New York Greetings From Hill-Billy Calvin, AKA Augie

So imagine your house was a castle and a huge gate. The monster dungeon lamp is that big that it kinda would fit in.

So for some unknown reason I love crazy women. Perhaps it takes one to know one as they say. Then again some of my friends say I am or can be worse than a woman. Since I'm a guy is that sexist?

So "Maggie ordered some expensive "Professor's Chair" that really is a small leather couch. After our experience with the Monster Lamp I was sure to get the dimensions. This was custom ordered from Restoration Hardware for those that like the smut. It was ordered over a month ago and will be finished being made sometime in March.

So "Maggie" has a PhD, and I only have a 4 year art degree, one masters, and a MFA. She also has two masters degrees. She was also a professor in a graduate school. I wonder if I will be able to sit in this "professor's" chair. LOL.

Anyways the brown leather looks to be mighty beautiful. I don't think this will get donated to the Man Cave/dungeon. So now my spin is actually I will have two darkrooms: one wet (10x10); and one dry (10x20) for 300 square feet that could be darkroom.

Of course shared with my other manly items like my stereo, my guitars, my bass's, my amps, and don't forget the Juki.

BTW I love my Audi A4. I no longer miss the Jeep Scrambler with the Corvette engine. It was a death machine, pretty unsafe, and not really civilized. Just the opposite of the Audi with its balanced performance and handling.

Initially Maggie was not so keen on my purchase, and she was steering me towards VW Golf Station Wagons, but she now loves our Audi. What I love the most is that she won't drive it because her eyes are no good anymore. She barely passed the vision test the last time she renewed her license.

The Jeep had a crazy 5 speed manual tranny with a savage 6,31 underdrive, and an overdrive. The cast iron tranny weighed in at 200 pounds. This Corvette engine produced 350 HP and 400 foot ponds of torque using a 4 barrel carb.

My Scrambler without the top and doors weighed in at 3000 pounds on the truck scale at Brookhaven Labs. That was with a cut down Ford 9 inch rear with Lincoln Continental rear disc brakes, a Corvette engine, and that monster tranny. Nowadays cars are not so lightweight. The A4 is 3700 pounds and it is a compact car.

Cal
 
Nokton48 said:
Today I am reforming the caps on some old Broncolor strobes I bought for no money that arrived today.

I have stuff coming from Germany that I still haven't received since ordering it in late November. DHL must be overwhelmed by all this covid crap.

We have a couple of owls living in one of the hundreds of hollow trees behind our house. Often in Summer we hear them hooting. My Wife got a great digital photo whilst sitting on our back deck. They are curious and hungry. Beautiful Grey and about a foot tall. I believe they are "Bard Owls".

Itchy Bucks have scraped the bark off of the expensive ornamental trees I planted all over the lot. ARRRGGG Munch about everything too. Joys of home ownership LOL
Click to expand...

Devil Dan,

I used a Variac to slowly recondition the electrolydic power supply caps in two "Mark Sampson" era Matchless Amps: one a black "Spitfire;" and the other a rare black shower curtain "Lightning."

Mark Sampson is the guy who started building boutique guitar amps in the early 90's that featured custom trannys, and Mil-Spec wiring and build quality. Most of his amps are based off a Vox AC-30 which sound great, but were known to run hot and catch on fire.

Mark Sampson was formally a Drag Racer so he adopted names for his amp from British motorcycles.

From deer hunting with a friend who was a bow hunter I learned that bucks use "scrapping" to mark territory during the "rutting" season. They also will mark with their piss, and claw at the ground. Females look for these signs during mating season.

In my "back-backyard" (second building lot) I saw all these signs.

Richie was armed with a crazy compound bow, and I would walk off on the side scouting, but I figured if I had a chance I would just use my hands as weapons.

When mountain biking in the pine barrens in Rocky Point, Long Island, I came upon a resting deer. It jumped up and scare me almost running into me. What made it so scarry is that I did not recognize it as a deer because it was an Albino. To me it was more like a monster because its white coat was dirty so the along with the fur it resembled a sheep with tall legs.

So has anyone here seen an albino deer? I have. Almost hit it riding my mountain bike. Of course I was all alone. Not really that smart riding in a desolate area alone.

Did you know that deer hate Butterfly Bushes. I intend on growing a bunch from seed and giving them out to my neighbors. BTW they kinda grow big and it is funny how the seeds are like pecks of ground pepper.

For now I seem to have won the turf war with the Chipmonks. My secret weapon (don't tell anyone) is crushed red pepper. Basically I backfill the openings of their burrows with soil that has crushed red pepper mixed in. When they dig they store soil in their cheeks.

Makes me want to grow hot peppers to have mucho ammo. I can see me using a hot pepper spray on ornamental flowers that deer eat. Pretty much my idea is to mace them.

So "Maggie" thinks it is dumb to have a bathroom in the garage. My idea was since I had to run plumbing for a darkroom that I needed one to snooker her. So now I will gain extra space since Maggie's point is that a bathroom is about 40 feet away by the back door and off the kitchen.

My neighbor Eddie knows a great plumber who would be ideal for the job. Hopefully I have enough pitch in the drain line to just tap into the house sewer line, otherwise I'll need a sump and a pump.

I was looking at all my gear in boxes in my basement. When I build out the garage the basement will kinda be M.T. I can see having an epoxy covered garage floor, and a real clean room space. 10x20 as my darkroom (no windows) plus my windowed "gallery" which will be another 10x20 space. Next door in the garage will be my A4, my old man's car.

If I wanted I could even fit a Steinway Baby Grand. The Garage would be sound proofed. With the Mitsubishi heat pump and humidifiers I would run for digital printing, this would be ideal for a piano.

What I figured out is with the stone and concrete walls that the "Porch Basement" that measures 6x15 feet could be framed in and with spayed in foam insulation would make a great isolation booth for "wood-shedding" on guitar. EZ-PZ.

Cal
 
Demolition is not so much fun like on those house flipping shows. Basically dirty work and hard labor.

So I took down a tile ceiling in the hallway, about an area of 8x11 with a small kick-out for a stairway.

I also took down these 1x3's that someone used 3 inch nails to hammer in. Seems like if this dude had enough rail road spikes he would of used them.

The tiles were "Spun Silica" or better known as Abestos. Dust was mitigated by closing off the area with plastic sheet, a Tyvac Suit, a full-blown resperator with charcoal filters, and mopping for clean up.

It did not take long to remove the tiles which came down in one piece, but Tyvac does not breath and I became a soaked sponge.

In the basement I see full sized 2x10's and now in the hallway full sized 2x8's. Nothing like an old house.

Cal
 
Another negative Covid Spit-Test. I get tested every two weeks.

Friday I get my second Covid Vaccine injection. I understand that the side effects can be more pronounced with the second injection. With the first injection I had a sore shoulder, but the next day I was fine. The soreness was like a blow to the shoulder that you would expect bruising.

MFM recommended getting a sheet rock lift. Initially I thought that could get by without one (cheap-cheap-cheap), but I can see that in the future I can probably use it for say the garage/studio/loft.

Somewhere I saw that you can rent one for a day from Home Depot, but these costs add up, so now it looks like I will buy one. Thanks MFM. Also because of Covid I really prefer to work alone and at my own pace. I can relax and enjoy the work without any pressure or deadlines.

I threw out the pair of Vans that I used for demoing the hallway. They develpoed the classic hole on the rear from my strong heel strike. Today they expect a storm, and the boots I'm wearing will get thrown out when I get home. I have a goal to deplete my sneaker and shoe supply.

In my basement I have about 60-70 gallons of footwear stored in two totes. Guess I bought a lot of shoes and sneakers at DSW when they send either "Maggie" or me coupons. To compound my savings I love to buy off the clearance rack where I find cool stuff that goes unloved, like a pair of rubberized yellow Converse high-tops that broadcast and are mighty loud. The color is "raincoat" yellow.

You have to be mighty cool to pull off wearing some of the stuff I wear. Funny thing is "Maggie," the Fashion Blogger hates a lot of the stuff I wear. Sometimes she will ask me to change my clothes. LOL.

How annoying is that?

So when I insulate the enclosed front porch floor and ceiling I will have an opportunity to develop another 6x15 space. Might get by for 2 1/2 seasons of use because it is unheated. Definately has "Hill-Billy Factor."

Cal
 
CNNY said:
Urban camouflage:
Yellow on yellow
Click to expand...

Devil Christian,

Thanks for posting that.

As I age it seems like my body hair on my arms and legs is thinning out. Is this some type of odd baldness? Meanwhile my hair reaches my waist because of Covid and me being a lazy-slacker. The end result is that my long hair is at a point where it looks hill-billy.

Last night I participated in a zoom call from some friends in Austrailia. Seems because they are remote and a sub continent that the travel ban has kept them safe from Covid. The feeling there being reported is that the government is over reaching and imposing there and Kiwi-land (NZ).

Meanwhile the horrors continue elsewhere.

WOW. It seems even an inch of snow causes track changes on Metro North. The storm broadcast on the Internet pretty much was a non-event. Today I'm overdressed.

11 months and a week from retirement. Seems like a lot of headlines are predicting a "long-haul" with the pandemic. It makes sense that as long as there is spread and increases that mutations and adaptations will be promoted that will worsen our present situation. It seems the timelines are being extended into the future.

What is alarming is the report that lung damage can be worse than in a smoker. Unclear if damage is permanent.

I'm looking into spraying polyurethane for the porch basement. The walls are not smooth and spraying provides a vapor barrier and a good seal. Not so inexpensive though, but 6x15 plus the ceiling. The ceiling joists are full 2x8's with 16 inch centers. The stone walls along with the foam will soundproof this space.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
I'm looking into spraying polyurethane for the porch basement. The walls are not smooth and spraying provides a vapor barrier and a good seal. Not so inexpensive though, but 6x15 plus the ceiling. The ceiling joists are full 2x8's with 16 inch centers. The stone walls along with the foam will soundproof this space.
Click to expand...

Do you have efflorescence in your basement? Or has there ever been any? You're going to want to ensure that a polyurethane seal is the right way to go, if your basement walls show this. I've seen it where a homeowner will seal up the basement wall then a few years later, efflorescence will cause a large sheet to simply come off like a laminate, but with a thin layer of the wall coming with it.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Do you have efflorescence in your basement? Or has there ever been any? You're going to want to ensure that a polyurethane seal is the right way to go, if your basement walls show this. I've seen it where a homeowner will seal up the basement wall then a few years later, efflorescence will cause a large sheet to simply come off like a laminate, but with a thin layer of the wall coming with it.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

Phil,

I will be framing an irregular stone wall with studs and of course adding a layer of sheet rock as a fire barrier. I don't see effloresence, but then again if a de-lamination occurred I would be relying on the stud wall for holding the insulation in place.

The spray in foam will provide my vapor barrier and also be insulation. Currently I keep this door that leads into the full basement that is made of blocks and bricks due to a huge draft. The porch has no insulation and what separates the porch basement from the full basement (26x26) is just the porch floor which is planking.

Insulating this space will get rid of a major heat leak.

Cal
 
Yesterday I sent my W-2 to my accountant, and changing my address at work was a big deal because I am no longer a NYC resident and that means I no longer will pay NYC taxes.

So now I wonder how that will be taken into account. For 11 months there have been NYC tax witheld, and I wonder if I can expect all this money to be returned.

If my wish comes true then I will add the funds to my house slush fund.

Cal
 
MrFujicaman said:
I wouldn't hold my breath about seeing any of the money NYC got in taxes returned.
Click to expand...

MFM,

They have an "11 Month Rule." In one citation they use an example of moving out in the middle of November, which is exactly what we did. November 15 was our closing date. In this example A "PPA" was not established (Permanent Place of Abode).

So I might be in luck. Hopefully my CPA is on my side. 3.876% is my NYC tax and this translates into thousands of dollars.

Anyways I know I didn't win the Lottery or Powerball, but I think I won this one.

Kinda funny this "11 Month Rule" and my lucky timing.

Augie
 
Forensics: I learned from my neighbors that one of the former owners worked for the MTA. I have a maul that was left behind that has stamping suggested that it is stolen property from the MTA.

In my basement when I took down some shelves I saved the shelf that had the Crotan-Harmon Station Master's address that was recycled from a shipping crate.

In my garage in an anvil made from a cut-off piece of railroad track.

So this man who worked for the MTA I see his handywork and by my standards he was kind of a sloppy hack. My work quality I learned from working at Grumman and it is kinda Mil-Spec and trick.

So I kinda have a narrative that makes sense. The engineer who did my house inspection pointed out that the tiny 1,400 square foot Baby-Victorian has a 200 Amp service which he found as a surprise, and the garage has an 80 Amp service with its own breaker panel which is total overkill.

What was notable is that every breaker was labeled, and that my engineer remarked, "I have never seen this over the decades. This is rather unusual."

So because I have a Masters in Journalism, and a MFA in "Creative" Writing, it is natural for me to wonder and perhaps be delusional, and to connect the dots to make a plausible story.

Might this MTA employee been an electrician for the MTA? Did he decide one day to steal enough materials from work to build out the usual 100 amp service that is found on most homes out to a 200 Amp service, and then to boot put a bonus 80 Amp service in the two car garage?

Anyways a proud thief who was an MTA electrician would explain some things.

All I know is that this house has an amazing electrical system that has been updated that is impressive. The oil furnace with the instant on hot water is pretty amazing too.

Happy-happy.

Calvin-August
 
I once owned a house from 1901 that had tube and knob wiring. Copper ,but with cloth insulation which was rotting off the wires. Kind of a fire hazard. When I hired the contractor to do the work, I was told that these days they always upgrade to 200 Amp service. Homes have so much more power needs these days than the past with all our gadgets. Now in my Colorado mid century try level home, same thing. Had a 60 Amp service and they said code is now 200 Amp service panel. (I put in a totally new kitchen with convection oven)😀
 
This weekend I will retrieve a Concept 2 rowing machine that was once mine. About 15 years ago I bought it used from some PhD that was doing his Post-Doc training and had to move out of his subsidized apartment.

This system of exploiting highly educated PhD's is kind of a kin to share cropping where the stipend the receive is so little that they get subsidized housing. Of course these PhD's are expected to work long hours for little money.

So back then this rowing machine was the high end and sold for around $1K or so. I kinda stole it for $300.00. It was basically new although likely 3 or so years old, but seldom used. The guy I bought it from evidently was not athletic and was chubby/portly.

So about a decade ago we decided to move into Madhattan, and my luxury building had a gym. I originally gave this Rowing machine (Ergonometer) to "Maggie's" brother, but due to lack of space it went to his sister who is a licensed professional trainer, and now back to me since they are downsizing and moving.

I always say, "The world is not that big."

The thing with an Ergonometer is that it is both for strength and aerobic exercise. The harder you pull the more the resistance so at a point it can be like weight training for strength. Rowing is low impact and uses every muscle in your body. Many people do not like rowing because the intensity causes one to sweat profusely.

So today there is a Concept 3 rower that is a new design and layout. It's design has advanced more for training over the Internet and is laid out a bit differently.

I'm cool with the old design. What a workout with this machine. I'm glad I'm getting it back. Looks like I might pick it up this weekend. It breaks down into two pieces. It is a rather clever design. Devil Christian would approve.

At work they are implementing a new timekeeping system. For the past 20 years I basically have cronically come in late and left early. So now I will have to punch a clock which means signing into my computer.

In the past at times I would stay late to meet scheduling demands and then flex the time by leaving even earlier to get back my time. This flexibility will be gone. Oh-well. Now pay me for Overtime.

"Moo," said the Pig.

I'm still cool with this. "Just pay me," I say. In 11 months and a few days I retire. I really love have the attitude of a "short-timer."

Next month (February) I will get the numbers for my Pension benefit so I can crunch the numbers.

Things are moving forward. Looking at pricing for a sheetrock lift. I think I'll order one tomorrow. Thanks MFM.

Calvin-August
 
I just received my second Covid vaccination today. Supposeibly the side effects are more pronounced with the second injection.

We shall see...

I got the invitation on my birthday as a surprise, as I thought since I am a researcher who works remotely in a Cyclotron bunker that I would be the last candidate for the vaccine. Oh-well, a bonus, and mistakenly I am considered a medical worker just because I work for a hospital.

So things are looking scary with the spread enabling and promoting new strains and further complications. One way or another we will get to herd immunity, but my educated guess is that this will evolve over time eventually.

The vaccine is only part of the solution, distribution is a problem, and not everyone will get vaccinated.

Unfortunately many-many will get sick and some will die.

What scares me the most is the possibility of permanent damage to vital organs like the lungs, heart and brain.

So in this grand experiment let's see how my body's immune system responds. I took pre-emptive measures like I went to bed early last night, I have been eating well.

Last night I had a chickpea pasta with a spinach pesto with crushed walnuts that was a thick and rich paste along with a seeded whole wheat garlic bread.

Been doing my 9 1/2 miles of walking every workday as part of my commute.

My reading suggests that the above measures will ensure my immune system will be strong. Last Monday I performed another spit test, and on Tuesday I learned about the negative results.

I'll report the side effects for this second injection. With the first injection it just was a sore right shoulder that lasted one night.

Its been an hour and so fare no soreness...

My worries are catching a dose of Covid on the train (enclosed space) or walking around Madhattan by smokers, eaters, drinkers, or people not wearing masks.

Calvin-August the lucky Hill-Billy, AKA Augie
 
"Maggie" sent me a link from Rolling Stone about how the Pandemic has caused a huge surge in guitar sales and related equipment like amps.

Sweetwater, a mail order supplier had a 50% increase in customers and had a Billion dollars in sales last year. I write Billion with a capitol "B" for drama.

The report also mentions that this also effected the vintage market as I am one of those "cork sniffers" that has a lot of vintage gear.

Here at RFF I saw a thread asking "Where did all the film cameras go" kinda. I wonder if this might be some of the same effect where stimulus checks went.

I wonder how many shooters decided to make a darkroom at home, or bought printers.

Cal
 
So it turns out that in a way I will be doing a "Crazy-Dan." My narrow mindedness made me forget that I also have the Jersey Barrier loaded with Piezoflush and a brand new set of dampers.

So how crazy will it be to be able to contact print digital negatives using a large vacuum frame to print editions.

I might have to get a new 44 inch printer. The Piezography Pro inks that I use to print inkjet is the same inkset to print digital negatives just using other curves.

A 400 square foot studio/loft/darkroom is about the right size.

How cool is that?

Cal
 
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