New York August NYC Meet-Up 2021

[Calzone]

So we need a new stoop railing, and pretty much it is a custom job. A specialist who only does wrought iron will be coming by Saturday.

Lately "woman-factor" has been a headache. "Maggie" is anxious trying to do too many things and is getting crazy because she explains that she is overwelmed.

So my slackers way is to only do one thing at a time so I can not only do a good job, but I can finish a task.

Maggie spent a lot of time trying to find a stoop railing on-line, but I kinda knew we would need a custom railing because we enlarged the stoop and also we hated the generic railings that are shared on almost every house. Yesterday she was so disappointed and defeated when I put together the railing she had ordered.

She was exasperated, and then handed the railing off to me. So I made one call this morning to the one specialist who only does wrought iron to cut the chase, and he will come by tomorrow.

When I e-mailed Maggie, now she is not so overwelmed. Last night she handed it off to me, but now she wants back in. The simple craftsman style that we both liked last night, now is getting more complicated...

The new approach will be somewhat like the railing she ordered over the internet, but more delicate, lower, and custom tailored to fit the stoop and enlarged landing.

I give up, because I know I can't win.

Sadly I have a funeral to go to Monday. Lou Gehrig's Disease is a long slow death that involves lots of suffering. I am a witness to people a generation older decaying. The husband has dementia...

Anyways 2/3rds of Americans will require long-term care, and I remain hopeful that I won't be in that group. Life is a gamble, and we have to deal with the cards we get.

I'll be leaving work around 1:23, and I intend on going to Home Depo the buy manure, peat moss, and some top soil. Maggie does not like excavating... The beds around the new patio I want to be done.

Cal

 

[JeffNYC]

https://peekskillherald.com/3298/feature/lyn-slater-the-ever-evolving-accidental-icon/

Only one shot I took. It is evident which one was shot with a Leica SL2 and the others are I-phone 12.

Poll: "Maggie" says I'm too skinny. Do you agree?

Cal

love it !!!!!!!

 

[Calzone]

love it !!!!!!!

Jeff,

I have GAS for a SL2S to have a second body. One justification is to use it with my 28 Cron V.1 and 58/1.2 Noct-Nikkor as a downsized MF rig; and another reason is to use the 50 Lux-L on the SL2, but the 35 Cron on the SL2S to have a wide/fast normal two camera kit.

I'm a lazy-slacker and carrying two rigged camera is my style.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

The front stoop railing custom made out of wrought iron is going to be great. Happy-happy.

Six inches of rain fell in New Rochelle not far away. How crazy is that.

Don't tell City Hall but I kinda built out a retaining wall and backfilled the gully considerably. Water off my neighbors property though does drain sidways onto our property, but the erosion was minimal. Nothing that a thicker ground cover and a few well positioned water bars can't control.

I ordered a small pergola (10x10) made of cedar. I can only fit about 30 bags of garden soil in the Audi. Mucho trips to Home Depo are required due to not having a truck.

More Metro North trains will be running after August 29th... Nine months of owning the Audi and I still have under 4K miles added under the 16K that came on the car. Perhaps I'll tip into 5K added when a year is up.

In attending the funeral there was some serious flooding and the A4 kinda got power washed. On the way home I avoided the parkways and took the local route on 9 for safety.

Parkinson's Disease took out a 79 year old woman that is "Maggie's" sister's mother-in-law. Very sad. The wake-up call is don't waste time and make the most of life when one can. Retiring early means moving forward for me.

Cal

 

[Nokton48]

Cal,

I like the photo of you two. Nice vibe

I was going to suggest a pergola, we bought a cedar kit nice quality and it fits our new lower deck. Finished it before assembling it. Leann insisted on the optional swing and I must admit it's relaxing and fits in our plan.

Fun ain't it? LOL

 

[Calzone]

Cal,

I like the photo of you two. Nice vibe

I was going to suggest a pergola, we bought a cedar kit nice quality and it fits our new lower deck. Finished it before assembling it. Leann insisted on the optional swing and I must admit it's relaxing and fits in our plan.

Fun ain't it? LOL

Devil Dan,

Seems like we have twin houses that border on state land that has a brook or creek along with mucho animals.

"Maggie" is excited about the garage conversion into a "carriage house" with solar panels. I'll hire the mason who did our stoop to do the driveway and garage floor.

Meanwhile we are getting the kitchen and kitchen bathroom ready. Today an electrician came. The GC says she is backed up and that in January would be a good time for her. In December let's see how stubborn I am. Let's see if I can rescue the heart pine floor underneath the tile floor and two layers of linoleum.

A quarter inch layer of plywood was used for the subfloor under the tile with no motar base.

I just added a 4 liter flask to my collection of glassware. They were downsizing a lab. Someone sniped the Nagleen graduated pitcher I wanted. Oh-well. If its free its for me.

Here at work the second institution is getting full ownership of my cyclotron, so the smut is fully known. The second institution thinks they can hire a replacement pronto, but that's not how it works. There are only about a thousand cyclotrons in the world and guys like me are kinda rare and hard to find.

"Ha-ha," I say.

So today I got the machine operating. Only took nearly 2 months. When all these people turned up the pressure and were acting like jerks, I just slowed down into my sub-lazy-slacker mode.

I got the last laugh. LOL.

Cal

 

[Austintatious]

Cal,
I have completely replaced kitchens in my last three or four homes. I always get bids from the pros and "milk" them for ideas. Then do all the work myself. The home that I bought for retirement, a tri-level in Colorado with a view of Pikes Peak, is my best one yet. We got bids of up to 50 grand to do the kitchen. Did it myself for less than 15 grand.
New cabinet layout, new stone counter tops, all new plumbing and lighting and hardwood floors. Also updated the electric panel with all new breakers and brought up to code.
It is not that difficult.

 

[Calzone]

Cal,
I have completely replaced kitchens in my last three or four homes. I always get bids from the pros and "milk" them for ideas. Then do all the work myself. The home that I bought for retirement, a tri-level in Colorado with a view of Pikes Peak, is my best one yet. We got bids of up to 50 grand to do the kitchen. Did it myself for less than 15 grand.
New cabinet layout, new stone counter tops, all new plumbing and lighting and hardwood floors. Also updated the electric panel with all new breakers and brought up to code.
It is not that difficult.

Austin,

The electrician was mucho happy yesterday because we have a 200 amp service and a plenty big breaker panel for expansion. Also because our basement is not finished he has more or less an open area to work in.

My difficulty is "woman-factor" and the only thing worse than woman-factor is "crazy-woman-factor."

"Maggie" has a PhD and this credential promotes expertise to where it can border on being a know-it all.

She will ask me about calculating square footage. "Length times width will give you the area," I say, then she says that I'm getting too technical, but I believe I answered her question.

The lazy-slacker in me does not want to argue, so for the kitchen I just give up. Also the term "we" often gets confused with "me."

The 11x14 patio of pavers is a "we" when I did the excavation to the subsoil, spent many a weekends breaking up concrete, and effectively filled in a deep gully between my neighbor's and our property. Also forgotten is that we paid a mason to lay out the pavers.

She paid for the patio supplies, but then again I'm paying for a 10x10 pergola made of cedar.

Because the kitchen will be dismantled, and because someone not only is particular, but also impatient I deem it a good deal that paying for professionals to do the job is the way to go for lazy-slacker Calvin.

Then there is all this second guessing, anxiety, and micro management...

Part of the culture of a Instagramming blogger is that the way things get done is just like clicking a mouse.

The dungeon light I have in the basement is the result of not taking note of the size of this floor standing lamp that is designed to fit in some S&M chamber of some gothe castle on the website.

The same with the front stoop railings that she purchased that can't be returned.

She says she is a visual thinker, but cannot imagine anything spacial, and forget about abstract thinking.

The build out of annexing the tiny bedroom that likely would only fit a bed into a room for a soaking tub and a corner shower only came about because of a cable show where homes are shown in rural parts of England.

When I first presented the idea, it was dumb, odd, and weird, but this architect who shows home buyers properties and also is really great in visioning renovations to suit the home searcher's needs comes up with the idea of a room made into a "spa" off a bathroom she is all in.

The same kinda happened with the garage. But with the garage creating a gable roof requires a crew. If they put up the rafters and the sheathing, I can shingle the roof.

I can also insulate and hang sheet rock.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I'm reading a book I found on the street on the Upper Eastside. Its an "Advanced Reading Copy" of "Lost Over Laos" about 4 photo journalists that were in a helicopter during the Vietnam War that were shot down.

The coverage depicts what chaos existed back then and the backgrounds of 4 exceptional P.J.'s (Larry Burrows of Life Magazine; Henri Huet of AP; Kent Potter of UPI; and Keisaburo Shimamoto of Newsweek).

The publication date was March 2003, and the authors are Richard Pyle who covered the Vietnam War for AP for nearly 5 years and was a Bureau Chief in Saigon from 1970-1973; and Horst Fass the AP Photo Editor for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Fass covered the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1973 and won a Pulitzer Prize and a Robert Capa Award.

This book is a tribute to their friends and involves going back to the site of their friends' deaths.

I intend on recycling this book to anyone interested.

I'm at work and will read the last 9 pages...

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I'm reading a book I found on the street on the Upper Eastside. Its an "Advanced Reading Copy" of "Lost Over Laos" about 4 photo journalists that were in a helicopter during the Vietnam War that were shot down.

The coverage depicts what chaos existed back then and the backgrounds of 4 exceptional P.J.'s (Larry Burrows of Life Magazine; Henri Huet of AP; Kent Potter of UPI; and Keisaburo Shimamoto of Newsweek).

The publication date was March 2003, and the authors are Richard Pyle who covered the Vietnam War for AP for nearly 5 years and was a Bureau Chief in Saigon from 1970-1973; and Horst Fass the AP Photo Editor for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Fass covered the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1973 and won a Pulitzer Prize and a Robert Capa Award.

This book is a tribute to their friends and involves going back to the site of their friends' deaths.

I intend on recycling this book to anyone interested.

I'm at work and will read the last 9 pages...

Cal

Cal,
If it's still available, I'm happy to pay for shipping of that book to Philly. I can add it to my shelf of Vietnam War era books which I sometimes use in my work with clients.

Phil Forrest

 

[Calzone]

Cal,
If it's still available, I'm happy to pay for shipping of that book to Philly. I can add it to my shelf of Vietnam War era books which I sometimes use in my work with clients.

Phil Forrest

Phil,

I had you in mind. Glad you are getting it. Just PM me your new address.

I'm not busy now so I can mail it in about 15 minutes. Also a great read.

I hope it does not trigger you though...

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Phil,

I had you in mind. Glad you are getting it. Just PM me your new address.

I'm not busy now so I can mail it in about 15 minutes. Also a great read.

I hope it does not trigger you though...

Cal

Thanks a ton Cal!
I'm not really triggered so much as I just get uncomfortable with some things, largely images of warfare from my era, Iraq, Afghanistan, HOA. But I'm a therapist and I regularly speak with other veterans about these things, so we all take care of each other.
I'll send you a PM with the address.

Phil Forrest

 

[Calzone]

Thanks a ton Cal!
I'm not really triggered so much as I just get uncomfortable with some things, largely images of warfare from my era, Iraq, Afghanistan, HOA. But I'm a therapist and I regularly speak with other veterans about these things, so we all take care of each other.
I'll send you a PM with the address.

Phil Forrest

Phil,

Veteran's Day is coming up. As a token of gratitude the postage is on me. Thanks for helping other vets.

The Post Office said it should be delivered Saturday.

My dad was in the U.S. Army and that is how he became/was allowed to become an American citizen (one of 1428 Chinese allowed to become natralized due to military service, but by 1952 the Chinese again would be considered the enemy again with the Korean War.

My oldest brother was drafted into the Army in 1967, he was a Buck Sargent and engineer building bunkers and fortifications in South Vietnam.

My rich brother was in the Silent Service and was a Nuclear Operator on attack submarines.

My younger brother was in the Strategic Air Command.

I'm the only male in my family that did not serve in the military. When I was 15 though I was offered a slot at the Coast Guard Academy, an Ivy League institution.

My co-workers at Grumman that knew about the Coast Guard offer said turning that down was a mistake.

At Grumman I did help win the Cold War, and the many Vets that worked at Grumman really took me in and taught me to be a man. Many were fatherly figures who dealt with a angry kid who happened to be smart.

I owe a lot to veterans...

Cal

 

[Calzone]

It is getting a bit surreal at work, I have a short-timer attitude because I figure just after Thanksgiving I won't need a monthly Metro North ticket anymore, and then I just come in on December 27th for my last day.

I don't think the second institution that is inheriting the cyclotron knows or understands what they are getting into. The reside in La-La land.

I can see spending $2M and pretty much not being able to really use the machine. Oh-well.

Right now I have the machine operational, and it reminds me of when I was a dirt-bag and drove cars that cost $200.00-$300.00 that were basically throwaways. My old cyclotron can break at any time...

I have my film stockpile refrigerated at work, so I have to plan on shooting it when I take it home. The fridge in my kitchen will likely go into my studio (garage). In this stockpile I have over 20 packs of Fuji FP-100 that I have to think about exploiting into a worthwhile project.

I have a library stored at work in my office, and I'm starting to read the books so I can recycle and downsize them, otherwise I will have to start taking them home.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Me, the smut-queen, is reading a book about the Hamptons called "Philistines At The Hedgerow." The chapters focus on individual characters and involves the history of development of the real estate markets.

Old Blue-Bloods, the celebs, the artists, the summer renters, the literary crowd, and a host of eccentric and notable characters.

Jackson Pollock lived in the Hamptons pretty much in poverty and his wife Lee Krasner later did a great job of marketing his work and promoting his legacy after Jackson killed himself and one of the passengers in his car during a drunken rage.

A fellow artist who was afluent bought a 9x12 foot painting from Jackson Pollock early on called "Lavender Mist" for $3K that many consider his masterpiece.

I remember seeing Lavender Mist at an abstract expressionism retrospective, and I was impressed. I'm a big fan of Mark Rothco and Cliff DeStill also.

The point here is that Pollock pretty much was an obscure artist and one patron who was a great friend somewhat supported him.

Another point I want to make is how easy it is to remain obscure and to never be recognized as an artist.

I'm cool with that.

Augie

 

[Calzone]

Metro North added more trains to their schedule, and it was a good thing I left a little bit earlier than I usually do because otherwise I would of missed my train.

Good thing is that I get in earlier, and today I clocked in at 7:22 and beating the clock where if 7 minutes or less it gets rounded down to the nearest quarter hour.

I think I abused too much coffee yesterday. I rested up good Friday and Saturday with more than 8 hours sleep each night, but I stayed up late to finish reading up on the smut going on in the Hamptons.

I went to bed at 11:00, had the alarm set for 4:30, and ended up getting up at 3:30 to have some more coffee and to play a guitar for an hour before I had to get ready for my commute.

Of course I use the eight minute rule to my advantage to leave early. When I beat the clock I save 15 minutes and on a Friday I can add up all the times I beat the clock and leave early.

It pays to own a Rolex. "Moo," said the Pig.

I remember during a NYC blackout that I had to airate the water in my 50 gallon urn that had my 5 Koi. About every 40 minutes I had to fill a 5 gallon bucket and pour it vioently into the urn to keep my fish alive.

Since we had no power I drank a quart of water, and in 40 minutes I would wake to pee. I would airate the water for my Koi, and drink another quart of water as my alarm clock to keep the intervals required.

*******************

Over the weekend I painted the exterior of my garage. "Woman-Factor" deemed it important because the garage looks grungy and old, especially next to the brand new patio of pavers.

So "Maggie" picks out a brown/grey color in masonary paint for the garage, and she wants the eves painted even though I intend on replacing the hip roof with a gable roof. Plain white was the plan for the eves.

So the color (brown/grey) after I'm done painting the garage is not the color she intended, It is a little too much of a neutral grey and now she wants to change the color to something a bit warmer.

Then instead of doing the eves basic white she wants to match the color of the crushed old bricks that part of the stucco on the Baby-Victorian. So we get more paint.

So I could use this as another example of why men have shorter lifespans, but I figure no need for any primer and this base layer of paint covers much of the neglect that was displayed in the old stucco. Pretty much a thick enough layer of paint was like using liquid Spackle to smooth out mucho defects like hairline cracks and chips.

Oh-well...

BTW I originally thought it was a job for the backburner, but painting before the pergola is installed makes the painting mucho easier, and I was surprise on how it transformed the garage. It looks really great.

Yesterday I got buzzed by a Hummingbird. Also for some reason there was a herd of Dragon Flies at dusk swarming my slope in the back-backyard.

I'm in the mist of designing a terracing plan for the slope in the back. I have ideas for exploiting these modular cast concrete corner blocks that are designed to work with 2x6's that are stackable.

My idea is to use raised beds that work as a series of low retaining walls that resemble stair steps. They are movable, adaplable, and modular. I figure the department of buildings can't really call them retaining walls if they are low and are not a permanent structure.

The rear of my back-backyard is very cliff like. I overlook a 40-50 acre marsh that has an opposite bank of forest an a hill. The look and appeal is that I'm somewhere way upstate then I'm really in the burbs in Westchester.

Sometime this week we should have the new railing for the stoop installed. Also we will find out the cost of remodeling the kitchen and the small bathroom.

Still got to re-paint the garage. Oh-well. Also dig up the rest of the patio beds. In the fall I will be installing a 3 foot deep root barrier in the back-backyard.

Calvin-August

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Cal,
I received the book on Saturday afternoon. Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to reading it and perusing the photos inside. It really looks like a fascinating story.

Phil Forrest

 

[Calzone]

Cal,
I received the book on Saturday afternoon. Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to reading it and perusing the photos inside. It really looks like a fascinating story.

Phil Forrest

Phil,

I'm glad you have the book. It was a fascinating read. Vietnam was a wild a feral place during the war.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Someone pointed me to WWW.caww2.org.

A metal coin is being distributed to honor Asian Americans who served in WWII.

For me it is too late to register my father, but I checked the registry seeing if anyone in my family might have registered him, and in doing so I saw 6 veterans were named "Calvin."

BTW Calvin is not my given name, but it is my legal name.

****************

Next week is a private opening for a DIOR exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum that "Maggie" has an invite to attend. I will likely go as her on-tour-age.

The next day I have off because I have to pickup the "Creature Junior" (grand daughter) after school. Call me a drama queen, but I use to call the grand daughter's mother "the Creature" because I read too many Jane Austin novels.

****************

Sometime this week I expect the new custom wrought iron railings to be installed on our new front enlarged stoop.

Maggie expects a delivery of some antique console for our dining room.

The house is looking mighty Victorian as far as the furnishings. Eventually our house will be mucho English Garden.

I harvested all these baby red peppers. I intend on saving the seeds, but I was disappointed that they were not spicy hot peppers.

More garage painting. The building permit for the pergola will cost me $335.00. "Moo," said the Pig.

Thursday the cedar pergola gets delivered from British Columbia Canada. It weighs about 800 pounds and basically the driver hands me items and all will be hand unloaded.

Today the contractor will stop by and give us the summery of costs for the kitchen and bath remodeling.

I'm pretty excited. Things are moving along and there is a lot going on. The kitchen and bath will start in January. Then I have to do the garage.

Joking around I ask Maggie, "What are we going to do when the house is done?" LOL.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

There is a game when you buy a house: the strategy of the real estate agent is to promote a buyer to buy the most expensive house that can be afforded; but the trick if possible is to only buy the house well under what you can afford so you have the cash flow in the bank to do the renovations.

For "Maggie" and me buying a "turnkey" or new house seemed to be the way expensive way to go, and once we got our heads around avoiding "flippers," new houses, and expensive turnkey homes, the result was buying a tiny house that had lots of creative potential.

The major things that made our house attractive, even though it was neglected and needed mucho updates were: good bones; privacy; retained old details; two car garage; bordering on public land; second building lot (back-backyard); gardening potential; extra space provided by the enclosed front porch; and the location on the outskirts of town, but still not far from Metro North or Madhattan.

In our case it was best to buy a small house and to make it work for us. In the end it has its own charm and mucho assets that would make it attractive for say a professional couple who might not want to have kids.

The turret is a fine home office, and the garage a huge detatched workspace/studio where someone could run a business. When completed the 1400-1500 square foot house will be a two bedroom with a home office, large detached workspace, with 1 1/2 baths. The big premium here is relatively low taxes.

Devil Christian makes a point that heating a garage does not make it into a "living space" and the attic in the garage is regarded as "storage space" even though it will be my office where I intend on setting up my digital printing.

Also no need to downsize when I retire.

Don't tell the City of Peekskill that if I park my car in the driveway that the garage is 660 square feet of space that pretty much will be my "man-cave." (420 garage plus 240 attic.)

Calvin-August