Boring Paint Prep

[drscott]

Two guys came by Monday and powerwashed the house. Yesterday (Tuesday) a crew of three came to do prep work. They scraped and sanded, and started to fill and caulk. I'm slightly worried that the harder repair jobs (a couple of wood splits, some old termite damage, and two places where the outer ply of the siding is buckling away) haven't been repaired, and they left at 3 after about 5 hours of actual work. They are no-shows today, and I need to call the company to find out what the story is.

Tonight is regular ECR class night, with the added attraction the traditional Halloween costume parade. Usually about half the crowd makes some effort. Inspired by dakoopst, I dug out a wrestling singlet to try on; a little too skimpy to serve as the basis of a costume, I decided, but it did seem to enliven excessor. I had no idea Spandex was a food group. No pictures until I lose the two pounds of flab around the waistline!




The two atrium beams are highly weathered from 35 years of sun and rain.


Another sun-damaged area on the southeast side.

I hope otterpop58 is doing okay. News accounts suggest most of that area will be without power for a week.

Comments

[tdjohnsn.livejournal.com]

You know, your chest will totally pulls focus from the 2lbs of flab. No one but you will notice, really!

Its neat that you have an atrium...I always think those are really cool.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Spandex really does show everything, so even if only I notice, it's enough to send me on a diet.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

No pictures until I lose the two pounds of flab around the waistline!


In order for this sentence to have any meaning at all, you'd have to have two pounds of flab in the first place. Bitch. :-)

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

It's in my head.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

The exterior beams are going back to the original color, a dark slatey gray. Someone painted them a dark chocolate brown a few years ago, while leaving them the old color inside, a mismatch which is highly visible in places where you can see them together, like the peak of the A-roof clerestory windows. As you see them here, they are scraped down to bare wood in some places for painting. Stain does not protect wood from sun very well, so it's an unwise choice for California homes (unless they're in deep woods.)

The color scheme is close to the original: off-white body, charcoal beams and trim, light sage-y under the eaves, darker blue-green door.

[ruggerguy7.livejournal.com]

I love the atrium

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

And it would love you, judging by that icon. :-)

Feel free to grace our poolside any time!

[ruggerguy7.livejournal.com]

oh for a moment I thought it was my naughty one...

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Exhibitionists add spice to any party!

[ruggerguy7.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure I would love it there.

[dakoopst.livejournal.com]

Two pounds around the waistline?

I oughtta smack you. :P

And there IS no such thing as a singlet that's too skimpy when you're built like that.

Oh, and lycra is QUITE edible. It's also a sensation-enhancing drug of sorts. Ever gotten some "light touch" through one?

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I just wished to say "hello" from another MIT alumnus. I found you via one of our mutual friends (can't recall which, actually).

Your beams look weathered, but not deteriorated. Very often, 35 years of weather will destroy such things.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Oh, hi there! I've seen you around the better neighborhoods, just never stopped in at your place (journal.) I'll add you so I can follow your doings. Do you always look that hot?

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

[blush] Well, you can ask my minions ;-)

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

When were you at MIT? I'm a '78 (though I didn't pick up my diploma until '84.)

And the beams have a bit of dry rot from the top down, which is common in Eichlers. I capped them a few years ago to slow down the damage. Not flashing over the tops of exposed beams was a design error.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I did both my under and post @ MIT (Media Lab). I left in '93. While I wasn't on Tim Berners-Lee's project, I did pop in to see what he was doing (creating the WWW).

I must say, I *hated* my experience there. Sure, I learnt so very much, but I didn't like the environment. I'm a bit more gregarious than the average geek, and being stuck in a lab with people with horrible social skills was not my idea of a good time. So I put my head down, worked during all the inter-sessions, and got out as soon as I could.

I am now, a much happier camper.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I hated it, too, as evidenced by my leaving for six years before finishing the last graduation requirements. Too bad you couldn't pop out to Stanford for grad, much nicer. And you'd be here and not in the awful Eastern hellhole, Connecticut. :-)

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I actually applied and got into Stanford, but I decided that MIT was closer to "home" (London), and well, it *is* a better school. ;-)

I could never live in California for a variety of reasons. Greenwich isn't so bad I'm 30 minutes from NYC via express rail, but I get to live in a nature conservancy, rather than a concrete jungle. Of course, I dislike being surrounded by old rich wrinkly white conservatives with their 7,000sq ft. homes with 8 car garages filled with Hummers. So, clearly, something must be done.

To that end, I am designing a new house (along with Resolution 4 Architecture). It focuses on efficiency, and sustainability in a small space. I just need to find a place to put it.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I'm still pondering your minions. Is that like an entourage, or similar to bodkins?

I designed my own house c. 1989 which never got built. I still have the ($$$) plans in the closet here.

If you must get to NYC, then those Hudson River towns might work. If not, the Berkshires are nice and the college towns allow for some escape. I'm Googling "Resolution 4 Achitecture."

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

R4A won the "Dwell Home" competition last year. I liked their ideas.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Ah. Nice stuff. Out West, some of us have been salivating over the similar Glide House designs.

So why is California (with its thousands of microclimates, oddball politics, and multiple gay-friendly areas) out of the question for you?

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Trust me, you don't want me to list all the reasons. Suffice to say, California isn't bad for brief visits, but I'd go mad within a month.

[excessor.livejournal.com]

I had no idea Spandex was a food group.

You did say you wanted to try something new in the kitchen.

Hmmmm. I do love the spandex. You're so perceptive.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Who knew Spandex shoulded be added to the Food Group list along with my favorite listings ketchup and frosting:) LOL!