Mister Shiney-Zuma finds nothing to do.
I suppose that there is a certain amount of fortune to having had been laid off just as the move was happening. That is right. I am laid off. Second time this has ever happened to me and just like last time I am going crazy with a complete and total lack of things to do.
However, I do have things to do. Tons of things to do in fact. It is the things that are associated with moving into a new home. That is right, I have moved into a new place. It is a place that will one day be all my own. There will be some elaboration upon this later and for those of you in the area, that part will likely be unnecessary. I say that because you will at some point see the place for yourself. And your eyes will probably do a better job than any description I could ever give.
So yes, about two weeks ago as of tomorrow I will have been given the boot from the job. It isn't because I was a shitty carpenter. Granted, I wasn't the best either but I was learning. As winter comes and goes so does work in the construction trade. I guess a layoff is then to be expected. Still, I would rather be working. If something doesn't come along soon, I am going to start applying just about anywhere.
And despite the fact that my last job, the CNA thing, drove me close to the brink of insanity, I could always fall back on it. There are even a few jobs in the area that would allow me to work just about any schedule I wanted. I would be PRN (on call basically). I would whore my services out to any home or facility that wanted me. The PRN gig pays close to the same amount as I was making as a Carpenter with maybe half of the benefits or less. Still it is money.
Also, I am trying to apply for a job working with Mr. Money. It would pay a great deal less but sounds like something that would be relatively less stressful. Maybe I am wrong though. Money just seems to handle the stress better than most likely. My ability to handle stress varies. Nevertheless, I know a bunch of people who work there. A great number of C&G'ers have found employment there.
Since I am unemployed at the moment though and it has given me the time unpack and do a few things like decorate. I thank my brother and father for coming all the way from Michigan to help me move my stuff. I didn't ask for them to come here all the way from Michigan but the insisted. I can't say that I don't appreciate it. As a matter of fact I really do appreciate what they did. We would have never actually moved all this crap here without them.
Kyle was pretty damn amazing. He took charge and got stuff done with such speed that I had to do a double take. He knew what he wanted to get done and didn't really take any sort of suggestion to get it done in any other way. Some people liked to watch him work and were impressed. I just say that he is my brother and that is how he gets stuff done.
Speaking of stuff. I have way too much crap. Way too much. Some I have acquired over time and some that has come into existence relatively recently. Thank god I haven't kept up on comics like I used to or the New World of Darkness. If I had then my book shelves would be beyond the point of bursting. So many of those books don't see use either. Old World of Darkness stuff that has only been bought as supplement and never really used them. Hell I have only read through about half of them and certainly none of the Wraith stuff. Mostly because it is Wraith and who wants to play that?
Also on the shelves you will find a bunch of old DnD stuff that dates back to about seven years after I was born. Crazy crap like SpellJammers. I can't think of anyone who ever wanted to play that crazy, craptastic supplement but I apparently inherited them. There might still be purpose for the ADnD books because there is at least one game in the area and it is worth checking into.
Sadly the fact that the house came with its own book shelves built into the wall didn't actually put too many dents into my collection of printed paper. A full bookshelf with four shelves was full within two hours of unpacking. I even went out and purchased two new bookshelves that rise well above my head to stack even more books. Keep in mind that I haven't even integrated all of Monica's books with mine. It is just a crazy amount of stuff.
Then there is all the furniture. Monica and I thought that there wouldn't be enough between us. I don't think we could have been more wrong. I didn't take into account all the furniture that Monica's mom was donating to the cause. Stuff that was Monica's really but I never thought it would be in my home. Not because the stuff isn't awesome but I simply thought of it as a fixture in Katie's home.
There is a great deal of work yet to be done. Even after a full week of unpacking and repacking stuff to be placed in storage, we still are not done. Toys. I have way too many toys from my youth. I wasn't one of those kids who actually played with his toys though. They are still in boxes, unopened and undisturbed. I feel like the 40 year old virgin with out the being 40 or a virgin. They need to be put up and on display as well. They are like my nic nacs.
So about the house. It is what I would label as two and a half stories. It has a finished basement that requires a great deal of work if you ask me. The basement is made of slate stone or lime stone with mortar. The problem with this is that it has a likelihood of some leaks. Mostly because the mortar is about a hundred years old just like the house. I can easily fix that problem with about ten or twenty bags of cement and a weeks worth of time. My plans for the basement are pretty ambitious and the walls are a big part of getting it finished. Mostly because I want to put up drywall and finish the basement, sectioning it into about three rooms. One room as a bar/gathering room, the other for a work room for painting and wood work and finally a laundry room.
The previously mentioned projects are a bit of a problem with the huge amount of space taken up by the giant utilities in the basement. The first is the ancient water heater. The thing is a sturdy model from the seventies. At least that is my guess based on the fact that it is a lovely brown and white that could only have come from that era. It is still kicking currently but I imagine that with any sort of strain is going to break. Ideally I would like to replace it with a tankless water heater. The difference between the old and the new would be a ton of water conservation and gas conservation in heating of the water.
The other project involves removing the heating system that remains in the home. Now is probably not the time but hopefully in the summer. Why you ask? Well, to tell you the truth when you see it you would understand. The monster of a heating system is a remnant that belongs to the early part of the previous century. It is a monster that belongs in some sort of cyberpunk fiction. A large metallic tentacle beast exists there in the bowls of my home that once was fed by coal and wood in its first incarnation only to be converted to natural gas. It is a huge, scary site, believe me.
The first floor has a all the accommodations necessary to make it into a nice apartment. There is a large kitchen and dining space. There is a living room and another room off to the side. That other room could be used as a bed room but is currently in use as a study. It is where all those books went as a place for a couple desks and that pesky PC of mine. It is amazing and serves as paper weight unless I am trying to listen to some music. However, listening to music has become a less likely occurrence since we decided to splurg for cable. I never realized how much I missed the Price is Right.
There is also a bathroom with a fully functioning shower and bath. The only complaint is that the bathroom is sort of small and attached to the kitchen. The fact that it is attached to the kitchen is a bit weird. It is always a strange sight to be making pancakes in the morning while your room mate walks behind you in nothing but a towel. It hasn't happened yet but I can't wait to be that guy in the towel.
I could go in to more detail but I will probably just take pictures about the first floor.
The second floor has quick access by a set of stairs that can immediately be found as you enter from the front door. As you ascend the steps you find yourself on the second floor. There are two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and another, more acceptable bathroom. That right, a second kitchen. Isn't that awesome? This kitchen, though not as spacious as the first, is set up in such a way that makes it extremely easy to prepare meals. The counter space is amazing and set up in sch a way that it can serve as a sort of bar.
The bedroom is decent, carpeted and over all a cool color. The only problem I have is the closet. Far too small for all my clothes. Damn, I have way too many pairs of pants. I also have way too many hats, dress shirts, ties, hats and a whole bunch of other stuff. And my walls are covered in comic book posters that I have had since I was a teenager. Kind of lame, I know but Monica doesn't seem to mind.
The sitting room is a pretty cool room. I have gamed in it but it seems to be a decent spot. Definately not Larp material but then the whole house would likely serve as a place for a Larp. It works.
The third floor or the half-story as I like to call it, is pretty swell. Well aside from the hideous carpet. Two fairly large rooms, one that can and does serve as a bed room and the other a living space. The living space actually has a sink and a refrigerator.
Overall the house is pretty damn awesome despite the few fixes that have to be made. I would go into details about the yard and plans for that but it would bore the living hell out of the rest of you.
The thing that makes it a home though is the arrival of Monica and my babies. Our cats. At the previous place we weren't really capable of having pets. Just wouldn't have flown, I think. Now they are here and in doing so we now have a place that feels like home. They are adjusting well I think.
I don't know what else to say but I think I have said enough for now. I have another post brewing in the back of my brain but it is a bit off topic when concerning this one. I will be taking pictures soon. However, I hope that you all will have the opportunity to see the place with your own eyes.
Mad Love,
The_Shiney_One
However, I do have things to do. Tons of things to do in fact. It is the things that are associated with moving into a new home. That is right, I have moved into a new place. It is a place that will one day be all my own. There will be some elaboration upon this later and for those of you in the area, that part will likely be unnecessary. I say that because you will at some point see the place for yourself. And your eyes will probably do a better job than any description I could ever give.
So yes, about two weeks ago as of tomorrow I will have been given the boot from the job. It isn't because I was a shitty carpenter. Granted, I wasn't the best either but I was learning. As winter comes and goes so does work in the construction trade. I guess a layoff is then to be expected. Still, I would rather be working. If something doesn't come along soon, I am going to start applying just about anywhere.
And despite the fact that my last job, the CNA thing, drove me close to the brink of insanity, I could always fall back on it. There are even a few jobs in the area that would allow me to work just about any schedule I wanted. I would be PRN (on call basically). I would whore my services out to any home or facility that wanted me. The PRN gig pays close to the same amount as I was making as a Carpenter with maybe half of the benefits or less. Still it is money.
Also, I am trying to apply for a job working with Mr. Money. It would pay a great deal less but sounds like something that would be relatively less stressful. Maybe I am wrong though. Money just seems to handle the stress better than most likely. My ability to handle stress varies. Nevertheless, I know a bunch of people who work there. A great number of C&G'ers have found employment there.
Since I am unemployed at the moment though and it has given me the time unpack and do a few things like decorate. I thank my brother and father for coming all the way from Michigan to help me move my stuff. I didn't ask for them to come here all the way from Michigan but the insisted. I can't say that I don't appreciate it. As a matter of fact I really do appreciate what they did. We would have never actually moved all this crap here without them.
Kyle was pretty damn amazing. He took charge and got stuff done with such speed that I had to do a double take. He knew what he wanted to get done and didn't really take any sort of suggestion to get it done in any other way. Some people liked to watch him work and were impressed. I just say that he is my brother and that is how he gets stuff done.
Speaking of stuff. I have way too much crap. Way too much. Some I have acquired over time and some that has come into existence relatively recently. Thank god I haven't kept up on comics like I used to or the New World of Darkness. If I had then my book shelves would be beyond the point of bursting. So many of those books don't see use either. Old World of Darkness stuff that has only been bought as supplement and never really used them. Hell I have only read through about half of them and certainly none of the Wraith stuff. Mostly because it is Wraith and who wants to play that?
Also on the shelves you will find a bunch of old DnD stuff that dates back to about seven years after I was born. Crazy crap like SpellJammers. I can't think of anyone who ever wanted to play that crazy, craptastic supplement but I apparently inherited them. There might still be purpose for the ADnD books because there is at least one game in the area and it is worth checking into.
Sadly the fact that the house came with its own book shelves built into the wall didn't actually put too many dents into my collection of printed paper. A full bookshelf with four shelves was full within two hours of unpacking. I even went out and purchased two new bookshelves that rise well above my head to stack even more books. Keep in mind that I haven't even integrated all of Monica's books with mine. It is just a crazy amount of stuff.
Then there is all the furniture. Monica and I thought that there wouldn't be enough between us. I don't think we could have been more wrong. I didn't take into account all the furniture that Monica's mom was donating to the cause. Stuff that was Monica's really but I never thought it would be in my home. Not because the stuff isn't awesome but I simply thought of it as a fixture in Katie's home.
There is a great deal of work yet to be done. Even after a full week of unpacking and repacking stuff to be placed in storage, we still are not done. Toys. I have way too many toys from my youth. I wasn't one of those kids who actually played with his toys though. They are still in boxes, unopened and undisturbed. I feel like the 40 year old virgin with out the being 40 or a virgin. They need to be put up and on display as well. They are like my nic nacs.
So about the house. It is what I would label as two and a half stories. It has a finished basement that requires a great deal of work if you ask me. The basement is made of slate stone or lime stone with mortar. The problem with this is that it has a likelihood of some leaks. Mostly because the mortar is about a hundred years old just like the house. I can easily fix that problem with about ten or twenty bags of cement and a weeks worth of time. My plans for the basement are pretty ambitious and the walls are a big part of getting it finished. Mostly because I want to put up drywall and finish the basement, sectioning it into about three rooms. One room as a bar/gathering room, the other for a work room for painting and wood work and finally a laundry room.
The previously mentioned projects are a bit of a problem with the huge amount of space taken up by the giant utilities in the basement. The first is the ancient water heater. The thing is a sturdy model from the seventies. At least that is my guess based on the fact that it is a lovely brown and white that could only have come from that era. It is still kicking currently but I imagine that with any sort of strain is going to break. Ideally I would like to replace it with a tankless water heater. The difference between the old and the new would be a ton of water conservation and gas conservation in heating of the water.
The other project involves removing the heating system that remains in the home. Now is probably not the time but hopefully in the summer. Why you ask? Well, to tell you the truth when you see it you would understand. The monster of a heating system is a remnant that belongs to the early part of the previous century. It is a monster that belongs in some sort of cyberpunk fiction. A large metallic tentacle beast exists there in the bowls of my home that once was fed by coal and wood in its first incarnation only to be converted to natural gas. It is a huge, scary site, believe me.
The first floor has a all the accommodations necessary to make it into a nice apartment. There is a large kitchen and dining space. There is a living room and another room off to the side. That other room could be used as a bed room but is currently in use as a study. It is where all those books went as a place for a couple desks and that pesky PC of mine. It is amazing and serves as paper weight unless I am trying to listen to some music. However, listening to music has become a less likely occurrence since we decided to splurg for cable. I never realized how much I missed the Price is Right.
There is also a bathroom with a fully functioning shower and bath. The only complaint is that the bathroom is sort of small and attached to the kitchen. The fact that it is attached to the kitchen is a bit weird. It is always a strange sight to be making pancakes in the morning while your room mate walks behind you in nothing but a towel. It hasn't happened yet but I can't wait to be that guy in the towel.
I could go in to more detail but I will probably just take pictures about the first floor.
The second floor has quick access by a set of stairs that can immediately be found as you enter from the front door. As you ascend the steps you find yourself on the second floor. There are two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and another, more acceptable bathroom. That right, a second kitchen. Isn't that awesome? This kitchen, though not as spacious as the first, is set up in such a way that makes it extremely easy to prepare meals. The counter space is amazing and set up in sch a way that it can serve as a sort of bar.
The bedroom is decent, carpeted and over all a cool color. The only problem I have is the closet. Far too small for all my clothes. Damn, I have way too many pairs of pants. I also have way too many hats, dress shirts, ties, hats and a whole bunch of other stuff. And my walls are covered in comic book posters that I have had since I was a teenager. Kind of lame, I know but Monica doesn't seem to mind.
The sitting room is a pretty cool room. I have gamed in it but it seems to be a decent spot. Definately not Larp material but then the whole house would likely serve as a place for a Larp. It works.
The third floor or the half-story as I like to call it, is pretty swell. Well aside from the hideous carpet. Two fairly large rooms, one that can and does serve as a bed room and the other a living space. The living space actually has a sink and a refrigerator.
Overall the house is pretty damn awesome despite the few fixes that have to be made. I would go into details about the yard and plans for that but it would bore the living hell out of the rest of you.
The thing that makes it a home though is the arrival of Monica and my babies. Our cats. At the previous place we weren't really capable of having pets. Just wouldn't have flown, I think. Now they are here and in doing so we now have a place that feels like home. They are adjusting well I think.
I don't know what else to say but I think I have said enough for now. I have another post brewing in the back of my brain but it is a bit off topic when concerning this one. I will be taking pictures soon. However, I hope that you all will have the opportunity to see the place with your own eyes.
Mad Love,
The_Shiney_One