Sunday, August 3, 2008
End of Vacation II
I spent most of this day getting ready for the birthday party (cleaning, prepping the cook out food, etc) after having coffee on the tree patio area and reading up on some GTD tips. Weekly Review - the thing I have NOT been doing that is a big part of GTD and other time management concepts. Gonna start that this week.. ha.
Here are some pics of the party;
The Cake - Yeah, it's weird
Mom enjoying the weirdness;
Here is a little video of the weirdness;
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Busy day
done so here is today:
Watched Austin mow the yard and mowed my little piece that I keep
green and finished up the details for him - it was over 100 again so
that was fun.
Cleaned up the living room finally picking up the paperwork I had
scattered everywhere
Cleaned up the Lego corner moving everything into the 'Play Room'
which is also the studio for stop motion
Setup the play room so all the Lego is easily available, a little
better organized and ready to animate - now we'll see if I actually
animate anything.
Vacuumed the house and dusted it most of it - fun fun.
Listened to Austin learn a new solo from a Skillet song - amazing how
easily he can pick up something like that
Watered the plants and my little piece of green.
I guess I do get some things done. If I get too much done I'll crash on the Futon in the 'animation studio' - ha!
-Stephen
Friday, August 1, 2008
August Already?
Wow? It's August already - where did the summer go. I think I'll start using this as a 'What I Accomplished Blog' since I have no idea what I have accomplished over the past several months.
On the fun side we just got back from a short family trip to the lake - LittleGlasses at Texhoma. Thought it would be long since we were staying three nights but it ended quite fast. We even made it RAIN... something we do well when we go to the lake. At least we stayed in a nice three bedroom trailer instead of a tent.
The last few months have seen a few accomplishments I guess;
- The 88 Turbocoupe is up and running with working A/C and 21+ mpg even when I hammer on it all the time.
- I released another lego animation for the old Poodles song Toy Town People - Odd but fun little song.
- I have most of the outdoor plants on auto-pilot watering wise now so they actually may survive.
- I even have a small green patch of grass in front of the patio - I can handle mowing that little bit more often especially since Austin is mowing the rest ;-)
- We changed up the patio a bit moving the old A Frame swing to the 'forest' and buying a cafe table, chairs and a small fire pit. Haven't used the fire pit yet but maybe when it gets below 100 degrees for a change.
- We used our 25th Anniversary gift money to buy new vertical blinds and drapes for the house. Something Karen has wanted for some time now.
-Stephen
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Wow - Work - Plus a new-old car
On the other side we picked up yet another vehicle to add to the mess. A beat up 1988 Turbo Coupe Thunderbird. I had a 1986 TC back in 1986 and loved that car. The 87/88 version came out and it was even cooler. I never could afford an 87/88 but drove the 86 for over 10 years until it was crunched in two accidents within three months, neither of which was my fault. Recently I noticed 87/88 TC's showing up on ebay and other places and one appeared in the local Craigslist so I thought I would check it out. It is much rougher than I wanted BUT it does have a pretty much unmolested engine/tranny which are the hardest parts to find. My son and I spent most of the day Saturday doing a complete clean up of the interior since it was quite dirty.
I had hoped for a driver that I could detail and eventually rebuild but this one is going to require much more work than that. First up is a freeze plug replacement BUT it's the plug between the block and the flywheel so I guess the whole engine/trans is coming out and being rebuilt which is way more up front than I planned.
In the mean time we did take it down the block and back slipping clutch and no boost included. At least the brakes worked well!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Fabulous Poodles - Mirror Star
Stephen
Really enjoyed your animation for my song "Mirror Star" and so glad there's still people out there who remember us!
All the best, Tony De Meur
I am actually working on a simple animation of Toy Town People.
Mirror Star - The Fabulous Poodles
The rest of my brickfilms can be found on YouTube
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Time Management for a System Administrator
Interestingly enough it appears I already have all the pieces; one calendar, help request system, log every request, and more, already in place. I just haven't connected the dots and run "The Cycle" that is used in the book. I've ready many time management books and see the common theme rise up again... the trick still is just DOING THEM.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Stupid Stuff Continues
-Stephen
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Where's there's Progress there's Pain
I guess that stands true with me. Although I DID get the floor pans installed in the 69 Mustang including fitted, welded and seam sealed, I have paid for that it with a literal pain the back.
Last week I wasn't sure if that was the problem after getting most of the driver side done and having to get straightened up last week. But after spending a couple days finishing up the drivers, installing the passengers side and fitting and installing the seat pans I was unable to hardly stand or walk on Tuesday morning. Ended up losing a day of work over it (not good - just more to do when I get back) and stuck in a chair and in bed with loads of pain meds to make it through. The Chiro once again fixed me up but it's still not very comfortable.
Maybe that is why I have been putting that off for so long??
Oh well.. hopefully time will heal. I did get to sit in the car with an old seat in it.. first time that has occurred in a very long time.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Something done...
I also got the GoMo going with adjustments to the governor and throttle linkage and popped some mufflers on it for my (and the neighbors) ear's sake. Still not fast at about 18mph but working. The guys over at ATLMA thinks it has a coil problem which might explain why it doesn't run like it calculates out on paper.
Here's a link to the short video of it running.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
2008?? - Where did '07 Go?
2008 Goals...
- Mustang floor pan installed, sealed and interior installed
- Mustang trunk and rear valance fixed
- Mustang engine balanced, built, engine bay painted and engine and trans installed
- Rear disc brakes completed, springs replaced, and brakes working
- Wheels and tires on the car and get it back on the ground
- ... and the 192,432 other detail items that have to occur to get the car running again.
- Tile the kitchen, bathroom, and utility area... never tiled before, should be interesting.
- Replace the roof.. think I'll pay someone to do this one.
- Completely clean and organize the house including the computer room, garage, and all closets (that should take all year)
- Paint the house.. well at least it is only trim
- Replace the garage doors (more painting... ugh)
- New vertical window blinds... mostly money
- Replace faucets and drains (hard water is a killer)
- Fix the various little things messed up around the house (porch light, patio lights, etc)
- .... there are plenty more
Yeah.. I know, these should be in my Getting Things Done (GTD) system right. Many are, seems that has made it seem even more overwhelming sometimes. I'm still searching for the best system(s) that work for me.
Oh yeah.. 2008 goal:
- Take down the Christmas decorations - I better get that one done before the next Christmas but no telling... :-)
- Stephen