Bloggy post 101.  Re-introduction?  No, probably not.

If you sense I've lost interest in this bloggy thingy, you are mostly correct...I'm having a very hard time coming up with interesting crap for you to read about.  

I could tell you about my woodshop, how it's about 1/3 cleaned up.  I need some buckets or bins or shelves or something before I finish. 

Turns out there's a box of booze like stuff on the floor in the middle, pretty much right in the way.  It's been there way too long, but I work around it, pile more stuff on top of it.  I know it has a bottle of margarita mix in it, probably has a bottle of tequila in it.  We've talked about that, right?  It has some wine, maybe some grenadine.  Pretty sure any whiskey or vodka has been removed and consumed.  I've got a dog food sack full of cans, bottles, jars etc that I thought might be useful.  I've got a box full of containers that I got when I was making soaps, lotions, potions, salves and the like.  At the rate I'm using them, I've got enough for the next 578 years.  I doubt I'll live that long.

I've got some cans of paint that have been there pretty much since we moved in, when I was working for a paint store.  The cans are not aging well...probably time to move the lot to the recycle center.  Or dump it all into a 5 gallon bucket and paint the living room, hallway, bedrooms/office.  I don't mind the painting...but I don't like the prep/moving all the stuff!  

I should just haul a lot of the wood scraps out and burn them.  I always think I'll find a use for them, and sometimes I do, but....there they sit, for the most part.  I should find a project that uses small bits of oddly shaped pieces.  Ideas??

Need to complete 2 suitcase repairs...one has a broken bracket, one has a bad zipper pull and a decorative doodad is coming off.  They don't build that stuff like they used to, for sure.

Bored yet?

  

Rule #4 for blogging is to add pics if the audience is bored.  They don't have to pertain to anything.  But these pics are from an event we went to last year, but may not go to this year.  :(

This morning I went down to my woodshop to make something for you.  As I went down the stairs, I pondered what wood to use.  Should I use oak?  I think the only oak I have is either strips of flooring that I salvaged from a dumpster or was given to me by some guy that I don't know any more.  

No, not oak, this should be special.

Here's a piece of maple...it's about the right width, length, kind of thin, but would work.  I can't remember where it came from, it's no good for this project.

Here's some walnut.  Heavy, thick, beautiful wood.  It's special, too, I got that log from my Grandpa's farm and had it sawn at the same time as that ash log. Oh, here's a piece of ash, the right size.  The ash came from the farm where I grew up....wish I had some mulberry...that's beautiful wood.  Crap in one hand, wish in the other, see which one fills up first.  Use the ash.

How to make a wooden object.  It's probably on youtube and wikipedia, but sometimes I like to make my own stuff, my plans, my rules, etc.  Choose which end for the handle, now...how big should the handle be?  I traced the outline of the handle of my favorite carving knife...that's woodcarving knife, not ham/roast beast carving knife...that's just slicing!

The board is thinner than the knife, so I draw it a little wider to make up for that.  I can always glue on some strips to make it thicker.  To the band saw, which is kind of sick, but still works.  I regret getting this size of saw, it's too small and limiting.  I persevere, and make it work, as I always do.  One side is always easier to cut out than the other side, but it looks ok.  I'll have to do a little more sanding.  

I take it to the router table, it's already got the roundover bit in it, so I check the thickness/depth level, and it's ok.  I round over each side of the paddle, but not the handle....I'm going to use my knife for that.  Hmmmm kind of splintered/tore out on that one corner...bit must be getting dull.  No big deal, I'll just trim it a tiny bit and sand it smooth....if she notices or comments it'll earn her an extra whack.

Where the hell is my sander?  Oh, yes, it's in the garage.  Exercise is good for me, right?  Right.  Start with 80, sand all sides, switch to 120, 150, 180 and finally 220.  I'm sanding nearly non stop for 90 minutes, the sander is hot and vibrating...I know some girls that would like to sit on this thing. Some guys will sand on up to 400 grit, but that's ridiculous, since we're going to be putting some varnish on this thing. 

 

What varnish to use?  Spray varnish, poly or lacquer?  Tung oil?  Brush on some varnish, poly or lacquer?  Gloss or semi gloss?  Water based?  Water white?  My old fashioned standby....spar varnish.  Used forever on boats, it's one of my favorite finishes.  Glossy and smooth, this thing will be beautiful.

Kelly's birthday party:  wish I had some pics...

Not because anyone got drunk and fell in the lake, but because our waitress exemplified the fancy ass pants that I wrote about earlier this year.  Of course, I don't know her ethnic heritage, but like so many in this area she's probably half German and half Norwegian.  Tall, slender, blonde and beautiful, I'm pretty sure she was wearing a wonder bra, and those jeans....it'd take a few pics to do them justice.  

Friends, her ass was covered with sparkly jewels, Swavrosky would be jealous.   Whatever the name is, you know who/what I mean.  I mean her cheeks were crusted with these things, and she wore them well.  It was raining, we were standing outside because Kelly had rented the deck thingy so we could watch the ski show and eat dinner and drink beer.  A proper MN birthday celebration.  It actually sounds like a redneck celebration, but it was shaping up to be fun, except for the rain.

I know what you're saying....yah, yah, this is all  fine and dandy, but who the hell is Kelly?

Kelly is one of the many people that came into my life thanks to my interest and continued offering of massage.  She's one of the few that has stayed in my life after receiving the massage...continuing to get one every chance she gets.  

I met Kelly thru the FB phenomena thingy, a mutual friend was posting about massage, I posted some sort of response, Kelly responded, we worked out some details; she came over, got naked (yes, I was in a different room) and on the table, have not been able to get rid of her since.  :)  

Anyway....Kelly had a birthday, which is not unusual in or of itself, most of us do have a birthday each and every year.  Those of you that don't....sorry to be the one to tell you....but you are dead.

Kelly is now 35.  So she's organized a party.  She invited us and a bunch of people that we didn't know....which is ok, it's fun to meet new people.  The party got moved inside when the ski show was cancelled, much to the chagrin of the old people trying to shout at each other over their dinner; but we were able to annoy them just enough to get lots of dirty looks.

OH, crap, I forgot what my message was.  OH, yeah, happy birthday!

Posting #99

It's been a long time in the works...mainly because there's several things to post:

• I need to finish the MI trip from last year
• I need to finish the regional review
• I just got back from a 10 day ride in CO
• I could update you on my neck/shoulder
• We could talk about cancer...a friend has some again.

Or I could just post some pics.

Computer isn't working with the ext hard drive right now.  Did I mention I got a new computer?  Yep, from a one sale a day place, $5 shipping.  It has Windows 7, which I don't yet like.  May never like it.  Wonder if I install Chrome again, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Did a back up from the old computer onto the ext hard drive in July, wonder if I can access those files?  Mostly pics and books, which I think I copied over seperately.