A Building Weekend and the unveiling

This past weekend I drove to good old Batteyland where I spent a great time drinking and grilling, chatting, hanging out with toddlers on their play ground, and playing with power tools.

Even though the --rain a few minutes-stop a few minutes--weather slowed us down, we made use of our time wisely.

Here is a step-by-step (anyone watch the show by that name with Suzanne Sommers?) of what went down:

Crazy to think that all of this starts with a pie in the sky idea. This was my robo-cart. I think I pictured it flying around the house. I cropped this picture, but there were other crazy ideas of other projects that I will possibly build.

From the pie in the sky to an actual material sketch. This is my final sketch of what my cart/stand would need. I drew this and then we headed to Menards for the materials. I kinda put it together in my head as we looked at various materials at the store and Battey really helped me make a choice.



Here are the materials along with the tools that were used. Altogether, I spent about $40 bucks.



I then cut and sanded the wood which I measured exactly but did not take into account how much the blade would take off. Later Battey and I recut it and sanded it again. I will definitely remember that one for next time.

After taking a very long break because of the rain, we finally managed to cut the square opening on the top and, thanks to a power nail gun, nailed this sucker together. I ended up taking this home to finish the rest.



Once home, I put the rest of it together including the shelf/magazine holder dowels. I even decorated the tabletop by adding holes that also serve as vents for when I put my labtop on my table because I hate how my labtop gets very warm on various non-vented surfaces.




After adding a little varnish all I had to do was wait for it to dry. And as far as injuries...not many. At Battey's, his saw horse was a bit sharp on the bottom and I got a little cut on my thumb. At home, I got a sliver stuck in my finger, but no biggie...just tweezed it right out.


After about 16 hours of dry time, here is my table/night stand/labtop cart in all its splendor. Sure there may be little mistakes here and there, but they add character to my little project.

From idea to it's creation, this was a fun and awesome project. It was great to build and it was even better to do it while hanging at the Battey's.



Here you'll see the various things you can put on the cart: The books, the magazine stand which is also a shelf, the top with the removable indented tile for keys and pocket change, the table top design which also serves as ventilation for my labtop, its wheels for mobility, and its hanging clips for various knick-knacks.

All in all, it turned out better than expected and now I will be building even more crazy things in the future!

Stay Tuned...

Spring ramblings

The gloomy and rainy part of spring ensues, but it doesn't stop me from getting out to take pictures. I have been determined to capture this tree that I pass from time to time on an old and bumpy road fraught with great memories. I love its branches and its organic splendor-not man made, no chemical tamperings, and still a work of art. To me this tree represents wisdom only gained from life itself. Despite the rains, winds, and snows of life. the tree stands tall; aging gracefully while also patiently awaiting for the warmth and the full force of spring to come alive.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words which is good because I've only written a few hundred. I leave you with more of my photo-inspired ramblings:

These eyes cry much like the early rains of spring
heavy; earth drenching; sodden tears

However full -never in vain- for like spring rains,

They bring about rebirth to my soul.

Divine Mercy Sunday

So today, despite the rain and cold, I awoke in very joyful spirits. I headed to Mass and realized it was Divine Mercy Sunday and it was great to hear the priest's words of mercy.

In my life, I am assuaged in knowing that God loves us and that His steadfast, saving, and secure love is for all: from the holiest Saint to the most wretched sinner (I'm somewhere in there).

While I'm striving hard to reach saint status, I'm definitely not there yet, but am content and thankful in knowing that Jesus has been and continues to be my "light when I dwell in darkness." Maybe that is why on this gloomy day, I felt so joyful, because more and more I come to realize that the Lord is no accountant.

If you have ever taken an accounting course (and I have...maybe later we'll discuss the 9 steps of the accounting cycle) or even just balanced your checkbook, you quickly learn that everything must balance out. Your debits must always equal your credits. There is no room for less or even more; all is quid pro quo.

However, God is no accountant and if you let Him, and I'm still working on that, His credits pour out like the tickets that pour out from the game machines at Dave and Buster's or Chucky Cheese...just way better!

~*~

On a side note I will say that besides going to Mass today my ramblings were also inpired by George Harrison's hippy dippy song "My Sweet Lord" which I listened to in the car on my way home.

'YouTube' it for a listen.

"I'm Lizzing...ha ha ha...LI*ZZ*ING!"

"Hey Dummy" if you don't already know, I am enamored with the show 30 rock on NBC. Their episode titled, "Apollo, Apollo" was definitely one of the best ones. Not only did I almost pee my pants in laughter (fitting for the show's neologism meaning to laugh and whiz at the same time), but Jack's task to find what made him puke with joy also kept me laughing. Muppets, space, lizzing, jacking, a hard of hearing woman, a call girl named Bishou, and the real Batman, what more can you ask for? Oh yeah, Dennis makes a comeback with one of my favorite lines.

Please, if you haven't, check out the episode on the NBC website or on Hulu. Here are a few favorite quotes. Just looking at them makes me giggle, chortle, and Lizz with joy.

1. Dennis' "Hello, dummy," and his new business plan.

2. "I'm Lizzing!" (Funny when Liz said it and funnier with Tracy)

3. Liz's imitation of Jenna and the reason for the British accent.

4. "What is this, Horseville? Cause I'm surrounded by naysayers!"

5. Kenneth's Sesame-o-vision

6. "Aw, guys, come on, I ate in there!"

7. "Oh my god, you puked! Why wouldn't you warn me?! I was staring at your mouth!" (This one is my favorite. I even had a friend imitate it for me so that I could laugh without going online.)

8. "Is that Billy Jean King?"

Finally, I will say that I miss seeing Dr. Spaceman (phonetically, Spichemen) I love it because only Tracy calls him Dr. Spaceman...this would have been a good episode in which to include him.

Such joy this show brings to me.

~*~

"I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilized music in the world."

-Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)