is as good as in any restaurant. Of course instead of leftover pork I could use leftover grilled London broil, or leftover grilled chicken.

BTW Miso has probiotics. Also know that I never tire of eating Udon noodles. Very easy to modify. Trader Joe’s sells these chicken wantons in the frozen food section that you can sub in for the protein, just use one bundle of Udon instead of two.

Cal the skinny bitch
 
Tomorrow will be colder than today. I did well by exploiting the milder weather today. Sunday is expected to have the mildness return, but with possibility of rain. Oh-well. Not so many leaves accumulated anymore after today’s haul.

A curious tuff of deer fur in my back-backyard. Not only some fur but also skin. I wonder if in the rutting if a deer’s antler removed some flesh and fur from another deer.

I wonder if I can snag a good deal on a turkey post Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t mind roasting one. Does not have to be so huge. Call me greedy, but I would not mind having some turkey in my fridge.

Tomorrow I’ll likely work on the upstairs bathroom doorway stripping. I have wire brushes for my drill to remove paint from hardware. Pretty much brass.

Cal
 
I dug in and found out one reason why the Fat Chance Yo Eddy is so light in weight is the Rock Shox SID. Mine is an early model that features 28mm thick stantions and has 63-80mm of travel. I don’t think I have the first version because mine has the adjustments for the valving. Also my version features “Dual Air”

I might consider getting another SID for the IBIS Alibi which has a suspension geometry.

Pretty much a Rock Shox SID was really advanced when released in 2008 and it still is in production with of course more improvements. My first generation with the 28mm legs was made between 1998-2008.

As things evolved they added travel and thicker and longer stantions adapting to the development or 29’ers. I’m so light in weight that I don’t think I would benefit from a stronger fork. Also my bike technicall is a 26’er that will be using oversized tires that are still only 27 inches in diameter.

Today was a slacker day, and I did no work on the house. Oh-well.

Did a little shopping and relaxed.

Cal
 
We watched a series on longevity called ”The Blue Zone” where certain groups of people around the world have extraordinary life expectancies.

One was a remote Island in Greece, a remote peninsula in Costa Rica, and the Island of Okinawa. What these locals had in common was a self sufficient community that had a certain mindset, good diet that involved being physically active, and had certain social interactions at play, along with a sense of purpose.

The sad thing is that in Costa Rica the modern world is encroaching and endangers destroying the Blue Zone, In Okinawa it is even further along.

The show involved a good part of science in the study, and there were other places where remarkable leaps in longevity exist; one was Singapore where government policy makes owning a car about 2 1/2 times as expensive in the U.S. Pretty much they have and enjoy a great mass transit system, along with no congestion or traffic jams, and walking is part of the lifestyle with green spaces and exercise parks.

The government promotes good diet and public health as social policy. Basically the government supports public health, unlike here in the U.S. This not only saves money and is more cost effective, it adds to longevity. Here in the U.S. healthcare is big business, and vast amounts of money promotes illness and expensive treatments which is the costly way to go.

Meanwhile in Costa Rica, a small and tiny country, they spend about one-fifth the amount of here in the U.S. on healthcare, but having medical teams visit each individual citizen yearly. Public health in Costa Rica too has become public policy.

There was an episode on Loma Linda a suburb in California where the culture of Seventh Day Adventurists and their diet, work ethic, and sense of community replicated the same themes as other Blue Zones.

Sardinia was also another Blue Zone.

Pretty much good diet and exercise on a daily basis, but culture, mindset, and most of all a sense of community that unified people as a group were equally important.

Part of the mindset was controlling worry and anxiety.

So pretty much my slacker’s attitude, my physical activities, my diet, and my strong sense of purpose fall n line with me making it to 100 and living beyond 100. The people over 100 were active and not really frail, nor handicapped like we see here in the U.S.

Another takeaway is that nursing homes and in other places of elder care, people have shorter lifespans by 4-6 years. “Maggie’s” mother could of reached 100 if she were not in a nursing home, but she had dementia… Pretty much the inhabitants of the Blue Zones had remarkably low amounts of dementia of non existence of the disease are well as the other chronic diseases that plague the U.S. and other modern societies.

This study and also science suggest that dementia is a product/result of modern society here in the U.S. and in other places.

The use of the car, electric and powered appliances, and all the modern mechanized conveniences were cited as detrimental to our health. Basically my manual push mower, and all the physical labor I do are promoting a longer lifespan. The researcher who narrated and presented his findings BTW was an avid cyclist.

Many on the 100 year olds looked only about 70. Pretty much they looked decades younger.

Maggie is swept up in this aging process. I mentioned how being a writer might not be so conducive to her longevity. The book publishing is fraught with stress, intrusions, and unhappiness. Pretty much if you want to live a long time you need to be happy and not tied to B.S.

She says tomorrow she will change her life. She mentioned for her that he feels like she lost her sense of purpose when she retired from teaching. I would agree that the “Public Service” for her filled a vast need, but how to turn that off after a lifetime is not so easy.

The question of life and death is can she repurpose her life where she takes care of herself instead of others? Like Phil suggests in the plane emergency instructions, “Place the oxygen mask on yourself before assisting others.”

Pretty much crazy behavior. Much of her frenzy is searching and looking for a sense of purpose it seems. Helping and serving others seems to have displaced her individual sense of purpose.

I am with my oxygen mask on, and pretty much I spend a lot of my time supporting her endevours, experiments, and searching. I for one am the ballist that steadies the ship, and yet I to forsake many of my needs in the balance. I should otherwise have more time for biking, fitness, the guitar, photography…

Maggie has been adrift, and I have been towing her…

Anyways this type of loving relationship also supports longevity. Truth be told though is I am giving up a lot in turn, and in a ways this towing not only is taxing, but it is slowly killing me. The series suggests that family and having a loving relationship adds to longevity, but I also see it as a liability that in my case is a drag and not promoting my longevity.

Let’s see if Maggie can become more relaxed and walk the talk. Yesterday I got sidelined from work with just her talk. I’m FATIGUED and tired of talking. I want to and need to take care of myself.

Cal
 
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Technically my full retirement age is 66 1/2 years and that will occur in the middle of next year. Right now I’m collecting my hospital pension because it was a forced move, and the rest of my income is burning through my savings.

I intend on collecting Social Security at the age of 70 because I’m betting that I will live well past the age of 82, the old mean life expectancy. Pretty much the actuary table and statistics had 82 as their number, but with all the deaths from Covid-19 life expectancy is now even shorter. I would not be surprised if it is now below the age of 80.

I also suspect a big spike in mortality that is Covid related deaths, because of the lack of maintenance and lack of screening and early intervention that happened over the three years of the Pandemic. I know personally that it took a huge effort to catch up and get up to date with our own maintenance and preventative care, but I also understand that many households don’t have the time and money to do that. Pretty much some households will fall through the cracks and will be collateral damage that will add further to mortality rates here in the U.S.

As far as public policy goes it seems that a higher increasing mortality rate will benefit the Social Security System. The added illness will also add to our GDP, and expected growth due to illness and death will lead to profits in a capitalistic society.”The money has to come from somewhere,” I say.

The New Year is almost here, but basically I spent a lot of my savings last year on hard assets (tangible objects that either are speculative, rare, or will maintain value) or capitol improvements. Guitars, bikes, amps, a 1966 Chevy C-10 Fleetside, are my hard assets; two sheds, a new kitchen, new powder room, and a new full bath, new front entrance, a cedar fence, replaced sewer line, and landscaping and gardening are my capitol improvements.

Point is we spent a lot of money, and paid a lot in taxes. Also a lot of the mucho heavy lifting has been done, and pretty much all the work needing contractors, except perhaps HVAC for upstairs mini-split(s). A lot of work got done in one year.

Now I can see what I can do on a more constricted budget that involves more of my “free” labor and my time. I can see how by the end of spring next year how the interior cosmetic work will get performed by me. New moldings and trim in the dining room, paint on the new Sheetrock and now insulated walls. Perhaps some now free standing cabinets instead of built-ins made of oak for serving and storage in the dining room.

The hallway on the first floor needs primer and paint, then pretty much the first floor will be done. The staircase could use a stripping and a new runner, but “Maggie” says she will pay a contractor to do that.

I need to do the cosmetacs in the upstairs hallway, and then I’ll be free to do the hip roof on the garage and insulate the attic.

By mid year I figure I’ll be ready to build out a darkroom and an attic studio with a digital darkroom. Pretty much the goal will be on a real retirement where I follow my pursuits.

I hope “Maggie” is ready for this… Ready or not here I come… Real retirement… Time to really take care of myself... Time for biking… Time for guitar every day… Time to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor…

In Sardinia the men and women had very close to the same extended life expectancies. The reason why is that they were both working as shepherds and the hilly mountainous terrain also contributed to their fitness.

I live in a hill mountainous area…

In Sardinia and in Costa Rica the mornings had the physical work concentrated, but the afternoons were offset with naps, leisure, socializing, and relaxing to balance the day. Hmmm.

I think I’m building out that balanced lifestyle. Will Maggie catch up? Can she limit the B.S. and stress to move away from a frenzied, overbooked, demanding lifestyle? Can she simplify her life and find fulfillment And a sense of purpose?

At Grumman the pension plan got heavily overfunded. The reason why is that work at Grumman was a culture, provided a strong sense of purpose for the workers, and for many-many a source of identity.

If you worked at Grumman you were considered “a Grummanite” where you were considered part of the Grumman “family.” Corporate culture back then was different, but it got dismembered by Reaganomics, downsizing, and mergers. Grumman became Northrop Grumman.

Many/most of people who retired from Grumman expired and died within 9 months to a year after retirement. How sad. I find this tragic that so many had so little sense of purpose or social contact outside of work. This of course deeply effected my thinking and presented that work for money was not held as a priority, and that I gained my status and identity elsewhere.

Anyways I expect that I should have the half and half balance that involves diet, exercise, and a sense of community for my needs that support my “full” retirement.

Again I’m living the dream. Meanwhile two-thirds of Americans don’t have enough savings, assets and fixed income to really retire. They will be living the nightmare, pretty much a death spiral…

I think one of the reasons why two-thirds of Americans don’t have the resources to retire is they avoid thinking about end of life and retirement. Another reason is that Americans live beyond their means by exploiting debt and credit. Retirement becomes collateral damage tragically because thinking about end of life is unpleasant is what I’m saying.

Over 50% of Americans are overweight, then come the associated diseases of modern society… A very predictable outcome…

Cal
 
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Moving forward I secured a Thompson 29.4mm seatpost with a best offer for the Yo Eddy.

I have a seatpost, a Ti bottom bracket to help lighten the bike. I think eventually when I substitute the Devore XT cranks with the Grafton cranks I have on hand I will shed even more weight.

New pedals and a seat eventually might get the 22 3/4 pound bike much lighter.

Interesting to note that the seatpost diameter of 29.4 is an oddball size, but was what both IBIS and Fat Chance both used.

Cal
 
BTW I think I benefited greatly by retiring early at the age of basically 62, even though a two weeks later I would become 63.

The commute from Peekskill to Madhattan was draining and consuming. I also figure retiring early enabled me to get so much work done on a house that basically no one loved.

Today I would dare say it is the cutest house, not only on my street, but also my entire neighborhood. It kinda stands out as not only cute, but also as comfortable and cozy.

“There is more to life than work,” I say.

Two years of my life I figured I added to my life, and I did not waste any time. IMHO the payoff and the jump start in real living is a huge payoff. I would not have gotten so far along otherwise. I’m mighty happy and proud of the results. I think I spent my time and money wisely.

Cal
 
I am pleased with the results from my upstairs bathroom door restoration. The door I stripped white paint and then gel stained on one side while maintaining the natural stained original wood finish on the second side. This is a 5 panel door.

In the afternoon I took advantage of the warmth of the day to strip the brass hardware. Some parts had a wonderful patina that I kept, but I had to strip off again white paint. This was a labor of love because no contractor would spend so much time restoring 1912 original hardware.

In Craftsman style homes natural stained wood was period correct. They also loved using natural materials, and the painting of half the doors not only is odd, but wrong.

So now I have a restored door to install when I get done stripping and gel staining the doorway. After that it is just some touchups, and the bathroom is done, except to have the contractor install the manifold for the hand held shower wand and the rainfall shower head that was backordered. We had waited about 9 months to get these parts.

The bathroom is kinda stunning looking. The view looks down upon a garden built around a white painted pergola nested in between the house and the two car garage that has a hip roof, and beyond the view is of the lawn of the back-backyard, Maggie’s she-shed which is taking on a weathered patina, and then the appearance of a cliff, a marsh, and a forested hillside.

It is a room with a view.

Cal
 
It seems “Maggie” has discovered a helpful way to center herself that provides a sense of purpose. There is a woman who lives in Peekskill that also works with Eileen Fisher who does this Fashion event that helps the under privilaged have nice clothes.

Pretty much people are given tickets on a line and families can enter as a group to select a given amount of items. Maggie mentioned 60 items per family. The cost of the items is zero, and they are not typical thrift store items, they are luxury items that are high fashion.

Maggie does not want a regular gig and a schedule to follow like say a teaching gig at a college, but this volunteering is a local pop up event, and she can get involved as little or as much as she wants. It meets her need for Public Service.

I will recover and recycle the bins/totes for my future use, and will use contractor bags to package the clothes Maggie wants to donate. The clothing goes to do a better good, and I’m pleased that we will be helping others. Bonus is that this is in our community and is so meaningful.

The Church that sponsors this gets set up with clothes racks, dressing rooms, and assistants to elevate and give dignity to those that need a boost.

I remember the shame of poverty. My jeans were perfectly worn in because I only had three pair. We also had no clothes drier so my jeans got air dried. At times I put on wet jeans. My friends did not know why I had perfectly worn in Levies.

None of my clothes were fancy growing up. I kinda understand how dignity is very important. Poverty is a constant punishment.

Anyways there is a huge need; this event has kindness, love, and respect; and provides what the world needs more of. This event always sells out.

Cal
 
Even though I’m a self-proclaimed lazy-slacker, I do understand why others have pride and identity tied to work.

For me having experienced “downsizing” at the end of the Cold War, and being laid off twice, I really detached my identity and considered work as just a day-job. Pretty much like a “Ho” I did it just for the money. My dream job was at Grumman, and things changed so drastically that there would never be a replacement.

Reaganomics ensured profits were a higher priority over people. Unfortunately that attitude still exists today.

I realize that for me the transition into retirement was less fraught than for others because of my experiences.

Just imagine someone jumping from a balcony at work doing a “header” at Grumman to kill themselves. My assistant boss almost got taken down and hit by this engineer who had a wife and two young kids.

Later at Brookhaven National Labs someone I worked with, a computer programmer, tried to hang himself.

When involved in research, many of the jobs can be deemed temporary because they require funding and prosperity to continue which of course is discretionary spending. Also projects end and have timelines. At Brookhaven they had ”Term” employees, which is another way to say “temporary” that generally had annual contracts.

I was a term employee. Research is a fickle and unstable area to stay employed, but I managed to do well. In a ways my retirement could be framed as a phaseout and a downsizing. Even though I left on my own terms in a ways it could also be framed as a “kind” layoff that avoided make a slot or space for me that would involve retraining.

Anyways I just want to acknowledge that the transition from working to retirement is mucho fraught and full of surprises and booby traps. A key issue is how to fill the new found time with purpose and meaning. I have been retired for two years and it is still evolving.

I will also mention that retiring early I think really allowed me to jump a head in a great way. I don’t think I wasted any time with nonsense or B.S. This new life and new beginning has made me very-very happy. “I’m living the dream,” I say.

My thinking is that more often retirement for many can be fraught and not an easy transition. I acknowledge that because retirement is complicated.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
I got a very nice surprise in the mail today: Devil Christian’s newly published book: “Uneasy Engagement.”

This book is wonderfully edited and well done. It was printed in Belgium and the B&W shots display good contrast throughout the book. Not easy to do.

They say, “Watch out for the quiet ones.” Devil Christian is not a braggart like me, so I have to say that this book is a really nice accomplishment.

Cal
Click to expand...
Cal,
I'm glad you like it. It arrived sooner than I thought it would. Thank USPS Media Mail. I haven't been making much noise, but I am easing into promotional mode. The shop is up and running!
Buy Uneasy Engagement here

Christian
 
“Maggie” seems to have made a welcomed adjustment in attitude. Although a setback her dental emergency is not really having a negative effect. Now it is an “Oh-well…”

The shift in her struggles is pretty amazing. She really is embracing happiness, which is not only what I want, but she deserves.

It seems she no longer is muddled.

I think I finally beat the sinus virus that had a prolonged effect. I’m back to normal.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
Christian,

The finished product came out great. Uber high quality. I hope you are pleased with the results.

Cal
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm very happy. I was fretting over the print quality, because there was so much I didn't understand. I feel that it was necessary, and it paid off. I had them make a wet proof with one side duotone with two blacks, and the other side tritone with two blacks and a warm grey. The blacks in both came out similar, but depth and life in the midtones a highlights was vastly better in the tritone version. Surprisingly the two neutral blacks in the duotone actually look cool, because they contrast with the warmth of the paper. It was a lesson in how your eye fools you. The choice for a warm grey was for it to work with the paper as opposed to against it. My fear was a phenomenon I have observed in other books with images on facing pages, where the tone in the highlights varies according to the density of the sky. It looks like a print mistake because each image has a different color tone, even if it is printed correctly. Going along 'with' the paper color avoided this.
The detail is also great. I was afraid that details in the smaller tree branches would wash out, as they did in the print on demand proof I made before. They used a 'hybrid' screen, that uses a random pattern of a stochastic screen (like an inkjet print), but also varies dot size like in typical halftone screen.
These printers are great, not cheap, but I saved my self a degree course in offset printing.
 
Christian,

Matching contrast is one difficulty; also getting the mids right is where all the detail comes out.

You seemed to hit both right. Like I said, “Not easy to do.”

Interesting what you say about not fighting the paper. With my Piezography I used warm papers, but I blended inks to get a split-tone. I found the cool shades kinda strengthened contrast, perhaps because of some jarring in perception. I used cool shadows and warm highlights. This created mucho depth and enhanced detail.

I forgot to flatter you further. The shots in the book have depth. This is an important element, and again to achieve this you kinda have to hit things right. Too much contrast and you loose depth, not enough mids and the shot becomes flat.

Cal
 
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BTW I think we owe our friend John a lot. It was through him that we both learned that a book is a great way to show your work and get it out there.

Also thanks for making me an insider to your process.

I think your advice of laying out small prints so you can get a vision and see the big picture is very helpful. Also all the revisions to the editing… It can get overwhelming…

Cal
 
Wow. It is like I have a new girlfriend. She is so relaxed and now unburdened it seems. It seems she is all of the sudden is truely happy.

She was lost, but seemed to have found her way.

Today I discovered that my custom Santa Cruz Model “F” built from 1930’s harvested old growth woods responds well to a Dunlop 1.5 mm pick. Pretty much a pick that is beyond heavy that seems to snap the strings harder so they emulate more of a piano sound.

I think the bass is more articulate and pronounced as well as the highs. Seems like a broader/fuller range of tone. The guitar sounds a lot louder also and projects further. I’m loving it…

Cal
 
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