Last Post of the Year – build a shelving unit already!

Well, it hasn’t been the explosion of blogging that I thought I’d be practicing! I have a lot of good books to talk about, my “blog this” entries are burgeoning, and the holiday activities, time-off, and gifts have all left me with plenty of material to prate on about. And yet … nothing. Or the thing that’s just to the right of nothing.

But, I’m not only good with that, I’m really good with that.

Suzy and I fill most of our empty time with something. Places to go, people to see, stuff to do. And since October-ish, there’s been plenty of that. So much that I feel a bit worn down. So, over the last couple of weeks I’ve woken up, ate a bit, read the paper, played some games, got onto the computer for who knows what reason, and just floated through the holiday. It hasn’t been that empty as we’ve attended concerts, hosted a family gathering, dealt with my car’s problems, dealt with cat problems (all’s well now), and cleaned, shopped, and generally attended to life.

But, adding “one more thing” hasn’t been in the cards. I can tell the tide is changing, however.

Just yesterday I was feeling miserable in the AM (I’d taken the train into Seattle the prior day, went to our large public library, was outraged to find that we have both a “Seattle Library” system and a “King County Library” system … yes, Seattle is in King County, and wasn’t able to check out a book without getting another library card) and figured it was something I picked up on my walkabout and association with the unwashed masses. But, today, the skies had cleared enough to stop raining and show some blue so what did I do? Well, go to the nearby Home Depot and get some lumber for a project!

The remodel on the house had completed and left us with a loft in the garage: storage space. But, it was a blank canvas. So, I picked up three sheets of plywood and plan to build some simple shelves to hold our holiday decorations and any manner of other things.

I built something very similar to this for the main garage and it’s worked out beautifully. So well, in fact, that we’re now storing too much stuff there and I’m really looking forward to using the space in the loft for storing some of this stuff.

To build the shelves to the right you need a couple things: saw, glue, maybe a router and some nails. It’s a bit more complex than an IKEA project but it’ll be rock solid. To save you some of the sawing part, you could have the place you buy your lumber from rip the panels for you.

Lumber: three sheets of 4’x8’x1/2” plywood.

In the shelves I built previously, I used 3/4” plywood and it worked great. But, the shelves ended up costing a pretty penny. On sale, I got OSB 1/2” plywood for under $7.50 a panel … that’s under $25 for the entire shelving unit. Now that’s getting close to IKEA prices!

But, as I noted, it won’t be quite as easy as the “build it with only a hex key/wrench” IKEA projects.

After getting the panels ripped in half (now 24” wide by 96” long), you’ll have six of these skinnier panels. Cut two of them in half length-wise. This will leave you with

• Four panels at 24”x96” – called “long panels”
• Four panels at 24”x48” – called “short panels”

Measurements are rough.

Take two of the long panels and position them side-by-side on the long edges. You can now take a router with a 1/2” straight bit (preferably one with a collar) and route 1/4” deep dados on the ends and at 31 7/8” from the ends. On edge, it will look like this:

These are your top and bottom panels. By positioning them side-by-side on the long edges before you route the grooves, you’ll ensure that your slots for the vertical dividers are aligned perfectly and you won’t end up with dividers that are at an angle. I will also note that, if you don’t hit “31 7/8” “ exactly, that’s just fine. I only used that measurement to try to get the spacing as close to perfect thirds as I could. Go with 32” if you want … it’ll mean your center bay is roughly a quarter inch narrower than the other two but that’s fine.

Now do the same for the end parts!

Take two of the short panels and position them side-by-side on the long edges. Using your router set at 1/4” deep, cut two dados at 15 3/4” from each end. NOTE: you do not want to cut dados on the ends of these panels. It should look like the below (I’ve rotated it purely to fit better in this blog entry):

These are you left and right outside panels.

The interior shelves are where things get tricky, but only marginally.

The vertical dividers are going to look like the picture to the right when you’re done. The “15 3/4” “ isn’t a coincidence … it should be the exact same dimension as you cut into the short panels you used for the sides. The exact dimension. By keeping both the dados you cut in the short panels and the slots you’ll make in the vertical dividers the same, you’ll keep everything nice and straight.

The tricky part here is “how do you cut these?

If you have a table saw you can cut a stopped slot; you can use your router to cut through, too (but that’s a lot of wood to remove). There’s no right answer but by using a jig to find the right place to cut the slots, you should be able to do this without too much concern for being exact.

[Update: use a jigsaw to cut the slots]

So, for the vertical dividers, take the remaining two short panels and cut slots in as shown on the right.

The shelves (the horizontal dividers) are going to be cut very similarly to the vertical dividers but the dimension for the slot will “look off”. It’s not.

[Update: First, cut down the horizontal dividers (shelves) by 1/2” to give an overall dimension of 24”x95 1/2”. This accommodates for the fact that the shelves will nest inside the outside panels.]

The picture below shows the slots to be cut at 31 5/8” from the ends. This is very specific. Above I noted you didn’t really have to cut the dados in the top/bottom panels at exactly “31 7/8” “ … you could use “32” “ or something, Well, to be clear, whatever spacing you used for the top panels, back off a quarter inch for the spacing of the slots in the shelves.

By doing this, you’ll ensure that, once you nest the shelves into the dados in the sides panels, the slots will line up with the dados in the top/bottom panels.

So, for the shelves, take the two remaining panels (they will be long panels) and cut slots in as shown below:

As I mentioned above, this can get tricky unless you are really good at 3D spatial puzzles, or just slow down and mentally construct the model of the shelving unit we’re building.

OK, once you have all of these parts built, you’ll be ready to assemble!

Mate the slots from the vertical dividers and the shelves. You’ll have the interior of your shelving unit ready! The, using a liberal amount of glue and a nail or two, nest the ends of the shelves into the dados you cut into the outside panels. Finally, do the same for the top and bottom: nest the vertical divider and panel ends into the dados you cut into the top/bottom panels using a goodly amount of glue and a nail or two.

Once that sets up, you’re done! I should note that having a bunch of clamps, assembling this on “riser blocks” (a simple 2×4 to hold it off the ground is fine), and being patient will all play to your favor and the ease with which this comes (and stays!) together! While this isn’t a trivial project, it’s absolutely geared for the beginner and about as easy as they come. Just think through the cuts and don’t hurry. In the end you’ll have a nice, sturdy set of shelves for the garage. Or the storage loft in the garage!

Thanks for reading and have a happy New Year!

And so it’s Christmas

My wife’s family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. This is after what seems like years of everyone negotiating “second family” obligations around the holiday. I’m easy as my family is far far away and we’re either here (most of the time) or there (significantly less). But, for the most part, all of the other siblings and in-laws have fallen into step and we have the entire gang in one place for Christmas Eve day.

Well, we hosted last night and the strangest thing happened: we ended early. Without shooing anyone out, without awkward end-of-night yawns, without children imploding in an over-hyped, over-sugared, under-rested frenzy … they all left by about 8:30 pm.

Both Suzanne and I wondered if it was something we said, a courtesy we didn’t extend or what … and then we got about tidying up and sitting back to enjoy the quiet night and the inevitable peaceful Christmas morning. I consider it part of their gift to us!

But, the house is clean and warm, we’ll get up leisurely and enjoy a nice breakfast, open some gifts, and then I’ll call my family back in MN to extend my greetings.

And to all of you, I do the same: Merry Christmas!

Ghosts in the house

A short while back our youngest cat, Trimble (who is about 6 years old … and should know better), started opening the cupboard door to the vanity in our guest bathroom and pulling out the towels we’d stored there. Oddest darned thing. We’d hear him banging the doors a bit and when we’d turn the corner, he’d look up guiltily and run off. When we didn’t catch him in the act, he’d pull stuff out and leave it in disarray.

Well, we’ve taken to leaving that bathroom door closed at all times but the little fiend has taken his act to the kitchen.

On any given day, this is what I might wake up to finding when I come into the kitchen first thing in the morning!

Suzy’s seen him just “kneading” the towels in the drawer but it makes for a lot of laundry and a lot of clutter to pick up. It’s not like we don’t have cat toys, blankets on the couch, or pillows all over. And what’s with the opening the other cupboards? It’s like living in the “Sixth Sense” house!

 

But, right now I see that it’s about noon on Christmas Eve day and that means we have guests arriving (Suzanne’s family) in a few hours. We’ve been cleaning and prepping and readying the house, so we should be ready. But, to all I say, Merry Christmas and the Season’s Peace to you all!

Eleven from ‘Eleven

The last couple months have mired me in a bit of a funk but while Suzy and I wrote our Christmas letter to our family and friends, I realized that it was quite a year. Quite a year, indeed. We didn’t do much in the way of travel but we seem to have come a long way: we made our home more comfortable, we tried many new experiences, and shared a lot of time with others. If I had to define happiness, it would probably include a couple of those items.

So, in a year of good things and enjoyable experiences, in no particular order, I’m going to call out eleven of my favorites from 2011.

iFly

I really hesitated adding this as I plan on making a more complete post on our flight… but that probably just puts it on par with all the other things on this list: stuff I’m sure to have blogged about before.

iFly let’s you step into a “vertical wind tunnel” and simulate skydiving! Best of all, it’s within walking distance from our house (OK, it’d probably be a three mile walk), indoors, and all you need is the time and money to enjoy.

Suzy got us both a session during WoJ. While I wasn’t 100%, this was still a blast and I’d definitely do it again.

I was a bit sore after my outing and I’m not sure if that was because I was feeling a bit ill that week or if it really was a work out. Either way, all you do is hold out your arms and fall forward into the wind chamber and you get blown up!

And I mean the good sort of “blown up”, not the explosive sort.

For the initial session a “technician” is in the chamber with you, giving you tips on how to fly, keeping you from getting hurt, and managing the time. And that was the only bad part about the experience: it was over too soon!

Expect more to be written about this outing later!

Shakespeare in the Park

Suzanne and I have attended the SeaTac-sponsored “Shakespeare in the Park” (SitP) events for the last few years but, I imagine in response to budget cuts, this was the first year they’d only had one play rather than the usual two.

And when I realized I had really missed attending the second play, I added it to this list of yearly favorites.

Angle Lake Park is just over 3 miles from our home and the location of our local SitP plays. I can’t recall all the plays that we’ve seen here … this year was saw The Comedy of Errors … but I know I look forward to them each time they’re offered.

Yes, it means we have to rush home from work; yes, we always worry about parking or finding a good space to sit; and, yes, it is a deviation from the routine and that makes it tough, but it’s all worth it. And, most of these worries are for naught.

I catch the early bus home and have our picnic blanket and camp chairs in the car; Suzy will have a soft-sided cooler with treats (our dinner) ready, and we can park in a nearby neighborhood and enjoy a short walk to the event. Our chairs are low enough (no legs!) that we can sit up front and while the events are well-attended, they’re never packed.

We are tickled by the modernized touches the Wooden O Theater gives to the Shakespeare classics (usually in the form of costume, sometimes in an aside). So far we’ve had good weather on nearly all plays and we hope the city of SeaTac continues their tradition of sponsoring these events so we can continue ours of attending.

5th Avenue Theater Tickets

I wouldn’t say I love theater but I clearly have an interest. And, given how much attention and time we’ve invested in seeing plays this year, perhaps I’m not being completely honest with myself here.

Suzy and I used a windfall from a generous uncle to buy tickets to the second half of last year’s season at the 5th Avenue Theater and liked it enough to buy the full season tickets this year. It was a spendy endeavor but we knew we wouldn’t be traveling this year and used funds from our “travel budget” to get our seats. And, while we’ve seen a few plays we might not have attended without the season tickets, we’ve seen a lot of good plays and always enjoy the “dates” that it forces us to take.

Here are the shows we’ve seen and few word critique:

• Vanities – fluffy “chick” show
• Next to Normal – second favorite, about bipolar disorder
• 9 to 5:  The Musical – light, fun show that follows the movie plot
• Guys & Dolls – classic 1950s theater; fun show
• Disney’s Aladdin – high energy family theater
• Les Miserables – THE play of plays; very nicely done (fav!)
• Saving Aimee – the set and music was good but I disliked the character in the story so much that I didn’t enjoy the show
• Cinderella – lead actress singing didn’t suit me (the show reviewed favorably)

But, as I noted above, it’s more about getting out with Suzy, taking the Light Rail into the city, and kicking about for a few hours.

After the last play we saw, Cinderella, we walked about the West Lake Mall area with cups of hot beverage enjoying all the Christmas decorations, did a bit of window shopping, and shared a bag of hot mini-donuts … well, can you beat that?

Glass Classes

I’ve written about all of these outings before but it’s hard to tire of talking about creating your own glass object.

In previous efforts I’ve “blown glass” in the sense that someone else is doing all the shaping and I just puff into a straw to round out whatever it is we’re making. Not this year, baby!

Suzy found us a great deal through Groupon which allowed us a three-hour session or something like that. It was at the Renton Uptown Glassworks hot shop, which we’ve been to several times before. This time, however, we we in charge! I wrote about this experience previously in the 2011 Week of Suz post.

We finished far earlier than the three hour limit but, when it was over, Suzy had a wonderful glass plate and I’d created a vase. Both of these items look good enough to keep out and actually are functional! My vase has held many a flower from our backyard and Suzy’s plate recently doubled as the “chip bowl” when we hosted a “burrito night”.

That said, our critical eyes see details we’d like to address in our next session! I want to have a smaller mouth on my vase and the side and a bit of a flat look toward the top; Suzy was interested in more of a platter with a slight wave to it. That’s not to say we don’t love our work! But, learning and improving is a healthy trait!

I’m not sure what it is, but blowing glass is quite satisfying. The heat is amazingly intense, there are real physical dangers but it’s easy to do an OK job without a lot of training. Now to do an excellent job … that might take a while. So I guess we’ll just have to try it a few more times!

Family Gatherings

I live a long way from my family, which is hard … and pretty much why I keep this blog: to stay in touch. But, my wife’s siblings all live within an hour’s travel and her father is just a few hours away, so every holiday there’s some sort of “family gathering”. Suzy’s family is large (six kids) so they trade off who hosts which event: we meet for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Then there are the “birthday gatherings” in which once or twice in the year (in the spring and late summer) we get together again … just to celebrate those with birthdays that didn’t fall near one of the other holidays.

It sounds messy, but it works. Oh, then throw in New Years (which her brother Steve usually hosts), the July 4 holiday in which we always head to Suzy’s father’s house for a long weekend, and Suzy has started throwing a “summer kick-off” party at our house … well, we meet a lot.

This year Suzy decided to host all the major holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), in addition to our summer party (this year’s theme was 70’s/disco), and we had everyone over to celebrate her father’s 80th birthday. It was a lot of hosting and I’m not sure I’d suggest it was a good model. But, looking back at the many pictures, you can’t help but smile a lot at the funny things that happened, the good times that were shared, and knowing that I’ve found a good family out here in Washington state.

What this really tells me, though, is that I need to get back to MN more often; the Stapelmans are a fine surrogate clan, but nothing can beat your own family and home.

Hiking Trips

I started this blog to detail woodworking and climbing activities but those have been pushed a bit to the back for the time being. But, I do get out hiking and those are true highlights of the year. I’m in a bit of a routine where I have 2-3 “obligation” outings each year and then squeeze in a hike or two if I can.

This year I got out for a snowshoeing trip to Goat Island Mountain (just north of Mt. Rainier), my friend Pete and I hiked into the Ingalls Creek valley, and my annual “Boeing Test Lab Hike” turned into a watercraft adventure.

I wrote exclusively about those trips earlier (and expansively on the kayak outing), so I won’t repeat those specifics, but getting out was a tremendous joy. I breathe deeper, I’m quiet longer, and I sleep more peacefully than I ever do at home (and that’s saying a lot … I sleep pretty good any time or place). The one thing I missed this year was getting out alone and really being alone (not just alone but around other people). My ankle problems will keep me from doing that for a while, I think, but in a year without the high water mark of a solo adventure, those three outings were amazingly satisfying.

And, on reflection now, I realize that one of those trips was completed in snowshoes, one in my hiking boots, and the final trip was a kayak water outing! I spend a lot of time looking for new and quiet places, so I must like that which is novel … and now I can add kayaking to my repertoire!

Suzy’s Baking/Cooking

I feel I could leave the title as is and that would say enough.

Suzy has always enjoyed baking desserts and, like anything you enjoy, it shows. Over the last couple of years, though, she’s found a way to turn that dial to “11” (Spinal Tap reference) and the results are foodilicious here in the Abbott household. But, now we’re into meals, too!

She’s bold (anyone who is willing to make prime rib is fearless … that’s an expensive cut of meat you’re working with!), she puts in the time (there’s a ton of prep time involved in putting together a complete meal), and she uses great ingredients. We get herbs from our garden, she makes her own butter and cheese (ricotta), and will take classes to hone her skills. I’m not sure why, but I’m happy she invests her time and energy here.

A couple of my favorites are her smoked ribs, chicken teriyaki (it’s very hard to eat takeout teriyaki now … just not the same thing), and seared pork medallions. And serve any of those with smashed potatoes (not “mashed” … there’s a difference), and you have a delightful meal.

Thanks, Suz!

House Remodel

This is almost hard to have in the list … because it’s not done yet!

But, you can see it taking shape. And, to be fair, it’ll likely be done today. As in really, actually done!

We had a deck off our master bedroom on the front of the house; I liked it because the views of the valley are nice and it reminded me of my grandmother’s home in Virginia, MN. But, we just never used it much. A while back we had some work done in our master bathroom and a contractor asked if we’d like to “push out” our bedroom to fill that space and then make the bathroom bigger. We didn’t do that, but a seed was planted.

Early in the year we had some leaking into the garage coming from the deck and it turned out the seal around the railing was shot. We fixed that but not in a permanent way. As we were feeling a bit pinched for space in our shared home office, we decided to enclose the deck as a “sun room” and turn it into Suzy’s office. While that project is still going, you can see it’s getting close; the new room is great!

You get awesome views (thanks to a lot of windows), it’s quite and snug (if a bit chilly … we have a lot of windows here), and when it’s ready, we’ll move in a couch, some desks, a bookshelf or two, and some lamps. You can just tell it’ll be very nice.

Xbox Fun

This is probably a double-whammy entry: I’m having fun playing games at home and I now work in the Xbox division at Microsoft!

This year has seen a lot of great titles for games (I wrote this post on all the games I played early in the year) and since 11/11/11 I’ve been heading to Skyrim most nights! While I do think the pendulum has swung a bit heavy toward playing games (rather than getting out into the shop, planning hikes, doing chores around the house), I’m having fun and enjoy the time spent here. I will admit that now that I’m working for the group at work, a bit of the “magic” has fallen out of games themselves.

I used to look at the online resources for what was coming up, to get the word on the street about what’s going on, and reading about the industry … well, now I’m part of that industry! I know which games are coming up, what their launch dates are, and how much work it took to “get them through our system”. It’s still magical (“hey, our group was helping launch YouTube on the Xbox!”) but I have more information than I should to be delighted in what I’m seeing.

But I’m still having a blast.

Pets

The chickens are not pets!

I say this time and again, but, as I type this, my gaze continues out the window to my right as I look down on the seven birds in the backyard. OK, I only see six but that means one of the Rhode Island Red hens is working on getting me the makings for a fresh omelet! We’re still not giving them names but we refer to them daily, laugh as they flap about, smile in spite of ourselves as one will come strutting across our deck (they should be on “their side” of the yard), and enjoy recognizing their personalities coming out.

I’m not sure chickens in the yard are for everyone, but we’re enjoying it.

But I do consider the cats to be pets of the first order!

Over the past year Spencer has become much more “sharing” of himself than he originally was. He’s still Suzy’s cat in many senses, but at night he now sleeps between us and will occasionally flop next to me. And in a year without Trout, that’s a very nice thing.

And, Trimble is starting to become more “my cat”. While both cats are “ours”, they naturally tend toward one person or the other. Trimble shares himself with both of us but, maybe an extra 10% of the time, he’ll look for me. Mostly because I tolerate him climbing all over me, butting me in the face with his head, and letting him snuggle up on my shoulder for a nice place to rest and nap.

Backyard Construction

This has to be the single biggest highlight of the year.

As I look out at the backyard, it just “is”. It looks good and timeless and yet, we only have had it with the stairs and paths and retaining wall and whatnot since this last Spring. And yet it looks like it’s not only been this way for a while but it’s what it should look like. We did a good job and it shows. But I mostly like it because this is as close to “woodworking” as I got!

I laid in landscaping timbers, built a stairway and gate, put in a seating area and planter, and built a little bridge. Suzy did most of the path and we both built the trellises. Along the way I put together an outdoor shelving unit and built a couple of temporary coops/shelters. It was fun to use my tools and put things together.

With the remodel noted above, we have a large space in the garage that we can use as storage. So I’ll get a chance to build shelves and build that up so it’s a great space.

And, in 2012, I will build the front room storage system and shelving unit! I will!

Coda

And that’s it: eleven things that made 2011 a great year and highlights by any standard. Some were one-time events, some we did a couple times, others are a way of life now … all helped define who we are. As I reflect on the year and all that made it special, the common theme through nearly every item is “Suzy”. I have found a good partner (for the last 22 years!) and happy for both what she does for me, what we do together, and what she inspires and encourages me to do. While I maybe should have had a section just for her (and not just her cooking!), she’s been a part of all of these in one way or another.

Thanks to 2011 for being a great year and thanks to Suzanne for being sharing this charmed life of mine.

Why me?

I’m not a big “why me?” sorta guy: enough good things happen to me that the “challenges” all seem to be footnotes on a charmed life. Well, karma has come a’callin’ and while I’m not sitting in the corner with my chin in my hands, I am asking myself if the winds of change have taken a turn intended for someone else.

The latest woe was car troubles that left us stranded on the Interstate late last night. Wait, that was the second to last trouble … the last would have to have been the $400+ towing bill. Oy.

But, with an attitude that begs to see the bright side, I will echo Suzy’s comments and admit that it wasn’t raining, the temperatures were above where they had been, our tow truck driver (Harold) made the trip comfortable (if not a little pleasant), and aside from inconvenience (and a heckuva bill), we’re warm, safe, and fed.

But, I am looking forward to the coming week: I have 3 days of work before getting the rest of the year off, Suzy and I have the best of our holiday traditions to look forward to, and I have a house full of fun projects and entertaining diversions. So, in the grand scheme of things when I start to consider “why me”, I can only conclude that it’s because I’m lucky.

Go Big!

At the end of October a new co-worker poked his head into my office and said something like, “say, you look like you could grow a mustache, can’t you?” Well, aside from what seemed like a personal question apropos to nothing … and that I usually wear a goatee … I hesitantly agreed. And he disappeared.

A bit later, Arian (the chap who probed me about my hirsute potential), stopped in again and educated me on Movember: an effort to raise awareness about men’s health issues by asking participants to grow mustaches during the month of November. From the Movember About Movember web page:

Once registered at www.movember.com, men start Movember 1st clean shaven. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Yes, I was a Mo Bro.

But, let’s be honest, if you normally have facial hair and you’re joining an effort to grow facial hair, you should try a bit of something different. I didn’t believe I could manage waxed whiskers, so I went south of the border for a more macho look. I’m (happily) back to normal now but for a while, I was rockin’ a fancy bit of facial hair that made it hard to engage in business conversations without feeling a bit self-conscious.

Take a look!

		Movember VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

If you’re going to do something, do it big!

Holiday clutter

What a mess! My home office is a litter of boxes, letters, stray bits of hardware and various half-started projects … as is my space in the garage! The build-out we’re doing for a sun room still isn’t completed, we’re in the middle of our holiday card creation, and the weather’s turned quite chilly! Throw on that the many fun obligations, a change in job, and (related to that) long hours at work … well, it’s been keeping me from blogging!

I have a Week of Joe post started that I likely won’t complete, I have a whiny “it’s been hard” draft that I can’t imagine I’ll spent another minute on, and my “blog this” emails to myself have started to grow again.

So let’s start with a simple catch-up post that will clear the slate!

New Job

In June I heard from a friend in another division that they were looking to hire someone with my skillset. While “doing the same thing somewhere else” has a lot of downside (I no longer have my support network, the new area brings lots of new stuff to learn, and I’d be an “unknown” in that group), I was primed for a change. I’d been working in the Developer Tools division for 14 years, my weekend habits have long since weaned out “hacking a bit of code”, and there was a lot of “routine” in my day-to-day job. So, change came a calling and I answered the door.

The interviews went swimmingly but summer vacations, re-orgs for both my current (previous) team and the new one were in flux, and the system of offer-acceptance-transition took a while. So, my first day was sometime in late October.

The new gig is working in the Entertainment Division … which means “Xbox”. The group I’m with is responsible for acting as go-between the game/music/video/content providers and people on the Xbox Live service … the folks who buy the stuff. There’s a lot of complexity around the financials, the physical offering, and getting everything in the system but my job centers on ensuring changes we make to our system roll out smoothly.

So far it’s been a blast: the people on the team are great to work with, the problem domain is completely new, and I’m around games and gaming … which aligns a bit more closely to what I’m doing on the average weekend. And I get a lot of games for free! One of the perks to working in the Entertainment Division is that you get all Microsoft titles for free. Yup, I’m leaving home at 6 AM and getting back at 7:30 PM, but I’m moving at high speeds the entire time I’m at work and the time flies.

Week of Joe

After my kayaking trip this past fall, the next big fun thing we had planned was Week of Joe! While this is always a high point, this year I got sick! So sick that I was unable to spend time with one of the most anticipated gifts that I got: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (an Xbox video game). Yup, I was too sick to play a video game. I felt something coming down on Friday but knew we had company coming over Saturday … so, instead of playing Skyrim, I got sleep that night. Then we had the party and I collapsed for a few days.

Early in the WoJ I got out for a trip to iFly (I will write a post on that!) and another trip for a massage, but other than that I mostly just slept.

By the end of the week I was feeling better but Suzy contracted what I had and we swapped roles: I played nursemaid and she rested. The following week was Thanksgiving week so I stayed home those days for additional rest. And then I did play Skyrim!

But, it taught me that WoJ isn’t about the stuff I get, but the fun I have. That is, I got a lot of great things but it was a bit of a downer week.

Thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving at our home and ended up setting the table for some 24 people. Now that was a table! Linen tablecloths, cloth napkins, stainless flatware … and plastic dishes and cups! Over the years we’ve accumulated chafing dishes, warming trays, we have two 6’ folding tables, and all the goodies noted above; all just for this sort of event. While we normally have them out for an event and then store them the rest of the year, it’s nice to be able to host a gathering and have hot meals and seats for all.

I should note that we actually had 25 people attending and owe a small debt of gratitude to Suzy’s brother Mike and his wife, Olivia, for sharing their place setting with their daughter Rebecca (who, I think, is 5 years old now). Their grace under this imposed inconvenience was much appreciated. Oh, and they provided the majority of the chairs for our guests! While no one has called on us to provide a chafing dish or hot plate, Mike and Olivia have loaned us their chairs for every event we’ve hosted at our home. It’s time we spoke the unspoken thanks we’ve felt: thanks, guys!

We also had to cut up the ham prior to heating it in the oven! We have a double oven which gives us a lot of flexibility but the double ovens fit into the space of a single standard one. Cooking the meal worked out fine and both the ham and our turkey were roast to perfection! The Stapelman clan, known more for their “insightful critiques” more than effusive praise, declared the turkey “done the way it should be done”: it was both deeply flavorful and wonderfully moist. Hats off to Suzy’s kitchen prowess!

Around the House

The door for our sunroom is being installed as I type this note. Unfortunately, what should have been the final day for their installation won’t be: the vent cover they brought in for the floor is the wrong color. If this was a simple Home-Depot-drop-in vent cover, I could handle that myself, but it’s not. We had wood floors put in and the cover needs to be built in. This is a bit of a heartbreaker as we just want it finished. Just done. It won’t be but, if we get all the other little to-do items picked up, we should be able to start adding furniture and using the space. That will be nice. Expect a long post on that project when it’s done

The chickens are well and are giving us 2-3 eggs a day. We’d expect more from our seven hens but we certainly have enough for ourselves. While the days have turned colder the hens are spending more time at their feeder eating. We think we have a re-emergence of the “rat problem” that we took care of in the summer but so far “bodies” are elusive. We have found the holes dug under our fence but our traps are coming up empty.

After Thanksgiving we put up our holiday decorations in preparation for our own enjoyment and hosting the Christmas celebration at our home. Suzy’s family of some 20+ folks will descend on the place, enjoy casual meals and gift opening, and then leave us to ride out the year in quiet solitude. That’s a part I’m looking forward to.

And we’re working on the holiday card. We’re a bit behind where we should be. I’ll blame the WoJ illnesses and family hosting activities for the slowdown. But, for me, these things just take time. I need to read and think and re-do. Which isn’t a good formula under pressure. Our families will get cards this year but they may arrive the week of Christmas!

Coda

That’s about it. I still owe many people thank-you cards for birthday kindnesses, Suzy and I are starting to enjoy our holiday activities (we went to a holiday concert last night … tonight, a play, next week will be my company party!), and I have another week of vacation time to use before the end of the year. Such a bounty of goodness! It’s a full time of year and that means fun!

Thanks for reading.