home improved

At last, the backsplash is finished! I started it last weekend as planned but it turned out I lacked a few items to finish it. Unfortunately the items were out of stock so I had to wait until they came in and this weekend to finish it. I think it turned out pretty nice. Next up is the thermostat!

Yes, that's a wok.

the dance(s)

My apologies for springing this on you, but it's part of the narrative that makes up my life. I took up Lindy Hop in 1997 and dropped out in 2007. In that time I got good at it. I took away many positive things from this experience/time in my life. Some of the closest friends I have, come out of this period. There was a downside and some of the stuff that turned me off to it were the scene politics, snobbery, and I was just plain burnt out with it. Since some things in life come to an end, I thought that was it. I might've been wrong.

Neither of these people are me

The lil' bro has been pushing/nagging me back into this. We met during the swing dance phase of our lives so he knows a thing or two about it. He became a roommate, a best friend, and eventually what my sister and I affectionately call our lil brother now. My father nicknamed him that immediately after meeting him. He calls him Dee Dee (phonetic spelling) which means little brother in Chinese. 

I've attended 3 dances to date. My first dance, after four years away, was painful. I had forgotten about the different styles and the girl I asked felt like I was dragging a dead body around the floor. I was about ready to give up, but my second dance that night was much better. She was a dream to dance with despite my being rusty. Some people can be asses at times like that, but she was an absolute sweetheart.

What had happened to cute neighbor girl? I think that's done. She said that she would be busy over the next three weeks, but still wanted to go to dinner once she had time again. This was about three weeks ago now. Maybe it's just me, but I think I've been brushed off. 

I'm undecided on whether to keep dancing or not. I do like the people I've met and the scene here does not seem to have the politics or bad juju of the one I left. I guess I'll keep going until I don't really want to again. We'll see how this pans out.

Steve

home improvement part ii

Just a mini mid week update this time. According to this weeks weather predictions, it looks like I'm going to get the cooler temps I hoped for. We'll see. I managed to come up at least one other thing I can do now. I'm going to replace the analog thermostat for a digital one. Everything I've read about installing it makes it seem very easy, and I'm positive it is. The hard part, which I didn't expect, is in finding the one locally to buy.

Hunter 42999B

Target carries them, but only online. Home Depot, Lowe's, & Walmart do not carry it. Amazon has it and I need to order a volt meter for future upgrades. Since I'm being cheap I'm going for the super saver shipping which means I'll probably get it 8 days after I order it. So much for getting to kill two birds with one stone this weekend. 

Steve

home improvement

I've meant to install a backsplash in the trailer kitchen stove/sink area for the last month, but haven't been able to get to it for one reason or another. I had time to finally install it but quickly learned it was too hot to work in the trailer today. Even with all the windows and vents opened I was still sweating in there. Sadly there's no power hook ups at the storage facility and my truck doesn't generate enough power to run the AC. I have to postpone this until there's cooler weather or I can borrow a generator for the AC. In the meantime, here are some pictures of what my the kitchen looks like and will look like (sort of) when it's done.

Before

After'ish

Before

After'ish

unsung heroes

Maybe one day I'll write a song about them. Not now since I'm still working out the finer points of ukulele playing. In the meantime I'd like to talk briefly about two people. Actually it's about their blogs. I stumbled across them when I was researching alternatives to being homeless. They both gave me a wealth of information and the strength and reassurance I needed to get through a rough time in my life. You know, life really does have a way of connecting you with the right person(s) when you need them the most. Well in this case, blogs.

Randy in his Stealth Cargo Trailer

Randy's Blog

I discovered Randy's blog through an article he wrote about his Stealth Cargo Trailer on CheapRVLiving.com. The idea of taking a cargo trailer and converting it into an RV is simply brilliant because you can camp anywhere undetected. I started reading his blog mid 2009 and was hooked. All the tips, tricks, and insight is invaluable. He's quite an ingenious man whom I hope to meet in person some day. I've got a lot to thank him for.

Jennifer's Mini

Jennifer's Blog

I found Jennifer's blog a few months after and the timing could not have been more perfect. At that time she was still starting out and had not yet hit the road. There I found many answers to questions that my brain hadn't even yet formed. Additionally, and more importantly much of what she shared in her blog helped me pick up the pieces in my life and stay focused. I also hope to one day meet and Thank her. On a side note, she was the unexpected muse for the name of this blog. I still can't believe I agonized for over six months trying to come up with a name.


Steve