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A Brief History of (my) Time Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Brad" journal:

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June 17th, 2009
09:21 am

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Scared?

"Me? Nooo... I was just checking for dust bunnies."



I suppose it sounds like the sky is falling when strange men are clomping around on your roof and banging 70 pound bundles of shingles  upon it. Sorry buddy, but on the positive side, no more rain drops will be falling on your head.

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09:13 am

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Feline sybarite

...but that may be redundant.


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June 10th, 2009
04:23 pm

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Help me choose

I need to select a shingle colour.



Colour availability - Canada, Page 7.
I'm thinking dual brown, heatherwood or possibly earthtone cedar. (The cedar mainly because, the lighter the colour, the less expansion and contraction due to heat and the longer your shingles last, but perhaps I should not worry about this. They're 30 year shingles after all. I may not be around.

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June 9th, 2009
07:35 pm

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I feel...
...awful.

I just vomited blood for no apparent reason. I'm pretty sure that's not right.

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June 5th, 2009
08:34 am

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paint day
Yesterday, that is.

I finally got around to fixing up an old rusty sun dial. It was originally painted a verdis gris tone but I think the copper dry brushing looks good too. I could probably keep layering the paint to replicate the verdis gris finish but I think I like this for now.



My cheap plastic deck furniture was in pretty bad shape. The plastic chairs were succumbing to UV damage and no matter how much I scrubbed them clean they'd still leave a white chalky residue on your clothes. Yuck. Since I'm poor, I decided to try and refurbish them with satin finish Krylon Fusion paint. (it's made for plastic) The table legs still have the remnants of the chalky finish; I didn't have enough paint to do them as well but the chairs were the important part.

The patio is open for business.

Ugh. This picture shows me even more chores that I need to complete. I need to strip my steps and refinish them in redwood stain, I need to remove all the rust from the barbecue and repaint and I need to remove the rust from the umbrella stand and repaint! The table legs need painting too.



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June 3rd, 2009
07:36 pm

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another day
My barbecue is up and running. I grilled my own veggie burgers for the first time in two years. The old burner and all the other misc. parts were almost rusted out beyond recognition.

The burner is all new and works like a charm. I still need to paint the barbecue and frame. The stand is rusting out and I need to disassemble the whole thing and give it a shot of rust paint. The barbecue itself needs to be degreased and sanded down so I can repaint it with high heat paint as well. It's a ridiculous amount of labour. It's similar to restoring abandoned bicycles actually. I'll need to replace much of the rusted out hardware as well. I suppose I see why people just throw away barbecues that have a rusted out burner. It's still a shame that people waste raw materials like this though. A new gas barbecue is around $400, where as, I only spent about $50 refurbishing this one and I'll get another 10 years out of it if I de-rust it. I'll strip it down to the frame this winter and restore it properly. It'll look brand new next year.

I need to do the same thing with my electric lawnmower actually. The body is starting to rust fairly badly.
More chores for the impossible list.

I feel like the only person in the world that restores stuff instead of throwing it away and buying new. As if I don't feel alienated enough from the rest of the world. I'm truly a weirdo.

Oh, I have to install a pull -up bar in my house as well. The list is already never ending, why not add more?

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May 21st, 2009
05:09 pm

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hello summer

and hello homemade veggie burgers



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May 19th, 2009
09:38 pm

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Playing with tiltshift

Probably not entirely successful, but it's an attempt.






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May 8th, 2009
03:31 pm

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For the love of money...


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11:40 am

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Still Bill

Wise men inspire me. He has a few lines in this trailer that really strike a chord with me. I've gone from liking a few of his tracks to wanting to dig through his entire catalouge. I really appreciate him as an artist AND a person. He has a wisdom about himself that is captivating.

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10:21 am

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Smarter than me
I've always liked smart pets. While growing up, we always had border collies; some consider them one of the most intelligent dog breeds. Since then I've always looked for intelligence in my pets.

Cleo was no slouch. She was incredibly eager to learn and would actively try to problem solve. A case in point would be that she could let herself in and out of the house by opening both patio doors all by herself. I'll never forget my friend Carol's reaction when Cleo let herself and Carol's two dogs into the house after they were finished playing in my backyard. "Did... did the dog just let herself in!?" Ha.

I've been letting Spike outdoors with me when I work in the garden. He's content to stay in the backyard as long as I can keep an eye on him. I'm sure he'd wander farther if I wasn't around but as long as I am, he'll stick close by.

Look what he has learned!



...and Cleo wasn't even around to teach him!

I'm doomed.


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April 26th, 2009
09:49 am

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Cat Communiqués

Do I stare at you in the shower?


Seriously.


Why are you upside down?

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09:43 am

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Happy flower face

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April 23rd, 2009
09:07 pm

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I think I'm becoming a designer furniture nerd

I was watching CSI Las Vegas and I noticed some interesting chairs in the interrogation room:



Geez, I wish I could afford solid aluminum Emeco Navy chairs that cost $500 a pop.  They seem to be popular in the interogation rooms of Hollywood productions. I also remember seeing one in Matrix when Neo had the "bug" implanted in him...

I can't help it any more, this stuff just jumps out at me. I have a love for beautifully designed furniture and architecture. The Navy chairs were born out of a practical need. Something light, long lasting and strong for Navy vessels. There's something clean and real about an object broken down to its bare essentials. A classic design often comes from it. I really respect objects that follow that mold. Nothing superfulous, nothing showy, just strong clean lines. Some of the very best industrial design comes from following those principals.

I always thought those chairs would be amazing as part of a dining set in an industrial-style loft. I have ideas, but never money.

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April 22nd, 2009
01:21 am

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Speaking of vampires...
I admit it. I watched Twilight. I know, I'm a bad person. Worse yet; I audibly swooned at one point.

No, it wasn't Edward's dreamy eyes. It was the Hoke house designed by Skylab architecture.




Geez, these location scouts aren't fooling around anymore.

The folks handling the set dressing aren't missing any beats either. I spied a Ludwig Mies van der Rohe barcelona couch in Edward's room, not to mention an Eames chair,  and a Platner table! Les sigh.



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April 17th, 2009
03:09 pm

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Gamblin' man
Ok, so here's the story. I was bored. I figured as a bit of a distraction to my day I'd join up with a poker site and try my hand at the play money tables. I like the game of poker. I enjoy the thought process and trying to figure out if people are manipulating me or not. I need to learn more of the mechanics but I think I have some natural ability in knowing if I'm being played or not. I seem to do fairly well at it.

I started with $1000 in play money and I turned it into $10,000 in a few weeks. No big losses, just a steady incline. I think the technical term to my style of play is a "grinder". Not very glamourous and scorned upon by the flashy play-to-win-the whole-tournament types but many people actually make a living with this style of play.

I had no intention of ever playing with real money..... but.
They gave me some! $2. No strings, just use it within 10 days or it dissappears. Play one hand with it and it's yours to keep. I suppose this is a fairly transparent, "the first one is free". I wonder how many people actually get sucked into this and start playing with their own money? There's no danger of that with me, I don't have any money! Nor do I really have a reasonable way of getting any into my account since I'm sans credit card. ...and I'm too stubborn to fall for this.

I decided to see how big I could make it; just for the heck of it. If it dissappears, it dissappears. I've been playing slowly and carefully. I only bring $2.00 to the table regardless of my previous winnings but I haven't lost yet. I only count on one decent pot an hour, if I make a decent return on my original investment of $2.00 I leave the table and come back some other day. I'm not looking for a huge instant windfall.

I've just been playing the fixed limit $0.10 tables. Slow and steady. I've turned $2.00 into $10! ha. It would be hilarious if I could turn this into mortgage money. If I can get around $30 or $40 then I'll take $20 into a no-limit table. That's when you can start making money fast... or lose it fast. :)

This is a bit of an experiment. I'm trying to prove that by being ridiculously patient and keeping emotion out of poker you can make slow consistant gains. I think I did fairly well at the free tables but everyone I've spoken to has said, "Oh, but that's not the same as when real money is involved!" So.... we'll see. I have no great hopes, but it's working out so far... to my amusement.

Won't this site be annoyed if I could change their freebie into decent winnings? Ha. I've even thought about cashing out my $10. A free lunch is nothing to sneeze at! ;)

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April 9th, 2009
09:14 am

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solar power




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April 8th, 2009
11:35 pm

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Homemade Easter choco
OK. These sound awesome and bad for you and awesome. If only I still ate marshmallows.... and um ... had money to buy the ingredients.




Recipe from the twisted minds at Bouchon Bakery. You know, Thomas Keller from The French Laundry fame. ...The real chef from the movie Rattatouille! I'd love to eat at The French Laundry some day. Les sigh.


Rice Krispies Easter Eggs

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Easter Eggs
7oz Marshmallow
1.5oz Butter
3.5oz Rice Krispies
2.7oz Peanut Butter
2.7oz Spanish Peanuts, chopped

In a heavy bottomed saucepot whisk together the butter, marshmallow and peanut butter over medium heat until they have melted together completely. In a mixing bowl fold the Rice Krispies and chopped peanuts into the peanut butter mixture.When cool enough to handle, shape the Rice Krispies mixture into small egg shapes..

Strawberry Rice Krispies Easter Eggs
7oz Marshmallow
1.5oz Butter
4.5oz Rice Krispies
0.4oz Dehydrated Strawberries, chopped (can substitute with freeze-dried)
1.25oz Strawberry Compound (this is a natural concentrate paste imported from France)
4 drops Red Food Color

In a heavy bottomed saucepot whisk together the butter, marshmallow, strawberry compound and food coloring over medium heat until they have melted together completely. In a mixing bowl fold the Rice Krispies and dehydrated strawberries into the marshmallow mixture. When cool enough to handle, shape the Rice Krispies mixture into small egg shapes.

Chocolate Rice Krispies Easter Eggs
7oz Marshmallow
1.5oz Butter
3.5oz Rice Krispies
2.7oz Crunchy Pearls (these are dark, milk and white chocolate covered cereal from Valrhona)
2.1oz 64% Cocoa Chocolate
0.5oz 100% Cocoa Chocolate
0.35oz Cocoa Powder

Bring 2” of water to a boil in a saucepot and place a bowl on top to create a double boiler. In the bowl, melt the chocolates together and then stir in the butter, marshmallow and cocoa powder until the mixture has completely melted together. In a mixing bowl fold the Rice Krispies and crunchy pearls into the marshmallow mixture. When cool enough to handle, shape the Rice Krispies mixture into small egg shapes.

Note: The recipe doesn't explain what to roll these in, but we think powdered Oreos, crushed pistachios, toasted coconut, and colored sugars will give you the same effect as the pictured eggs. You may need brush the eggs with a little extra marshmallow to get coatings to stick effectively, too.


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April 5th, 2009
06:54 pm

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Out and about


More... )

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01:00 pm

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Bella

Stripped down to nothing, added a brand new (pre-lay off) headset, re-painted, re-greased, re-adjusted and ready for Spring.


To do list:

1. Black bar tape - $10-$15
2. 26.4mm Kalloy seatpost, 400mm long - $20 (I need a bit more seatpost height and it would be nice to get rid of the kludgy clamp style seatpost
3. 28mm Vittoria Randonneur Cross tire (w/ reflective strip) -$30 (my front tire desperately needs upgrading.)
4. Dual pivot brake caliper - $20-$30 (I find my brakes lacking and it would be nice to have a modern brake.)

And that's it. Colour my bike complete if I can track those few things down someday.



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