One foot in, One foot out

Little Cleaning = Brake Lights Working

2010-09-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today: muffler patch and tape on cracked hoses

2010-08-28T18:56:00.001-07:00

Hooray for new projects

2010-08-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

Just bought this from Ian and hope to have it purring like a kitten in two/three weeks.

Caffeine Buddy

2010-03-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

No! I will not share my organic dark roast Sumatran with you even though you were able to sneak up on me.

Support your local food stand vendors!

2010-03-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

Especially if it is delicious. This one was. Fresh. Made to order. Spicy!

Back, but not on a good note

2010-02-26T13:16:00.000-08:00

Being back is better, even if it is not on a good note. Right?

I hit a fox this week with my car. It was awful. Best I could tell it was a common gray fox. Something like this:

I did not run it over, but it did catch a part of my bumper as it bolted across "my" side of the highway. It was around 7:15 in the morning with the sun well into the sky. What was it even doing out and about after sunrise? Why couldn't it have been a touch faster? Why didn't I accelerate a little slower at that last light? Why didn't I run the yellow on that last light? Useless questions, I know. But I couldn't shake them all day.

I decided it was fine, even good, that I could not easily shake them. An animal died because of my actions, albeit not malicious. And a beautiful animal at that. Before it got to my side of the highway it had crossed the other side. In my peripheral I had seen something leap up and straight back down between cars. It wasn't until it emerged from the median, trying desperately to get to the field on the other side, that I realized it was a fox, and more interestingly that it had lept maybe 4 feet in the air to make it across the other side of the highway where the traffic was much heavier. Beautiful. Tragic.

I had a professor in college who refused to say "passed away", or any similar version, when it came to death. More demonstrative of him however was that he also would not let you say it around him. This made for some awkward moments. I cannot say I know why he did this but I do have my understanding of it.

Death is a part of our reality, and lest we allow our religion (whatever it is) to become our "opiate" we would do well to recognize the sensation. To take in that something is wrong. To call it death. . .

All this for a silly little fox? A fox that maybe didn't even die. A fox that might only have a small bruise for a few weeks. A fox that may have been weighed down with two chickens he killed the night before and therefore was not fast enough. . . ahhhh more opiates.

I suggest it was not a silly little fox.

War Of The Refrigerator

2009-04-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

So with your new found information that refrigerators take the heat out of your food and push that heat out the backside (underside) of the refrigerator, I have a few questions for you:

What happens to your kitchen temperature after you fill the refrigerator with warm soda and close the refrigerator door?

1. The kitchen will stay the same temperature
2. The kitchen will get cooler
3. The kitchen will get warmer

Remember: the soda is getting colder. . .

Too easy? The answer is number three. The soda started out as warm, and within an hour or so the refrigerator makes it cold. As Newton describes when he stated "Energy can neither be created or destroyed," that heat has to go somewhere. As the refrigerator removes the heat from the warm soda (making it cold for your drinking enjoyment) it releases that heat into the kitchen, making the kitchen warmer.

What happens to the kitchen temperature if you leave the refrigerator door open?

1. The room gets colder
2. The room stays the same temperature
3. The room gets warmer

If you guessed that the room would get colder ask yourself: Where is the heat going? Heat cannot be destroyed so it must be going somewhere.

If the refrigerator was perfectly efficient at removing heat from your soda (the inside) the room would stay the same temperature. It would remove heat from the air closest to the walls of the refrigerator and push it out of the coils on the backside. The air would then mix together and go back to the same temperature as before.

But refrigerators are not perfectly efficient. In the process of moving that heat the refrigerator creates some of its own heat. Another way of saying that: as the compressor runs (the thing you hear kick on from time to time) some electricty is wasted (lost) as heat. Same as running any other kind of motor, there is always some loss (friction etc) that shows up as heat.

So, because the motor in your refrigerator gets warm when it runs (on top of moving heat around), any room exposed to an open refrigerator will actually become warmer, and not colder. Don't tell your parents.

Steve's Question #2

2009-04-09T11:50:00.001-07:00

How does a heat pump work?

The basic premis here is to think about heat moving, whether that is you heating your house (bringing heat into your home from the outside) or whether you are cooling your house (heat being forced from inside your house to the outside).

So while it is common to think about a window air conditioner bringing cold air into your home, it is easier to understand the process if you think about heat being removed from the air. That heat is pushed out the back coils.

It may be helpful to think about your refrigerator. I am sure you have noticed that refrigerators tend to be warm on the outside. This heat is two part. One part is the heat created from the compressor (which is what you might hear click on and run from time to time). The other part is the heat that is being pulled out of the food. When you put a warm beverage in the refrigerator and close the door, the compressor pulls the heat out of the liquid and pushes it out the coils on the backside (or the bottom).

With the goal of keeping things short I will stop here for now, and pick it up again later.

Honeywell has a nice flash presentation here

Dear Everyone This Is The "ARTICHOKE"

2009-04-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Artichoke,

This is everyone.

love,

Matt

Artichoke was designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958. It may look familiar since so very many lights have copied it's design since. Just thought you all would like to meet the original.

Steven's Question #1

2009-03-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

You keep talking about the electric heat as being 100%, do you really beleive in the 100%? If it really is 100%, why would we do anything but?

I do believe in electric heat being 100% efficient. That does not mean that it is going to be the cheapest heating source ,and it does not mean that it is the best choice for comfort. What it means is that as the electricity is turned into heat, 100% of the electricity is turned into usable heat.

If you want to compare the cost of heating you will need to do some conversions and then compare price of each fuel source. Btus are the most common unit used for this.

For electricity 1 kWh is equavalent to 3,413 Btus. For gas 1 therm is equavalent to 100,000 Btus. If electricity cost $0.08 per kWh and gas costs $1.35 per therm then:

1 million Btus of electricty costs: $23.44

1 million Btu's of gas costs: $13.50.

If this were the whole story the decision is easy. Gas is clearly cheaper. But this is not the whole story.

The average duct system in the US leaks 25-40% of the air outside of the heated space. Since this loss would be the same for gas or electric we can ignore it. But it is a significant cost (and it makes even electric heat less than 100% efficient, since a portion of the heat does not end up in the space you want it).

While we will ignore the small stuff (like fan efficiency, and holes in the house envelope) the other big piece we must consider is the gas furnace efficiency. The gas furnace efficiency tells you how much of your heat leaves the house thru the chimeny (often called a flue). A 60% furnace loses 40% of its heat, along with the poison gases, out the chimeny. So with that furnace for every 10 Btus you create by burning gas, 6 come into the house and 4 go up the chimeny and outside.

Adjusting our cost of 1 million Btus, to account for only the heat ending up in the house we get:

1 million Btus from gas (delivered into the house with a 60% furnace): $22.50

So under those circumstances they are very close (check your local rates to see it this is comparable to what you pay).

Heat pumps are a different story. Air source heat pumps provide heat at 2 to 4 times the efficiency of an electric furnace.

Skipping over the details, at the same rates as before here is a 92% gas furnace compared to an 18 SEER heat pump (this is heat delivered into the home assuming perfectly sealed ducting):

1 million Btus from 18 SEER heat pump: $7.56

1 million Btus from 92% gas furnace: $14.67

Sorry for all the numbers and so few pictures with this post. Maybe next time I will just post pictures, then the time after that we can start to calculate duct losses. . .

Do we get electricity from natural gas here in Oregon?

Yes, let me see if I can find a picture of the NW energy portfolio. . . Looks like NG is around 9% of the Northwest Electrical Resources. This suggests that he regiong currently gets more electrical power from conservation than from NG. But NG is still a significant portion since it can be called up at any time. Resources like wind and solar (currently too small to show up here) are only available when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. I have heard a rumor that last year the wind did not blow for 15 days straight. So for that time period the wind farms did not produce a single watt of electricity.

Field Picture: Moldy Attic Hatch

2009-03-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Anyone out there curious what happens when none of the exhaust fans work in a house, and some of the ceiling has insulation and some does not?

Wonder no more:

This attic was insulated last year, along with the floor. The contractor did not put any insulation on the access to the attic. Therefore that access hatch was the coldest surface in the whole house.

Moisture always knows where the cold spots are and it will find them. It will condense on the surface. And days, if not hours later, mold will begin to show up.

Two lessons here:

1. Make sure your exhaust fans work. Hold up a piece of tissue paper to the vent to see if it will hold it up. If it falls you are not getting any airflow out of that fan. Check the vent path and think about replacing the fan.

2. When you go to insulate a portion of the home be consistent. By leaving small portions undone you will get surface temperature variations that will encourage condensation.

P.S. Answers to previous questions are still coming. . .

A Pilot Flame About Gas Furnaces

2009-02-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

A long time ago in a land far far away I wrote about electric heaters, and how (if you ignore ducts) they are essentially 100% efficient. This is because all the heat produced from the coils ends up in the heated space.

To repeat, 100% of the heat that is created is brought into the space you are intending to heat. This is also true when considering the waste heat created by the fan motor, since that heat also ends up in the heated space.

Gas furnaces are a different beast altogether.
Since this is going on:

We cannot treat it like an electric furnace unless you want to wear one of these stylish head pieces around your house 24/7:

Your average natural gas exhaust contains: Benzo-a-Pyrene, benzene, toluene, carbon monoxide, soot, formaldehyde, radon gas, radon daughters, PCBs, DIOXINS, FURANS, dust, rust, olefins, waxes, tars, oxides, sulfuric acid, mercaptans, marticulates, oils, and lots of water vapor.

A rather intimidating list, but still shorter and relatively safer than the list you will find from burning coal. Which wasn't all that long ago.

Lots of these chemicals in your home will cause death, especially the carbon monoxide. Relatively small amounts of these in your home may cause flue-like symptoms. So if you have an old gas furnace and often feel sick in the winters you may want to have your unit serviced. Even if it costs you money to fix it. (Check with your local CAP if you absolutely cannot afford to service your unit.)

Without getting into too much detail your furnace is designed to exhaust these poisonous fumes out of your flue. Like the blue arrow in this picture:

Your furnace is designed to keep those gases separate from the air being circulated in your home. Much like putting your hands in the smoke of an open fire, the exhaust gas can be very hot still. For you all using gas furnaces to heat your homes, that is lost heat. The heat leaving your flue with the poisonous gasses is lost efficiency, because it does not end up in the space you are intending to heat. Furnaces are rated based on what % of the heat ends up in your home.

Older furnaces generally range between 50% and 70% efficient, meaning some furnaces push half the heat out the chimney.

Newer, high efficiency furnaces, can perform above 90% efficiency. These furnaces actually pull the heat out of the water vapor before they exhaust the air. Then they pump the water out separately from the air. At that efficiency the exhaust air is cool enough to vent thru PVC pipe like in this example:

At the price of natural gas these days furnace upgrades are getting shorter and shorter paybacks. I do not know enough about different models and manufacturers to recommend one over another, but I can tell you that upgrading your 70% furnace to a 90%+ is likely to have a much shorter financial payback than any of the new fangled solar electrical panels.

But they sure do look nice, don't they?

Wait. How did this picture of Jackie end up with the solar ones? Hmmmm, too late to take it out now I already posted.

Hello From Michigan

2008-12-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

Over this last month and a half I have been drowning in my work. With the huge interest in the ductless heat pump systems, and the resurrected interest in home insulation (thanks to the especially cold weather streak) I am lucky to get to all my calls within 3 days let alone begin planning for what we should work on next. Guess this also shows me that I have not been doing a good job of finding time to relax and post here. I'll have to work on that.

I'm spending this holiday season with Brielle and our family in Michigan. This weekend we are near Boyne mountain. Traverse City is the closest city listed on the map here. Probably won't do any skiing but it sure is beautiful.

Being here has reminded me how much many of you pay to keep yourselves warm or cool during the extreme temperatures. It is in my plan to post on either duct work or gas furnaces this break we will see which one makes the cut.

Merry Christmas to you all. Stay warm and stay healthy. Let me know if you need any help with either.

google photo search

2008-11-05T17:06:00.001-08:00

I ran a google photo search on a phase I had stuck in my mind. Here are my favorites:

Who do you think you are?

2008-11-02T12:52:00.002-08:00

Dear Pandora,

Where do you get the nerve?

love,
Matt

Today Pandora described me this way "folk roots, repetitive melodic phrasing, extensive vamping, acoustic sonority, and minor key tonality." I just don't know what to think.

Ductless Heat Pump Installation

2008-10-29T14:01:00.003-07:00

Here is a great example of a ductless heat pump installation. These home owners were looking at a $28k bid to install a ducted system in their home. They had used ceiling heat up until now. This unit has been successful in offseting most of their heating load in their 2000 sf home. It looks as good as a heating system can look, and only cost them $5k.

The covered refrigerant lines run up the wall on the outside of the home, just behind the wall unit.

After they finish their remodel a unit will also be installed on the other side of their home. That unit will control two heads, one on each floor. Total installation costs will be around $11k. No duct loses, much lower cycling loses, and a great rebate :).

The Humble Conservation Rig

2008-10-24T11:31:00.002-07:00

Here is our humble conservation rig.

Fairly fuel efficient, classic white, with lots of room in the back for test equipment, CFL bulbs, high efficiency showerheads, and everything needed to crawl under homes in search of under-insulated spaces.

Light Bulb Side Note (then back to heating systems)

2008-10-22T12:47:00.007-07:00

Now when you are intending to make light with electricity, instead of heat, your efficiency number is going to shift. Standard incandescent light bulbs have been creating light for us since Thomas Edison (or before if you credit those that did not file a patent). These bulbs create light from electricity by heating a wire up just like your toaster does; only they hold a different type of metal that intends to focus on the visible light spectrum instead of infrared.

While techs have created better filaments for light bulbs that last longer, and are slightly more efficient, we are still operating around 10%. Meaning that of the total amount of electricity that enters the bulb only 10% of it becomes visible light. The other 90% is emitted as heat. I am sure this does not come as a surprise as it is very easy to burn your hand when trying to switch out an incandescent bulb that had been on for a while.

(As a side note, the visible light is going to bounce around the room being absorbed by the surfaces until it is gone. When absorbed, i.e. stopped, that light will create a small amount of heat. So, one could say that a light bulb is 100% efficient at creating heat, because at the end of the day every watt of electricity that enters the bulb eventually becomes heat.)

While the efficiency of incandescents may get slightly better over the next few years it is highly unlikely that they will get anywhere near the efficiency of a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). A CFL, just as a standard fluorescent, creates a ultraviolet light stream thru the center of the tube. I had the chance to see one a few weeks ago at a light show, and it looks exactly like a Star Wars light saber.

Generally speaking we do not see this portion of the light as it is hidden behind the white phosphor coating on the inside of the glass surface. As the ultraviolet light strikes the phosphors it excites them and they emit visible light. As a team these two create light 75% more efficiently than an incandescent, since less electricity is released as heat.

(Again, the light will bounce around the room until it becomes heat as well, but if you ever try to remove a CFL that has been on for a while you will find that they do not create nearly as much heat.)

And since the goal is to create visible light, these are a clear winner. Add to that that they have a lifespan 10x the lifespan of an incandescent and the fact that they cost more upfront is no longer an issue.

Giant Toaster in the Sky

2008-10-22T12:28:00.008-07:00

I am frequently asked: "Is my baseboard/cadet/ceiling heat efficient?" In short, Yes. They are all essentialy giant toasters with different bells and whistles.

Electric heat, by its nature is 'efficient'. For every 1 watt of electricity it pulls out of the socket it creates exactely 1 watt of heat. That makes these units 100% efficient. Every single one of them. It does not matter if the Amish made them in the sticks of North Carolina, or whether Paul Harvey tells you one particular brand makes him happy, or whatever new name/approach a fancy marketer made up to sell their product. Every single one of these units is 100% efficient. Yes, every one.

The 50%+ savings frequently marketed by some of these units requries that you turn off your main heating system and only use this unit in the room that you are currently in, while the rest of your home is not heated (check the fine print for these details). If you do that there certainly could be some savings, but by its nature that electric heating box is 100% efficient just like your electric furnace (I may talk about duct systems some time in the future, but for now lets just assume that they carry all the heat into your house).

This is the limit of physics people, you just cannot make heat from nothing, and since you are trying to make heat there are no loses. It does not matter if they call it "infared-heat", or "liquid-heat", or "your-kids-will-now-listen-to-you-be-happy-and-quiet-Heat". Electric heat is electric heat. You are likely to see the same 'savings' if you buy a $15 space heater at Walmart, or you could see even more savings if you bought an electric blanket and turned all your heat off.

I do realize that often what people mean to ask is which option is cheaper, and what is going to make me more comfortable. Those are much harder questions to answer.

Heat Pumps Are Where It Is At

2008-10-15T13:18:00.004-07:00

And ductless heat pumps are the coolest thing since before sliced bread.

All the efficiencies of a top shelf heat pump without all the duct loses and sky-high install prices. We are starting to market them as a retrofit option for homes with baseboard/ceiling heat. One of these units in the primary living area can serve most of the home with the most efficient heat available at 1/3 the cost of a ducted system.

Anyway way too much writing and not enough pictures:

See mrslim.com or Fujitsu for more information & pics.

Transpartisan Alliance

2008-10-14T12:30:00.002-07:00

Just joined these guys :LINK:.

I posted about Joseph McCormic back in October 2006 and am excited to see something else happening. I am still not convinced that it is in my families/my communities best interest that I dive into national politics, but I do want to keep my ear to the rails, if you will.

Tears of Joy

2008-10-13T16:23:00.003-07:00

When Brielle and I were married we were challenged to bring one another to "tears of joy" on a daily basis. While I don't not believe this is exactely what he had in mind I have been thinking about it lately. Maybe this one is a little more on spot:

Giant Pumkins! Ever Been?

2008-10-08T09:41:00.004-07:00

Fall is here. This was 1:30 PM in the afternoon. First day we have seen this season with a not-so-slight chill in the air.

That's right folks, giant pumpkins. The fellow in the black tee is Dave Hancock a co-worker of mine. That beautiful gord on the scale was grown in his backyard.

Note the forklift.

The winners at this Weigh-Off were the bohemouths to the left and right of the scale. One of these weighed in at over 1300 lbs. Word on the street is that the world record is currently: Joe Jutras from North Scituate, Rhode Island. He brought a 1689 pound pumpkin to the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, Ma. on September 29, 2007. If history holds true that will be beaten sometime this year.

A classic western showdown: goat style.

Brielle informed me that owning goats is now in our 5 year plan.

In the World of Fiber Optics

2008-10-08T08:06:00.004-07:00

So I learned this week that all the fiber optic traffic for the entire city goes thru the room two doors down from my office. A fiber optic signal travels at 90 some % of the speed of light in at least 60 different colors. That is either one amazing light show, or enough information to choke a librarian. For you techno geeks this means that if I had a computer fast enough to receive the information, I could download files at a few gigabits per second. Or in other words it would take less than a minute to download all 3 Lord of the Rings movies, extended versions.

This is merely an example: I do not condone pirating movies. Our national laws deems such actions as illegal, and rightfully so. Besides with sites like THIS what else do you need?

Some Thoughts, Political or Not

2008-09-08T19:57:00.005-07:00

I stumbled upon these words by Hans Rookmaaker today. They are in Modern Art And The Death Of A Culture volume 5 of his complete works (please stop clapping, I actually started at volume 5 so it just happens to sound more impressive than it actually is).

"I am very aware that the issues at stake are not just cultural and intellectual but also spiritual. What is involved is a whole way of thinking that leave out of account, and so largely negates, vital aspects of our humanity and our understanding of reality. Christians today must understand the spirit of the age. They must realize that the protesters and revolutionaries are often fighting against the same evils of society as they are themselves. But they must also see the inadequacy of all answers that do not tackle the root of the problem."

But it would be unfair to ignore the fact that this hardly even takes the edge off when the apparent "dissenters" do not cease to be so terribly insipid.

Can Reid guess who's speach is who's?

2008-09-05T08:02:00.006-07:00

This blogger put the 4 nomination speaches in Wordle and is giving you the chance to guess which is who's.

Wordle

Excellent Presentation:Good Info

2008-09-03T09:21:00.001-07:00

THIRST

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: design crisis)

This one's for all you aspiring visionairies:

2008-09-02T08:55:00.002-07:00

Visionary Leaders with Purposes Are Not Easy to Replace. How Many Can You Name out There?
by: Idris Mootee
Many think that visionaries are not the kind of leaders who can take advantage of any short-term opportunities and solely focus on the big vision. That may not be the case, for those smart visionaries, they can create short terms opportunities from long term vision. . .

These Are Not Your Parent's CFLs!

2008-08-20T13:31:00.007-07:00

Do not be fooled by my camera's automatic settings. The CFL example only looks darker because it was too bright and my camera toned it down. Take a close look at the Watt readings in the pictures to compare the difference in electricity between the single incandescent and four compact fluorescents.

And these are not your first generation CFLs:
1. They are instant on. (No more waiting 0.5-2 seconds.)
2. They are available in various color temperatures. (Note the difference between the two spiral options in the second picture. The one of the left is very close to the color of an incansecent.)
3. They do not flicker (actually they flicker 12,000+ times per second which is way too fast to be seen by even a humming bird. Which means no more headaches).
4. They still use 75% less electricity.
5. They still last 10 times longer than an incandescent.
6. They have less than half the mercury of the first generation CFLs.

If you are looking for these options and more be sure to choose an Energy Star rated product. They require the bulbs to prove their lamp life and reduce the mercury content, among other things.

Also if you have not read an earlier post about the mercury content in CFLs the short message is: because these bulbs use significantly less power (nation wide a large portion of this power is coal fired plants) less mercury is released into the environment than if an incandescent bulb was used (even is the worst case senario when the bulb ends up in a landfill instead of recycled). So as the Department of Energy says "Change a light. Change the world."

Another Reason To Go Electric

2008-08-15T16:27:00.001-07:00

NW Natural to request natural gas rate increase.

So They Printed My Letter-to-the-Editor . . .

2008-08-12T09:23:00.005-07:00

This is how they printed my letter. While I did change the format of the letter from the one I posted here, it will be very clear that they did some work of their own. Just don't read it too carefully or some of the sentences will not make any sense:

CFLs a good investment
Here is a more accurate perspective on CFLs, energy use and environmental conservation:
Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, requiring roughly 25 percent greater efficiency from light bulbs beginning in 2012. While some incandescent technology meets this standard, CFL lighting fits any standard light fixture and already exceeds the efficiency mark.
Unfortunately, misinformation about mercury content in CFLs has discouraged many people from using them. As conservation specialist for McMinnville Water & Light, I can tell you that using CFLs means less mercury released into the environment, not more.
A CFL bulb typically contains between 1.4 and 5 milligrams of mercury — not enough to cover the head of a pin. Said John Bachner, National Lighting Bureau, "Even in a small room, the impact on air quality (of a broken CFL) is well below danger levels established by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration."
Older thermometers typically contain 500 milligrams of mercury; mechanical thermostats typically contain 1,000 to 3,000 mg of mercury. The EPA estimates that Americans release 104 metric tons of mercury each year, mostly from coal-fired electrical power.
Since CFLs use 75 percent less electricity than an incandescent, replacing incandescents with CFLs means 75 percent less mercury released into the atmosphere. One CFL saves 4.5 mg of mercury from the atmosphere. The mercury vapor inside fluorescent light bulbs binds to the inside of the bulb, leaving an average of 0.4 mg of mercury free in the bulb. So, even when it goes to a landfill, there is 4.1 mg of mercury saved from the environment.
If mercury from CFLs is a dripping faucet, coal-fired power plants are a wide-open fire hydrant of mercury. Using CFLs saves hydro power here, which can be sold to offset coal power elsewhere.
Long life and low energy use make CFLs a good investment. For cleanup suggestions when a CFL bulb breaks, visit www.epa.gov/mercury.
Matt DeppeMcMinnville

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I guess the main ideas are still comunicated, they just happen to have taken out any resemblence of art or form or fun. Oh well.

Oregon and Solar Electric

2008-08-08T11:31:00.003-07:00

Great article in the Oregonian today regarding solar electricity and Oregonians. Check it out HERE.

Conservation 101:

2008-08-07T13:34:00.005-07:00

As a utility in a growing and thriving town we are faced with an ever increasingly pressing question: Where are we going to get more power? Whether it is from new homes and businesses moving in, or just the newest electronic gizmo getting plugged in, our city electric load is growing.

To date we have purchased all our power from Bonneville Power Administration. A large percentage of that power (about 80%) comes from large hydro. The good thing about this type of power is that it is very cheap. It was invested in a long time ago and many of them are still running very smoothly (granted that they have severely effected fish populations in many areas). The down side is that hydro power is finite. There is only so much water behind the dam, and not a drop more. So as our city grows we are forced to look at other options.

In our region solar electricity is not a viable option. An average home (1000 square feet w/ heat pump) owner would need to invest $100k in solar panels to offset their yearly electrical consumption. This would save them $630 dollars a year in electricity; providing a simple payback of 159 years. Even with robust tax incentives and local utility rebates it does not take an accountant to see that it does not pencil out on the money side.

Some utilities started to wonder if they might be able to convince people to use a little less electricity as a way of dealing with load growth. One way to bring down electrical demand is to raise the price. This has limited success and tends to hurt those with fixed incomes. And as the Carter administration proved (think ‘warm sweater and less heat’), as well as recent buzz about gas prices, people do not like to change their habits. So, what if we could get people to use less electricity and save money without asking them to sacrifice their comfort?

For example: if I could get my neighbor to insulate his 1,800 square foot home he might save as much as 12,000 kilowatt hours over the next year (estimated project cost of $7,000). That is equivalent to $80k worth of solar electricity and he would also save as much as 50% on his winter heating bills. From his standpoint it is a win-win. His bills go down, and he is likely to see a simple-payback in less than 5 years after the tax rebates and utility incentives.

As it turns out buying conservation (incenting people to be more efficient) is the cheapest resource a utility can find, by a factor of at least 10. In 2007 the Northwest funded enough conservation to power 146,000 homes or, to look at it another way, enough power to offset 50% of the load growth of that same year. By this evidence every power planning committee in the nation would be wise to pursue conservation as a portion of their portfolio. Many utilities also use this funding to help field high bill complaints as they can be great leads to inefficient homes.

Next Issue: So you think you hate CFLs?

Just when you thought. . .

2008-08-02T13:22:00.003-07:00

there were no breakthroughs in the portable toilet business (other than catchy names like "Honey Bucket" & "Paradise Lua") some genius comes up with this:

That's right folks. It is a double decker urinal trougher. Services 12 semi-modest men, or 16 true troopers at one time. Life just does not get any better than this.

Oregon Brew Festival

2008-07-28T19:51:00.002-07:00

Possilbly the Best Store Sign Ever

2008-07-28T19:47:00.006-07:00

Sometimes I wonder how the small mom & pop stores survive in a big box world. Other times I really really wonder.

A CFL Detour to Conservation 101

2008-07-23T16:28:00.003-07:00

Last week we passed out 19,500 CFL bulbs to our customers here in McMinnville, as a part of our conservation effort. Since then the local news paper has published two articles about CFLs with a strongly negative slant. Attached is my responce to the editor. I may also be using this to buy myself a little more time to finish the Energy 101 post:

http://www.newsregister.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=238072

http://www.newsregister.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=237176

Dear Editor,

CFLs are not a perfect light source.

As has been covered twice in the last week by your paper, they contain mercury. Mercury is an essential part of CFLs and a bulb typically contains between 1.4 and 5 milligrams.

In order to provide some context to this number: older thermometers typically contain 500 milligrams of mercury, and mechanical thermostats typically contain 1,000-3,000 mg of mercury (some of these were still available for purchase as late as December 2003).

The EPA estimates that the U.S. is responsible for the release of 104 metric tons of mercury each year. Most of these emissions come from coal-fired electrical power, and in a national energy market any hydro power we do not use in the NW can be sold to offset coal power elsewhere.

So when we say that CFLs use 75% less electricity than an incandescent, we are saying that 75% less mercury is released into the atmosphere when you use one instead of an incandescent; to the tune of 4.5 mg of mercury over the life of the CFL. Because the mercury vapor inside fluorescent light bulbs becomes bound to the inside of the light bulb as it is used, there is an average of 0.4 mg of mercury free in the bulb at the end of its life. This gives us a net total of 4.1 mg of mercury saved from the environment even in the worst case scenario where the bulb ends up in the landfill.

If all 290 million CFLs sold in 2007 were landfilled, they would add 0.1 percent to the U.S. mercury emission caused by humans. So harping on the mercury in CFLs is akin to complaining about a dripping sink when a fire hydrant is open in your front yard.

CFLs are a better environmental choice than incandescents.

Matt Deppe
B.A. Philosophy
McMinnville, OR

P.S. If a CFL falls in the forest and breaks, and no one is there to lick it, is anyone really hurt?

I ran out of room in the letter to discuss the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates incandescents to be 25% more efficient then they are now by 2012 or so(mentions nothing about anything being illegal), and also has a list of exceptions longer than my arm that covers all specialty bulbs etc. I also have yet to find a legitimate and verifiable source that states that a broken CFL pose a serious health concern to anyone assuming they are not going to eat it.

Pictures on FaceBook

2007-04-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

So I posted some pictures on my FaceBook page and thought you all might want to take a gander. Also feel free to add me as a friend if you are not already one of the luck winners.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=545300061

As a side note I will mail you one of my newly designed and freshly screen-printed recycled cloth napkins if you are the randomly chosen commenter to this post. To be selected, by Jackie, one week from today.

onward and (some random direction)

2007-04-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Term 3 is well upon me and the scramble has already begun. I am currently enrolled in the following classes: Fundamentals of Lighting, Energy Efficiency Methods, Air Conditioning System Analysis, and Physics 102 (heat transfer, magnetism, etc). So far the classes have succeeded in showing me how little I actually know and how many things I have been doing wrong. For instance: "bulbs" go in the ground and "lamps" go into fixtures making the entire thing a "luminaire" (so I am no longer allowed to talk about the compact florescent "bulb" I just put in my in-laws lamp).

I also now know what "Heating Degree Days" are, how to calculate them, and how to use them to determine how much heat you are losing out of the walls on your home over the course of a year. In case you are interested, that can then tell you if it would be worth blowing insulation into those walls.

On a similar note compact florescent bulbs will not save the world (neither will LEDs which put out less lumens per watt than florescent lamps), but if we all replaced one incandescent with one this country would save 5 billion dollars over the life of those bulbs.

Gotta go.

Cars are for losers

2007-03-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Looks as if the sun will be out today, but it has some serious fog cleanup to do before it starts feeling warm. This is a shot of part of LCC, where I go to school.

the great wall of '07

2007-03-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

the early stages. believe it or not digging those post holes was the easiest part.
especially with one of these. . .

Brielle's dad and I had all 16 of them dug in under 25 minutes.

Yes, apparently it does snow in Eugene from time to time.
we have planted some clover and slow growing grass seed on this side. We'll see how it does. It has the benefit of staying green through most of the summer with little to no water.
our pretty tree and part of our temporary path. we think large wood chips will work well in the near future.
Our fence in all its glory.

To balance off the snow pictures I'll just say that it is sunny and 77 degrees Fahrenheit today (25 degrees Celsius). Jackie has been walking the perimeter for nearly 3 hours, while I am in here typing a paper on Oregon senate bill 1149. Yeah, you guessed it, I'm the jealous one today.

the great give-away

2006-11-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

so we are moving and have some g-rate stuff. everything is for sale. . .

so you iowa childrens. i have a phone i used on midwest wireless. it is a NOKIA 6255i. Has a nice camera, plays radio and also mp3s. Don't know if they are still selling these but I got mine about a year ago.

http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/6255i

bidding starts at 1 bottle of hobgoblin...

http://leatherapronrevival.blogspot.com/

2006-11-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Dear blog readers,

The rumor is true. I am cheating on you.

Love,
Matt

Stunned Silent

2006-10-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend Bioneers. Which is a nation wide conference that stems from California. There are satelite conferences that gather all over the US and are fed the morning lecture through internet links, after which they break into there own workshops and such.

"Bioneers is a nonprofit organization that promotes practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring the Earth and communities. BIONEERS OFFERS PRAGMATIC SOLUTIONS THAT HONOR THE LIVING WEB of the natural world as the most fertile source of inspiration and models. Everyone and everything around you shares this web of life." (Source: Bioneers.org)

And yes, as some of you are guessing, there are a fair amount of "crazies" at these conferences. What you may not know is that these "crazies", while they may or may not be Christians and may or may not believe that George Bush is the worst thing that ever happened to our politics, they have a passion and concern for this earth unlike anything I have ever seen in Christian circles.

On Friday night I heard Mary Wood (Founding Director of the U of O Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program) explain how we can, and should, treat the environment like a financial Trust and how legally there is validity in using Trust laws when arguing conservation. It was very stilling and made me wonder if I was taking any responcibility for what is being done to the land that I live in.

Saturday was even better. Joseph McCormick is a nationally recognized player in the goal of getting our hyper polarized parties back to the same tables. He has a goal of the "people" organizing and drafting a document that 80%+ of the american people can agree on and then slamming it down on the desks of the politicians and making them listen. That is over simplified and dramatized, but he really effected me and I am still processing what I heard from him.

There is more but I think I'll stop there. In short, you should attend Bioneers if you ever get a chance. And if the closest city for you to attend is Eugene. I promise that Brielle and I will make some room for you in our Airstream. Pictures to come. No promised about Jackie though.

P.S. For those of you that asked "Yes, the picture from my last post was from a website that sells rubber snakes. Snakes that they stuggested could be used to practice religious snake handling. As depicted in the picture."

P.P.S. No one asked.

Come on preacher man, shoot me with your poison arrow. . .

2006-10-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

School update:

best overheard comment of the week: "ok, here is what you do: meet as many people in the class as you can, then figure out which ones are the smart ones. . ."

best new stat: LCC is the only school in the country that has an Energy Management program (there are approx. 6 that have Alt. Energy Technician programs)

best new fact: the earth is going to hell in a hand basket

So, I have survived two weeks of classes along with working whenever I can get the hours in. Last week that amounted to almost 25 hours. Not bad since I do say so myself.

I am currently enrolled in three classes: Into to Spreadsheets and Databases, Blueprint Reading, and Energy 101. Spreadsheets is exactly what you would expect with a little bit of personal agendas sprinkled on top (i.e. for some reason anything that appears unusual at first glance in Excel has something to do with Bill Gates and the price of tea in China).

Blueprint reading is taught by a very interest character that runs his own contracting/design business. He built and lives in an intentional community just north of town and runs a crew of five. This community has 10 houses on it that roughly face each other and share six acres of common land on the west end of the property. They have a few rules (i.e. no power lawn tools, no renters only owners, etc.) and were sold as they were built. Each house was constructed with as many natural materials as possible (so no vinyl or fiberglass shingles) and they all look very cool. I’ll try to get some pictures up here soon and explain a little more about it.

Energy 101 is about what I expected and a little more. We began by talking a little about how energy is produced today and who uses it. Then went on to talk about oil and how many people believe that we have reached “peak oil,” which means that human beings are currently taking oil out of the ground at the highest rate that will ever be possible. This spells trouble, assuming it is true, since our consumption (as well as foreign consumption) continues to increase. This can only mean that prices will begin to increase soon and never go back down. Yeah, don’t want to go into that now, but I imagine I will in the future. The amount of George Bush jokes is a little annoying. I wish we could talk a little more facts instead of assuming that everyone in the class despises him and “knows that the country would be better off without him”. I have written to the Oregon GOP to ask for more information about the energy plan and their disbelief in Global Warming, among other things, but have not heard anything back as of yet. I’ll keep you up to date.

Tallyhoe.

Ta-Da!!

2006-09-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

So here is the desk. Tell me you love it.

back to school, back to school, jiggedy jig

2006-09-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Didn't really see it coming but here it is: Monday I go

It is true.

Lane Community College runs an Energy Management class. It is one of only 5 programs in the country. It is a two-year applied science degree, and while a handful of credits from my Bach degree do count it is not a continuation of Philosophy of Psychology. But then again what could someone possibly do without those degrees anyway?

The program has two veins. One focuses on renewable energy installation: from solar heating, to solar electricity, to wind power and rain water collection systems. The other focuses on accesing the efficiency of a buildings energy use. Most common in older or retro-fit buildings, but increasingly popular with new construction (read: mechanical engineering firms). The program has placed 100% of their students within a month of graduation for the last 10 years or more, all within a reasonable salary range. To top it all off: I would be working in a field that takes energy use and its effects very seriously.

Brielle and I have looked at the cost and feel that it is within our means to afford the classes. Brielle also hopes to take some classes within a year or two. And for less than $70 a credit hour it makes me wonder what Dordt did with all the money I gave/promied to them.

P.S. pictures of the desk are still on their way.

Onsite OSHA Inspector

2006-07-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hello please. This is Samson.

Yes. that is in fact a 2"x4". I am glad you asked.

aint you had enough?

2006-07-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ah, yes the long awaited Boltz house.

It case it seems a little big to you. . . It should, since it is over 5,000 square feet. Which includes the guest house and garage.

There are many FDE's which means a lot more work for us for an extra corner or a slightly better look. But what can you do? The man is building his own house, I guess you get to have what you want to have.

The work is fun and good exercise to boot. More to come.

who is craig anyway? and why should i care about his list

2006-06-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

sometimes things are less annoying when you are tired and sore. other times things are more so. today was a more. then again if it wasn't that then it would be something else.

my life (including my wonderful wife) and work bring me joy these days. i heard that erin reilly is alive, but haven't mulled myself into doing something about it.

if you keep checking i will post pictures of the house we are working on. i even have them already. only they are on the computer downstairs, and i am upstairs.

let me know if there is anything i can do to make you laugh, encourage you, or spice up your life a little. i promise to do what i can.

love,
me

p.s. know anyone that wants to buy a 2005 honda civic?

Two and Yet not One

2006-06-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

So I got a new job. As of two weeks ago I am working with Clide Parker. He is the pastor of the Quaker church down the street who also happens to be a general conrtractor two + days a week (also the leader of the mexico trip). He recently took on a full house construction with his son and was looking for some help. After considering the fact that the pay is better, the hours more regular and all around more pleasant working environment I decided to take him up on it.

So far the house looks something like this (i will get some real pictures soon):

But setting those 1000lb trusses on Friday it felt a lot more like this:

So now, for those of you keeping track, please add these to the tools regularly used:

Framing Air Nail Gun: Shoots up to 3.5" nails into solid wood. So you know as well as I do that it would easily go through anywhere I might hit on myself, and while Chad put one into his calf a year ago I have done nothing of the sort. Essencial for those engineered walls where we need nails every 2" on the edges of the sheeting (dang engineers. what are they good for anyway?).

Skill Saw: a.k.a. wood cutter. Does a good clean job on osb and the like. While it is harder to keep straight than a table saw it is much more portable (side note this tool continues to scare me everytime i use it)

Hammer: yes it helps put in nails. Yes, this brand was formerly named the "Death Stick". Not sure why that name didn't stick. They say it is a collectors item. Note to self: learn to use the nail gun better so that you don't spend so much time with this tool pulling set nails back out.

Tape measure: yep, you measure stuff and unlike plumbers (who generally go to the 1/4") i had to learn to use the little little lines between the big numbers. Never actually knew what those things were for.

General notes to self:
get a lot stronger: that osb is not going to get any lighter and the nail gun gets heavier as the day goes on and I have to be able to keep up
catch onto the lingo: double header?? triple truss?? balooned walls?? sandwitched walls ?? blueprints?? Someday I hope to know what they are talking about.
sustainability: figure out how to make myself essential to the crew so that I still have a job after the house is finished.

Comments and advice will be taken as it comes and filed accordingly.

monday, monday, monday

2006-05-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found a picture of Shane in one of my dress shirt pockets. Since, I have missed Grinnell all over again. Oh Grinnell, you were such a delight. If any of you know about the theatre give a quick little update and let me know how things are looking over there.

transition into random fun facts to avoid blubbering and whining

favorite childhood toy: legos (specifically the castle set)

favorite toy my brother and i talked my parents into buying us: those worthless plastic claws that you could pick toys up with or pinch your siblings

favorite thing to do as a child: play baseball with my brother and neighbors in the empty lot next to our house

thing i miss the most today from my childhood: eating dinner with the whole family

fade away

2006-05-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am still trying to work out the logic of living with people. You know, commune style (a.k.a. the houston compound). It is not like this is the first time I have lived with other people, Dordt gave me my intro to that. It was at Dordt that we discovered the roommate elimination rule (i.e. if you ask Justin if he had left the remote in the refrigerator, and he didn't then if must have been Joel. So regardless of who did it you still only need to ask one person. This only works when three of you are living together.). And of course the study of the ratio of time spent with the water closet and the corresponding time that should be allowed to pass before you allow it to be used again. This ratio is, of course, exponential.

Brielle and I have spent all of today working on the house in preparation for our guests tomorrow evening. There is a high school choir singing at the church and a few of them are sleeping here. When I saw the announcement in the church bulletin it made me remember the cool host on Dordt choir tour as well as the not so cool hosts. I don't know where we will fall on that scale but I was banking that we would score in the fair to middling range and so figured we should go for it, for the sake of the children. I will do my best that you get word of how it goes.

In the sake of being fair I should mention that we are also working on putting together some raised garden beds in the back yard. We have made it quite far on only recycled materials and, to boot, it looks cool.

But back to the commune math. It often seems that there should be less work and clean-up when sharing a space, but never does it ever come out that way for me. It always adds up to more. I do love a clean kitchen/house and as such often find myself working to keep it that way. It is hard in a shared environment to not allow yourself to feel like everything you do around the house is a favor to the others. In reality it is just part of living.

So here I sit. Glaring at and silently judging the few dishes left on the counter. Focus Matt. Breath. I am the zen center of the universe. I am calm as a Hindu cow. I am Phillip Glass. I am metamorphosis one, two, three, and four, but not five.

A glisten in the sun

2006-04-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today I had a vivid memory of fishing with my dad. I pictured that moment when the fish you have hooked is right near the surface and you can see its scales glisten in the sun for an instant before it plunges back down refusing to surface. I remember seeing them swim sideways and even spiting out their stomaches to try and free themselves. I remember seeing them open and close their mouths as I stared at them face to face.

I don't remember ever wondering what such an experience might be like: being pulled out of where you have always existed. Normaly only leaving the water for an instant here or there because you see a tastey morsel just on the other side of the surface, but quickly returning. Then one day you are cruising around like normal, doing your thing, and you realize there is a line ever go gently (or not so gently) pulling you around. The panic doesn't set in right away. It sets in when you realize that this line is taking you out of the water where you might be held up next to someones face as you suck at the air to no avail. Where you cannot possilbly survive. Soon to die of suffocation and be left in the sun to rot.

Maybe the experience is nothing like this. Maybe it is all just a mindless responce to being pulled in a direction. I wonder if they do feel for their life as they feel a pierce through their lip and this all begins. I wonder if they would feel the same if the lake was polluted and on fire.

As I sit and wonder what it might be like I can't help but think that I feel like that about God from time to time. Even a little right now.

Power Tool Usage of the Week

2006-04-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Chipping Hammer (a.k.a. hand held jack hammer) (Note to self: learn to close mouth while using.)

Hole Hog (drill on steroids) (Note to self: remember that this drill can take your arm off if it hits a knot or nail or just feels like stoping while you are pushing it through a mounted 2*6, unless you are lucky enough to have a wall nearby in which case it will just smash the life out of your finger.

Sawzall (a.k.a. Reciprocating Saw) (Note to self: good for sawing through ABS pipe, drywall, 2*4s, stuck screws and nails, and pretty much anything else you can find on the job site. Is also useful for enlarging holes that were drilled too small or a little off center)

Power Drain Snake (Note to self: don't drink the standing bath water you find in the drain, try not to touch the black slime covering the tool as you retreve it, keep puke bucket handy because you never know what you are going to find down there, oh and never eat with your bare hands again, ever.)

Flashlight (note to self: not as convenient as a head lamp but sheds more light. Very important for those 50 foot craws under houses (to be read "over the river and through the insulation/dead mice/not so dead mice/dust") out here on the west coast. Also, revive the "Dont You Know What A Basement Is" campainge to educate the people out here)

Nothing all too scary this week but next week I will be working with a 45 year old Frenchman who grew up in England. Yes, he is cool. Yes, he says the 'F word' and 'bloody'. Yes, he loves his wife (a.k.a. 'babe'). Please feel free to direct any questions about plumbing or the Frenchman in my general direction and I will be answering those questions in good time.

P.S. Adam, I had expected you to show up at our front door by now. Am hoping that you are still alive.

Oh, to be young again

2006-03-22T23:35:00.000-08:00

Packed and ready to go. We leave in the morning.

I had a lie down chat with Jackie tonight (she doesn't pay much as good of attention if we are sitting up) trying to calm her down. She is convinced that she is old enough to be home alone and take care of herself. And while I tried to convice her that Ashley is mostly watching over the house, I had to break it to her that she still has some things to learn. Like: pooping in the corner even once in a while is not ok (don't tell her I told you about that, she will be upset with me if she finds out; thankfully her reading lessons are still very slow in coming), and that kleenexes are not for chewing and tearing into smaller and smaller pieces, especially used ones. After mentioning that, and abiding a few promises on her part that those things wont happen again if I left her alone, I finally conviced her that if I put out all of the wonderful food mom made for her most of it would surely spoil before we got back, and she would have to go hungry. So Ashley needs to be her at least to feed her, and while she's her they might as well hang out. I am glad that is settled. (thanks ashley).

I will see my wife in a few days. I will have to appologize for our phone conversation the other day. Brielle got some gloves from another person on the prep team that she was excited about. While she was exclaiming her love of these new gloves to me over the phone, I realized that they were the same kind I reccomended we pick up for her before she go. So instead of sharing in her new found joy I playfully scolded her for not believing me that they would be good to have and unintentionally killed the joy in her voice over the gloves. Oh, the many things to learn about being a husband.

I hope this trip doesn't kill my rekindled joy of blogging and reading blogs. Please pray for the team. I understand there are almost 100 people going. Pray that we love one another and show love to those around us in the village.

Talk to you when I get back.

When i was young, It seemed that life was so wonderful

2006-03-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Living the life of a plumber has been about what I expected. I have gained a decent amount of strength as well as many hours of experience on tools ranging from a sawsall to a jack hammer. I have stood to my ankles in raw sewage and balanced on the beams of a house frame. All in a days work I say, but you are more than likely to find me changing a water heater out or repairing a broken/clogged drain.

My love is gone these days. She has left with the prep team for the mexico trip we will all be leaving for Thursday morning. I would say my bed is cold at night without her, but I do have jackie who seems to know that she is allowed to sleep on the bed while Brielle is away.

I have strayed from the blogging world over the last few months. As I read the posts of my friends it makes me miss them. If you all, or maybe just some of you, are reading this from time to time I say hello to you.

I won't promise to fill you all in on the great stories that you missed not being here although I have partially composed a few of these mentally with the follow titles: "So were you in the shit? Yeah, I was in the shit", "Jackys 'Outdoor' Habits", and "First hand witness to an 80 year old woman all but being run over by her own car while we push it to the side of the road and literally dragging her by her trouser leg and shirt to kept her legs away from the tire since she refused to let go and roll."

Stop and listen to a good song tonight. If you need any suggestions just let me know. And if you are feeling sorry for yourself tonight stop and say a prayer for Adam, Laura and the rest of the world.

Now watch what you say or they´ll be calling you a radical a liberal, oh fanatical, criminal. Oh won´t you sign up your name we´d like to feel you´re acceptable, respectable, oh presentable, a vegetable!

a working man

2006-01-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

For the tenth weekday in a row I am up before 6:20 a.m. I realize that there are many of you out there that do and have done the same for year, but give me a break and allow me to relax for a second in this accomplishment. Also, part of me felt like you all were a myth until now, existing only in the minds of the fool hardy and gulible.

I must say that while getting up before the sun has some significant drawbacks it does allow 8 hours to be put in before 330, and this has allowed me a good amount of time to work on the house. The upstairs is almost finished and it really is beginning to feel like home.

My job allows me to work closely with Steven (Brielle's oldest brother) who is very gracous and has a good gift for teaching. I have not yet applied for an apprentiship but will explain that technicality at another time. Steven's boss, and in that way mine also, is Ralph. I like Ralph. He seems to be a good hearted guy who likes to joke around a little and who talks with great joy about his kids from time to time.

I have to yet to encounter any bleeding or angry customers but there is one small ancedote. There is a job site that we just finished the underfloor on yesterday. Right next to this restaurant/coin machine place is a house. An old man lives at this house. This man gets up between 9 and 1030 am walks outside his door, gets into his 1984 blue chevy, closes the door, and sits there. Just sits there. Our site faced his drivers door so we could see him fairly well. He never really watched us, in fact he never even looked our way. Occationally he gets out and walks around the yard a little, only to return back to the truck within 15 minutes. He would just sit there and sort of stare forward. His record is just over 3 hours without getting out. I asked Steven if he could imagine a life like that. He said he could, in fact he said that it was his life goal and dream.

Gotta go, gonna go and sit in my car in the driveway for a little while.

portland is very pleasant

2006-01-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

i am still awe struck and joyous about the wedding.

so many amazing things were done for us for the wedding that pondering it for only an instant is very humbling, and any longer prompts a tear.

brielle and i are spending this week in portland.

best quotes of the week:
"so i was in the marines for a while. . . that was a good time" -ian
"you made me blush" -seth
"so, yeah we missed the wine tasting" -matt
"no, i refuse to do that" -brielle referring to drinking our first toast with our arms entwined.

things that are missing since the move:
-quackbert
-the mp3 cd that galon gave to me (this may in fact be in grinnell still)
. . . to be continued

p.s. i find myself bordering on cliché these days and it may continue for sometime. i cannot say for sure how long. as a consolation i do have permission from a good friend adam (currently in Bangladesh) who may be the only person on the earth who hates clichés more that brielle and i.

i am not a witch!

2005-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, many many people told me that it rains in oregon and well. . . they were right.

top five panic moments of the last three weeks:

5. brielle realizing that during our first 3 minutes of driving in portland we managed to be flipped off twice
4. putting the 27 part faucet (for the amazing claw foot tub that steven bought for our bathroom) together for the 4th time to find that it leaks in 5 places; a.k.a. one more place than after the 3rd time i put it together
3. "yeah, you are not going to be able to have a reception at the church any more. sorry about that"
2. 20 miles to the next gas station and potentially enough gas for only 3 miles
1. the said gas station, when we miraculously made it, said "testical festival" in large letters on the sign, with a picture of a bull with his back legs crossed and a scared look on his face

top five celebratory moments of the last three weeks:
5. finding a group of people to play settlers of catan with within one day of being in eugene.
4. buying a table and chairs at pier 1 for 55% of the cost after some steven inspired bartering
3. playing multi-player halo for a while and realizing that i have not lost all of my charm
2. getting a phone call from a favored employee in grinnell to tell me that the theatre burned down during the first 3 minutes of my absence. "It was like the forth of july!!"
1. turning my new shower on after steven removed the flow restrictor and being thrown backward onto my rear.

more to come. there is much going on over here. i will try to get writing again.

the world is spinning

2005-12-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

I met with my theatre staff last night. We had the obligatory "I couldn't have done this with out you/things are going to change with the new manager" meeting. I say that tongue in cheek now but it is true. My staff made it fun to come into work. Last night was the first time I really felt how much I am going to miss this place and these people. I don’t know how much things are going to change with the new manager but I made some guesses and tried to prepare them a little. Adrian asked me how much time I think she will need to get the hang of things (her move in date has moved again as her apartment will not be available yet, and now we have a grand total of 2 days of overlap, before I am on my way to Oregon) and I was tempted to say “well, if you really want to be prepared to run the theatre where it is now I would recommend being here since last December,” but I didn’t. She will do fine and in good time I think she may even do well.

Tonight is the last volleyball game of the regular season. It should be a good match, but I do not expect to lose more than 1 game out of the 3. We have been really solid the second half of this season. I doubt I will ever find a group of people as fun as this to play volleyball with. I will seek out some prospects in Eugene none the less.

Party in Grinnell this week if you have not heard. Brielle (a.k.a. the love of my life), Sarah (a.k.a. my favorite sister), Katy, Ross, Reid, and a handful of others are coming to visit. If you are still trying to decided whether to come, the weekend is likely to include: darts, good food, a private showing of Chronicles of Narnia, some good beer, general chill time in my apartment (I promise to turn the heat on), and a free concert at Grinnell College on Saturday night featuring Hockey Night and Anueretical. I have not heard of either band but historically Grinnell College has an amazing track record of finding good bands early in their career.

7 more days till i move.
31 till i marry.
my life is already not the same.

aquired

2005-12-01T00:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Budweiser,

I am sorry that you make such a crappy beer.

love,
matt

P.S. I realize it is not your fault that so many people drink it.

*

2005-12-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

I just shoveled for the first time this season. I am glad that it waited this long. To tell you the truth it wasn't even that bad even though there was a good 3 inches of the white stuff and it is the middle of the night.

I just rechecked all of you blogs and there have been no new posts since I checked them 3 hours ago. I am not insinuating that you all are slackers, I just wanted you to know that I noticed.

normal

2005-11-29T15:21:00.001-08:00

I have lapsed back into video games this week. First it was the original Halo. I played through on "Legendary" as far as I could get. Then went out to rent Halo 2 but came home with Castlevania instead. I seem to remember a whip and cave bats from the original Castlevania for the 8-bit, but not much more than that. The new one has neither whips nor bats but is fairly entertaining.

I also rented "You, Me, and Everyone We Know". I am currently half way through. It feels like a very honest story. I like that, even if moments of it are slightly disturbing (maybe unsettling would be a more accurate description).

I am leaving Grinnell in 16 days.

I am getting married in 39.

Today I had pizza and milk for breakfast. My life will never be the same.

dreams are almost constant these days

2005-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

I have been seeing the future since I was eleven. It is not as scary as you might think. I first noticed it with my brother; he was nine at the time. Coming out of a bowling alley with him and my dad I saw him lose his footing on some gravel and could hear one of his ankle bones break, then he was sitting on a medical table with a cast up to his knee, and then playing soccer for the high school team six years later. Back at the bowling alley he yelled out “shotgun” and sprinted for the van, I chased after him catching up just as he slipped rounding the corner of the van. I could hear the bone snap.

Ever since that moment I have never been anxious of anything.

The first time I saw someone’s death before it happened it didn’t seem any different than knowing my dad was going to come in the front door, instead of the back, when he got home from work today. By this point I had realized that everything was exactly as it should be; that everything that happens was meant to happen.

I have seen hundreds of thousands of moments in people’s lives since I was eleven. Some of them were done in love, others in hate, but for the most part they were just done.

Three days ago I was waiting to cross Third St. where it intersects Main and I took note of the man next to me. I saw him crossing Third Street, kissing his wife as he entered his house, and eating dinner with his family. The food smelled wonderful. The light turned green and I stepped out to cross. I glanced right, but the man was gone.

Turning around I saw the man walking back the other direction. I still saw him, I saw his wife, and I saw him eating dinner, but now I saw him crossing Park Street, instead of Third, to get over to Summer. They had never changed before. In fourteen years they had never changed.

I have never been so scared in my entire life. I have not moved a muscle in my body since. It has been three days.

mother . . . this is a . . .

2005-11-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

Closing the theatre tonight I walked across the street laden with four plates of food, thanks to the Kesslers who work for me at the theatre (this surprise made what had turned out to be a very decent Thanksgiving into a good one). I was exhausted. Between Wednesday and today I had worked a total of 26 hours and was looking at another 16 the next day. Realizing I had left my car parked on the street, and wanting to avoid a parking ticket, I set the food down on the countertop, turned the heat up 10 degrees to 65, and left to move my car. Pulling up out back I locked my car and approached the back door patting my pockets for the keys. Hmmmm. Not in my pant or coat pockets. I know I had them because I used them to get in the front door with the food. . . . Nope, definitely left them in the house, must have set them down on the counter with the food.

Not even trying the back door I walked around the block (yes it is still under 20 degrees and very windy) based on the sole fact that I do not remember hearing the door click shut behind me (and with the blanket tucked under the door to stop drafts it does happen on occasion). Reaching the front door I grasp the handle and pull firmly. Nothing. I repeat this pull approximately 11 time rapidly, each time a little harder with a growing growl deep in my throat. After essentially pulling off the front door handle (I’ll have Fred take it out of my deposit), I trudged back around the block to the back door. What had been an insignificant chance that I had not locked the back door was now all I had. Only gave the back door two hard tugs as it moved even less. I pause to consider my options:

Calling Fred to open the door for me
Sleeping in my car
Sleeping in the theatre
Sleeping on a friends couch
Never sleeping or being warm again in my entire life

Considering the fact that it was currently 1:03 AM, approximately 20 degrees and dropping, and that the Kesslers were still cleaning the theatre and I didn’t feel like explaining to them that their now “demon” food had gotten me to lock my keys inside my now warm house, I skipped to option 4.

Having no luck at Evan and Cassandra’s apartment I proceeded to check the only open bar downtown to see if I could find Adam. I attracted a number of strange stares but considering the fact that I was still in my shirt and tie and fuming about the fact that my heat was to be enjoyed by no one that night, and that I would still have to pay for it, I can understand why. Not finding him there I headed back down the block toward my apartment.

At this point my mind lapses back into figuring out how to get into my apartment. This was the highest I had turned the heat all winter and after exhausting my other immediate options I wanted to get back in. With the front and back doors out of commission that only leaves the elevator and the elevator shaft. The elevator could only be reached by Jimbo, who owns and operates the bar in the basement of my building, and as he was closed for Thanksgiving and also did not have a phone that I knew of, that option was also out leaving me with the elevator shaft on the roof of my building.

I started by stacking two pallets up against the side of the building two down from mine. Using them as a ladder I was able to grab the edge of the roof and pull myself up. One floor down and one to go. The attached building between this one and mine was about 8 feet up at the lowest point. Jumping up I grabbed the roofline and attempted to pull myself up again, but to no avail. At this point I silently cursed the third plate of food that I filled for Thanksgiving dinner. I jumped up again and while I had even less strength to lift I noticed an electric box off to my right that gave my legs just enough leverage to lift myself up. The 5 foot difference between this building and my own was a piece of cake and I approached the elevator shaft.

I had been on the roof a number of times before but this would be different. The doors between my apartment and the elevator shaft are the kind that lift up as the elevator rises, three long wooden panels. Typically I would lift the top two panels and prop them up with a scrap piece of metal. With those two panels taken care of I would step on the bottom one making it easier to climb onto the ladder which was mounted to the elevator shaft wall. Without this bottom panel (approx. 20 inches high) it was nearly impossible to scale the ladder as the first ladder rung was level with my upper chest. So here I am at the top, with the elevator inconveniently yet predictably stored at the main level, and the doors to my upper floor heavily closed.

As I leaned over the black abyss I could feel the heat rising from my apartment and my second wind rushed in. With my flashlight between my teeth I grabbed the ladder and swung out over the shaft. Don’t worry Matt it is only a mere 30 feet to the bottom of the elevator shaft, high chance of severe injury but very low chance of death.

I climbed down to the last rung and looked over at the door. As it seemed I needed to be even lower to reach the top section of the door I bent down and wrapped my right arm around the second to last rung and slowly lowered my dangling legs toward the door. My left foot easily reached the top section of the door but was not long enough to reach the middle one. This was not a huge disappointment as I had already decided that I would not be strong enough to get both of the panels up. I settled on the top one and hooked my toe under the edge. I was able to lift it approximately 5 inches before it slipped off my toe but I was not fast enough to get my entire foot between it and the board below it. After two more tries I got my foot in, lift it with my ankle just far enough to get my calf in and repeat the process for my thigh and hip. Resting some of my weight on the elevator door, I used my left arm to push up the top board. Deciding that I had enough space I pushed off of the ladder with my right arm and tucked and rolled through the opening. Crashing to the floor the top panel dropped shut behind me to make a picture perfect Indiana Jones escape.

Of course at this point I am sweating and so I proceed to turn the heat back down to 55 and head to bed. But not before polishing off one of the four plates of food that the Kesslers sent me home with.

working thanksgiving

2005-11-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

For most the day it did not feel like Thanksgiving. It may have been the absence of family but I think it may have been a little more allusive than that. I came to work early and treated the crowds with papcorn and holiday movies. They were fairly large crowds. It was clear that many of them were from out of town. In part because of the surprise at the $4 matinee tickets (as opposed to $12) but more directly because I heard at least 3 foreign languages (some kind of Arabic, Russian, and even some French), I guess with the diverse faculty that they have at Grinnell College comes even more diverse relatives.

After the 4 o’clock shows began, I bundled up and trudged across town (trudged is a slight exaggeration as we did not have any snow, but it was 20 degrees and very windy so I feel like it is justified). Two blocks away lives a nice man Kamal and his family. Kamal runs the best restaurant in town called the Phoenix and used to be my neighbor. I happened to run into him a week back and he had invited me over for some food, telling me they would be at the restaurant at not at their home, and that I should be there.

Entering the restaurant there was no one in sight but it did smell wonderful. As I came through the door they came into view carrying a tray of wine glasses (one kind for white wines and one kind for red) and a tub of ice holding the white wines, deep in a hearty conversation. They paused just long enough to pull me into the house (the restaurant is in a converted house) with a warm “come in. come in.” I fielded a few questions about where Brielle was and what my family what up to this Thanksgiving (it was ever so nice to have someone other than myself miss the presence of my fiancé) before they disappeared back into the kitchen. Just then a random uncle appeared and sat at the piano playing random tunes (he reminded me of a skinny Tom Waits who had never smoked). As I wandered in circles through the empty dining area I realized that this was not the intimate family affair that I had imagined. I counted 42 place settings.

I wandered into the kitchen in time to see Kamal and his brother cutting the turkey., well three turkeys to be specific, and setting out huge containers of beats, mashed potatoes, stuffing, steamed vegetables, and some kind of confetti colored cranberry dish. Snapping out of my food induced trance I noticed a small stream of people flowing through the front door carrying countless pies and whipped topping in a metal mixing bowl.

With conversation swilling all around me I began to feel out of place. It was nice to see their family interacting but this was not my family and these were not my conversations. Two aunts near my right were exchanging stories about their children and their respective grade schools both talking as though their children were not silently standing half behind each leg, I listened intently and not seeing a comfortable moment to join the conversation (for although I was wearing a shirt and tie at the time, I have cleaned up my share of baby vomit and dirty diapers) I turned around for my tenth trip around the empty dining area. For a moment I conceded that this was the most it would feel like Thanksgiving today and headed for my coat. It was the food that stopped me just short of the front door. Since this was technically my dinner break I decided that I should at least stay long enough to get a bite to eat.

Trying not to trip over the small children running around I filled my plate to the edges and sat down at the first big table. It only took about two minutes for me to realize that I had inadvertently picked the kids table. I racked my brain for good starter questions but only came up with the usual “Where are you from? How long are you staying? So you are all cousins or what?” Yeah, terrible I know. After the third awkward silence I began plotting my escape. For some reason I was sure they were having more fun at the table full of the crazy aunts or the one where the piano playing uncle had just sat down after finishing a rough but pleasant version of piano man. With most of my food left and a full glass of wine I was nowhere near a natural reason. As I put the final mental touches on my excuse to switch tables (which happened to include aliens and a tragic simultaneous third and four world wars if I were to stay at this table) I was unexpectedly saved from the awkwardness. At exactly the same moment, as if they silently agreed they had been hard enough on me, a conversation broke out on both sides of me one about the game of Risk going on upstairs and the other about the new Harry Potter movie. Feeling at home in the two conversations I participated equally in both and before long was laughing and debating musical tastes and general world domination with a huge smile on my face.

After going back for thirds and eating my share of the pies I headed back to the theatre, having already stayed a little longer than I should have. Carrying a box full of extra food for my employees back through the cold I smiled, although I was missing my family and my love, it was the kids and the laughing that really made it feel like Thanksgiving, and the food, which was amazing, quickly became a sideline bonus.

macho sucks

2005-11-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

Alright Jack I got another one (i.e. three) for you.

Last night we opened Saw II, a second in the Saw series (although for those of you that are interested, it was written by a graduate of Grinnell College that had never seen Saw. Someone bought his story, adapted it to fit the Saw story line and shazaam instant sequel. One other bit of Saw trivia for ya: the actor who plays the kidnapper in the first Saw is from Grinnell and I met his parents the other night. Apparently he also has a role in Zorro and they came out to see it). For those of you that don’t already know I dread playing “R” rated movies because most of my night is spent listening to 27 identical stories about how they accidentally dropped their id into the Grand Canyon last week and although an amazing updraft almost brought it back into their reach a pterodactyl swooped down and ate it thinking that it was a prehistoric moth. Tragic. Actually if I ever heard a decent variation of “Oh I don’t have it with me” I just might let them in based on creativity alone.

The four o’clock shows went without a hitch. We sold about 5 tickets to the movie. In fact the gap between the two shows went fairly smoothly as well, except for the story of near death which we will cover soon. So now we are sitting just before the 7 o’clock movie starts. I have heard about 9 variations of “I didn’t bring my id” and about 6 pleas about why they should be allowed an exception to the rule. I have a line of about 20 people mostly families and kids for Chicken Little and Dreamer, but a few scattered teens clearly here for Saw II. A guy walks up to the counter with two young girls, one on either side of him. I am guessing him to be around 24 and the girls to be between 15 and 17. He asks for 3 tickets and I ask for their ids. Neither one of the girls has their id but he assures me that they are both 17. I press him on it telling him that I have to see the ids or no tickets. Then he comes out with a story about how the girl on his right is his sister and he is her legal guardian and therefore she doesn’t need her id. He tells me that their parents died while back and the courts appointed him her legal guardian. While unlikely, I tell him ok but still insist on seeing the other girl’s id. She breaks into a story, but before she gets too far he holds up his hand to silence her, gives me a smug look, and says “she’s ok I’ll vouch for her.” At this point I am growing tired of them and the people behind them in line are craning their necks to see what is going on. When he realizes that that excuse still doesn’t fly, just like it didn’t when he used it 2 minutes before that, he slips his hand into his pocket and slides a bright and shiny

across the counter. Sporting an even smugger face he cocks his head a little and assures me that that would be mine if I just helped him out this once. I decided that that was enough and told him firmly that they were to leave. At this point he leans slightly over the counter and asks “who are you talking to!?” I respond, possibly a little too quickly, “I am talking to you.” In an instant his face changes and I am suddenly sure that I am going to get hit in the face. Poor Joey and Susie, in line behind him, just came for their Chicken Little tickets and they are going to be scared for life. And while I know that Joey and Adam have my back they wont be able to get here quick enough to stop the first and fatal blow. Thankfully, instead of pulling a John Cossack from High Fidelity, he simply turns and leaves with his underage floosies in tow. They stew just outside the front door for a while, throwing me dirty looks, but end up leaving without giving me any more trouble.

bowling for q tips

2005-11-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

Now cut to the beginning of the 9 o’clock shows, chalk up 10 more ‘forgotten’ ids and 2 more requests for personal favors that would allow them to get into the movie underage. I catch some movement out of the corner of my eye and turn my head just in time to catch two kids disappearing into Saw II, the same two kids that I had just refused tickets to because the guy’s girlfriend was only 16. My concession guy attempted some half hearted “Can I. . . need to. . . ticket” but they were unaffected. So I jog across the lobby hoping to catch them before they sit down (with the movie already running I was not looking forward to a game of “who’s who” in the dark). As I am almost to the door a little girl comes sprinting around the corner right into my path. With my cat like reflexes I dodge to the left just missing her, but while dodging I managed to bump an adult coming out of Dreamer. Having already used up my reflexes to avoid the first collision I turned to catch myself as I fell. While falling I turned just enough to watch a sixty year old woman

stumble and fall over backwards; the woman that I had bumped while trying to avoid the little girl. I jumped up and helped her back to her feet, feeling much more like a shmuck than I ever have in my life. She was fine. I apologized and mumbled something about trying to keep the younger kids out of Saw II. She apologized for “getting in my way.” I assured her that she had done nothing of the sort and that it was completely my fault. Meanwhile the two underage kids peaked back out and, seeing that they were caught, proceeded to stand there and smirk. Her husband walked her out and, while he looked really pissed, didn’t say a word to me (her husband happens to be one of the primary investors in the theatre). I then gave a weak attempt at kicking the two kids out of the theatre but instead sent them back into Chicken Little.

Before last night I would be hard pressed to recount any embarrassing moment, but not so much anymore.

clots anyone?

2005-11-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

And the one that takes the cake (warning not for the faint of heart; seriously). Shortly after the 4 o’clock shows started (before both of the previous anecdotes) two girls came in to buy tickets for the 7 o’clock Saw II. They give me the usual banter, pretending to be offended that I don’t think they look old enough. According to their ids they are both 17 so I sell them their tickets and they leave. Thirty seconds later they come back in the door with one girl holding her hand to her face trying to stop her nose from bleeding. I hand her friend some paper towels and direct them toward the bathrooms. As they walk by I hear the girl mumbling something like “Holli I am scared… Holly I’m scared...” The friend turns to me and says she needs the phone to call an ambulance. While I silently scoff at the idea of calling an ambulance for a bloody nose, I tell her that I will call them and she should go with her friend.

The operator informs me that once they get here it will be up to her whether or not to go with them, so I comply with her request and ask that one be sent over. So, the two girls are in the bathroom along with one of my employees and I am lingering in the lobby waiting for the paramedics to show up. At this point I am feeling rather calm. You know “all in a days work.” I turn around to see my employee coming out of the bathroom. She tells me that apparently this girl had just had some kind of surgery and is not sure what is going on. While I silently wondered what kind of cosmetic surgery seventeen year old girls are having these days, I notice Holli coming out of the bathroom and walk up to the concession trash like she is preparing to vomit. My gut tells me that this is a very bad sign and that I need to see what is going on in there.

I enter the girl’s bathroom following the trail of blood across the tile, and see the last thing I would have ever imagined I’d see. She is leaning over the bathroom sink with blood covering her hands and most of the area around her mouth. Her hands are gripping the edge of the counter top and her whole body is trembling with sheer panic. The white sink and countertop are covered with blood, with splatters also on the wall and mirror. On top of that there is still a small stream coming out of her mouth.

While blood has never bothered me in the past, my gut tightened and a sharp spike appeared in my stomach. I had never seen this much blood before and I was pretty sure this had nothing to do with a bloody nose. As I got closer to her I realized that what I thought had been her tongue was actually a blood clot hanging from her mouth. In fact, the bottom of the sink was covered in them. I put my hand on her shoulder and told her to look at me. She turned her head ever so slightly and moved her eyes in my direction. Small streaks of tears ran down both sides of her face and while her eyes did not focus on me I knew that she was listening. I had no idea what I was going to say but I started talking. I told her that help was on the way and tried to assure her that while it looked gross, and probably felt even more so, that the clumps were a normal part of her body trying to stop the bleeding. I admitted that I didn’t know why she was bleeding but that is why we were getting help. As I was talking a chill went over my whole body and I suddenly felt terrible for her. I know it sounds ridiculous but next thing I knew I was telling her that I was sorry that this was happening to her. I am not sure how much she heard, or how much she will remember, but she did stop whimpering and her arms were not shaking nearly as much.

At that point I heard the sirens and came out of the bathroom to direct them in. The first one to arrive was a police officer with the paramedics right behind him. I waited just outside the bathroom as they asked her questions and brought the stretcher in. It turns out that she had had her tonsils out the week before and not some kind of cosmetic surgery. They wheeled her out as she held a plastic bag to her mouth with a trickling of blood running down the inside of the bag. I broke out some gloves and paper towels and started the clean up. It didn’t take too long.

A few hours later Holli came back in to thank us for our help and to tell us that the girl was going to be fine. Reportedly the girl had coughed or sneezed really hard and had managed to pop the stitches on both sides of her throat from her recent tonsillectomy. They scheduled her for an ‘emergency’ surgery that night and got her all fixed up.

Well, all in a days work I guess. But many more days like that and I am going to need a significant pay raise.

Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer

2005-11-04T00:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight I saw the best live show I have ever seen. Bela Fleck is an amazing Banjo player and Edgar Meyer played the upright bass and piano. The music was incredible. To see it happen live . . . well it just was.

Meyer plucked and bowed as quickly on his bass as I have only seen a violin or viola played. In fact at times it sounded like a violin.

Near the end of ths show Fleck pulled out a very impressive steel guitar. Not the best track of the night but unique as all the rest.

I guess I can't really say enough about it and at the same time feel like I am saying nothing. All I know is that I felt it. It made me happy, I was focused and then drifting, at times I had tears in my eyes. After each song a nearly deafening roar would start up behind me. The College chapel was packed to the edges and I sat on the floor dead center in the very front. I wish you all could have been there with me.

Thats Mr. Bouncer Matt to You

2005-10-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

Last night I helped out a friend by checking ids at the door of his bar. Little did I know all the crazies would be out, with it being so close to halloween. Night went smoothly though. No one game me much trouble and there wasn't anyone underage that was trying to get in. Highlight of the night came early on. Had only been there about an hour when the door flew open (being in the basement there are a number of stairs that come straight down from the door to me) I looked up just in time to see, and get out of the way of, two flying raccoons coming down the stairs. Yeah, I know, I didn't think they could fly either I thought it was just those floating squirrels that could do that. Well I don't think that they had done much of it either cause they botched the landing and died upon impact. So here I am, my first and only night on the job, and now I have two dead racoons at my feet. I lectured them for a few minutes about the effect of alcohol and how it can be liquid courage for some and cause problems. When I sensed that they weren't really listening I kindly showed them out the back door.

/

things of the day

2005-10-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

worst moment of the day: waking up at 11am realizing i over slept 2 hours

best moment of the day: catching Brielle just before she was off to work

best food of the day: chinese kung pow beef at chung garden (5.25 for plate, egg roll, and hot&sour soup).

today's comforting fortune: you are the master of every situation

today’s confusing fortune: you are the master of every situation

today’s ominous fortune: you are the master of every situation

guilty pleasure of the day: tegan and sara

procrastination of the day: with the sun shining and fairly warm, i am happy to say that it is turning on my heat (i have aspirations to wait until i can see my breath)

hope of the day: that my insurance writes me a check for the stuff that got stolen

website of the day: thinkwonder.com

i had 1 job!

2005-10-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Came back from volleyball deciding that it was time to make a decent meal. Buttered some bread, on the outside, spread some Grey Poupon and mayo on the inside, thin coating of sharp cheddar on each side, layed out the thinly sliced ham on top the cheese, added some freshly cut green peppers and onions, and layed it on the prepared pan to warm and melt the chesse. And I sit down now with it sizzling on my plate. Bread a fine golden color and cheese oozing a little from the sides. Wonderful. (From this angle you would have no idea that the bottom is burnt beyond recognition).

The heat is still off and it actually warmed a little with the needle just under 65 (if you dont know what I am talking about then you missed some comments on others blogs. go ahead and catch up i'll wait for you. sheeeeeeesh, some people have no concept of community. oh! your back. good job). I did struggle with turning it on today. Lastnight I slept in my clothes (an old habit that started while I was the CA of east campus at Dordt), so convenient and considerably warmer, and also wore a simple tan winter cap. Jack would recognize it if he was given the chance. I seemed to have a memory of it being stretched over his blossoming dreads back in the day.

Thats all i got for now. Back to Legends of Zelda (I realized the other day that I never really beat it as a child and so I downloaded an emulator and am working my way through it. Strange at times, I seem to know where things are fairly well yet, but am getting stuck often enough that it is turning out to be a good challenge.)

yeah. . . so

2005-10-23T00:17:00.000-07:00

Ate some food just now so that I will be able to play volleyball tomorrow. It tasted really good and although I did not overeat I feel a little sick. With it being over I think I am still the same. Not sure what I expected.

Last night someone almost fell down my elevator shaft. Would have hurt. Might have died. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to panic. Just helped lift him back up.

Black Heart Procession creeps me out alittle but I keep listening.

A Change of Mind and Soul

2005-10-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

I have just committed myself to a time of fasting. Actually it was earlier today but by posting it I hope to feel more accountable to myself. Promises to myself seem the least important to keep no matter the context in which they were made.

In preparation I am reading through the appropriate chapter in Celebration of Discipline.

My goals for this period include:
- calming and stilling my body
- recognizing the role food normally plays in my life
- treating everyone with the same patients and respect that I do when I am satisfied and not in want
- recognizing that the peace needed to do as such comes from God and not me
- bringing my sinful self before God each time my body complains

I realize it is encouraged to keep these sort of things private, but I know that I will not follow through with it unless I have some others to keep me accountable.

May God keep me humble as I struggle to make this an experience and not an accomplishment.

The Peasants Rejoice

2005-10-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today they opened the street in front of my house.

While they have some more brick work to do (i.e. sawing at all hours of the morning), the end really is in sight. I will admit that it looks great. Although, with the theatre being down around %40, my employees have been hurting for hours, and me fighting boredom I am not certain it has been worth it. Originally they said that it would take 6 weeks, maybe 8, and with this clocking in at just over 14 it is hard to not be a little bitter or at least sore about it.

I enjoyed myself very much in Sioux Center this past weekend. I hope to make it there again soon.

Just over two months before I get to get a puppy or three. I hope they look much like these

Oh yeah. I am also getting married around the same time and you should come (visit the puppies).

3 - 0

2005-10-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

Won our third set of games tonight. So far so good. The games weren't terribly intense but still very fun. Next week we face the team that took first last year. Luck for us they lost their German pro volleyball player, who played with them last year, as he has left the country. If my memory serves me correctly he looked a little like this:

Yeah that looks about right only he was bald and a little taller. No matter how hard I tried I was unable to keep my eyes open as I went to block him.

As a side note I finished stripping the stain and varnish off of the oak desk my dad game me. It is all quarter-sawn giving the grain a unique look. Tomorrow night I can begin putting the 56 needed coats of stain and vanish on it. With a 2 day drying time I should be done sometime late 2007.

Tegan and Sara

2005-10-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Guess who I saw in concert Saturday night?

Good guess. How did you know?

Oh, right. The title.

They did a very fine job and sounded great. I strongly tend toward their more mello songs.

Highlight of the show: Sara and Tegan arguing on stage about some sister kind of thing.

Worst part of the show: the opening band. They were 3 caucasion female rappers. That seemed to be whinning/schreeeching and have sporatic epileptic fits that only effected their arms from their elbow to their wrists.

I would like to take this moment to thank Ashley and Brielle for mentioning this band in the past else I would have overlooked the listing in the college paper, and missed this free concert (everything is free at Grinnell. They have billions of dollars. Really.).

And, yes, I did get you something Ashley.

Oregons best. And also not bad.

2005-10-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

The things that get you down

2005-10-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

Selling lots of tickets to Wallace and Gromit tonight, and that is exciting, despite the fact that we have no sidewalk and the forms are up, so getting through the front doors of the theatre feels a little like a obstacle course/lawsuit waiting to happen.

I can't shake this sunk feeling I have in my gut right now. A guy and girl in their late 20's came up to the counter with three kids (siblings to one of the couple I believe) tonight to buy tickets to Wallace and Gromit. The guy asked for 3 kids and 2 adults. After scanning the kids faces I pointed out that our child rate was for children 12 and under. The guy looked me in the eye, tipped his head a little to the side, and said "yeah" as he nodded his head affirmatively and widened his eyes a little. I paused for a second and turned to ring in the tickets when the boy (around 11) piped up with “no, Taylor is not. . .” until the guy cut him off with a very sharp “Thank-You Jason.” I proceeded to ring in 3 adult and 2 child tickets as the woman turned and said “Jason when you start paying for things you will realize that things are different.” As I gave him the tickets I turned to the boy and told him that honesty is still the best way to go. She again chirped in with “No, it really isn’t.” After a slight pause, during which I looked at the woman and then back at the kid, I said “I disagree. But regardless the movie is good.”

Reliving the moment I don’t feel quite as bad anymore. I guess I did what I could and hopefully rekindled whatever morality and child still has left. But still moments like that, when that woman looked right at this little kid and said “no it really isn’t” make the bottom of my stomach drop and a little acid rise in the back of my throat. And the worst part, seem to kill any hope or fun I have floating in my heart at the time.

Till Forever

2005-10-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

What is it that is so tempting about drawing your name in wet concrete? They poured the sidewalk in front of my house today and with it being so cold it is taking forever to cure. So right now there is a guy sitting out in his van guarding it till morning. I snuck out my front door and peaked out. He didn’t see me but as I knelt over it its smoothness and color defied my desire to mar it and I came back in.

I had a conversation with Nate last night. He is the guy that was invited to hang out with us the night my stuff got stolen; the ‘friend’ of the guy who walked off with some of my things. I asked him if he had had any luck getting my stuff back and he said no, that this guy hasn’t even returned his calls and is a bit of a vagrant. As he was telling me this I realized that he was wearing one of my missing earrings (while Brielle and Sarah were here I realized that all my piercing jewelry is also missing). He swore that he had bought the rings two weeks ago at Hot Topic. I told him I didn’t believe him and I still don’t. This is the same guy that said he was soooo sorry that this friend had done this thing and that he would make it right again. After all, he is a firm believer in karma and doesn’t what this kind of thing coming back to him. Whether or not karma is real I told him if I don’t hear from him by Saturday, that I am filing a police report, like normal people do when this sort of thing happens, and that I am sick of him assuring me that things will be fine and that he “would rather deal with this guy himself.”

Just started season 3 of Six Feet Under. Am fairly disappointed. As much as I hated what she was doing to herself and Nate, I think Brenda may have been my favorite. And so far she is nowhere to be found. Maybe they will get things rolling again. Until then I guess it is back to some good old fashion reading and internet chess.

A History Of Violence

2005-09-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

So I watched A History of Violence yesterday. Took a short drive to Marshalltown and got in for free since it is also a Fridley Theatre. And to tell you the truth I really liked it. And if you have read Laura's blog you will know that she is going to be rather upset with me right now. That is, until she reads that I am just kidding and actually have not seen it and do not plan to see it on her advice. Besides I didn't have any time tonight to watch a movie I had a volleyball game to play.

I have been playing regularly on Sunday afternoons over at Grinnell college with the best group I have ever played with. I don't mean that they are the most talented, although they do especially well alongside there varying ages of 21-65, I mean that they are so very much fun to play with. The regulars include 2 geology profs, the physics lab tech, a high school science teacher, a long route truck driver (complete with sweet long white beard and long white curly hair), and many other college students and college employees. The skill levels are all fairly high and make for great games. Through Sundays I got hooked up with a league team. I played last spring season finishing second and hope to one up that this year. We have a great team, everyone plays well together, and seems to have a great time.

Tonight we won all three games. Part of me wishes the opposing team had one the last one but what can you do. The other team happens to be captained by a fella who left our team after last season. Himself and other currently on our team did not get along so well so I guess it is for the best. With that in mind I was really hoping to play well and we did. To top it off we also won. The end.

I now return myself to the regularly schedualed episode(s) of Six Feet Under (most of the way through season two now, and one can only take so many loses at the chess table before storing his king for the night).

Thought It Was A Nightmare

2005-09-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

So right now one of these is going by my apartment. "No big deal" one might think. I would have thought the same last week if you told me they would be bringing in these guys. But little did I know that they had 256 of these guys inside the thing:

With these little guys working overtime inside that drum I can feel the thing coming around the corner. First it is just a little vibration in the floor but crescendos to nighmare levels when he (i.e. they) are right in front of my building. In fact my skins begins to itch in my legs things are shaking so much and for so long. I hope that is the last of them. I don't think I can wake up a third day in a row like this and not start cursing out of the window at them.

No Solid Food for 4 Hours

2005-09-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Finished the second of 2 dentist appointments for my "reconstruction". Went super smooth and since my nap, which ended 2 minutes ago, my face is back to normal. That should be it for the foreseeable future. Another cleaning in 6 months or so but with regular brushing, which I do, and my new habit of flossing, every other day or so, my teeth should be in great shape for some time.

Hit 2 media landmarks last night. I finished book 6 of the Harry Potter series and watched the final episode of Six Feet Under season 1. I believe that I like Harry better but Six Feet Under is very intense and provides some great thoughts/experiences regarding death. So now I join the ranks of fifth graders waiting for book 7 (do you think now is too early to get in line at B&N?). Thanks to someone else’s blog comment (names will be withheld to protect the guilty) the closing of book 6 was not much of a surprise but still good.

Last night as I watched David pray in desperation something like "Lord please help me; Please fill this emptiness with your love" I realized that they are presenting some truth. I don't mean about faith in God, but about our collective struggle to find love and fill our emptiness. I am not stating that I believe the shows writers are Christians and that is why I am intrigued. But simply that I appreciate their presentation of some people’s stories and the human condition. The fact that these stories keep facing the death of others (they run a mortuary) adds a factor that I know almost nothing about. And besides they do a good job with the music.

Day Off

2005-09-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

My ears are ringing a little right now. Been blasting music for the last hour. But feel much better.

Today was my first of two dentist appointments. As I am under Fridleys dental insurance thought it would be keen to take advantage of it. They did a little "reconstructive" work (i.e. filled a cavity). Must say that it went very well. No pain and very little discomfort, most of which is right now where the injections were. The secretary ladies called me yesterday to confirm my appointment. Being as I was still in bed at 8:30 am when they called I ignored the call. Did the same thing when they called again at 11:15 asI was still in bed, they left another message. Got a call during my shower at 1:30 and again right as I was walking into work at 3:30. Both times it was them and I was mosly occupied so I left it ring, no messages these times. When they called at 5:30, I imagine on their way out the door, I left it ring on principal.

I did answer it today though. They called at 11:01 (my appointment was at 11) as I was turning the corner of their block. I assured them that I was on my way and could see the front door. Despite the borderline harassment it was the smoothest visit I have ever had. The doc did great work and kept me abreast as to what he was up to in there. My teeth look exactely the same to me but without soreness as I floss between those two teeth. Will be in next week for the same thing right above that spot. Am thinking that I will call them two nights before and leave a message around 3 am or so 'to confirm my appointment'. I wonder if they will see the irony and laugh, or just think that I hate them?

Won and lost some great games of chess today. Would be happy to post them if anyone is familiar with chess notation.

Not sure why I needed the music overdose. Had a lingering sence of ennui as the day went on and it seemed to peak as I read through my friends blogs (welcome to the blogging world ian). I miss you cats. You know who you are. Played of lot of my classics. Maybe you'll see a playlist in the near future.

Another Night On The Town

2005-09-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

Been at the Down Under Pub every night this week, Amber Bock pints all around. Tonight was probably my favorite so far though. Bruce and I won 6 pool games in a row (picture a 6' 2" Hagred from Harry Potter and you won't be too far off) and I had a great chat with Bobby from Bulgaria (the true home of feta cheese so they say). This guy Bobby has a great mastery of the English language but has these pauses in his speech that reminds me of a small child learning to talk.

I almost hate to burden you readers with this, but I really miss my love. With school starting we have cut back on show times at the theatre and that combined with Brielle being back at school, I don't seem to know what to do with myself. I find myself just sitting and thinking about times past: from Brielle's first night in Grinnell to the time Ethan and I walked across campus to visit Laura completely covered in bubble wrap from head to toe. Ani Difranco says that "Art is why I get up in the morning." I think the love of friends (or the memory there of) gets me up.

I tracked down one of the fellas that was at my house the night of the "robbery." It turns out that we (Adam Brenaman and I) had invited him up, but that his "friend" was the one that walked off with my items. He apologized up and down many times as we talked and professed his adherence to karma (karma is real) and how he felt terrible that he had brought this into my house. He offered to replace the items and buy me a shot/beer every time we see each other for the foreseeable future, but I said that my stuff back would be more than enough. Time will tell what really happens.

Watched 40 Yr Old Virgin and Red Eye as I ate my Chinese on Friday. Laughed real good at 40 Yr Old and spilled my burning hot soup on myself during Red Eye (have a red mark on my forearm as I write this).

Yeah I got nothing really. Just some random news.

Love you all.

Peace.

Give it a Try

2005-08-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

Music I Tried This Week

clap your hands say yeah (thanks to Justin from eugene)
kanye west (no thanks to pitchfork media)
bloc party (thanks to pitchfork media)
shame train (thanks to local music)
handsome boy modeling school (thanks to ashley from long ago)

Beer I Tried This Week

harp lager (also not bad)
hefe Weizen (not bad)
red hook amber ale (thanks to my parents)
orange blossom cream ale (thanks to brielle leaving a couple when she left)
pyramid curve ball (thank to a sale at mc nallys)

Things I Have Tried In Vain In Order To Sleep Past 7 AM

ignore the dump trucks backing all-the-way-down my street (beep, beep, beep, beep. . . etc)
ignore the major earth quakes as they break up (i.e. smash) the sidewalk so it can be scooped up
ignore the rattling walls and windows responding to the earth quakes
ignore the husky men cursing cause some guy named jon tore up a little too much of the sidewalk (i.e. what the fuck?! you tore up the whole fucking thing! now i dont know what the fuck we are going to do!) while in fact it was only about 4 inches too much
ignore my newly vibrating bed (and floors) as they pack down the dirt they just dug up for the third time

Breaking and Entering???

2005-08-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

Got up this (Friday) morning super early (the theatre had 3 movies delivered overnight that open today) and wandered, with my eyes as closed as possible, into the bathroom. Used the toilet and brushed my teeth, all with my eyes still closed. Fumbled my hand around a little in search of my shaver. Begrudgingly open my eyes, a little, as I cannot find it. Don’t see it. Open my eyes all the way. Still don’t see it. Squint my eyes almost closed again hoping that it might appear. . .

Sidebar: In the morning I often have this really strange thing where my brain “audibly” latches onto (i.e. I say to myself) the most random thoughts and loop them over and over and over and over; especially when I am tired. So during this affair my inner dialog has lapsed into something like: where’s my shaver? where’s my shaver? where is my shaver?? where’s my shaver? where’s my shaver? where is my shaver?? where is my shaver?; this continues through the next paragraph.

. . . After about two minutes of staring at the counter, checking the mirrored cupboard, and under the bathroom sink (4 times each), I decided it might be somewhere else. I wandered around my apartment for about 15 minutes looking in places like: under the couch, in the cupboard under the kitchen sink, in my mailbox at the bottom of the stairs, and everywhere else my under slept and mostly asleep brain thought was a good idea, and wasn’t. I then came to the conclusion that maybe I overlooked it in my small, yet maybe more sneaky than I thought, bathroom.

I reentered the bathroom fully intending to check the same two cupboards again, when I realize that my razor charger is also missing (my eyes are mostly open by this point and my mind has lapsed into some self-degrading loop wondering over and over why I checked the mailbox). With this realization I am now fully awake and beginning to be a little ticked off. Someone stole my razor? Who does that? I begin to think back at who has been over to my house and come up blank as far as prospects go.

Wednesday night I had two people sleep at my house: my good friend Adam’s brother, Ryan, and the lead singer of their bad Sam. Sam played an amazing live set at a local restaurant earlier that night and the two of them were looking for a place to crash before trekking the 2 hours home (Sam is 35 and looks stunningly like a younger version of Bill Nighy; facial scars, hair, and all). Both of these guys are about as likely to steal as I am likely to get a contract with Thievery Corporation for my simple yet strikingly original loops. But I decide to give Adam a call to check with them for me.

As I am telling Adam this, I ask him to also bring up the fact that I found a rather large pile of pot seeds and stems on my kitchen countertop Thursday morning that I did not appreciate. Not only do I avoid the stuff at all costs, but I also value my standing with my landlord and the local law enforcement as a “free” and upstanding citizen. Adam is surprised as neither of these guys are involved with the stuff and promises to look into the affair.

I just got a call from Adam. Apparently around 3 AM Ryan woke up to the sound of voices in the backroom of my apartment. He went back to check it out finding an undisclosed amount of people talking, smoking pot, doing something with razor blades, and breaking up an astonishing amount of marijuana into smaller groups (note to self: close mouth I am not a codfish).

While this is the part of the story where Laura breaks into something like “and then the little girl starts pulling on my leg . . . like I am pulling yours right now,” I am not pulling yours.

Adam is going to convene with his brother and some friends and get back with me. Ryan thinks he could identify the guy if he saw him again, I should probably file a police report. . .blah blah blah.

So I guess this story is “to be continued.” Hopefully with a climatic scene where I get to punch a drug lord in the throat and demand my electric razor back.

Note to self: locking my doors tonight.

Here it goes

2005-08-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

It is early and late. I miss my love.

I have picked up online chess to fill my time. Ok, that's only half true. I've been playing for a few weeks. Brielle put up with it most of the time. I know you may not believe this but it can be intense. I occasionally find myself sweating while trying to decide what to do next. Come across a chap now and then that makes me feel like a guy with his girlfriend in vitoria's secret: you don't dare touch anything cause it always feels wrong, but you already got yourself in here and have to ride it out till it's over. But for the most part hold my own and even win a few. Look me up if any of you play a little {gerard_gorey}.

Other than chess I just hang about a little, listening to some good tunes and searching for more. Just found this one: "waitin' for a superman (mokran mix)" by the Flaming Lips. Brielle I think we should walk out to this tune.?. I have to give the lyrics a once over, but I love the feel.

For those of you at Dordt give my little sis a hello. Her name is Sarah and she is cool, I do say so my self. I have asked Brielle to "keep an eye on her" and, I happen to know from secure sources, that Sarah has insisted that Brielle "get her into trouble". I trust that my love will find an acceptable balance. She is sharp like that.

(first post done. not as hard as I thought it might be. didnt even break a sweat)