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  • House Journal – Plumbing Fun

    House Journal – Plumbing Fun

    Buying a house that is well into middle age is always a challenge. Appliances are old, electrics are often ancient, and not up to current code, and of course there is plumbing from the dark ages.

    Not that in the mid 1960’s was bad for plumbing, but back then a lot of sketchy piping was imported from a rapidly industrializing Taiwan, and the early plastic piping and junctions often had polypropylene blended with paper (why?).

    We of course had some that we knew about from the inspection. The main drain pipe under the house was at the end of its serviceable life (the Taiwan steel), and the sewer junction between the bathrooms was the polypropylene/paper junctions. Plus some small things (like plumbing the kitchen for gas). Total bid was $2100.

    Of course, adding a cleanout to the main sewer line near the house allowed us to inspect the main 4″ sewer connection, and of course that was not good. After nearly 50 years, there was encroachment of tree roots into the main sewer line, that we should clean/replace, as well as adding a cleanout at the property line to the city for future maintenance issues.

    The neighbor has had the Rotorooter people out a couple times to snake the main line, so we know that it is endemic to the neighborhood.

    Add to that a failing water valve at the street, and crappy old steel piping of the main water to the house, which we should replace as well, and we added 3 days and $3750 to the total.

    Gulp.

    We have the money, and it is good to do it before we move in (imagine living without sewer or water for 3 days in the future), but it is an unexpected expense. What can you do?

    Of course, none of this is in the disclosures, and even if they were, we would be stuck anyway.

    Suck it up cupcake, and get it done.

  • Saying goodbye to a friend – Braun Oral B 3D

    In 2003, shortly after moving to Tucson, we got a pair of Oral B 3D electric toothbrushes. I was hesitant of this new fangled technology, but since we had them I used it. Then a strange thing happened …

    The Braun Oral B 3D
    The Braun Oral B 3D

    I liked it. At first it had just the standard brush heads, the round ones. As time went on, there were other heads, ones that wiggled, rotated, gyrated, and the like Some had rubber gum massagers. But the standard round heads were the best.

    It had two speeds, fast and slow. But I always just used the faster speed.

    It had a timer. Yes, you’re supposed to brush for two minutes. Using a regular brush, and your time instincts are way optimistic. So using a toothbrush with a timer is a great thing.

    Fast forward to today.

    After 12 years, its battery is about dead (recharging it 2 – 3 times a week), and it is getting weak. Time to replace it.

    Of course, the new dentist I selected in San Jose recommended the Phillips Sonicare. So I ordered one up.

    The Phillips Sonicare
    The Phillips Sonicare

    Instead of the mechanical rotating brush of the Braun, it is a piezo ultrasonic system.

    Some observations:

    • The best way to use it is to put a small amount of toothpaste on the bristles, and to keep it almost stationary at the gum line. Not scrub or move the brush in an exaggerated manner.
    • It has a built in “quadrant timer” that gently alerts you to move from quadrant to quadrant. Nice touch, as you often get distracted and don’t move.
    • Less “foaming” of the toothpaste. One of the drawbacks of the Braun unit was the rotating head, it would churn the toothpaste, and it would drip down the brush onto your hand, and make a mess of the counter. The Sonicare id much less like this. There is not a hollow core to the brush part, and thus no tendency for the spit/paste slurry to migrate.
    • Cleaning the brush head. As there are no moving parts, and no hollow tube to capture the spit/paste slurry. Thus cleaning the brush head is trivial, and like regular toothbrushes.

    I haven’t had it long enough to figure out whether the brush heads last a long time, but the recommendation is to swap them at 3 months, about the same as the Braun.

    One note: Several years ago, the patent on the Oral B 3D brushes expired, and there became available generic brush heads. One would think that would be awesome, but they sucked so bad, I only bought one package of 3, and only used one of them before switching back to the branded ones. Not worth the cost savings…

    It is different, but so far I like it. I wonder if it will last 12 years like the Braun.

  • Apartment Living – You can’t make this shit up

    This is a grab bag, but all things that really happened in our apartment complex.

    1. One day, pulling into the parking lot, a lady was standing in the middle of the driveway. Naturally, we stopped to avoid hitting her, but she just stood there. Apparently, she dropped a bag of McDonalds yum-yums, and was yelling at her friend to come pick it up. Instead of picking it up, she kicked it to the side instead of inconveniencing herself to bend down to pick it up.
    2. Apparently, if you have a motorcycle, you can park it in the walkway. No really, it is cool to just leave it in the middle of the complex.
    3. The rules are crystal clear, you are not to wash your car or do any maintenance on it. Of course, this is the most broken rule out there. The neighbor did a full on detail of their POS Chevy crossover SUV. Of course they left it where the damn birds roost, so it looked like the avian navy used it for gunnery practice about 8 minutes after the dude was finished waxing it.
    4. Walking the dogs in the morning is interesting. One douchenozzle just lets his two chihuahua’s out to roam, piss and shit. He literally opens the door, lets them out, and the closes the door. It bothers me enough that he doesn’t pick up their stools, but far worse is having the pair of these yappers barking at my greyhounds.
    5. Hey, I get it, life is depressing here, especially if this is as good as it gets. I think I would go insane if I knew I wasn’t going to be able to escape. But some people escape with heavy pot smoking. One unit, across the walkway from the main office (like 15 feet), has someone who bakes at 6:00AM. Walking the boys through a huge cloud of pot smoke is enjoyable.
    6. The recycling dumpster, you know, the one that says NOT FOR TRASH. Yeah, that one. You really can just toss trash in it. Nobody cares. So they get filled with sacks of trash. I guess I shouldn’t complain, because …
    7. … the trash dumpsters are so far away, that it is cool to just leave your trash bags in the walkways. Really, nobody minds the decaying food waste, the used diapers, the mountains of moldy cigarette butts that will fall ont he ground when the plastic breaks. Or a dog opens it up. Oh yeah …
    8. … it is totally cool to let your dog walk off lead. Everybody does it, so what the hell. Especially since they lifted the 25# limit on dogs here, but there some breed restrictions, that means no …
    9. … Pit Bulls. Yeah, they really didn’t mean that in the lease, so it is cool to just move them in after you move in. Nobody can tell that it is a Pit Bull. It is also totally okay that it lunges at every other dog in the complex, and you are barely able hold onto the leash. (note, I know a lot of pit bulls, and pit mixes who are the sweetest, most lovable dogs. These are not those dogs. These owners need their heads examined.)

    Yeah, it is good to be preparing to move.

  • House Painting – DONE

    For the first time EVER, we have had the time (and enough, barely, money) to spruce up a house before we move in. We have a long list of things to accomplish, first and foremost was the interior painting.

    Our Real Estate agent recommended a painter and a color consultant that he had used often. I was a bit hesitant on the color consultant, but if it meant peace in the family, then so be it.

    colors-10Our colors were a grey/olive color for the kitchen that worked well for the cream colored cabinetry, switching to a lighter shade in the living rooms, and a yet lighter shade for the hallway. A dark grey paint on the bricks on the fireplace, and a white cream/off white for the trim and the ceiling.

    colors-9It looks great.

     

     

     

    For the bedrooms, there are four.

    colors-8Barbara’s Office – a red called “Cinnabar” that looks fantastic. She currently has white shutters, and the contrast looks great.

     

     

     

    colors-4My Office – as I am a fan of purple, I ended up with a dark burgundy. It is called “Bewitched”, and it came out dark and perfect. I am visualizing wall mounts for my guitars.

     

     

    colors-3Master Bedroom – we went for a deep green, called “Fair Isle Blue”. We wanted something that was fun, and yet dark enough to allow for good sleeping in (not for me, for Barbara who will sleep all day if she could.

     

    colors-1Guest Bedroom – We have a 4th, “guest” bedroom, that will be a post seizure resting area with Tate, It was panted a lighter blue, “Cornflower”, and it also came out spectacular.

     

     

    The house looks great. Now we have plumbers, electricians, and handymen to come and work on the rest. New appliances will be installed late next week (they are deserving of a post by themselves), and on 3/25, the west fence will be replaced. The other fence will be replaced when the permit for removing our neighbor’s monster tree is approved.

  • Getting Old – The Gout

    Getting Old – The Gout

    I have been struggling with whether to mention it or not. Last week, starting on Tuesday, my left foot began to hurt. By the weekend, it was agonizing.

    I thought it was a torn ligament or something, possibly even a plantar fasciitis flare up. A couple of years ago, I had something similar in Chandler, and the podiatrist gave me some super Aleve. I figured this was the same thing.

    How wrong I was.

    Monday, I begged and wheedled to get an appointment with the on call Podiatrist. At 4:00 they were able to give me a time slot.

    The left large toe was super sensitive, about as much pain as plantar fasciitis, and it was swollen. 3 vitamin I’s (ibuprofen, 200mg) would take the edge off the pain, but not really relieve it.

    It took about 10 seconds for the initial diagnosis. Gout. In the left great toe.

    To get a definitive diagnosis, he aspirated the fluid in the joint, looking for uric acid crystals. Also, I had a blood test to check uric acid levels in my blood, and to check for kidney function.

    Results: Crystals visible in the fluid in the joint, uric acid was high, but my kidneys were working OK.

    Being that I eat beef or red meat once a month, and can’t eat shellfish due to an allergy, it is most likely a genetic predisposition. Lovely.

    Industrial strength anti inflammatory drugs, and a special regimen to use if I get a twinge in the future has helped. I also got an injection of cortisone into the joint.

    The next day I was much better, although the injection site was sore. Add my anti coagulants, and I have a nice bruise, but I am able to wear shoes, and walking is pain free.

    I feel old, having the Gout.

  • Quickie – Difference between AZ and CA

    I have had off and on problems with my feet for years, plantar fasciitis, inflamation of joints etc.

     

    In Arizona, when this flared up last in Phoenix area, I was able to schedule an appointment with a new podiatrist the same day.

    Here in California, the wait is 4-6 weeks. They have a cancellation next Tuesday they can squeeze me in.

    Yo, I can’t walk NOW, what do you think I can do for a frigging week?

    I guess it will be off to urgent care.

    For the record: Last time, this required a surgical shoe to prevent flexing, and some stronger anti inflammatory drugs than Ibuprofen or Naproxen Sodium, and a couple days’ rest.

  • House – Painting part 2 the Woo-merchant

    House – Painting part 2 the Woo-merchant

    The painters are half done. The popcorn is off the ceiling, the walls have been repaired and textured, and the real work will begin on Monday. Today, we had the Color Expert in to advise us.

    I wasn’t sure what a color consultant did, and how it would be better than looking on Sherwin Williams website for color pairings. In fact, in the past, that is how we selected colors, find something we liked, and then looked for colors that complemented it. Seemed simple.

    But our realtor raged about his color expert, and Barbara signed her up. Yesterday was the day. Of course the house is a bit of a mess, the painters about half way done with the work (almost all the prep work is complete, and it looks FABULOUS).

    The Consultant was about 10 minutes late. Not a big deal. She is an energetic, middle aged woman who talks in a constant stream. She asked us questions to determine who we were, and what we did/liked in the past.

    tucson_house 3584Sidebar: We painted the interior of our Tucson house in loud, and southwest-ish colors. Golds, Purples, Brick red, Hazel Greens, and even a “Curry” Yellow in the bathrooms. I liked it, but it was a negative when trying to sell the house. Party poopers…

    Since we have cream colored “Ikea” cabinetry in the kitchen, and a natural stone tile on the floors as well as dark granite tile counters, we started there. She worked on the ceiling and the trim colors, close to white, but a good blend with the ceiling, since they run to the ceiling.

    colors-4For the walls, we settled on a grey/olive shade that I will admit looks pretty good. (Of course, the proof will be in the pudding when it is sprayed on the wall). There is a transition to a slightly lighter grey/olive into the living room area, where the TV will be, with a dark color for the fireplace (the brick is already painted white, so we will paint over it.)

    Then we will lighten it up in the entry way, and down the hallway to make it look less like a cave.

    Barbara’s office will be either a deep blue (that looks great) or some red. She hasn’t decided yet, and won’t until we go see the swatches in the better light today.

    My office will be a red/purple color that I happen to like. I am already thinking about the options of mounting wall hangers for my guitars, and to eliminate one of my computer workstations. Very serviceable.

    The master bedroom will be a deep blue-green that will keep the mood for sleeping (we are one of those rarities, people who don’t have a TV in the bedroom.)

    While the weather turned dark and dour yesterday, I think we came pretty close in selecting our colors. I will admit that the Color Consultant is a bit of Woo, and the running commentary was a bit much, we did get to a good place.

    But was it worth $500?

  • Apartment Living – The Notice

    Apartment Living – The Notice

    As we have bought a house, and are having way too many trades people tweaking on it, it is time to plan our vacating of this apartment. This entails giving “notice” of our intent to vacate.

    Having read the fine print of the lease (I know, shocking) we know that breaking the lease early is going to cost us 2 months’ rent. A bit of a hardship, but not unexpected. Of course, we could keep the lease in place, and hope that they can rent the apartment before the lease is up, but there are 4 months left on the lease, and that is a risk too much to take. (lots of vacancies)

    So Barbara informed the office of our plans yesterday. The whole office staff was there. They seemed almost surprised that we were giving proper notice and were going to pay the termination fee.

    The Dumpsters on moving day
    The Dumpsters on moving day

    Apparently the preferred method for leaving before the lease was up is to pack and leave on the weekends or evenings when the management isn’t on the premises.

    Yeah, that is a great fucking idea. Not only will it destroy your credit rating to have a default on a lease, but good luck renting with that hanging over your head.

    No wonder why Sundays are the preferred move-out day, filling all the trash dumpsters to overflowing with detritus.

    Heck, two doors down from us, the tenants left and abandoned a lot of their personal belongings.

    In a way, I feel bad for the people who are forced to do this. While i have railed at the neighborhood, and the deficiencies of the facilities here, I recognize that for the area (Silicon valley) these apartments are considered “affordable”. But seeing that we will pay $30K in rent for one year, and knowing that most of the people who live here are in the services industry (our next door neighbor is a chef at a local restaurant. I know how much that pays…) this is a struggle to afford.

    I shiver to think about what the next step down is on the housing front. It can’t be good.

    The good news is that we will soon be moving to our house.

  • House – Interior Painting

    House – Interior Painting

    While the outside of the house has pretty decent paint, the inside was a bit, uh, hideous. Nothing too awful, but it clearly hadn’t been painted in a long time. The bedrooms had some odd paint colors on some walls, and one was obviously a child’s room with some odd trim.

    painting 7Add to that the awful 70’s vintage “popcorn” ceiling, and you have a mess. Fortunately, our real estate agent recommended Mario to work it over. In a mere two days, they have:

    • Masked all fixtures and cabinetry
    • Removed the popcorn ceiling
    • Fixed some drywall damage
    • Replaced the particle board shelves in the closets
    • Retexture the walls and ceiling

    Once we choose colors, we will have an awesome interior to come home to.

    I can hardly wait.

  • The Kitchen

    The Kitchen

    Before moving into our new house, we are having a lot of work done. While the “bones” of the house are in good condition, it is clear that some of the extremities were in need of some massive overhaul. The Kitchen Appliances are one of the worst offenders.

    As a former professional chef, I am lucky (cursed?) with the ability to make anything “do” around cooking. Old stoves, inadequate ovens, etc, I can survive with it. Hence I have never felt the need to spend the money to upgrade appliances unless they are broken.

    Doubly bad, having tagged along with my step father, an appliance repairman, I am pretty good at keeping appliances alive.

    Thus, I have worked with some pretty crappy gear in the homes that I have owned. From the AEK at the condo I first bought, to the so so gas range in Tucson (neither good nor bad, but a serviceable GE unit) to the radiative heating stovetop at our Chandler house, I was able to cope.

    appliances-11However, now that we have bought a house here in San Jose, it is time to splurge. The appliances in the kitchen (stove/oven, dishwasher, and microwave) are all abysmal. The dishwasher is just yucky, I don’t want to even touch it. The oven/stove? Well, it is a 1970’s vintage Roper that is not only plain, but in pretty rough shape. The burners are the old coil type, and the drip pans, well, instead of spending $15 to replace them, they were just wrapped in aluminum foil.

    So we plopped down some bucks for new appliances. Since we are doing a lot of other work to the house, the new appliances haven’t arrived yet, so this will just document the meh that was there. The stove will be a sweet gas slide-in Kitchen Aid unit that will probably be the best stove/oven I have ever worked with outside of a commercial kitchen.

    I have already replaced the halogen “can” lights in the kitchen with LED’s, and added dimmer switches, so it is slowly, but surely becoming ours. Next week the plumber comes to fix a few issues, and to plumb gas into the oven area.

    I can hardly wait to move in.