I was forced to take a few days off from the project because of sinus problems cause by plaster dust.
( Note to self: Next time wear a mask.)
Now all that’s left is to remove the toilet and strip the wall behind it, paint and lay new tile.
So why does it take a toolbox full of tools to remove what I installed with a crescent wrench?
Mike over at the Hostility Blog thinks that the local power company(Nevada Energy) has raised the frequency of the power coming in to our homes from 60hz to 90hz, so the meters will run faster and they can charge more for the same amount of power. –He thinks he’s being charged for 3k every time he uses 1k.
According to a mutual friend, Mike is a systems administrator and programmer for a local finance company. He does his job well. Keeping the network up and making whatever changes are needed to the program. Proving that he’s not stupid.
Why then does he believe what anyone can disprove with an O-scope you ask?
Because, through the use of his superior intellect and phenomenal reasoning capabilities, he has managed to prove, using logic well beyond the ability of the common man to understand, that his power bill on his poorly insulated mobile home is “too high.” Therefore the power company, the source of all evil, has implemented a nefarious scheme to overload our circuits, burn out our motors and make our meters spin faster in order to collect three times as much money as they are entitled to. –It couldn’t be a rate increase or crappy insulation making his bill higher and it couldn’t possibly be happening to him alone, so it must be some kind of a conspiracy.
The human race: Providing endless hours of entertainment to logical people everywhere, since the beginning of time.
Two German women rented a “Wicked” van in Alice Springs, Australia to take on a 17 day trip.
The problem was that whenever they hit a puddle the van would quit. This combined with the vehicle running out of oil by 800km and then again at another 400km, made them call the Wicked hotline. They were told to take the van to Darwin so a company mechanic could look at it.
When they got to Darwin the company said they could return the van if they were unhappy with it.
Let’s review: The van dies whenever a dog pisses on the tires and it sucks down oil like cold stubbies on a hot day. Now why wouldn’t they want to keep it?
At any rate they asked for a refund for the unused days on the rental and were told it just ain’t happening.
The representative for Wicked did have a brief comment for the press.
The Wicked depot boss yesterday would not talk to the Northern Territory News.
“It’s all good and I don’t care, so f… off,” he said.
Wicked spokesman Stephen Sealey was not available for a comment.
Ah, yes. Customer service at it’s best.
An Australian man was justifiably sacked(fired) for repeated safety violations. But because of his lack of education and the unlikely prospect of his finding another job, the valid sacking was invalidated and the company was forced to rehire him with compensation.
www.theaustralian.com.au –The nation’s industrial umpire has ruled that a long-term employee who was legitimately sacked for repeated safety breaches must be reinstated and paid compensation because of his poor education and poor job prospects.
It would appear that in land down under being judged too dumb to find another job is the perfect form of job security.
I made these following this recipe:.
Flour Tortillas Makes 12
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup lard, or vegetable shortening
***Use Manteca (Lard) for the best flavor***
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup warm milk, or water
Follow the link above to get complete instructions.
Addendum:
I forgot to mention how good these are. Make them with lard and forget about the cholesterol and the calories. Trust me, the flavor makes it worth risking clogged arteries and a spare tire. –I had to make two batches because I ate the first four, with butter, while they were still hot.
Shrimp étouffée:
(All the amounts, cooking times are approximate.)
3lbs peeled, deveined jumbo shrimp
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 sticks butter for roux
3 or 4 stalks celery finely chopped
2 large yellow onions finely chopped
1 green bell pepper finely chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 stick butter
1 box Trader Joe’s chicken stock
LOUISIANA Cajun Seasoning to taste
Ground red pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup brandy
Cooked long grain rice
The roux is made by cooking equal parts butter and flour in a heavy dutch oven over a low heat.
Melt the butter and start adding the flour a little at a time stirring constantly until you get that dark reddish brown color.
Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and spices and cook until the onions are translucent. —You may need to add a little stock at this point if the roux is too thick.
Add chicken broth and simmer for 15 minutes or so to thicken, then add the shrimp, butter, green onions and brandy and simmer for 15 minutes more. –If you take it off the heat and let it rest for another 15 minutes it will still be hot but the flavor will be better.
Serve over hot rice.
How many layers are there?
When the house was first built some time around 1963 the walls in the bathroom were painted. Then somebody wallpapered them, then someone stripped the wallpaper off leaving the backing in place and painted, then someone wallpapered, then someone painted, then someone wallpapered, then I stripped the wallpaper and most but not all of the glue residue and textured the walls with a wallpaper border.
Now I’m trying to get 40 odd years worth of assorted layers off and it feels more like an archeological excavation than a remodel.
The steamer helps, but it’s slow going.
I’m only putting in about an hour or two a day so I’m only about 3/4 of the way done with the stripping, patching and sanding.
I got impatient and bought some liquid stripper but it only works — mostly.
This leaves a lot of detail work that has to be done by hand.
Lessons not so much learned as remembered:
Chemical burns are only noticeable after the damage is done.
Don’t scratch your nose with the hand you’ve been using to scrape.
Chemicals may give you a short term buzz but the headache will go on for hours.
I first tasted Choclo in Santiago Chile where it seems to be the national dish and I loved it. –It’s is sort of like a shepherd’s pie, but it’s made with corn instead of potatoes and has a salty-sweet taste.
I made some from memory last night and it turned out well, but everything was done with the amounts I had on hand and seasoned by taste. –Which is this is more a set of guidelines than an actual recipe.
The basic ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
4 large white or yellow onions
6 hard boiled eggs -sliced
1.5 pounds chicken breasts -cut into large bite sized pieces
2 cups or so frozen whole kernel corn -thawed
8 or 9 fresh basil leaves -lots
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup of sliced black olives
1 cup of golden raisins
sugar -some people use confectioner’s sugar but I usually use granulated.
salt, pepper and cumin to taste
The topping is made by putting the corn in a blender with the basil, cream and a little salt. Start slowly and blend until it’s well mixed but still kind of chunky. Put this in a heavy sauce pan and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until it develops the consistency of mashed potatoes, take it off the heat and set it aside.
With a little oil in a heavy frying pan cook the onions until they just start to become translucent then add the ground beef, brown it well and season with lots of cumin, salt and pepper. Transfer this to the bottom of an oven proof pan.
Coat the chicken with a combination of salt, pepper and cumin and brown it all over in the same pan you used for the beef.
While the chicken browns, cover the beef with a layer of hard boiled eggs. Then, if you are using them, layer the black olives followed by the raisins.
Finally, add the layer of chicken, top it with your corn mixture, and cover the whole mess with a generous sprinkling of sugar. Bake it at 400°F until the sugar has caramelized.
$500 90hz australia baking Brain Institute building capiratada conspiracy food fresh start Greenspan job security Las Vegas lender nevada energy new blog nuts power bill RIAA Soul subprime Whitehouse
