drteknikal's blog

On the gender identity of deities...

2011-08-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

As I was indoctrinated, God (infer Yahweh) was a mean old white guy with a beard. His Son (another white guy) also had a beard quite often, it seemed. Though it would have rounded out the trinity, the Holy Ghost was never depicted, though I do not believe that depiction is scripturally prohibited. One has to suspect he's bearded. And white.

To me, thinking "out of the box," it always seemed that if there was a god, I'd be more inclined to wish for a goddess. The feminine aspects of deity were more attractive to me -- love, compassion, tolerance -- than the masculine aspects -- dominance, aggression, dogma. When I saw Star Trek, and realized that women came in many colors, I began to imagine my goddess in shades of blue.

So, while I've been more exposed to religions with a dominant male deity, I've been more interested in religions with female deities. Which most often rears its head in conflict with the Christian "no other gods before me" because (in my limited experience) feminine deities are most often encountered within a pantheon.

In your studies, what religions have you encountered that placed a feminine diety as the only, or dominant deity within a belief system. If it involves a blue goddess squatting on a pyramid, that's fine, too.

the death of media

2011-06-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

I visited a record store recently. I probably shouldn't have. Confirmed a lot of things I'd only suspected. I arrived with a couple cases of assorted CDs, and a few of every other media format except vinyl. I carted this into a vinyl mecca that also sells the rest. This was my first foray into enthusiast territory in years. Since I decamped from Arlington, in fact.

The short version is media is dead. Pretty much completely. Sure, rare collectibles remain rare collectibles, but anything else is now worthless. Applies to all forms of vinyl, all forms of videotape, cassettes, and every other format up to and (already) including DVDs. There's a market for used DVDs, still, but it's pennies-on-the-dollar compared to what it used to be, and effectively dead. The more obscure the format, however, the higher the floor on prices. Aficionados will want media to play on vintage gear, and keeping a stock of obscure media is proportionately profitable to the rarity. Keep a stock of cylinder recordings, they'll sell for a high price, as they're rare collectibles. Keep a stock of mainline catalog LPs and 45s, and the rent on the space they occupy will eat you alive. By volume, 8-track tapes are the last profitable aftermarket, and that presumes you have the knowledge, skills, and materials to effect repairs. By weight, CDs and DVDs still sell, and they are, at least compact.

So out of two cases of stuff, he's interested in less than a dozen pieces, and I leave with most of my stuff, and a couple of mint european singles in trade. Much better informed, and saddened.

A lot of the joy of collecting used to be the difficulty of acquisition, and the comparative rarity of everything other than standard catalog items. Getting an early copy of the latest cult single, or better yet, getting the special package colored-vinyl release because you knew they guy at the store. Today is not without it's premium packages or promos, but it's not the same. Oh well, at least one more time, I was able to validate that yes, I can still maintain witty record store banter on an expert level. However little that will ever matter again, sadly.

Let’s Fuck With The Russians, or What Memorial Day Means To Me

2011-05-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have been asked what Memorial Day means to me. As one who served and got out alive, I’m largely ambivalent. My memories of those who didn’t are thankfully few, and don’t require a holiday to occupy my memory.

There was a point in time where I realized what game was being played, what part I played in it, and the larger implications. Let me tell you a story. I was serving aboard the USS Long Beach (CGN-9), Ronald Reagan was president, and we were cruising the Sea of Okhotsk. Our job was to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile. More specifically, we were to launch a Tomahawk toward a range in the Aleutian Islands, while in the Sea of Okhotsk, so that the Russians could observe a “back-of-the-loop” strike on one of their military bases in Siberia. In other words, we were to go to a specific location, and launch a missile at our own territory, but on a course and distance that if precisely reversed would have targeted one of their bases. Once I understood what were there for, and why, it became obvious that our mission was essentially “Let’s fuck with the Russians.”

While this is going on, I’m up on deck with a friend, just stretching our legs and getting fresh air. We’re looking over the side, and we notice a sub running alongside. Not uncommon, but we also note that it’s precisely the wrong shade of gray. He takes out his camera, snaps a few pictures, and we go down to the Combat Information Center (CIC). We walk into the sonar shack, and ask “What’s the sub running off our port side?” “Sub?” Oh shit. We say what we’ve seen, and they’re totally dismissive, but my friend never got his camera back.

So, the realizations begin to set in. Geopolitically, despite the purported tensions of the day, we were in a comfortable enough place that we could be sent out on a mission to fuck with the Russians, and the Russians were actively fucking with us, too. For sport, it seemed. We could each have destroyed the other, but that either actually would never actually occurred to anyone involved. This was when I realized I could relax. The projection of power was a game. Dangerous in general, but between these “adversaries,” not so much.

As I was getting out of the Navy, many things were happening. The Berlin Wall. Tiananmen Square. And a gun turret exploded on the USS Iowa (BB-61). When we’d left Persian Gulf Tanker Escort operations, we’d turned over to the Iowa, and we’d all been encouraged to take the tour and meet the crew. I’d met, and spent a day working and a night drinking with half the people on the dead list. Then a war happened, and I was not part of it, and I was glad.

"I don't think there are any more Russians, and there aint no yanks, just corporate criminals, playing with tanks." The Call, 1983, RIP Michael Been.

On the subject of raptures...

2011-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

As many may know, I was raised from birth by Baptists, which at least gave me the advantage of having much to rebel against in a healthy manner. I made my escape only when my mother married and moved out, and kindly consented to take me with her. Thus began the journey.

I have observed the latest rapture phenomenon with amusement. A thorough reading of the Bible refutes not only the claim, but the concept. Matthew and Mark said exactly the same thing on the subject: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Matthew 24:36
Mark 13:32
(New International Version)

a dangerous skill, nearly black art

2011-05-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

As a flipper, one of your most valuable skills will be the ability to use plaster tools and drywall joint compound to hide anything. Case in point, one of my upstairs bedrooms. I find that the roof leaked, and the plaster failed. I kept wondering why a corner remained damp long after the roof and gutter above had been repaired. Then I took the wall apart, and understood.

Under the surface, I found drywall corner bead, a very bad sign when you're working with plaster. Under a generous amount of joint compound, I found three layers of wallpaper, and finally the plaster. The plaster has only actually failed where the accumulated crap on top of it held the water in for long enough for it to explode. So I have more demolition than I originally understood, in addition to the anticipated plaster repair. I fear I'll end up hand-scraping every wall surface.

But, if you encounter this, and you're an evil flipper who can use a plaster float and a bucket of drywall mud according to the black art, you can hide all of it, slap on some corner bead, and be ready for paint in under 24 hours. Or you can invest an extra three days stripping it back to the plaster, repairing the plaster properly, and applying two coats of oil-based primer. I'm going to have to do that now, and then some. Had they not taken the easy way out before, I'd have far less work ahead.

I've been advised to be suspicious of any alterations made in the 70s or 80s, as in those decades the neighborhood was in severe decline and nobody was making long-sighted investments. It looks like there was another wave around 2000 of quick flips. So far, I can't tell which of those categories this particular sin falls into, but (so far) at least it appears they've only screwed up finishes, not structure, and only made silly electrical mistakes, not criminial ones.

almost done with contractors

2011-04-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

The main roof has been repaired, patched, and resurfaced. The kitchen roof has been replaced. All the old gutters and downspouts have been replaced. The damaged soffits, fascia, and trim have been repaired and repainted. As soon as they finish the last roof section in back, that's about it for the roofers.

Plumbers finished their callbacks today. Hot water heater has a new gas valve, igniter, and sensor. The two "radiators" have been replaced by actual cast iron radiators. The "radiators" weighed about 10 lbs each, while their replacements are 180 lbs and 240 lbs, respectively. 20x underkill yielded cold atrium and kitchen, even with the heat on.

The second floor air handler has been removed. In pieces. As soon as they started taking it apart, it started to slide off the roof. It had never actually been attached to anything except the (eaten away by vermin) fiberglass ducts. As a bonus, we tested the first floor air handler, and found that it needed absolutely no maintenance except a new air filter, and works astonishingly well.

The gas fireplace has been demoted to artifact, although a beautiful one. Saves lining the chimney and refurbishing the burner. The plumber says they can't legally hook it up unless/until it's been upgraded/modified to current standards, and my first and second string people either stopped returning my calls or started backpedaling after I explained what I wanted. So it's an artifact which can be restored later.

The heat is on and working. First floor AC (surprise!) is on and working. Hot water is on and working, as is cold water. Washer and dryer are installed and operating. The next steps are to complete demolition and cleanout, and move on to plaster repair and refinishing. That's my plan for May (and maybe June.)

Railgun Update from General Atomics

2011-04-17T13:32:00.001-07:00

TCP: and so it begins

2011-03-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

The crew started tearing roofing off this morning, among other things, and we've all been milling about (smartly) on the roof pointing at things. For the most part, not as bad as expected. The kitchen roof came off without incident. Never seen it before, but there was a layer of metal under the layer of asphalt sheets. The flashing was completely gone. The peeling soffit in front also came down, and revealed itself as the quarter-inch luan we'd suspected. The surprise was that it was right over the original soffit, which showed all the damage we'd expected. So the look won't change, but they'll be using the right materials this time.

One major surprise, which explains a LOT of confusing things. That's not just the compressor on the upstairs back roof, it's the whole damned air handler! They ran fiberboard ducts from the unit on the roof, through large holes in the brick gable end, into the attic to feed AC to the second floor. The ducts had been eaten back to the wall by vermin, leaving the ducts (supply and return) open to the outside. That explains why all the upstairs vents and returns had been stuffed with insulation. So there is NO chance the upstairs AC system can be simply turned back on. For now, we'll cut back the ducts to the wall and plate them over.

I've been stripping back the carpet, and so far, the news is not good. The second floor is a half-inch layer on top of the original floor. The thin layer may have been nice, but it's been painted, either blood red on the stairs and landing edge, or almost complete blotchy white overspray from painting the walls and ceilings before. Unfortunately, it does appear that when the thin layer was installed, it was done properly, and all the radiators are on top of the thin layer. That means that removing the thin layer means removing and reinstalling all the radiators upstairs. I think my decision is made -- rehab the thin layer as underlayment and reinstall new wall-to-wall carpeting upstairs. It means patching where the closets move, though, which I'd hoped to avoid. Still, it's the fastest and cheapest choice, and this time it's easier to tell when to not start, rather than where to stop.

Stripping the paneling out of the atrium has been more interesting. The first revelation was that it's not just paneling, the paneling is on top of five layers of wallpaper! Which did make the paneling much easier to remove. The mouldings were all plain pine in stock profiles, and will be replaced with new. The stairs appear to have always been painted, and appear to have several generations of glued-on treads before carpet runner was installed along with the rest upstairs. So when we're done, the stairs get carpeted again. The water damage does not appear significant, and major repairs will not be required, just refinishing and recarpeting.

Snow boards, cleats, and so forth should be done this week. Gutters should be done next week. I'm hoping to schedule plumbing callbacks next week, too, but I've been waiting to see the chimney/fireplace quote first, as reconnecting the fireplace is on the plumbers callback list, too...

moving toward a web commerce site

2011-03-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly moving toward setting up a simple web commerce site and establishing an online identity and storefront for hot pepper sauce and honey. I'm inclined to opt for a prepackaged turnkey solution rather than build a custom or DIY site. Initially, there's less than a dozen SKUs. If anyone can recommend turnkey solutions, I'm open to suggestions.

TCP: progress and schedule

2011-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

The hot water heater needs work, the two "radiators" need to be replaced, and the gas fireplace reconnected and refurbished. Also two chimneys relined and four capped. Even so, it looks like I'll be able to cover both plumbing and the work on the chimneys and fireplace within the original plumbing budget.

Roofing, gutters, downspouts, soffits, fascia and trim should get done in March, weather permitting. Until then, it's on to demolition, taking out the carpet and a few prior alterations, as well as removing paneling, wallpaper, and the blood bubbles in the vestibule.

Optimistically, that puts plaster and paint on track for April, and flooring still unknown. I'm tempted to remove the carpet, remove the thin layer of new flooring on top, and relay new carpet over the original finish floor, which I presume was covered up (twice) for a reason.

TCP: updates, revelations, and changes

2011-01-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Still moving forward. Making progress, shredding plans. This week, we had a roundabout with the local government tax/utility office, as I wanted the water turned on and they wanted to see my name on a deed that I didn't have yet. Thankfully, the deed was on file, even if it hadn't made it down to their end of the hall, and the title company could pull an electronic copy for me to fax them. Had roofers in on Wednesday. Good news, the roof is in much better shape than feared. Bad news, they can't do the actual repairs until March, as we need several days above freezing. So they were back out the next day for patches, which will hopefully keep the water from causing more damage in the interim. Shred the schedule -- no plaster repairs until after the roof gets reflashed and coated in March. So the plaster guy ends up even further on the back burner, and I move on to demolition (including carpet removal) after I get the place conditioned and the holes in the ceiling patched temporarily. Today, got the water turned on and the chimneys inspected. Good news, weird news, bad news, but manageable. The coal grate is a coal-grate-style gas log, long disconnected. The buried fireplace has gas supply, too, as does an upstairs closet and bedroom! Line the chimneys or replace with new vent-free gas logs. The utility chimney was filled with debris well above the boiler and hot water duct connections, and should get a new liner and a repaired thimble, plus a new cap. The wildcard turned out to be the spare chimney, where (fears realized!) it turns out someone broke into the chimney to run an AC duct (and something else) from the attic to a back room. THROUGH A CHIMNEY! That will have to be undone.

So, time to schedule the plumber, get the gas supply piping sealed, and start testing the boiler and hot water heater. If everything is serviceable, on 2-3 weeks notice, I can get the chimney liner installed in a day, and if not, the new equipment may have very different venting requirements. The big disappointment is the roof, which I'd hoped to finish, rather than apply band-aids to. That means no finish work inside until the roof is repaired, so once the place is heated, it's on to removing debris, patching ceilings, and removing anything that needs removed, like carpet, closets, and baseboards.

TCP: Gas Fail

2010-12-20T21:26:00.000-08:00

Well, at least that was educational. I had the gas company out today to reconnect. Progress, but not yet success. I have a spiffy new meter, and a nice seal on the gas company side. Turns out my gas plumbing leaks unacceptably, and I fail a pressure test. The two-step becomes a four-step -- the gas company hangs a new (shut-off) meter and hands me a truly glorious shut-off valve that my plumber will need to install on my side of the meter while he's repairing or replacing the gas lines to the boiler and water heater. Then I can have the gas company in to (mere formality) repeat the pressure test and turn on the gas. Then, finally, I can get the plumber back in to turn on the water and gas and fire the boiler and water heater.

It is a good thing to be informed that your gas piping is leaky before you fill it with gas. At the same time, we discovered that the flue for the water heater had been crammed in on top of the flue for the boiler, and that the connection is improper. At worst, we replace the hot water heater (ancient) with a new electric model and keep moving. At best, we install a reducing tee while replacing the boiler flue. In toto, it means I'll be lucky to get plumbers and gas people back in twice before the end of the year.

Temporary heaters will be installed as required. On to roofing contractors while also scheduling plumbing/heating contractors. So far, gas company seems to be next-business-day or thereabouts. Also, apparently, time to schedule the chimney guy, as there seems to be both serious cleaning and minor (at least) repair required.

The journey begins. Goal is heat on by end of month.

The Cumberland Project (Update)

2010-12-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

I finally have a closing date, December 17. Somewhat of a letdown after hoping for "before Thanksgiving" but at least it's "before Christmas." So no pictures yet.

Here's what we're talking about. It's a two-story brick town house in Cumberland, MD. 10+ rooms, just under 3000 sq ft. Ten foot ceilings on both floors. Hardwood floors throughout -- condition unknown, though being hidden under aging shag carpet is a poor omen. House was listed as being built in 1900, I'm thinking more like 1898 but I haven't found a cornerstone yet. It includes a partial garage.

About half of the rooms have one major plaster repair required. The pattern of water damage (around the perimeter and under the main roof valley) suggests replacing the roof and gutters is likely required. It does look like we'll get to visit the "worst case" of "let's install metal roofing in January" but hopefully the weather will be warmer and that won't be the expected nightmare. Once the roof is resealed and the gutters work, it's time to try out the heating system and fix a lot of plaster.

Hopefully, with a set date a week away, I can get the roofers scheduled for an inspect and estimate before Christmas. I'm hoping I can have the utilities restored before settlement.

The Cumberland Project

2010-12-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

So, here's the deal. Way back on October 20, I signed an offer on a property in Cumberland, MD. Eight days later, they acknowledged receipt of the offer. I subsequently received a third-hand representation of the seller's desire to accept the offer, eventually followed (only upon insistence) by a signed contract on 11/5. Settlement was set for 12/1, and we were (optimistically) hoping to settle before Thanksgiving. I still don't have a firm settlement date -- presumably sometime next week -- but I have a contract. Apparently, the big deal is that it's a low-value, bank-owned property under foreclosure, which means that not only is there a lot more paperwork, but a lot more hands in the pot, as the settlement attorney puts it. And many of those hands are busy, or at least preoccupied. So, while I'd hoped to have a roofing contractor in before December, I'm now hoping for before January. 10 days after wiring the funds for closing, I've received confirmation. Things move slowly out here. Another week, and I hope to have achieved settlement, and have a first reel of photos.

As soon I as I have possession, I need to get a roofing contractor in. Beyond that, I have recommendations for gutters and chimneys. What we're talking about is a 3000 sq ft property for $40K, which probably is going to require up to another $20K in immediate repairs. Current assessment is $80K, and comps for the neighborhood put it closer to $150K or up. My current estimate for "ready to rehab" is $20/sf for 3000 sf. Which puts acquisition at under $15/sf, and "ready to refinish" at under $20/sf. If I'm lucky, I can make up the difference between my $60K investment and $120K equity with just sweat.

If I hadn't been dealing with the (temporary) loss of my (only) vehicle, this week would have been easier. Truck should be picked up before Wednesday, and settlement should be same or next day. Everything on this deal seems to come with a one-week penalty, or more. Is there a home improvement project more problematic than getting a new metal roof installed in January?

alcoholic energy drinks

2010-11-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

Lately, the government decided it should protect us by removing alcoholic energy drinks from the market, on the principle that regulating alcohol is one thing, regulating everything else is another, and that if you try to combine the two that the government is now stymied! As they have the right to regulate alcohol, and they have the right to regulate many other things, they have decided that if you combine alcohol with many other things, that's too complicated, and you must stop. Rather than set standards, they prohibit. The current crop of targeted substances combine legal amounts of alcohol from legally derived sources (regulated by the BATF) and legal amounts of stimulants generally regarded as safe (regulated by the FDA) and produce highly alcoholic energy drinks in (generally) 24 ounce cans.

Any bartender can make you a rum-and-coke of Irish Coffee. That they could serve you five of them in a row is uncontested. That you can put the equivalent in a can and make it economically attractive to college students is another, and the bureaucracy is taking action! America, stand up and claim obliteration as a right! Remember, heroin used to be legal. Marijuana used to be legal. Alcohol used to be legal, then it wasn't (hilarity ensued) and now it's sort of legal again. We now live in a society where alcohol and tobacco are legal, and all other intoxicants and euphoriants are not. But fear plague the industry that tries to get you as fucked up as possible within the limits of what the government has approved.

2010-09-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Another outing in Cumberland real estate. This was a 3br/2ba bungalow on 1/2 acre. Looked promising from the outside. Inside requires replastering in almost every room, removal of center hall/stair remuddling, and repair of both major structural issues, and (intentionally) hidden water damage. Much made worse by attempts to repair on the cheap, and evidence that two new electrical panels had been installed rather than remediating the existing knob-and-tube wiring. The property wouldn't absorb the needed repairs. As a bonus, this one contained a grow-room in the basement. Small square footage, major issues that had been intentionally hidden, and major structural issues in addition to a 50% gut -- the property simply wouldn't absorb the cost of the needed renovations.

The other prospect had a nice 2 acre site, might make a nice expansion apiary, but the road is perilously thin, overpopulated by everything from shacks to mcmansions with pools, and the house is weird and trashed. Who puts a garage on the back side of a house without providing any access? Who stops reroofing (badly) in mid-course and leaves all the staging installed on the roof? Want a 1400 sq ft fire-damaged house with a garage where the family room should be, and in need or new roof, windows, doors, and siding? No, I didn't either.

Image withheld by request.

2010-08-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

So, another day in real estate. Today's victim was a four-unit (listed as four two-bedroom apartments) apartment building in Cumberland, MD. Originally a single family home, I'm guessing the owners were annoyed when the neighbors built a house two feet away, and retaliated by building an entirely new house in their back yard. Their entire back yard, except for the shed in back, which they built up to.

So a two-story house with finished attic extends to the rear (and with an alley) into a three-story addition containing two two-bedroom apartments (with microscopic kitchens) and an extra bedroom for the now subdivided first floor. Worse, somewhere in the 80's, it appears the owner decided they were really tired of paying for the gas-fired boiler for all the radiators in the building, and replaced them all with electric strip heaters which would instead go on the tenants electric bills. Nice. Cheap. Mean-spirited.

Worse, almost all the radiators have been removed and all the interior supply lines removed, only the forest of piping in the basement remains. The ductwork from original (presumably) coal-fired furnace has also been removed, though the original registers remain, some containing phone lines. All that was surmised from the listing and photos. What wasn't was the sad state of most of the plaster. I immediately subtracted $10K from the price I was prepared to offer. The two places where water (previously) had obviously come through the roof appear to be corrected, but may require further repairs, and all the damage remains. The plaster in most areas requires repair or replacement.

My original assessment had been: It's selling for $45K, I'll offer $40K, on the assumption it needs four new kitchens and four new baths, new wiring, some new plumbing, and some plaster repair. After the tour, I still like it a lot, but it needs extensive plaster repair or replacement, all that other stuff, and inspections on the roof and chimneys with likely repairs to follow. And a likely dismantling of the entire radiator supply piping system. Two windows in the wall facing the neighboring building (blank wall) need complete replacement or filling in. Two doors in the "court of doors" where the alley ends need removal. The back wall that was built against the existing shed needs work.

I walked in sold and looking for reasons to run away. Replacing a whole lot of plaster is straightforward, but not inexpensive. So $12K was the figure dancing in my head -- my quick estimate of how much it would take to rerock all the areas where the plaster needs to be replaced. Not an expert, in about 15 minutes, that's my assessment.

We eventually got past the bad and into the weird. The third-floor attic in the old house is finished, at least in part. Call it thirds. The first third, the front room, is finished, but with some poor plastering detailing. it's backed by three short closets, which are finished, to a degree, as the roof slopes downward. The joke of "this is where we keep the children" seems odd when you find large, short, carpeted closets off the third-floor attic. Proper attic crawl space behind the mini-rooms. Could be turned into storage, but even as storage, should probably be returned to unfinished, unconditioned space. We weren't able to get past the steel door and lockset on the rear addition attic, but I expect a crawl-space again.

So the long and short of it is that I'm in the process of making an offer. My agent believes that they're likely to take $30K for a property listed (in foreclosure) at $45K, or at least not say "fuck off." My estimate is that if I invest the purchase price, plus another $50K over 2 years, plus one day a week and one weekend a month (on average) for two years, I'll have a property that will rent four units ranging from $600-$800 per month, and not need major updates for another 30+ years. If that estimate is correct, I'd invest (roughly) $80K over two years, and recoup (roughly) $800K over 30 years. So, my opening offer is $30K with seller paying closing costs. If they bite, I'll buy. If they negotiate, we'll see.

Now, the omen. For a four-unit building, you can imagine there'd be a lot of keys. Two separate lockboxes, in fact, though the listing agent claimed ignorance on the combination the the second box. Magically, once we'd discarded the provided keys and just started fucking around, I found the key to our condo building in Silver Spring (!) unlocked the door the the front upstairs apartment.

Let me get serious for a moment. Cumberland, Maryland, is the fourth most resilient housing market in the US. Which isn't to say the recession hasn't hit the area hard, but that the area has been in decline since the middle of the last century, and let's just say the current economic collapse didn't really do much to drive them further into the ground. So I'm looking at a foreclosure property with an assessment of $90K, a listing price of $45K, and I'm offering $30K with the prospect of more than doubling down. The floor for 2-bedroom rentals in downtown is $500/month. I can work this. With style, and possibly even flair.

2010-08-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

At least that was educational. So, the shell was worth saving, but required a complete gut. As a bonus, the attic was a perfect triangular void just asking to be combined with sheetrock and yoga practice. But it was not to be. While the place was built as a store in 1907, and existed as such into the 1960's, the current zoning is somewhere between "vague" and "residential." Questions to city hall were met with an excessive list of intolerable hoops to jump through to receive limited commercial zoning. None of which could be satisfied until months after taking possession. In other words, the whole thing depended on a complete rezoning petition, which could only be filed after purchase, and which, at best, should be expected to cost thousands, and divide at least half the neighbors against each other, before eventually succeeding. You'd be $40K down and another $20K in before you could reasonably make the request, and if the answer was no, you're ruined. As I said to the realtor, "No, not on a bet."

2010-08-05T22:33:00.002-07:00

So, today, it appears I got a real estate agent for Cumberland! Also turns out he's a local radio personality! He gave me the story I wanted, and I let on to my career working in entertainment law. He's afraid of birds in buildings, and I'm looking for investment properties. The current prospect is a former general store. Storefront, with lead-lined meat locker in the basement, has potential to be new ceramics shop after a complete gut and re-imagining.

I've had many false starts with real estate agents in Cumberland. This one seems to respond to email, signed me to a buyers agent agreement (oh how hard it's been to find someone interested in that!), and showed me a property that the listing agent (in the same office!) wouldn't return my calls for! That he's local radio talent impresses me even more, as long as he also remains a competent real estate agent. Ideally, if I find someone I can work with, I'll be buying an investment property every other year, my agent is in for fun, even at the low end. I'll presume that if he's in radio, he's an alcoholic, and work from there. The voice is seductive, though...

2010-08-05T22:33:00.001-07:00

So, I went and toured an investment property today. Potential pottery shop with rental apartment above. Abandoned storefront with two-car garage. Total gut job. basement is limestone block (set in stone, aye!) but the floor slopes downhill, first floor storefrtont with 1br apt w/ den behind, 2nd floor 3br apt, 3rd floor unfinished attic with extravagant potential. the two-car garage is potential stoage, but needs replaced with a similar size building with studio apartment above. Neighborhood would absorbe 2:1 or even 3:1 investment and neighbors literally begged me to buy it!

If I do this, it's going to take a minimum of 4 years and $50K, but might be a really good investment. The slate roof is an unknown, but if it can be saved, it would be good for another 80 years! The attic is just waiting to be a mind-blowing "headspace" above the building. The plumbing and electrical need complete replacement, the plaster is compromised from above and the second floor is weak, but these can be addressed once the plaster is down. The back fo the building needs to be rearranged, the porches need to be replaced, and everything needs to be refinished from the studs out, inside and out. The retail space is worth saving if it's permittable, and otherwise, the place isn't worth touching. Only other retail in the neighborhood is a two-story building with private hair salon on first floor immediately behind (across the alley!) If zoning is workable, a pottery shop was the original plan, and this is a perfect pottery shop for the cost of a complete gut job. Bonus -- apartment and headspace overhead, and room for both resident manager (and with garage) resident artist with private studio!

We'll see. It's a disaster in progress and there's no reason to expect they'll accept a low-ball offer. Or that I can make the most of it, even over time. But it's the immediate prospect.

Welcome to my nightmare, Cumberland, MD, edition!

2010-03-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

Ready to start priming and painting hive bodies so they're ready when the new packages of bees arrive in two weeks. After spending some quality time assembling hive bodies, I opted to order preassembled and painted honey supers, trading much higher shipping costs for a couple days of my time.

Checked in on the two overwintered hives, and both were doing well, if a bit inactive in cool weather. Each had consumed about 1 gallon of medicated feed syrup, which was conveniently what I'd brought along to refill. Two more gallons for each hive, and that's the spring nosema treatment taken care of. I also checked in on the two baited swarm-catcher hives, and both appeared empty and unmolested. Hopefully, at least one will catch a swarm -- optimally, this would get me up to eight hives with the two that overwintered and the four new packages.

Need to be ready to handle the new packages (finish priming and painting hive components), make another 5 gallon batch of medicated feed syrup, and take a weed-whacker to the bee yard this week or next.

2010-03-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

It must be spring...

I climbed over the retreating snowpack and checked the beehives today. Hooray! Both hives are active and flying. I'll need to get feeders on next week, as well as get the baited hives for swarm catching out. In early April, four new packages arrive, so I'll need four additional hives ready.

Time to start assembling new hive components.

2009-10-29T13:44:00.007-07:00

To restate the obvious, I've been away for a while. I think I'm getting ready to be back now, but maybe not quite yet.

I had a heart attack. Out of the blue. So I took a year off. I'm better now -- smaller, weaker, and far less likely to fall over and die.

Last year's garden was abandoned when I fell over the day before planting and required opening for repair. This year's garden was planted and failed. Spring never warmed, it stayed hopelessly wet into mid-summer, and everything that wasn't eaten by rabbits and deer rotted and died before the three weeks of warm dry weather that preceded the arrival of fall.

Bees made honey, though one hive did all the work. It looks good for a full catalog of hot sauce by Thanksgiving, though likely no Habanero this year. I'm set to expand the apiary next year, and I'm hoping for at least triple the honey and wax I harvested this year. If I can get an electric fence around the garden for next year, I should have peppers in quantity. I want IR-targeted auto-ranging laser canons, but an electric fence (with solar power) is the closest option at Tractor Supply.

Anyway, enough with the update. I fell down. I got up. I'm (almost) going again.

Soon.

2007-12-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

will the bees get a yurt?

so, I need a place to keep bee stuff, and to work on hives, and extract honey, maybe more. I'd always thought, for some reason, that there should be yurts on the property. turns out you can import honest to god mongolian yurts from china.

so, I could build or buy a simple storage shed, somewhere between 10'x10' and 12'x20', or I could order a couple of half-length shipping containers, or I could import a yurt.

so, I'm thinking of yurts. Turns out the (significant) shipping charges only get it to the nearest port (their choice, not mine, think New York, not Baltimore or Norfolk, or the Virginia Inland Port in Winchester) and then it's my problem. so now I'm on the prowl for outfits that offer turnkey yurt-delivery experiences, 'cause there's a lot of deatils there that I'd rather not be bothered with. I still gotta schlep it home. will a knocked-down mongolian yurt from china fit in a Durango, or do I gotta drag a trailer to Jersey and back?

Alternatively, the bee stuff may get a nice cheap party tent which can be useful elsewhere if it survives.

sooner or later there's gonna be yurts. I'm not sure I'm ready to facilitate yurt delivery on spec. The bee stuff may get a glorified tent, not a glorious one.

2007-11-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

taking the bee keeping plunge

So, yesterday, on Cyber Monday, I ordered bee hives, bee keeping supplies, and bees.

The apirary area should be ready well before Spring, and the bees should arrive about 4/10. I chose Buckfast bees because they're among the most gentle and mite resistant. In fact, the official "West Virginia" bee is a Buckfast variant. I couldn't find any place to get "West Virginia" bees online, so I ordered Buckfasts from Texas.

For starter hives, I ordered four complete cypress hive kits. My "starter" kit also comes with a couple of hive bodies, along with the gloves, hat, veil, suit, smoker, etc.... I also ordered four big plastic footed hive stands, which should let me keep the ants and other crawlies away from the hives.

Over the next couple of weeks, boxes of hive parts and beekeeping tools should start arriving. As long as I have places ready for four 3 packages of bees before April, everything should be fine. Hopefully, about the same time, the big field will be pushing up grasses and clovers, and the bees will have a ready food source to build up their numbers. I'm not expecting much in the way of honey or wax the first year, but my goal for 2009 is to have all four hives survive next Winter and produce well.