Reno-Gate, Vol. 1

As seen on twitter, digested by Faecesbook.

Reno-Gate, Vol. 1: Aug 17 - Dec 28 (The First Nineteen Weeks)

Dec 28, Day 133 (Week 19)

Woo! Display cabinet / end of bar built and installed. Cabinet over fridge finally mounted. #reno-gate http://tweetphoto.com/7481201

2nd sink plumbed! Dishwasher plumbed but ... doesn't work. Sanding, painting & floor joins still TBD. Meh'ry Xmas, I guess. #reno-gate

OTS Granite #fail ... again. Last wk promised Mon/Tue. Today: maybe Tue, else Wed. Y give a date if u won't stick to it? #reno-gate

Latest #reno-gate photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/nickboldt/2009SRenoGate

Arturo, of EasyTile, is rockin' my kitchen as he repairs the madness wreaked by Caesar (previous tile monkey). This is good. #reno-gate

Deposit down on second chunk of granite (bar counter top). Will I have a counter sink d/washr by Xmas? Unlikely but possible. #reno-gate

Annoyance waiting 4 granite guy 2 show. 2 weeks 2 xmas, U'd think he's B jumping at the chance 4 bizness. #reno-gate #frackingFriday

In granite installer lingo, 11am = 1pm. Also, *possible* customer >> *actual* customer (me). #fistOfDeathFriday #reno-gate #OTSgranite

Last 2 pieces of cabinetry designed & hopefully will be built this/next week. Painting is imminent. #reno-gate http://bit.ly/4V6nAI

Rocky Horror Kitchen Show, Backsplash Install Scene 3B: Caesar Munoz is >3 hrs late. ETA unknown, if at all. #ohsomuchfail #reno-gate

Reno-gate, Day 52: main bar cabinets finally arrive! B/c stove not flush to wall, cabinet installed 4" off spec. Easy fix, but oops!

Reno-gate, Day 37: 2hrs and counting. Wtf is my tile installer? I am Jack's loss of patience.

Reno-gate, Day 37: yesterday he shows up early, wakes me up. Today: >1hr late. Good work on the tile install, though

@opalgamble Reno-gate, Day 36: Backsplash a-go-go. Photo as requested. Grout TBD. http://pic.gd/2da4b1

Dreading the inevitable stream of hate in reaction to awesome new backsplash, even though design was at least half her idea. #duckncover

Reno-gate, Day 21: really, why rip stuff out that looks fine and does the job when all you accomplish is more delay & more work?

Reno-gate, Day 21: expaining scope creep to mother-in-law not going well. Apparently I don't appreciate all the EXTRA work being done.

Reno-gate, Day 21. Scope creep continues: bathrm wallpaper gone. Kitchen bar area desiged, but cabnt guy unavail. Backsplash: next week

Reno-gate, D16: replcmnt toaster/oven acqrd on sale frm Crappy Tire. Bar/counter/sink/dwasher area designed. Waitng 4 cabnt guy.

Reno-gate, D15: apparently "call first" in contractor-speak sometimes means "show up twice when noone home & leave business card." #fail

Reno-gate, D14: Rona drywaller has yet to show up this weekend to fix the hole in the wall next to my stove vent. No calls either. #fail

Reno-gate, D13: will Rona's drywaller show up Sat or Sun 2 fix hole bside stove vent? We shall see. Nxt wk: get cabnts made, get granite

Reno-gate, D13: thx 2 local handyman Wes Douglas, we have a wrkng shower/bath! Or we will by the time I get back from FanExpo tomorrow.

Reno-gate, Day 11: tile installer coming 2 measure/quote. Tub surrnd acquired frm Home Depot. Cashier nearly refused 2 accept RONA Visa.

Reno-gate, Day 11: Realized OTS Granite cut the sink hole a tad too big. Counter edge will need to be redone, and cut to allow d/washer.

Reno-gate, D10: Goldilocks beheld the tub wall catalogue. The 1st 1 was 2 small. The nxt was perfect...but alas, out of stock. Da Bears!

Reno-gate, D10: rest of kitchen taped out. Consensus on colours, design, cabinets, backsplash achieved! Priming starts tomorrow.

Reno-gate, D9: despite casualites from IEDs (improvised explosive debates), peace achieved - 4 now. h8 still bubbles under the surface.

Reno-gate, Day 9: Tile Wars begin. Two different world views collide over backsplash and stove 'boxing' idea (pebbles vs square tile).

Reno-gate, D8: backsplash designed. Still waiting 4 Rona 2 call back re: plumbing quote & drywall fix. Bar design not feasible, sez mom.

Reno-gate, Day 7: finally, a working sink! Moen + Kindred #ftw. Thanks, Tom! (Cold line leaks a little, but hey.) http://mypict.me/q4oo

Reno-gate, Day 7: 3rd trip 2 Home Depot - kitchen sink still unplumbed. Chiseled off layer of wood/crap so top step 2 bsmnt now level.

Reno-gate, Day 6: photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/nickboldt (trip pix from Victoria and Telegraph Cove, BC posted too)

Reno-gate, Day 5: granite finally installed, too late to get plumbed. Wife hates it too: I'm batting ~1000 here on the #fail scale.
We have a working shower again: basemnt bathrm being used as dry room 4 delicate clothes, now cleaned out & serviceable as shower. W00t!

Reno-gate, Day 5: wife still hates new floor; now must pick effing basebrds; granite guys shld B here by 4; plumbers hard 2 reach

Reno-gate D4: tub encl now completely ripped out, ready 4 new 1. Kitchen/frnt hall floor closer to done. Plumber called. Granite 2mrrw?

Paint shopping! Ugh.

Reno-gate, Day 3: electrician fixing foobar'd exhaust pipe (didn't call first 2 C if anyone home); granite guy 3hrs late but meticulous.

Reno-gate, Day 3: stove hood incorrectly installed. Granite guys 2hrs late. Toaster oven deliberately thrown out sans replacement.

Reno-gate, Day 2: can't reach granite installer. #suckytreats

Reno-gate, Day 2: bro in law sez bamboo floor idea seemed odd, but looks ok. Need 2 find replacement wall colour: blue doesn't work now.

RT @jasonhiner: "Discontent is the first necessity of progress." - Thomas Edison « how appropriate re: my kitchen redux

Sourdough Schedule, Part 2 of 2

Continued from Part 1:

08/15: Learn about the earthquakes in Alaska, then visit the Native Center in Anchorage, followed by dinner at a forgettable restaurant in town. Swimming in the hotel pool.

08/16: Board the Wilderness Express train to Talkeetna.

08/17: Back on the train, this time to Denali. White water rafting on the Nenana River that evening and then dinner at the lodge. Great halibut quesadillas.

08/18: Wilderness safari in Denali National Park. Over 6 dozen animals seen, including moose & caribou, hares, ptarmigans, a boreal owl, a golden eagle, ravens, bears, a woodpecker and a red fox, Dall sheep, and a couple of wolves. Visit to Jeff King's Husky Homestead to meet his puppies and learn about mushing & the Iditarod.

08/19: Bus to Fairbanks with views of The Mountain enroute; riverboat cruise & visit to a native village; flight over the arctic circle into Coldfoot and a visit with Jack Reakoff in Wiseman.

08/20: Collapse for a few hours, then fly home to Toronto and back to reality.

More photos here.

Sourdough Snaps: The Sequel

Instead of posting more pics on Facebook or on my http://www.divbyzero.com/pix/ site, I've decided to simplify things and just upload them to my Picasa Web Album, now that the tool works on linux.

Enjoy!

Still 1000s more pics to process. Stay tuned.

Sourdough Schedule, Part 1 of 2

A quick recap of the schedule of events in Alaska, along with some photos.

08/06: Arrive in Vancouver, BC.


08/07: Visit to Stanley Park the Vancouver Aquarium, and some last-minute pre-wedding shopping.


08/08: Embark on the Celebrity Millennium, and shortly thereafter, get married onboard. Set sail a few hours later.


08/09: Full day at sea, cruising to Ketchikan, Alaska. Dinner at the Captain's Table with the Environmental Officer, Alaskan Ranger, and a number of Captain's Club guests.


08/10: Ketchikan events include ziplining, rockclimbing, horse-drawn trolley tour, and shopping for diamonds & souvenirs.


08/11: Juneau events include tram car up the side of the Mt. Roberts to get a better view, and dogsledding on a glacier, accessible only by helicopter.


08/12: Skagway - a goldrush-era town still including brothels, breweries, and of course, diamond shops. We took the train north into BC to go kayaking; others went as far as the Yukon on the same rail line.


08/13: Icy Strait Point / Hoonah Village - explored the now-defunct cannery, souvenir shops, and local town. Sadly, no diamond stores this far north.


08/14: Full day at sea, including a visit to the Hubbard Glacier. We were within 0.3mi of the glacier at closest approach. Managed to lose my wallet some time after dinner. Pooh.


08/15: Disembark the Millennium, and board a bus to Anchorage for the start of our inland tour.

More photos here. Continued in Part 2.

Sourdough Snippet

I have now categorized and merged the 10.6G of photos shot by the 6 people with cameras on this trip (7 if you include our wedding photographer, Ivan Vidic, who did an awesome job and taught me a few things about digital photography in the process!). How many photos is that? Over 5000. So it'll be a while before I've found the best ones. In the meantime, here's a taste:

Sourdough Starter

Back from Alaska, exhausted, enraptured, and espoused. Had a great time: great people, great food, great scenery, great adventures... great everything.

But because we collectively shot over 9G of images and video over the 15 days out west, it's going to be a while before I get everything online.

So, here's a 'by the numbers' account of the trip:

Date married: 08/08/08
Guests/relatives in attendance: 12

Ports visited by ship: 5 (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Seward)
Cities visited by land: 4 (Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks)
Cities visited by air: 2 (Coldfoot, Wiseman)

Distance from Hubbard Glacier at closest approach: 0.3mi (by ship)
Distance from Norris Glacier at closest approach: 0.0mi (by foot)

Days on ship: 7
Hours on train: 10 (2hrs + 3hrs + 5hrs)
Hours in air: 15 (helicopter x 1, twin-engine plane x 2, commercial plane x 12)

Number of reindeer meat meals: 4
Number of Tex-mex meals: 5
Number of times I ate halibut, salmon, or other seafood: too numerous to count (highlights being halibut quesadillas, salmon tacos, scallops on the Millennium & smoked salmon on the riverboat)
Net weight gain (lbs): 5

Methods of transportation used: 20
* car (relatives', rentals, hired), taxi (first time in a hybrid!), limo, shuttle bus, motorcoach bus, city bus
* helicopter, twin-engine plane, commercial plane
* cruise ship, tender/rescue boat, kayak, stern wheeled riverboat
* train car (2-level glass-domed Wilderness Express), train car (White Pass)
* climbing harness on belay (up a climbing wall), climbing harness + zipline (between trees)
* horse-drawn trolley
* cablecar (tram)
* feet (walking, hiking, swimming, spinning in the gym on the Millennium)

And a quick overview by map:


View Larger Map

T Minus 39 Hours

[W]e copy the end of life as you know it.

It's 11am PST / 2am EST, and here's the view from my hotel room, captured on my new Olympus Stylus 1030SW. Still getting used to how it works, but the many presets and toys built into it are very cool -- as is the ability to shoot through glass in low light and capture the glowing dome of Science World.

Yesterday I started reading John J Nance's novel Orbit, heavily laden with politics, aerospace engineering, technology, psychology, sociology, discussions about honesty within family relationships, and some interesting questions about why relationships can sour and die. Couldn't put it down throughout the flight here. Considering it's about a guy trapped in orbit and wondering about his life, his family, and his marriage... it's perhaps not the ideal reading material for the flight out to Vancouver to get married. That said, definitely worth a read. :)

Despite being on 3 hrs of sleep since 6am yesterday, I can't sleep -- my mind is racing with all the things that are to happen in the next 39 hours. By 2008/08/08 14:00, I'll be married. Mindboggling.