There are a couple of the things I love about having a screened in porch, 1st is, I really feel like I’m down the beach. It is almost always relaxing (except when my neighbor directly across the street does yard work…he is like Tim the toolman with all of the biggest, loudest tools) and 2nd is, I feel like going to a drive in…watching a movie on the big screen! So I created my very own movie theater with a projector I already have, and spare speakers…and a very rarely used older laptop that all of the connectors work on (PnP). I went ahead and invested in a pull down screen. I’m sure I could have used a piece of plywood, or a sheet…but I found a great deal!

Jen wants to work on our curb appeal, so when she found out that one of her work-friend’s son is a Landscaper, she asked him for his thoughts and she got a quote. He started in February while the weather was mild…so far we are liking his work…

There is some leaking and water damage in the shed that has caused some mold. I would like to replace the shingles and figure out a way to get rid of…or encapsulate the mold. It’s a shed…that I don’t spend any time in…just in and out and the doors are always open when I am in there. So I dont think I need to go all out on this…

Again, last year’s garden…we got a couple zucchini and a couple tomatoes…the squirrels were finding their way in there and eating everything before they were human edible sizes and then at the end of the season, we got so much rain, the zucchini plants drowned…so this year…we are going to do a raised bed.

When working from home you notice little things. Like Jen couldn’t hear on her zoom meetings if the dishwasher was running…even with the door closed. We decided to replace it with a nice quiet Bosch. And I would also like to replace the kitchen sink with a large single bowl.

Last week I decided that I wanted to open up our living room space a little more. I ordered a TV Wall Mount bracket, a floating shelf, a cable management kit and a “universal” sound bar bracket.

The only issue that I had was the sound bar bracket wasnt REALLY universal, none of the screw holes lined up with the Bose, so I set it as a shelf bracket and wrapped velcro around it to hold it in place.

The reason I didn’t find a more universal bracket was because it was connected between the TV and the wall mount bracket and I had already taken the table mounts off and locked into the idea of being “done”. Besides that fact that I would have had to start all over again because everything (Fios box, Wii & hard drive and the DVD Player) that were all on the new shelf. I have left it that way because NO ONE will ever notice…

This is what happens when you WFH (Work From Home) and stare at the same walls every day…

I installed a new faucet back in 2014, but over time (6 years), some calcium burns and rusting around the base has occurred. This is a Pfister faucet and has a LifeTime Warranty just for this kind of thing, so I gave them a call and they opened a ticket and I uploaded a couple pictures so they could see all of it.

I really expected that this would be a pain in the ass, but after they saw the pictures, they immediately sent me a replacement…brand stinking new! (same exact one). That was in November…I was hesitant on installing it…plumbing is NEVER easy mostly because something will leak, something doesnt fit…and do I want this same one that may do the same thing.

In the beginning of December, I found a new faucet that I liked, so I went ahead and purchased it…and put the other NEW one up on Facebook Marketplace!

12/5/2020

The only issue I had with this was the tailpipe was too short for the new trap kit…yep, new trap because every time you do plumbing, you should do new plumbing…otherwise…you WILL get at least one leak! Only 1 trip to HomeDepot!

After reading the Raspberry Pi for beginners book, I decided to buy a Sense Hat, who comes up with these names? I guess it makes sense because it’s a small board that goes on top of the main board…and it can be added on and changed out.

The Sense Hat that I decided on has an 8×8 LED matrix, that can be programmed to be a LED digital clock or this Hat is capable of being programmed as a weather station. Using these tools to predict weather; Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Humidity, Magnetometer and Temperature

I found this really cool case…now, to just find the time to dig in!

I have been working alot more hours during the pandemic. My guess is anyone in IT, no matter what branch of it they’re in, they are working more. We are doing software upgrades for our customers…one a week, but it takes all of us and it takes a week to prepare. (on top of the “normal” ToDo list and fires to put out). The upgrades are normally happening on Thursday Nights

Last week, we did the update on Tuesday Night instead of Thursday, so there was a bit of a rush on this one and a little bit more intense for me…or should I say different, only because I was working on the last 15+ updates with 1 person and then this night he was unavailable, so there was a switch off…Not a big deal, just different! Wednesday was full of meetings and calls one after another…and I was already dragging…I decided to enjoy an adult beverage or two

So THURSDAY, dragging, tired and in my early morning fuzz, started my routine. went to the ladies room, as I was flushing the toilet I picked up toothbrush and it caught on the holder…as I watched the damn thing fall right into the toilet…1st thought, it’s ok, I have a new toothbrush in the cabinet, second thought was it’s gone…the toilet flush was in it’s last gulp….GONE!

We have a second toilet down stairs, so we started using that…hoping to make it through to the weekend. On Friday, I called AQUA Ins, who we have a policy with on plumbing and sewer pipes…they tell me that dropping a toothbrush in there is NOT covered…WTF??

call a plumber? call scott? or fix it myself?

After my bike ride, I stopped at homedepot and bought a heavy duty plunger, a toilet auger and a wax ring, thinking I would try the first 2 things and then decided who I was calling on Monday morning.

I tried the plunger…then I tried the wet vac…then the auger UNSUCCESSFULLY! since there wasn’t any water in it, I decided to just remove the toilet and auger it from the bottom…after 30 minutes of seeing the auger at the other end with NO toothbrush, I started to think…it may be time to buy a new toilet or call Scott or a plumber. I put the toilet in the bathtub and started running water though it from both ends…still no FUCKING toothbrush! Auger, water, shake, Auger, water, shake! I left the auger in the toilet, totally defeated.

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I start watching YouTube videos and no one came up with anything I haven’t already tried…now my back hurts and I feel like I have been working out. I pulled the auger out and down drops the toothbrush!

I need a day off!

and SOOO, the new (possible) hobby begins…

A Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized computer. This little device was originally made to learn programming languages, but it has become something so much more than that. My understanding of this device is to make it do one thing ONLY. This is a technology that I am sure I will need, so I have decided to buy my first Pi.

I have heard of setting one up as a DNS server or a DHCP server. But I haven’t decided what my first project will be. (probably a port knocker)…I have done some searches and have found some really strange things…a CD drive that is now set up for seeping Tea and removing the bag when done, pictured below. This just cracks me up!! Finally a way to use old PC parts that are technologically obsolete!

I have also seen where it’s used in place of a firestick or Roku device on your tv…or an email display…wifi security camera…jukebox…the possibilities are endless. There’s even a project that’s looking for financing to make a Pi-top, 3D printed, pi controlled laptop.

I have very little time to play, so I decided that I would start with the basics, so I bought a “desktop kit”. I have hooked it up to a small tv and ran updates and played a little, but now I need to read the book…get a feel for things.

Stay tuned for my next Raspberry Pi update.