Thankfulness

A little catch up (or keep up, I suppose).

Boaz, natrually, it getting cuter and cuter. He is now 40 days old, so he'll be six weeks old this Thursday. He'll be neutered soon, and ready for adoption. Just in time, since our apartment will soon get crowded once again, with my mom-in-law moving back in with us.

My brother-in-law, Jerry, was kind enought to come up to help me with the bathroom tile last Wednesday. He got the tile started and he tiled the window; the rest of my tub surround is within my skill level. I discovered that I can tile rather quietly, so I'll be working late into the night to complete this job.

I was soooo stressed out about this tile job. When Jerry promised to come out and help me, immediately I felt my spirits lift. Hope is a powerful thing... kinda like the hope of the resurrection giving strength to people who are ill or dying. Anyway, to say the least, I am thankful to my brother in law!

Money is really tight right now; the remodel, having taken so long, has sapped our bank account. Lord willing, we'll rent it out November 1st and get some semblance of normacy back again. That also means that my mom-in-law will move back in next week, causing no small disturbance as we all get used to bumping into each other again. *sigh*

Other interesting things: I wrote a sermon on the aforementioned topic of death. That post, and the post on identity, drew the most comments, but primarily in the form of emails directly to me.

I presented the sermon in a homiletics class and was critiqued by my peers as well as my professor. I am afraid to post the video... I posted a sermon from last year, and frankly I stunk as a preacher then. I must admit that this sermon is much improved (I've had practice), but some elements of this sermon need to be rearranged. With the input I received, my revised sermon should be much, much better.

Oh, yeah... we got a webcam at work, which nobody else is using, so I've been playing with it. I'm thinking I may use it to do time elapsed video of how a server gets assembled, but I'm not sure, yet... too much other stuff going on!

Finally, my parents did receive my letter I sent at the beginning of October... yesterday. It took three weeks for them to get my letter! Something must be wrong with my address, so hopefully I will soon be able to get it right!

More Holiday Remodeling

This past weekend was spent remodeling in the afternoon, when it is coolest. I went to Home Depot and bought new baseboards and door casings. Our friend Laura brought over her powered miter saw and the casings were cut very quickly! We put up the door casings Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.

Aside from remodeling, I'm not able to do much else right now. The 4th of July will be spent putting up baseboards, I think. I will have to repair our closet; oddly, when Zechariah stepped on the closet pole, one of the support brackets snapped!

I hope you guys have better plans!

Outdoor Cat Enclosure Idea

Frankly, with the way the house is organized, we don't have a lot of places to put the litter boxes. That combined with the fact that our felines appear to desire venturing out-of-doors has caused me to consider enclosing the back "yard."

So I'm thinking about enclosing our tiny patio for the cats to go outside. I would build a few shelves and probably put some patio furniture out there. We don't really have seasons in Southern California, so I imagine we would get a lot of use from such a project.

There are commercial solutions available, and I found several sites which suggest such a cat enclosure can be and should be made, as well as sites offering instructions for sale and for free.

Before I did my searches, Cathy's mom (Rhonda) was suggesting using lattice work to keep the cats in. I don't plan on building any permanent additions to the house, so I shouldn't need a permit. I'm leaning towards a combination of poles and netting, but Rhonda thinks a lattice ceiling would be prettier.

Well, I should measure things, first, and clear out the back yard (or the other way around) Then I can worry about enclosing it for the kitties. I'm gonna do it some time, hopefully before school starts again.

Remodeling, Studying and Recovering

It's been a while since I've posted. Let's see, theres more progress in the aprtment, Cathy is doing O.K., and I had a Hebrew exam. Sorry for not keeping everybody up to speed. I can usually tell when I'm not blogging often enough, as I start getting instant messages, emails and phone calls asking about Cathy. Let me say that Cathy really appreciates your support!

Let's see... I haven't really spoken of our lives in almost two weeks. I've been working on the apartment, of course. The kitchen cabinets are completed (still need to pick up a door from Ikea), and I've got the dishwaser in and the countertops are almost ready. I've yet to install the kitchen sink... but it's getting there; I'll get to play with a jigsaw next!

I didn't have class last Wednesday, so I spent the evening finishing up the countertops and installing all the doors. I took last Thursday off to hang out with Cathy, but she slept in so late that I spent the morning remodeling. By the time she woke up, Cathy decided to simply join me (it was way after lunch). She installed two toilets and helped mom straighten all the kitchen cabinet doors before running out of steam. It sure was helpful, though! Cathy loves to remodel, so she misses being part of the action.

Friday, Cathy went to get her normal shot, but her applicator had changed! It was not the syringe she was expecting, but a fat, weird contraption instead. She called the health line and got instructions, and things worked out, but it did cause her a little consternation for a short period.

On Saturday I got up early and finished cutting out the countertops; they look pretty good! I'm putting so much work into this apartment, and I'm more practiced now, that I wish we were moving in! I also installed the bathroom sinks and most of the cabinets while (get this!) mom replaced most of the electrical outlets with new ones. Cathy rested in bed with the intention of gathering her strength to attend church on Sunday.

My mother-in-law is very flexible these days in learning new things. She really wants to make it on her own, and she's being very steady in her studying for the real estate license while still helping me out in every way possible!

I had not studied Hebrew since Monday the 17th, so I tried to catch up Saturday evening. We all gathered in the bedroom; I studied, Cathy and mom read, and the cats and dog were scattered all around.

Sunday came, but despite Cathy's efforts and her strong desire to attend church she simply could not muster the strength to get out of bed. She even tried sleeping in a bit and getting up to attend a local church, but that was too much, as well. I figured it was somehow "wrong" to work on the apartment so I read a little and studied Hebrew instead.

I now know about 170 words and 20 verbes, plus a bunch of derivitives of thoese words. I took my second Hebrew exam tonight, and boy was it difficult!

Thankfully, I wasn't the only one to feel that way. I figure I probably got about 80%, maybe 85% right. Sheesh.

Cathys looking pretty good tonight, even though she was quite tired today. We may try to get out of the house for a period of time tomorrow.

Whattalotta Cabinets!

I did not realize how much cabinet space we were installing in the kitchen... and I haven't even installed the bottom ones yet!

(click image or reload page to see animation again)

I spent the remainder of yesterday afternoon and most of the evening finishing the upper cabinets. You gotta level cabinets and anchor them to each other. That took a surprising amount of time.

We were going to use the stainless steel legs for a modern look, but I'm having a hard time finding a diswasher with stainless steel legs. A short dishwasher would also do, but I can't find anything 30 inches tall (the smallest I found is 33.75). Oh well.

Tonight I will install the bottom cabinets (and hopefully the counters and sink). Cathy ordered the appliances from Home Depot, so I will likely be putting those in this weekend. Looking forward to playing with that miter saw!

Nothing Interesting To Say

We're still here... I've just had nothing interesting to say. Cathy was not feeling well this weekend, so we stayed home and I worked on the apartment and studied Hebrew. I did get the cabinet support rails up, so I'm planning on hanging cabinets tonight.

I did figure out that we're (almost) break-even on the apartment remodeling. Doing it all yourself takes time, but it saves money...

Update: I did hang all the top cabinets tonight... they actually look straight!

Cabinates, Class, Cathy

God has been gracious to me again, in fact today, in the area of cabinets, class, and Cathy...

God has continued to demonstrate His goodness to Cathy & me. When I asked God for more faith, specifically that His promise that nothing that came our way would be too overwhelming for us, I wasn't expecting a fast answer.

You'll probably recall the 650 pounds of furniture that was unloaded on Thursday. Here's a visual representation of the task which was before me.

I was planning on assembling the cabinets on Saturday and hanging those cabinets over a period of several evenings. Unfortunately, I forgot my class was this Saturday... but I figured things would work out.

To thank Laura, we took her and Chris out to dinner at Outback Steak House. It was a great time of enjoying pleasant conversation and company. Laura indicated she would make some time to come by on Saturday to help again. I wouldn't be there, but Laura and Mom would do whatever they discovered they felt comfortable doing.

I attended class and enjoyed my training a great deal. Over lunch, I read chapter nine of the Hebrew Grammar again, and this time it made sense! I was able to reproduce the paradigms with a high degree of accuracy, truly an answer to prayer!

I was greeted by this sight when I return from class late in the afternoon.

I estimate that 2/3 of the cabinets were assembled already! I joined the work, and by the time we all quit for the day, only two cabinets remained to be completed, and all of the drawers are ready to install.

Cathy tried to keep Mom and Laura company throughout the afternoon and the effort has drained her a great deal. It is 10:15 P.M. now, and she may soon be retiring for the evening... in my experience, when Cathy depletes her energy on a Saturday, Sunday is not a good travel day for her. We may not go to church tomorrow at all, thus allowing Cathy to recuperate. Given recent events, however, I believe we can handle this week together with God's grace

If I could preach on just any topic right now, I would probably speak about God's sustaining grace. It is remarkably clear to me right now! I will remember this post the next time I feel like circumstances are becoming too much for me to handle. God will provide and give me further cause to praise Him.

Carpeting!

We got carpeting in Apartment One yesterday! I had wanted to seal the living room floor concrete first, but oh well. It looks really nice, a warm, chocolate color that is very easy on my eyes; it also matches the fireplace and the bathroom tile!

Today we'll go to Ikea and Home Depot to pick up the remaining cabinates and plumbing fixtures. I'll be busy, and soon the apartment will be ready! Yeah!

More Remodeling (Ugh) and Katrina

It does't seem to end, does it? I started out the day by painting the two smaller bedrooms. I have to admit: they do look better painted. Cathy then got a call from Ashley, who is avilable to help tomorrow. So, instead of painting the master bedroom, I finished priming the living room and the hallway. That'll give Ashley two large rooms, the hallway and the dining room to paint. And there's still closets, too...

All the time I was painting, I listened to something. I listened to my Hebrew class from Monday once, then I listened to Skillet's worship album (a real steal at $10). I tried listening to KWVE's sermons for a while, but I turned it off after 20 minutes when a pastor started quoting Greek. Then I recited the Hebrew alphabet for a while.

I am so glad that Ashley can come help. I don't know how much she'll get done, but everything will help. Whew... I looking forward to going to the office tomorrow, just to relax a little!

I read about the devastation that hurrican Katrina is wreaking... I hope my brother Ted is doing O.K.... if you want to help, try Samaritan Purse or CRC World Relief or the Red Cross.

Event-Filled Sunday

Elder Jeff preached today out of the Book of Daniel; it was very good. After church, Cathy felt good enough that we went to the church potluck and had some excellent ribs and baked beans; there was plenty of other food, but that is what really stuck in my memory!

While we were at the potluck I mentioned needing to get home and paint. It turns out that Ashley likes to paint, and has some time on Tuesday! Cathy hired her on the spot as she has seen Ashley's room (and Cathy approves!).

So I spent the rest of the afternoon until 10 P.M. preparing the aparment for paint. There was still drywall to be repaired, and the gas pipe had to be finished before the drywall. So I finished the gas plumbing and tested for leaks; none, thank God! Cathy worked for about 15 minutes and showed me how to connect the drywall. The walls are now all patched, although some sanding and another layer will be necessary. I reapplied primer to the "dark" room, so hopefully that is sufficient.

While resting at home, Cathy did more reading, some puzzles, and took my job's entrance exam. Yes, my job has an entrance exam! I'll have to speak more on it when I get Cathy's results back. She is not applying for a job; rather, she is just curious about it as so many people are not making it past the first interview at my office.

Ugh... I'm tired, though. Gotta sleep...

A Saturday of Remodeling

I spent the entire day preparing to paint. Our former tenant in apartment one was a smoker, so I am using oil-based primer to prepare the walls; it takes care of any smoke damage from over the years.

I had threaded the black iron pipe for the gas line this morning, but the rest will have to wait until I finish the drywall. Cathy felt well enough to help out and patch a little dryway, and even a little paint. But she got worn out very quickly and had to go back to the house. When I came home about three hours later, she had just woken up. She is unhappy about being unable to help out more, but I feel confident that God will work things out.

What is strange about painting is that it is not difficult work, or at least it is not difficult when done in stages. However, painting is time-consuming. Since I have to wait two hours between the primer and the paint, it would take me almost five hours to do a single room. I decided to apply primer to all three bedrooms today; tomorrow I plan on applying paint to the three bedrooms.

Ugh! One of the bedrooms was painted dark grey! I'm not sure one coat of primer is going to take care of that! We'll have to see; perhaps someone's teenager went through a gothic phase?

Cathy seems worn out and gets too hot easily; other than that, I think she is doing O.K. We're going to try going to chruch tomorrow, so we'll see how she holds up. As for me, I'm so glad to be off my feet that I am very, very content.

Keep Up: Our Past Week

This last week, Cathy and I have been trying to remodel apartment one in our triplex. We also made an offer on the triplex across the way (we're gluttons for punishment).

Cathy's Health
We haven't made much headway on the remodeling, though, as Cathy's Hepatitis shot makes her nausiated and gives her a low-grade fever for several days. It is worst for the first 36 hours after the shot, and the effect slowly tapers off by the end of morning of the third day. Since Cathy give herself the shot on Friday, she is usually better by the end of Monday.

Remodeling
Anyway, the apartment has needed a lot of work. As of now, the ceiling has been painted (some touch-up needed), the walls are spackled and ready for priming, and the floors are 1/2 sealed. The good thing is that the pet and smoke damage has been removed. I've moved the outlets and and an extension for the refrigerator. Over the course of this next week, Cathy & I will primer a room and paint it, probably one room a day. We will also finish patching the drywall, sanding, patching, sanding over the next few days. It is a LOT of work... Like doing a fixer-upper in a short period of time.

(Probable) New Job
My manager is a very good man and I have enjoyed working for him for the last eight years. He was out on vacation this past week, so I haven't had the time to sit down and discuss the offer I received. He is aware of the offer, though, and I plan to speak with him this week about it. It is probably I will be starting the new job next month.

Back to School
Tomorrow, I register for classes. I am hoping to take a class in Hebrew and a class in preaching. There are two slots for both, so I am hoping to get in on at least on of those classes. We'll have to see!

New Countertops!

Ah... a real counter in the hallway!


It is sooo good to be able to wash dishes in our kitchen, standing up!

Plumbing Adventures

One of our apartments opened up, and I learned more about indoor plumbing. My plumbing adventures over the last two weekends involved a solid brass waste & overflow drain for my bathtub in our third apartment. We had a plumber visit that apartment, and one of the screws on the overflow assembly snapped from rust and old age.

The weekend before the Fourth of July I decided to replace the overflow. Having found that it was a solid piece of metal, I considered sawing off the overflow and replacing it with PVC.

That's when I noticed that I could see light around the rim of the waste pipe.

Now, understand that the waste pipe is a single piece, a welded pipe and the waste elbow. Being able to see light through it means I don't have any single part to tighten or replace. I gave the overflow a good shake and the entire waste pipe dislodged from the waste elbow. It was now all or nothing.

I looked at the space available to me and decided to call a plumber. After calling a client of mine and getting a quote of $1350 (!!!) I felt a new motivation to tackle the project myself.

I needed more room, but I did not want to patch any walls or reconnect any copper pipes. So, I took my reciprocating saw and removed excess wood from the tub access. After working on the locknut holding the tail piece to the drain pipe in the foundation I was able to remove the entire unit.

The waste elbow was stll attached. I used a dumbell wrench to attempt my removal of the waste elbow. The elbow was frozen solid, and the teeth on the dumbell wrench actually snapped! After involking my lifetime warranty, I replaced the dumbell wrench and took a hacksaw to the waste elbow.

After forty minutes of sawing, I was able to pry the waste elbow off.

I assemebled a PVC kit and cut the pieces to match. To connect the tailpiece to the drain pipe, I used a convertor piece to connect the PVC sanitary tee on one side and femail threaded pipe connector on the other side. I was able to thread the connector onto the drain pipe, then position the rest of the drain kit.

By the grace of God, it was a perfect fit.

It doesn't sound too involved when I explain it in so many words, but this was three trips to the home improvement store and about three hours of work. It cost me roughly $40 in parts. I would have likely agreed to $400 if the plumber had been more reasonable... So I suppose I saved $900 doing it myself. Yipee!

Outlets and Fathers

I spent part of the weekend replacing the electrical outlets and light switches in the house. I went for the decroative, flat light switches and the traditional white power outlets. The wiring in our apartment is so screwy that there is no consistent color coding, and sometimes the obvious hot wire is actually the return. Well, if you are going to play with electricity, just turn off the breaker and be careful! Cathy likes the new outlets and the bright white covers, so all the work paid off!

We finally got prints of our wedding photos, but I've been so busy I haven't checked out the digital scans of the negatives yet. Cathy seemed to be happy with some of our prints, although Costco did mess up the order... guess I'll be going back this week.

I got to talk to my father this weekend, all the way over in Taoyuan, Taiwan. You can think of Taoyuan like the Ontario, CA of Taiwan. Man, cell phone technology is great... I'll probably never change my cell number just because my family has it and calls me infrequently. I can't believe my dad is 70!

We also got to talk to my father-in-law... I really love that guy! After we ran out of truly meaningful things to say, he told me the joke about Billy Graham and the Chauffeur. What a guy!

Cylinder Locks and the Kitchen Sink

I finally added the nine inch cabinate that we custom ordered. I had to cut out the tile (that turned out to be surprisingly easy), which led to the purchase of our new vacuum, and ultimately got us ready for the counter tops.

We went to Home Depot right away and started the process over Memorial Day Weekend. Well, we are getting measured for the countertops tomorrow! It is amazing that I am excited about pressed wood with Formica, but I truly am! For one thing, we bought a kitchen sink this weekend. For a guy who's been crouching in the tub and doing dishes for many moons, the idea of a kitchen sink is truly exciting!

I have also fixed my first deadbolt this weekend. Our security door deadbolt was stuck and would not turn. I figured, "what do I have to lose?", and I started taking the screws out and messing with it. Frankly, the experience left me feeling far less secure about doors and locks. Then again, as Cathy pointed out, locks only keep honest people honest.

It turns out that the common lock is really quite simple in design; most houses tend to be equiped with pin-and-tumbler cylinder locks. I was able to figure out what was wrong with our deadbolt, and in the process discovered how I can rekey my own locks; in principle, I think I understand how to pick a lock now, too. I am now considering installing a master key system in our triplex; that would be really convenient.

I thought about describing my discoveries (which are basic, daily excercises for actual locksmiths), but I think a link to How Lock Picking Works would be much better.

Cats, Remodeling and Devotionals

One of our cats, Malachi, has gotten really skitterish these last few days. I think something scared her while she was in the living room, because now she won't hang out in that room. She'll only ride on my shoulder through there. I managed to coax her out of the bedrooms when I got home, but she only hung out in the kitchen until some noise sent her running back to the bedrooms. Just a few minutes ago I got her to sit near me in the living room, but another cat rustled a paper bag and sent Malachi running for the bedrooms again.

I am usually quite content with my life; I suppose even now I am, except that I am a little stressed out. The remodeling is still far from complete; we don't have counters (and won't for at least six weeks), we don't have a kitchen sink (doing dishes in the tub), we don't have a shower (we take baths since the bathroom walls are incomplete)... argh!

It usually doesn't bother me. As long as my loved ones are safe and happy, I tend to be quite happy, myself. But I am becoming more convinced that Cathy cannot bear to stay employed one minute longer than necessary, and I cannot change that right now, or even for a couple more years. If she survives the two years, then maybe we can move to Georgia or something, and Cathy can quit working outside the home.

As a matter of fact, one day this week I work up singing a little ditty:
(to the tune of Down in the Valley)

I love my kitties
I love my wife
I love my doggie
I love my life

These are my kitties
This is my wife
This is my doggie
I love my life

Cathy and I started reading the Bible to each other in an effort to draw closer to each other and by drawing closer to God. Neither one of us like the pre-formatted devotionals, so this seems like the best idea. I wonder what other couples do for their quiet times if they don't want to follow a devotional?

It's been FOREVER!

OK, it's been weeks. So what's new? It has been a long time since I've updated. I suppose it would be a little difficult for you to keep up if I don't say anything, huh?

Life has been hectic, that's for sure. Let me update you:

TED:
Ted went back to Haiti with his family on Tuesday, February 22nd and he just me today to say "hi." They've got wireless access in the home now, so we may do some long-distance Bible studies together. I'm looking forward to that!

APARTMENT:

I haven't done anything with the apartment in two weeks. Well, the bathroom sink is leaking, so that's new.

FINANCES:

We discovered that our income and outflow did not overlap to a high enough degree. We concluded we would soon sink uner the collective pressure of our personal debt and commerical shortfall. Thus, we looked into refinancing our apartment and realized that we'd be spending over five years just breaking even from the pre-payment penalty.

Ow.

Our apartment appraisal revealed that we did not have a significant increase in equity yet (all six months worth, that makes sense). We thought about selling, moving to Georgia, and starting over. Put the pre-payment penalty really kills that idea, too. If we refiance or sell, we're are just screwed. I take solice in the idea that God avenges, so I do not personally feel the need to strike out at the man who did this to us.

I contacted another mortgage company, and they came up with the notion of a HELOC and a re-fi after our prepayment period expires. We're going that route, which means I have two and a half years to finish school, because Wifey-Pooh is SOOOO ready to quit work.

SCHOOL:

I didn't want to make arrangements to get back into school and then announce that I was moving to Georgia. I'll be writing the registrar this week.

HEALTH:

Well, my tooth probably needs a root canal. I got a cap on it, but that does not appear to be sufficient.

FAMILY:

Michael & Sativa were married this past Saturday. I was an attendant, which was a honor for me. I'd post pictures, but my camera cable has mysteriously disappeared again (argh!).

FRIENDS:
Ian was baptised this past Saturday. Wifey-Pooh and I visited the VZs, and we had a great prayer and praise time. That, and my brothers in the Lord were involved in an emergency spiritual intervention while the rest of us prayed. The results are very encouraging.

CHURCH:

I have successfully made my functions at church replacable by others. I created a CD-ROM with videos demonstrating the various functions I perform, along with explanations of where to get more help. If I were struck by a meteorite tomorrow, the computer systems would not come to a screeching halt.
Well, some things are being changed at church concerning Wifey-Pooh's involvement, and she is concerend that some mistakes are being made. It appears that Wifey-Pooh is being asked to train her replacement, and she would step down as Treasurer. If that were to happen, I believe we would no longer be able to attend for at least two reasons:

1. no money for gas, and


2. the mere social discomfort of attempting to have fellowship where you were essentially fired is too much to bear.

That should sum up a quick overview of what's been going on. I'm giving serious consideration to switching over to www.blogger.com. I'm just looking for a good name for Wifey-Pooh and me to use there.

"Yea!" and "Ow..."

Last night, I got the upper corner cabinets installed.

This morning I went to the dentist to have a cavity filled. I ended up staying in the chair three hours as the dentist gently drilled and scraped away most of my tooth. Ow...

I'm going home to lay around, take some ibuprofen, and take solace from the company of my critters.

School, Remodeling, and Blogger.com

It looks like I'll be able to register for one class, anyway. My academic advisor has advised me that he apparently overstepped his authority when he arranged my schedule. So, last semester (at least) may simply have been lost time. Not that I did not learn quite a bit on group interaction and leadership in organizations (which came in handy several times), but it does not exactly advance me towards my master's degree. Ah, well... *sigh*

I have all the bottom cabinets in now, and I am looking into preformed countertops. I can probably do that myself. We'll see... frankly, there does not appear to be anything that you cannot do with a lot of patience, some reading and a little courage.

I'm considering switching to Google's www.blogger.com. It has email blog posting and audio blog posting capabilities, which would make posting on the road much easier. It also was Picasa on the "pro" side. The only "con" factors is the lack of categories for posts and the fact that I would have to copy my blog over by hand. That wouldn't be too big a deal, and a final post here to redirect friends and family would not be too difficult.