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Paul's Journal

paul
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09/06/2006 10:12 #32748

Ladycroft
Category: linwood
The Ladycroft Drama
I am not mad at you. I don't hate you. I was just saying (e:paul,4635) that I thought it was shitty that you promoted your's and (e:neijefer)'s birthday while not recognizing theirs. I am sorry if it came across as I thought you were a shitty friend or that I was really mad about the issue.

I never thought it would become such a big deal. I was only commenting because I value you as a good friend. I realize that people have obligations that make them socially unavailable. I was not mad that you did not attend the events rather that you didn't say anything about their birthdays, even after we got to yours. I was definitely not trying to "slam" but rather gently nudging you for not remembering.

Asbestos
We had a bunch of varying asbestos removal estimates. The highest of which was $4500 and the lowest of which was $1800. They are all NYS certified and since Monday, the home owner is responsible for hiring the air test people so I feel that any company is held to some sort of outside standard.

The Fireplace
60 hours later I am almost done. What a freakign process. I would say stripping paint is not worth the effort. I guess we will see once it is shiny and varnished.

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Hopefully, this image of one of the other fireplaces is what it wil look like when it is done.
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lilho - 09/07/06 12:11
you crazy, thanx for not calling me back. friend probation!
mrmike - 09/06/06 21:16
Nice work, it will be worth it
boxerboi - 09/06/06 14:20
sweet fireplace. it looks like it will have been worth the effort.
ladycroft - 09/06/06 14:17
thank you paul.
kookcity2000 - 09/06/06 12:14
is that the fireplace in the office?

09/04/2006 16:51 #32747

7,000,000 brain cells later
Category: linwood
I spent the weekend working on one task that consumed more brain cells than all the drugs I have taken in my life - and that is a lot to be said, especially considering my raver years during the 90s. No, I didn't party it up crazy - I stripped a large wooden fireplace in my office of multiple layers of paint in order to restore it to the wood it originally was. The process has been long and crueling and I fear I chose the wrong product, which just ade it take longer. The hard part is really the intricate woodwork, most of which I didn't even realize existed until after the paint started shedding. I even had a gas mask for the second half after I was totally consumed by fumes earlier. Even though the mask was rated for paint thinner and paint/pesticides - the shit still smelled though the mask. It makes me never want to eat ornages again. I feel orange burned frot he inside out.

You saw the first couple stages in my last journal (e:paul,4365) This is where it is at now.

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08/30/2006 18:37 #32744

Duct Tape Programming
Category: programming
I spent the afternoon doing what I like to refer to as duct tape programming. I was given the task of taking a web interface that is created by a propriatary commercial server side application, whose code I do not have access to, and tacking on a new interface and functionality by forcefully unloading their design and DOM and replacing it with my own while retaining the data using surebert javascript toolkit.

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I wish the asbestos issues would just go away. I am hiring an EPA certified asbestos abatement professional to come access the situation on friday. I also talked with the lawyer about it seeing as we have still not closed on the freaking house. She said to give her an official esti9mate from the contractor and she will see what she can do. I hope we can work something out or maybe the insurance will cover it. We really have no option because the asbestos is exposed within the ducts and we can't turn the furnace on until it's done.

kosko - 09/01/06 12:54
Man that sounds pretty hardcore. I have enough of a time writing an interface to code I do have access to. Good luck with it and the house. Later man.

08/30/2006 00:32 #32743

I still hate asbestos
Category: housing
There was this major traffic jam in front of the hospital this morning. There always is some sort of jam there but today it was particularly bad.
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Indoor Air Professionals really did a bad job cleaning. I found after closer inspection that many pipes were full of debris and dirt. They are scheduled to re-inspect of Sept 5th.

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I contacted a company about asbestos removal. Let's pray it is not unreasonably expensive or that they can contain it and clean our basement.

The one that makes me really nervous is a pipe that got rusty but has asbestos lining so that the asbestos is exposed through the rust.
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Is this friable?
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At least it is not like this. Although that old train station I used to play in was. Does anyone else remember kicking in the decomposing walls, etc. Why was I such a stupid kid?
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09/03/2006 21:59 #32746

A day in the mobile life of Paul Visco
Category: housing
They could not fix my phone so they gave me a totally new one. At the sprint store in Amherst they have a repair facility and if you have the $6/month insurance and you have a phone they can't fix of no fault of your own, you get a new one. Now I have a brand new $599 cell phone. How did the price go up since I bought it last decemeber. It is so nice to have a new one. Even windows mobiel gets the windows regedit slow down after a while and it was nice to start with a fresh copy of windows. Plus I found a bunch of new hacks to ake my mobile videos better.

I went to (e:ladycroft)'s birthday last night. I didn't think I was going to go because I found it quite shitty that she didn't show up at (e:mike)'s or (e:terry)'s party and then at (e:mike) birthday celebration at frizzys and didn't say anything about it either. I decided to go anyways and it turned out to be quite interesting. It was a mix of about 4 or 5 different european ethnic groups. In fact I think an english speaking american was minority at the party. I have a hard time telling gay guys apart from French guys. I mean they kept humping up on each other and sitting on each others laps but I think they were supposed ot be straight.

(e:ladycroft) and (e:neijefer) stuck their faces int he cake. I started getting carried away with taking a picture of a picture of a picture in different digital mediums until they were just about unrecognizable.

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The Dalai Lama was at home depot. I know, no one will believe me but he was there buying lumber.
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We went to FWS this morning. It's just down Elmwood before Hertel.
(MAP TO: 1738%20ELMWOOD%20AVE)

(e:matthew) got a pretty new 10 x 13 oriental carpet for the living room at FWS You would think he would be happy but he was a gruppy fucker all day, granted, his wisdom tooth is coming in.

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::Download Flash Video::



At FWS they had this bizarre miscellaneous piece of furniture on clearance for $10. I almost wanted to buy it, it was so strange.
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I decided return all the woodwork in my office back to its original form. I want it to match the foyer, something it used to do before someone decided to paint it. My friend Katie said, "Can you imagine being the first person to paint over that." Frankly, I cannot imagine being that person, it just makes no sense to me with such nice woodwork.

This is what it looked like before I started working and before I had everyone else's stuff banned from my room. I just one one nicknack free uncluttered space with nothing other than me, my laptop and maybe one piece of sitting furniture for a guest/client in my office. I think it will make the 10 x 16 space quite livable. I want to be able to get up and pace, think, sit on my new rug, pace some more, lie on the one piece of furniture and then get up, walk to the laptop on the guant desk and type some more.

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I order to strip the fireplace and woodwork I am using citristrip The stuff smells a lot like citrisolve and probably work sin a similar manner. It does smell intense but it is much more tolerable than paint thinner or a heat stripper.

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I haven't finished yet but it is coming along.
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These are the color my office would be if I lived alone. Instead they are going to be a yellowish tan, suede color. Behr paint is 25% off with a rebate from home depot this weekend.

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joshua - 09/05/06 11:17
Seriously - you guys need to listen to yourselves. You are arguing about and speculating over why somebody didn't acknowledge somebodys birthday!!!! Do yourselves a favor and drop it. In the big picture is this terribly important? No. If Terry is seriously offended then I'm sure that Timika will talk to him and fix it. Besides, Timika is probably the most willingly helpful person around here and Jen is right to defend her, and you fellas know it. Cut her a little slack.

I avoid this problem by not acknowledging ANYBODY's birthday, except for mine, my fathers and my grandmothers. No drama that way!
paul - 09/05/06 01:44
Lots of our friends were busy during the parties but I don't think anyone else forget to wish mike or terry a happy birthday. I could care less if she actually attended the events.

They are my family so if you forget about them you might as well forget about me. I think you may have forgot that terry and I hosted her birthday party last year at my house because she didn't have a place. It would have been nice for her to at least acknowlege his birthday this year.
nejifer - 09/04/06 21:52
I think it's shitty to assume that Timika didn't come to your parties because she was being rude or standoffish. She didn't come because she has been graciously going home every weekend for the past month to help her sick sister take care of her new baby. She has been driving back and forth to Lewiston, sleeping about 2 hours a night, and working about 10 hour days since she started her new job. On top of all of that, she even took the time to help take care of your place and your pets while you were out of town. If there's anything "shitty" about this situation, it you, and not her!
southernyankee - 09/04/06 18:20
that step like piece of furniture looks quite peculiar next to that pole...
metalpeter - 09/04/06 13:26
First of all I'm glad that you came to the party. I'm also glad that you didn't hold the fact that Timika didn't make it to either of mikes things. I can't speak for her, and I really can't but I assume that if she knew about both of them that she had a good reason not to go. I will admit seeing guys dancing with guys was a little differant, i was told by one of the other forgien students that, thats how french guys are, I found that humurs.

Secondly there are some good reasons to paint over wood. I'm guessing the guy who had it painted it that color so it would match other stuff, kinda like why you are unpainting it. But there is another thing that painting does, it protects the wood. If you are going to have cups and spill stuff or use the desk for art projects or let a kid work off of it then it is good way to protect the wood. I have no idea what that piece of furnature is. It looks like some type of step or riser of some kind. The angle looks like it isn't made as a corner piece but maybe it is and then you put plants and stuff on it. Who knows maybe it is hot tubs steps not sure I'm sure it has a purpose.
mike - 09/04/06 00:52
what happened to atomic tangerine?
pyrcedgrrl - 09/03/06 22:41
Ooooh!!! That fireplace is going to be GORGEOUS when you're done!!! have you checked out Behr's website? They have this awesome tool that you can use to see what colors will look like together in a room. I love it, but I don't know if I'll ever be adventurous enough to try my combinations.

Sorry I missed you guys on Friday! For some reason my and Carey's cell phones are not speaking to one another and we are paying the price for it. Wish I could have caught you guys out. :\

Regarding the odd piece of furniture--I can't read the tag, did you find out what it was? It looks like one of those table pieces that goes in the middle of a sectional sofa. Weird.
mrmike - 09/03/06 22:03
Knew the Lama was too smooth for Lowe's