A hot, steamy bowl of awesome [s]

I started working on a killa chili recipe hoping to pass quals for the Manbird Invitational. Since I'm an open source kinda guy, I'll bore you with pictures and descriptions later.

While the digital negative converter works its magic, I'll to quickly digress into the topic of playoffs. Wild card weekend was pretty meh, except:

• Hooray for the Pats getting embarrassed.
  
• Also, go Cards. Now, I hate Zonies as much as the next guy, but Warner is practically the same QB as Rich Gannon (well, with a ring) and Fitzgerald/Boldin are just great athletes. That game made watching the others worthwhile.
  

Actually it'd be great if they became the USA Cardinals. If the Patriots can claim New England and the Cowboys are America's Team, why can't a franchise that's resided in so many major cities claim such a constituency? Then I'd have no guilt about cheering for them.

Here's to the improbable Az-Min NFC Championship.



I thieved/rescued Megan's Italian Stone Pine and I bought a Norfolk Island Pine to add some (eventual) vertical greenery to the yard. Likely spots are the middle section of the front yard and next to the barbecue.



35w halogens have replaced the bulbs in the living room. They're much more directional and suck enough current to make the motion sensor happy.





I painted a piece of osb. You know, for whatever.



Since I could turn a deaf ear to most of the handegg, I re-reorganized the in-wall entertainment center. Now it has room for the woofer.

In other news, plywood continues to go up in the master bathroom, I have some monkey board ready for the next step. Since there's much drywall affixing to be done, I bought a corded drill/driver for the added power.



Onto the chili. Since this was my first attempt, my m.o. was to use quality ingredients not being able to rely on a magical synergy of flavors that is developed over many attempts. I readied all my favorite seasonings, with no intention of using them all - but you gotta be ready.



Copious onions and orange peppers, chopped small because the only chunky thing in chili should be steak. And maybe a very softened garlic clove (gotta try this next time), like the ones at hot pot. It was all sauteed in olive oil and butter, per Rob's instructions.



Next was to cook the beef. With lime, of course.



Quality ingredients, yo. I threw in some nice Italian sausage and greek olives.



Once the meat was about done I added various seasonings. Chili powder, ancho, rosemary, peppercorn, basil, tapatio, and Fire Rock pale.



Then simmered with a can of black beans and half a jar of tomato sauce. Also in lieu of brown sugar I added some of the maple syrup SFS's mom mules across the border for me.

It occured to me that so much work/seasoning is put in to overcoming the tomatoey flavor. I wondered if I just needed to simmer the pot for a very long time (crock style) to let the various elements coalesce into the medium. Or maybe my chili platform should be to use as little tomato as possible so that you can taste the beef, sausage, olive, sesame oil, etc.

The liquid part of the chili isn't bland, but it isn't distinct. The WIN comes when you eat a piece of beef, sausage, olive, or combination thereof. The flavors seem to cling to the elements, rather than suspend in the medium. I crumbled some gorgonzola on each heated bowl to effect some tartness, but never followed through with my aspiration to add a nacho cheese layer.

It's a fascinating problem of taste engineering, and I look forward to further study. Next batch will certainly include bacon, chilis, and more sesame oil.



No chili for the pooch.

Auto lighting [i]

I installed directional fixtures on the high walls in the upstairs, triggered by a motion sensor in the living room. It appears the wall switch sensors require upwards of 60 watts of load to function properly. I'd prefer to use a security sensor because of their greater range and daylight sensitivity, however they have to drive an even greater load. Hopefully somebody will solve this, given the prevalence of cfls and leds.

I red myself [s]

For whatever reason I decided to do the fences this weekend. Well, I decided to start the fences. I'm maybe half done.



Same thing as the deck, and it matches pretty well with the red brick. For prep, I diluted the Behr finish stripper and pump-sprayered it on. Then I hit it with a brush followed by the hose. It worked pretty well but took some serious effort.

Some areas are a bit dark and will need a second coat of stain. I was getting about sixty planks (one side) out of each gallon. I estimate seven gallons for a single coat.

Many thanks to Jessica and her gymnastic painting abilities, Jessica Lee Pool House looks good next to Rob Queenin Memorial Pool and the D. Lane Juniper Stump Grove.



The deck can now be walked on for the opposite-angle view. I need to start thinking about sweet outdoor lighting.



I've spent some time organizing the storage room. I swapped out two flourescent fixtures, one broken and the other an unnecessary 100w. The replacement fixtures illuminate such areas as the paint/chemicals alcove on 50w.

The unnerving bits [s]

New lighting for the living room:



You probably didn't notice, but I ms painted in a bookshelf to indicate what it'll look like sans line of sight to the light sources. Here's how it is now:



I've got them wired up to a motion sensor that can operate in daytime since led bulbs don't really use any power. For whatever reason the switch is still supplying 60vac in the off position, probably because of the low load. I'll figure something out.

I'm very happy about the upward facing wall mounted lights for vaulted rooms and will likely continue elsewhere. Of course halogens, hids, or even cfls would provide a fantastic indirect reading light in this formation. And wiring them requires no pre-existing outlets or fishing, you just go straight through the wall into the attic.

And while I was in the attic I spent some time protectanting the near-vent lumber both chemically and with a layer of 4 mil clear plastic that also makes moving around up there much more palatable (insulation, dust, other).



I also installed the dining room light fixture, though I have grander plans for the next revision. What's also evident are the baseboards and pain-in-the-ass circuit that's not getting any power. I had to sort out quite a few electrical issues this weekend, most surrounding preexisting two-node outlets on switches where they still supply the neutral line for various fixtures downstream.

Juvenile:
C: You going to be in the lab in the 6:00 area? Got a class at the craft center at 6:30...
?: Craft center? Can you make me a bong shaped like you?
also
"I was on a cruise, and there were all sorts of games, and I won first place in the ping pong challenge."

In other news I've got to be able to get a Nikonos V for not expensive. Have to.

Oh and a bit more on Fallout. It's significant release and requires significant praise and critique. First, the visuals in this game are stunning. Normally this means smooth polygons and fancy lighting effects - but as we've seen in GTA et al, pretty graphics cannot coexist with open environments. But Fallout excels at presenting a world that looks very natural and occasionally very unnatural. The scenery of the wasteland is cohesive but nonrepetitive, and you always feel under the watch of the nigh-unreachable Capitol dome. Wallowing in the carcass of civilization naturally draws you to the occasional outcropping of habitation such as the marooned carrier that houses Rivet City or Tenpenny Tower that looms over the western frontier.

But the DC in 2277 isn't exactly as I would imagine; the line between civilization and chaos is too fine. That's not to say there aren't gun battles in the towns and roving traders in the wasteland, but it's a bit too artificial to have a few islands where you're perfectly safe in a sea of constant danger. I grant that pragmatically speaking each town would need fortification, but castle walls were built beside cities, not around them. It'd be nice to stroll the Patomac, see a couple nonmutants and know that the area is at least somewhat safe and an urban area is nearby.

Most games will incessantly push you toward the end, either by offering penalties for slow play or providing constant reminders of unfulfilled objectives. Even the GTA:IV featured an endless flurry of phone calls and high maintenance associations. A harried existence does not mesh well with the world of the post-apocalypse and thankfully Fallout supports listless wandering. The pace and atmosphere lend to a distinct similarity to the arechetypal western. Yet when I saw my character in spiked armor and a white vintage motorcycle helmet I realized there is also a distinct Mad Max vibe. Finally, the omnipresent relics of pre-doomsday society suggest a bleak 1950s-meets-Clockwork Orange feel.

DC never looked so good [r]

I picked up Fallout 3 a couple days ago.

• Environment: More than anything else, the game succeeds at being immersive. So much so that the tiny things stand out, e.g. non-sequitur dialog or ruins that just half-assedly cover up an invisible wall. The large, semi-contiguous map feels more unified than any of the GTA games and it's great that I can recognize the remains of various parts of DC - and I'm not talking about the White House and Capitol building.
• Visuals: The texturing is top notch, the polygon count is okay. I'm not too familiar with the various xbox engines, but the game might have benefitted from the Gears of War look - utter grittiness but still clean. It takes about two seconds to see my point, you just have to watch the opening cinema. It's a great scene with fantastic music that is totally ruined by the blocky rendered-on-the-fly graphics. If you don't have the two seconds to spare, just imagine trying to be horrified by the original King Kong.
  
• Leveling mechanics: Meh. Nothing fantastic here, basic rpg fare. Bethesda could definitely have gotten away with de-enumerating some or all attributes and achieved a more organic experience system. Rather than add skill points to rifle use, I'd just like to use my rifle and let increasing accuracy speak for itself. That means less stepping out of post-apocalyptic DC and a better experience.
  
• Combat mechanics: Sloppy. You can choose to fight regular and not stand a chance, or use bullet time ('VATS') and have the unfair advantage of being able to manipulate time. Of course action rpgs have always struggled with this and it's certainly not a bad solution, but...
  
• Story: I'm not deep into the story - I've taken a few detours - but from what I've seen I'm optimistic.
  
• Dialog: Mass Effect has set the bar pretty high. I cringe at the thought of the dialog mapping and testing required to achieve the endless interactions, quests, and story arcs. But it's just painful to see someone greet you with a gruff 'Don't bother me' and proceed to tell you cheerily about their town when asked. That aside, the writing and voice acting is great, and so is the prevalence of snarky comments available to the user.

Fallout is certainly proving great, and I'll readily nod that it lives up to the hype. As such it's very easy to identify the things that might perfect the experience.


In other news, my wine cellar is slowly growing.


And Stacy and I made dumplings.


And, er, I replaced a couple cabinet nobs. New versus old seen here.


On the list is a motion sensor outlet for the C. Crane led cans. They provide a cool glow from the ceiling not unlike moonlight.


Gnomed.

Squeezing in [s]

Tonight I snagged a 60" mirror for my 59" wide bathroom. No big deal, I've always said that drywall is for suckers.





There's some stuff to be done. Pictured above: thermostat, non-kitchen cabinet knobs, caulk for seams, wire nuts and wire strippers for copious electricals, finishing nails for door trim and base boards, doorbell chime to be hidden somewhere because they're all really ugly, garage door opener to get wired onto the bike.





I like the configuration with the soft couch facing the fireplace and the futon and coffee table in the kitchen area.

Compromising admissions [s]

Dear Miss Manners,

Say you're at work and, er, laying cable - so to speak. Then, hypothetically, the [insert business unit] manager walks in and takes a nearby stall. You know who it is because he's talking on the phone. But you're all done, so you...

1. Flush and go knowing full well the associate he's talking to will become immediately aware of his locale.
2. Be courteous to him and discourteous to the next person in your stall.
3. Hang around until the conversation is over.

You might say he's as culpable for the fallout of his conversation venue as a driver is for bumpering someone while talking on their cell. But who really wants to adversely affect the operation of their company nowadays?



The mirrors add light and space to the bathrooms. I can get away with the panels for the sides of the upstairs bathroom and all of the downstairs. I shudder to think of how much a custom 5' x 3' is going to run me for the main, upstairs piece.

Also shown is the untrimmed switchage. A big feather in my cap is knocking the switch count from four to one (but really zero since the light and fan are on motion). A black eye is the annoying drywall work needed to cover the unused box components and the wire spanning them to connect the light and fan leads.



Another column will be good once I find my drywall anchors. The frameless door can be seen in this one.



I yanked the door to the storage nook in the media room. Then sent the electrical from under the tv to said nook. The end result should be clean stowage of the cable box, xbox, wii, and perhaps a dvd cart.

Rebroadcast without expressed, written consent:

• Never mind. Found yer seat. I'm booking 13B, although one usually does not want to sit in aisle 13...
• I will never speak Singaporean to you! Never. Even if I were pissed drunk.
• I'm pretty sure I'm the only one out of the 4 of us that can get hammered off of 8 tasters.
• And you'd best not be moving the bear skin rug. It really ties the room together.
• Oh, and there's a Sephora in Omaha!

A few errands later [s]

I ventured into Ikea today. It's far from being my favorite place, their products are about the opposite of what I'm looking for. That is, stuff there tries to be uber-modern and rather low quality. But I was striking out on some things - mirrors in particular - and had to take a chance.

Despite the Christmas music I survived the journey, bagging a rug and curtains for the media room. The curtains are necessary because the couch does not allot space for blinds. There may be a better solution in the future, but this one works for the moment.



The next stop was Expo (Home Depot's furnishings branch) on Convoy. The selection was impressive and I managed to at last find a light fixture for the upstairs bathroom. (And it turns out my only remaining bulbs are a very cool tone and I haven't yet installed photoshop to color correct). I wired it up, the fixture and fan are run off of a motion sensor with a switched light above the tub.

No luck on mirrors at either location.

My last stop was the zoo - er - Costco to put in an order for blinds.

Piecing it together [s]

A door.


A solar tube - seen at night.


A wood beam, now shown to be wood.


Someday, a fireplace.


Jon on the texture gun.

Living room [i]

So I'm pretty happy with the resolution to my previous indecision.





Thanks to Jessica for pointing out the rectangular patch indicating that there was, at some point, an infestation of ceiling cats.

House quandary I [i]

This is the first of what will be many design quandaries.

Skylights are great things. They have a functional purpose of lighting dark rooms for free. They look good in the same way a moon roof looks good on a car - it's nice to see sky above you. Also they can add variation to a monotonous ceiling.

I've noticed that single skylights fulfill the function very well - especially when positioned high above. Installing three or more in close proximity looks very good as they provide a windowlike view of the world above. Two adjacent fixtures is kind of no man's land. (See images).

I have four skylights, approximately 2'x4'. They are clear, fixed, uv proof, and well insulated. I have three candidate locations for them.

1. Master bedroom. It is on the north side and has little in the way of natural lighting. So from the practical perspective the room would benefit greatly from extra light. Its orientation means there would be no annoying direct sunlight and I'd work out a shade mechanism for when I want dark. The adjacent master bathroom would benefit as much as the bedroom. The ceiling is large and vaulted so it could accommodate any number of skylights without any tunnels through an attic.
2. Living room. It's in the same situation as the master bedroom, lightwise. The entryway and dining room would snag a worthwhile amount of ambient light from any source placed here. More people would enjoy skylights placed here, however the living room doesn't need to be very bright. Then again, to have a cascade of sky above the couch would be pretty cool.
3. Kitchen. The recessed lighting for the kitchen sits a couple feet below the west roof. It would support a single fixture that would complement the windows very well. This would be a highly functional installation.

Update:
I think I'm set on a strategy. The lighting provided to the bathroom and kitchen is irreplaceable so I'm definitely going there. If ever there were a place to pair skylights it'd be at the 5'x5' square above the master bathroom, shown below. The living room will benefit from the extra light source and if views of the sky appeal in the near future, perhaps I'll add a larger piece.

Here are some mindblowingly photorealistic renderings of what it would look like if San Diego had clouds and you were hallucinating.


The skylight will become an excellent light source for the otherwise dark living room. The placement is based on the rule of thirds and avoiding the overhanging eave on the near side.


Two skylights here looks good and provides ample light for the sink area. If it works out I'd like to remove part or all of the adjacent wall such that the shower area is no longer a cave.

Jessica brings up a solid consideration. I'll have to see how dirty the glass gets. They'll be easily reached by hose, but I'll arrange ready roof access should cleaning be required.

I also picked up two solar tubes, having seen them in some MB lofts this weekend. They'll be perfect to replace the existing recessed hallway and second bathroom lights.