Need motivation? Get "LOGANED" - Page 110

CJ -

I know you have my back and everything, but I think you misread the intention. At least the way I read it was that the poor LOGANESS has to sit next to the big hairy guy (meaning me).

I didn't take any offense. But I appreciate the back up!


HEY! I haven't done it ALL wrong. I think there are one or two things right.

Not exactly. But he DID eat the remote for my 4x4 HDMI Matrix switch about 20 minutes after I got it set up.



Well, OK, but this will be another non-pic update. I actually HAVE pics to upload, but well, if you remember, 65 on the procrastination meter.

SO, the original plan was to put the 65" Mits behind the screen. Oh wait. The ORIGINAL Original Plan was to use the original SMX material and build a fixed frame screen. Easy-peazy.

But then I "acquired" the 65" Mits. Yeah that's it. I "acquired" it. Maybe it fell off the back of a truck. Maybe I know a guy. Maybe I went to the Big Screen Store and bought it. I'm just sayin'.

So the new plan was to put it behind the screen. And "acquire" the parts to build an electric screen. Turns out, the parts are rather expensive. I found the cheapest electric screen on line that I could and bought IT for less than the cost of parts to make one.

Off came the material and on went the SMX. So now I have an electric AT screen. I bought a couple of Axiom M60s, and put the existing Axiom center and SVS Cylinder sub behind the screen, put the QS8s on the wall and HUNG THE PROJECTOR (Panny 4000). I think the New Plan is that TV will NOT go behind the screen. It would FIT, but it seems, so, so, I don't know....small. I'm working on LOGANESS to move the Mits into the family room and replace the teeny-tiny 32" there. If not, guess I'll sell it.

Now, before you all go thinking progress has stopped because I hung the projector, remember, 65 on the procrastination meter. And we've only been watching on Fri/Sat nights when I wouldn't be working anyway. Also had a couple of visit from BritInVA to show me how to terminate the coax cable and he dropped off a couple of the DVD Demo disks. Mostly, everything we've watched has been AWESOME. That sub pressurizes the room. It MUST be AWESOME because no matter what we've watched, my son had come out of his room and come and watched with us. PRICELESS.

The theater area is pretty much done. Four chairs are in. I set up the little RCA HtiB receiver that I use on the deck and a BR player I had sitting around unused. And the Roku for streaming. A little lipstick and mascara is all it needs. And the false wall around the screen. LOGANESS says no false wall until I finish the kitchen. Remember the kitchen? Light fell down...big holes in ceiling? About a year ago?

So I've been working on the kitchen. Got 5 of the 6 recessed lights in and wired. Wired for the two pendants that will go over the island. I've got a few days off coming at the end of the week so I'll be working on patching up the holes in the ceiling. Then paint. But before painting, we have hardwood floor to be installed in the family room. LOGANESS wants to paint the the whole thing, so since they're connected I want to do it all at once. Paint, I mean. I'll paint. I'll pay to have the floor installed.

So there you go. You asked for it, you got it.

Check that. Guess I should paint BEFORE the floor goes in.


Oh yeah, it works. The only little bugaboo is that the screen as delivered was bigger than the AT SMX I changed to. The motor was programmed only to go all the way down and all the way up. So for now, I have to pay attention as it goes up and down. I did find the tool to reprogram it, but I also bought the URC 980 so I figure I'll program a macro to do it. No sense in wasting money.

No, I don't have the software. Yet. I'd be happy to trade you your compression connection kit AND your Demo DVDs for the software.

SO, I'm in a blogging mood.....


Ever have one of those "I SHOULD have said" moments?

For the past of couple of days, we've had a visitor in our yard of the wildlife variety. When I say visitor, what I REALLY mean is a new toy for Max (our Yellow Lab). Sunday morning I let him out into the yard and he starts his normal once around the fence line to check things out. He gets to an area by the fence where there is some ground cover growing and all of a sudden he stops dead, nose to the ground. I see his head bob back forth once or twice and then I hear some skittering in the grass and he bolts to the fence.

He starts pawing and digging and gets half of his face under the fence. Then I see it. I'm trying to pull Max back into the yard, but he's having none of it. He's reaching his feet under there just DYING to get at it. Now, I will say, it's a good thing turtles have hard shells. And can clam up in them. This 6" box turtle was closed up tight as can be.

The first thing I need to do is find a big rock to fill in the hole to stop Max from getting under the fence. Then I go and pick up the turtle and move it away. EVENTUALLY, Max gives up.

Monday evening, I get home and my son says "we have a visitor in the yard." He was cutting the grass (the LAWN, not "grass" grass, if you know what I mean. At least I don't think so) and Max had grabbed the turtle and now had a new toy. Fortunately, labs have "soft" mouths and as far as I can tell it's still alive. BUT clammed up like that, who knows? So I manage to get it away from him and take it FURTHER away from the fence.

I check this morning and the turtle is gone from where I left him, so at least he is alive. Or was. After I get to work, I get a frantic call from LOGANESS. Just to be clear, my office is 20 miles away. It takes me at LEAST an hour to get here in the morning. By contrast, LOGANESS'S commute is 5 minutes, tops. Seven if the lights are red.

"Max has that turtle and won't give it up. I have to get to work. I'm afraid he'll eat it. What do I do? I have to get to work!"

Now, here's what I SHOULD have said........

"Put the dog on the phone....."

You haven't been keeping up, my little friend! This most recent episode follows the baby bird incident, the dragging in big ol' hunks of firewood, 2"x2" 3' long rotted wooden stakes, assorted rocks and, oh yeah, can't forget the digging under the fence and running into the neighbor's house through THEIR doggy door episodes.


I don't know that, but I'm pretty sure HeyNow^ does.


That's a good one, too. I'll have to remember that next time.

And you tell that to the young people today, and they won't believe you!

ANOTHER close call. Normally, I have a class on Wednesday evenings right after work. Last night while driving to class, it started POURING. I KNEW there was NO WAY I would be able to concentrate on the class knowing how hard it was raining. So I decide to ditch class and drove straight home. Which took an extra hour because it was, you know, raining. Which around these parts is just as bad as three flakes of snow.

So as I'm heading home, the rain starts to slow down. I'm either ahead of it, or it missed the house. Turns out it missed the house, but the overnight forecast was for more heavy rain.

I figure it's as good a time as any to check the sump pumps. Down I go. I hit the test button on the battery back up and it looks good. I pull the cover to lift the floating bulb on the main pump.

As soon as the pump starts, the check valve blows off the PVC pipe and now I'm covered in water. Which apparently has been sitting there for quite some time and, well, let's just say it smells bad. What is a stronger word than "stench?" One of the stainless steel screw clamps had rusted off. AGAIN. And as I'm reaching into the murky water to pull out the pump, ANOTHER one drops off. I had ONE spare.

Now I gotta run to HD for more. And once I get in the car, I notice that I smell like I've been living on the street. And I've got that black gunk that forms on the rubber all over m hands. But I. don't. care. I'm FIXING this damn thing TONIGHT!

So anyway, I pick up a couple of spares and commence to fixing the pump. What I realize is that dummy me followed the directions on install and that places the check valve with it's FOUR screw clamps underwater. So once the weather clears up, I'll be pulling that pump, cleaning it up again, changing the bulb-type float to one one of straight up and down floats (I forget what they're called) and redoing the PVC to move the check valve above the water line.

Fair warning.....
CHECK YOUR SUMP PUMPS!

I would settle for gold at this point. It would STILL be cheaper than repairing damage from ANOTHER flood.

The thing is, I couldn't find a replacement that WASN"T stainless steel.