Previous - 37. Tod
Running around
Juan couldn't find the kick plate we had in mind at any of the big box hardware stores so I hit some of the local hardware/builders supply stores Friday morning. And I couldn't find exactly what I wanted either, so I improvised -- as usual. I found a piece of this material that is harder and thinner than wood but not as hard and thin as the aluminum I was hoping for. Including getting it cut to size, it cost me $1.10. So the bargain of the day.I couldn't find exactly the door sweep I wanted either, but I grabbed the two closest to take back and compare. Again, the cheaper one was the winner. My cost for materials will be just over $6.
I even think Juan got the idea of what I wanted to do with these materials -- this is saving him a ton of work over replacing the damn door. The only thing that didn't work out perfectly was that I ran out of spray primer, since I wasted so much on the brick wall (which was not that successful) because I didn't think I needed it for anything else. It's good enough for now and will get primed and painted when we get around to that.
All in all, one of my better jobs of hardware store improvisation. Though just once I would like to walk into a hardware store and find exactly what I wanted... though in this case that would have cost me much more money.
Le Diner
It is now the next day -- sorry for not posting anything yesterday -- and I'm tired and trying to get caught up. Late yesterday things started falling apart (not because of us) at a job (something posh called Le Diner held in the little park next to the new cruise ship terminal) that evening that I wasn't supposed to be working. I was asked to pick up a partial shift to help out. I did.It went fine. (We had to load all our bags of sorted trash into a U-haul truck since the dumpsters hadn't been delivered. The last minute fetching of the truck took place at rush hour leaving them short handed.) I thought a half shift -- four hours instead of eight -- would not wear me out and that I could still jump up and go to the gym in the morning. No. Instead I got up late and made myself a big breakfast. Then I realized all my workout clothes were dirty anyway, since I hadn't been able to get to the laundromat on Friday. My plans for the day were re-ordered.
I just returned from my last trip to the laundromat (our laundry should be back in order by the end of Monday) with clean clothes and the two items below. I am still in desperate need of a supermarket run and I'm still trying to decide what projects in the laundry room I want to start today -- so that they are done by Monday when the workers return for the last time... I really hope.
Taxi
While sitting in the laundromat waiting for my clothes to dry, I was looking out the windows at the buildings across the street. There is a rather handsome residential building on the corner that, at first glance, appears to be all of a piece, but when you look closely you start noticing differences. I'm including a photo below. (Actually I'm not. I kept procrastinating taking the photo and now it's dark. I'll return to this on Monday -- I don't expect to post anything Sunday since I will be working all day.)Remember those illustrations in the paper (for all I know they still do it) of two images where you had to spot all the differences? This is the same thing. I see five substantial differences, though you could probably get more if you're willing to pick nits off of nits.
At the same time, I became aware of a small traffic commotion involving a person parallel parking (possibly for the first time) in front of a building where a taxi was trying to pick up. First I worked out what everyone was trying to do, then I noticed that the taxi was the latest version (the same number but a different vehicle) of one I drove on Mondays. I was actually on my way out the door to see if the key-ring still featured a Pikachu when the fare came out of the building and jumped in the cab.
This reminded me that the age of Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis taxis is now past here in San Francisco. I don't have the same fond feeling for these cars I had for the Checkers I drove in the 1970s, but it is striking to see what was the standard taxi here for so long vanish. I wonder if anyone has thought to preserve a couple for use in future period piece films?
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