I want to help my sweetheart with her flowers, I want to feel included, but... me and flowers don't really mix and well... Erin is a one woman show really. So, anytime she asks me to help with something or build something or something to modify for her business, I'm right in there like a dirty shirt.
Well, this evening... not even a wobbly pop in me (well, one with supper but I'm not counting that) I get to business. I go to Canadian Tire and got a hacksaw blade to help cut down these garbage cans so she can create arrangements inside these baskets without seeing the top of the garbage can. Found the right blade, did the typical Canadian Tire look around to see what's there (found the new toolbox of my dreams...lol but at a small $1700, it's going to stay a dream, considering Costco has one for $1000 top and bottom).
So, out I get my drill, the biggest drill bit I could find (found out that 1/4" isn't big enough for a hacksaw blade), measured all around the basket and totally butchered it. I didn't take any pictures because, well, it is quite embarrassing. It was all over the place, up, down, huge cuts down the side, change in directions... UGH!! SO... next one I was able to think through and just started to drill holes all around the garbage pail but what aspect of that did I forget?? The little knobbies that are left after cutting the top off, and my tools are still packed, and tools meaning, files. *sigh*, so anyway... it worked a LOT better than just cutting, but the finish isn't all that great.
I know it was just plastic and no one is going to see it, but I know it's there and looks like crap...lol When she's done that wedding I'll pull out the files and give the pails some fit and finish. And man... just thinking about it... I had a Dremel tool that I could have used to cut that cleanly... man... I'm totally not thinking, maybe I SHOULD have had a few wobbly pops!!
Anyway, that's enough from me for now...
Friday, March 20, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
We're struggling, but it's not what you think...
Erin and I are trying to buy a home. We've been looking, we've been finding and loosing all at the same time. It's funny, when we could have bought a home (about 6 to 10 months ago) with the 0% down, 40 yr mortgage, the housing prices where way beyond what we could have afforded. Now, we can afford something... but there's nothing worth buying.
We've just gone through our final mortgage broker (first was a bank, second was a mortgage broker) and all we want is service. We're also done going through, basically, our 3rd and final personal audit on all of our debts and finances. I'm hoping the 3rd time's the charm because I'm tired of applying and hoping and looking and hoping and finding nothing.
Trying to find a place in town here is almost impossible. There are a lot of other people in our price bracket that, homes going for our price point are going with in days. We have been looking around and have found a couple of places, but, not REALLY priced beyond what we can afford, just the homes aren't going to come down. We've found a really nice duplex, brand new, been on the market since it was started to be built. We asked our realtor to pass along a number to see if he'd be willing to entertain... nadda. Oh well... hence our 3rd attempt trying to get a half decent mortgage. What we're hoping is that this 3rd attempt will give us a better price to be able to make an offer on the nice duplex. We'll find out tomorrow... just frustrating is all. Ah well... We've waited this long... whats one more night...lol
We've just gone through our final mortgage broker (first was a bank, second was a mortgage broker) and all we want is service. We're also done going through, basically, our 3rd and final personal audit on all of our debts and finances. I'm hoping the 3rd time's the charm because I'm tired of applying and hoping and looking and hoping and finding nothing.
Trying to find a place in town here is almost impossible. There are a lot of other people in our price bracket that, homes going for our price point are going with in days. We have been looking around and have found a couple of places, but, not REALLY priced beyond what we can afford, just the homes aren't going to come down. We've found a really nice duplex, brand new, been on the market since it was started to be built. We asked our realtor to pass along a number to see if he'd be willing to entertain... nadda. Oh well... hence our 3rd attempt trying to get a half decent mortgage. What we're hoping is that this 3rd attempt will give us a better price to be able to make an offer on the nice duplex. We'll find out tomorrow... just frustrating is all. Ah well... We've waited this long... whats one more night...lol
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I miss my car....
Ok, so this touches the whole hobby thing again... but I'm not going to go through the whole thing AGAIN as I've done in previous posts, I think I've flogged that horse to death... twice. This is a lament to my car... no, not just ANY car... my 1966 Chevy II. My 4 door coach.... or as in Chevy II/Nova lingo... a Moredoor.
In plain terms... I miss it. I miss the smell (it's had the same smell since dad picked it up in '83 and a quick look of it last Dec 26 years later... yup... same smell), I miss the feel of the 60's era bench seat, the fact that it turns heads and feels great. I remember driving it when I was home for the summer during college in the summer of '98 and enjoyed it then. Now I go home and every time I go to the garage for some small errand my parents need me to do, I see it... sad, under a bunch of stuff where dad has no more storage except... on the car.
My goal for this car is to be able to drive it again. I want to be able to commute in the summer with it, drive it every day, I want to be able to go on road trips in it, go to car shows and show it off and have fun meeting other people and other Nova/Chevy II owners and discuss our trips and plans for the past and future.
To be able to build memories in that car would be my dream. Spending time with the family (right now it just includes a dog, but it'll get bigger in time for sure!!) and bonding. I want to be able to show my kids (I'm hoping they have the bug to be mechanically inclined as I got from my dad) how to replace a tire, change the oil and maybe... just maybe teach them how to do some body work and some welding when they're old enough. I want to be able to have that bond with my future kids, and oh yea... have the old dog follow me where ever I go and lay down and nap when I'm doing whatever I'm doing.
Not to wish for the future to happen tomorrow, but I can't wait. The car wins in the ultimate quest for a hobby, mostly for the events that I've just told you... the money isn't a HUGE issue as it's a passion for me to complete when I've got the time. I've got some good people around me that support me to help eventually make that happen, plus a loving supporting fiancee who understands that I want to do this for our future... and well, for my sanity as well...lol
But that's it for now... Just letting everyone know that... I can't wait......... well, I CAN... but I can't...lol
In plain terms... I miss it. I miss the smell (it's had the same smell since dad picked it up in '83 and a quick look of it last Dec 26 years later... yup... same smell), I miss the feel of the 60's era bench seat, the fact that it turns heads and feels great. I remember driving it when I was home for the summer during college in the summer of '98 and enjoyed it then. Now I go home and every time I go to the garage for some small errand my parents need me to do, I see it... sad, under a bunch of stuff where dad has no more storage except... on the car.
My goal for this car is to be able to drive it again. I want to be able to commute in the summer with it, drive it every day, I want to be able to go on road trips in it, go to car shows and show it off and have fun meeting other people and other Nova/Chevy II owners and discuss our trips and plans for the past and future.
To be able to build memories in that car would be my dream. Spending time with the family (right now it just includes a dog, but it'll get bigger in time for sure!!) and bonding. I want to be able to show my kids (I'm hoping they have the bug to be mechanically inclined as I got from my dad) how to replace a tire, change the oil and maybe... just maybe teach them how to do some body work and some welding when they're old enough. I want to be able to have that bond with my future kids, and oh yea... have the old dog follow me where ever I go and lay down and nap when I'm doing whatever I'm doing.
Not to wish for the future to happen tomorrow, but I can't wait. The car wins in the ultimate quest for a hobby, mostly for the events that I've just told you... the money isn't a HUGE issue as it's a passion for me to complete when I've got the time. I've got some good people around me that support me to help eventually make that happen, plus a loving supporting fiancee who understands that I want to do this for our future... and well, for my sanity as well...lol
But that's it for now... Just letting everyone know that... I can't wait......... well, I CAN... but I can't...lol
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Still trying to find my hobby, STILL
So, this has been a long drawn out process and as of now, I'm a Hot Rod buildin', R/C playin', beat creating junkie who has too much time on his hands and can't figure out what or where to put his "hobby" money into...lol
The whole beat junkie thing, the more I think about music, the more I want a set of turntables, a sampler (Akai MPC-2000 if you must google it) and a good set of headphones and a half decent laptop to make my music. I'd like to start doing my own rhymes, doing my own samples, kinda Halifax style (take a look at Classified, that cat has some good tracks and he's only gettin' bigger). I'm not too much into that new crap that's hitting the waves, so every time I hit up my fiance's truck, I whip it over to the old school and mid 90's rap/hip hop stations and reliving the old days. The old days being, back in college with my buddy Shannan and listening to him hittin' up the beats and I was really getting into it. Going WAY back to when WinMX was around, I was scouring the searches for the one off mix making some bootleg mix tapes. It some weird way, I miss sittin' in front of the computer mashin' out a good mix to put it out on a CD and try to sell it up. My best mix took me 6 months to make, and another 4 weeks to create an intro and extro. Dunno where those files ever ended up.
I still have my '66 Chevy II sittin' up in Edmonton in my Dads garage. I still am lacking space and money to actually work on it. If you keep reading, you'll understand.
Then... there's R/C. This hasn't really come back, but it's always been in the back of my mind but it's more of a summer thing. Spend all winter cleaning everything, thread-locking every nut, bolt and screw so it doesn't vibrate apart (google RC10-GT). It's a small little R/C truck that runs on Nitro Methane, a tiny little 2 stroke diesel type motor that runs pretty quick!! I was racing actual cars once. I may just end up selling this thing because I'm really not using it and now I have to buy a new motor for it 'cause the last brand new one I bought seized on me. I got it running but I have to take it all apart, clean it all up and you'll never guess what I'm lacking... again. Yup, that good ol' money and space B/S. I've got the space, but this summer will be quite limited with Erin's flower business taking off. The only place I've got to work on this is down stairs, and she'll need the space to make her flower bouquets and other flower stuff. And this now brings me back to.... money. Arg, that green stuff can't fall from the tree fast enough I tell ya!!
I'm trying to keep an open mind, but right now I feel like I'm a 7yr old girl who, last year did ballet and this year is doing tap dance lessons and the year after that I might try gymnastics. Don't get me wrong... it's not like I haven't thought about any of this stuff, the only thing I jumped into with both feet was the R/C truck. So far, that truck has cost me $1400, not including this 2nd motor that I have to buy. I'd like to get into the music thing, but man... that shit ain't cheap either... even used most of that stuff still weighs pretty heavy, and don't get me started on the car. I'm afraid to even start getting into that because it's almost once I start some of those projects on that car you can't stop. Plus I don't have the space to do it.
Now, the car thing can wait. It's been sitting in the family since 1966, it can wait a few more years. These other hobbies, the R/C truck I may end up selling just to get some cash back out of it. It was something that I THOUGHT I wanted to do, but ehh... interest went away after I blew the very first motor in it and really... I only got one good season out of it, and if I remember right, that one season.... was only 3 or 4 rides.
I could got back to bikes... they're cheap enough... but again.... space. I'm sure I'll figure it out sooner or later, but I think my next biggest hobby is going to be house. Yea, that's right, Erin and I are looking at homes, and I'm sure once we get our OWN place and get settled, we'll find space and I'll have a tonne of other things to keep me occupied...lol I'm sure I'll figure it out, just listening to the old school hip hop and rap this afternoon got me thinking about it, then watching a documentary on DJ's with real records... ehh... It'll call come into place some time I'm sure... for now, I can't wait to buy our first home!!!
The whole beat junkie thing, the more I think about music, the more I want a set of turntables, a sampler (Akai MPC-2000 if you must google it) and a good set of headphones and a half decent laptop to make my music. I'd like to start doing my own rhymes, doing my own samples, kinda Halifax style (take a look at Classified, that cat has some good tracks and he's only gettin' bigger). I'm not too much into that new crap that's hitting the waves, so every time I hit up my fiance's truck, I whip it over to the old school and mid 90's rap/hip hop stations and reliving the old days. The old days being, back in college with my buddy Shannan and listening to him hittin' up the beats and I was really getting into it. Going WAY back to when WinMX was around, I was scouring the searches for the one off mix making some bootleg mix tapes. It some weird way, I miss sittin' in front of the computer mashin' out a good mix to put it out on a CD and try to sell it up. My best mix took me 6 months to make, and another 4 weeks to create an intro and extro. Dunno where those files ever ended up.
I still have my '66 Chevy II sittin' up in Edmonton in my Dads garage. I still am lacking space and money to actually work on it. If you keep reading, you'll understand.
Then... there's R/C. This hasn't really come back, but it's always been in the back of my mind but it's more of a summer thing. Spend all winter cleaning everything, thread-locking every nut, bolt and screw so it doesn't vibrate apart (google RC10-GT). It's a small little R/C truck that runs on Nitro Methane, a tiny little 2 stroke diesel type motor that runs pretty quick!! I was racing actual cars once. I may just end up selling this thing because I'm really not using it and now I have to buy a new motor for it 'cause the last brand new one I bought seized on me. I got it running but I have to take it all apart, clean it all up and you'll never guess what I'm lacking... again. Yup, that good ol' money and space B/S. I've got the space, but this summer will be quite limited with Erin's flower business taking off. The only place I've got to work on this is down stairs, and she'll need the space to make her flower bouquets and other flower stuff. And this now brings me back to.... money. Arg, that green stuff can't fall from the tree fast enough I tell ya!!
I'm trying to keep an open mind, but right now I feel like I'm a 7yr old girl who, last year did ballet and this year is doing tap dance lessons and the year after that I might try gymnastics. Don't get me wrong... it's not like I haven't thought about any of this stuff, the only thing I jumped into with both feet was the R/C truck. So far, that truck has cost me $1400, not including this 2nd motor that I have to buy. I'd like to get into the music thing, but man... that shit ain't cheap either... even used most of that stuff still weighs pretty heavy, and don't get me started on the car. I'm afraid to even start getting into that because it's almost once I start some of those projects on that car you can't stop. Plus I don't have the space to do it.
Now, the car thing can wait. It's been sitting in the family since 1966, it can wait a few more years. These other hobbies, the R/C truck I may end up selling just to get some cash back out of it. It was something that I THOUGHT I wanted to do, but ehh... interest went away after I blew the very first motor in it and really... I only got one good season out of it, and if I remember right, that one season.... was only 3 or 4 rides.
I could got back to bikes... they're cheap enough... but again.... space. I'm sure I'll figure it out sooner or later, but I think my next biggest hobby is going to be house. Yea, that's right, Erin and I are looking at homes, and I'm sure once we get our OWN place and get settled, we'll find space and I'll have a tonne of other things to keep me occupied...lol I'm sure I'll figure it out, just listening to the old school hip hop and rap this afternoon got me thinking about it, then watching a documentary on DJ's with real records... ehh... It'll call come into place some time I'm sure... for now, I can't wait to buy our first home!!!
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