Joy to the World!

Homebrew is on tap again! I am striving to never let it go dry again. Unfortunately last weekend it wasn’t flowing as I hoped it would. My CO2 regulator is a stubborn rascal, and I wasn’t monitoring the progress of carbonization (relax, don’t worry, remember?). Anyway, I shook up dirty martinis instead. It was almost to easy, as I found a little secret to instant dirtiness (olive brine). They sell it in stores even. Enough about the martinis.

On with celebration! Take a look at this beauty! Nice body, and a good head on her shoulders. Along with a warm red glow, what is there not to admire? Unfortunately, I will drain the tap before I bring another on-line. Oh well, there are other stand-bys to punctuate the spaces……

Keep your mugs right side up,
JR

Is anything ever free?

About four years ago my brother asked me if I was interested in a sailboat. He said, "Come get it." I was still a wee lad in my pursuit to accumulate other people’s treasures and replied, "You bet!" After reviewing the information, I realized that I would need two important things; 1) a trailer hitch, and 2) and place to park it. Being of frugal nature, I immediately concluded that I should store this thing on my own property. So I invested in some meager building materials, and set about to modify an existing backyard gate to accommodate the sailboat. I also bought a trailer hitch for my main source of locomotion that already had 160,000 "highway" miles. I estimate that the free sailboat cost me roughly $200 before I even went to get it. I do recall buying parts for the boat at the sailboat shop for what seemed like an extraordinary amount of money. There were some heated negotiations about $10 stainless steel pins. I also recall many frustrated days waiting for some kind of gust to get the rig going, and buying trailer tires... can anybody get excited about trailer tires?

"So JR what does this have to do with the price of strawberries in Stockholm?” you ask.

Well interestingly enough three things come to my mind;
One: I sold the trailer hitch on Ebay for more than I paid for it INSTALLED (still amazed).
Two: The guys who came to haul off my rubbish were able to back their trailer and truck through the gate.
Three: The guy I gave the sailboat to replied in friendly gesture with an old-school pool table.

I've wanted a pool table longer than I've wanted a sailboat. Playing pool relaxes me, while the other was just enough to boil my blood. Looking at the pictures, I'd say we traded circa 1970's lemons... At this stage, the new lemon hasn't squirted me in the eye.

Wait a minute... Did I resolve myself to finish projects before undertaking new ones? I think I baked that crow on this one.

Struggling for discipline,
JR

R U THERE YET?

This was passed on to me by a dignified philosopher.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?" asked the Mexican.
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your
own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral is:
Know where you're going in life. You may already be there.

ENJOY THE DAY GIVEN TO US TODAY
BE HAPPY!

My little fishing village.

How to Get Rid of Junk

Something has always perplexed me. Why do I keep stuff I don't need in the foreseeable future, but mostly why do I hang onto stuff that I will never use? Case in point, the siding replacement project created a tremendous amount of old deteriorated siding and trim boards. However, I had this stuff lying around in piles, still with nails sticking out. Until yesterday.

I was out on the front side of the house replacing some weather stripping on the garage door, when a couple of guys drove by and asked if I had any trash or brush to haul off. It hit me at that point, "This is one of those jobs that I will never get around to on my own". I said, "As a matter of fact, I do." So I showed the elder one the stuff I needed rid of. We haggled a price, shook hands and it was a deal.

Part of the deal was that I would help load the stuff into his trailer. I realized much later in the day that I must have stuck myself with a nail in the meat of my calf. It kind of hurts to walk, but is getting better. It is a mild blessing that I got a Tetanus shot back in December from another mishap.

The back yard is now clear of debris, and looks tremendously better. The locations show where it used to be. The moral of the story is "Pay somebody."

JR

Self Portrait

Since I cannot download the software to put my picture on my profile......Honestly, this was the best one.

JR

RELAX

Don't worry,
the world will not end.
The sun will still rise in the East.
Fish will still eat bugs,
and women will remain
mysterious creatures of intrigue.

Siding progress

Significant milestone!!!!

Today I was able to install the remaining Hardi Trim on the house. It looks a lot better. All that remains is to caulk, putty the nail marks, and then paint. The "little" project is coming together. Thinking back, I really thought it would be done by now. I haven't been working on it during the workweek, and there have been some weather issues, but for the most part it has taken twice longer than I ever thought it would. I'm ready to finish.

However, I overestimated siding and have enough for a good size shed for the back yard. Every single one of my neighbors has a shed. I'm wondering how long it would take to make one of my very own. Lets see...

Pictures to follow.
JR

Block Party

It was nearly a spontaneous event. I got the call on Thursday, "We're having it this weekend." I replaced the upper rack and exchanged the propane tank on my grill. Both proved critically successful to the outcome of the event. I found out around noon that it was to be in front of my house. The neighborhood aspiring rock stars staged an impromptu jam session. I managed to clean up some of the house for people to use the bathroom. Little kids played Nintendo in the garage. I met and re-met some of my neighbors. I think 12 or 13 houses showed up. Most importantly nobody got hurt; although I did a pretty good number on my liver. I should have taken pictures.