Too Many Projects to Count

"Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb."
- Batman (1966)

Spring has finally arrived in Michigan. Almost. The temperatures aren't quite what they should be; Old Man Winter worked hard and doesn't let go easily. Just when we thought he was ready to disappear back into his northern hideaway, he came swooping back in for one final (we hope) pass through the midwest. But the forecast promises that the real Spring is just around the corner.

Which means that all those long-delayed projects will now come due with a vengeance.

I've already been working on the basement, of course. There's no temperature restriction on indoor work, other than the pain of moving all the tools from the frigid garage to the downstairs. So I spent some time this weekend putting together the new (to me) table saw, pulling out some old, unnecessary temporary wiring, putting up some bedroom wall frames, and making plans for all the other things that need to be done.

The first part of the project is my favorite part: the wiring. With the replan on the basement split, the placement of the overhead lights has to change. Also, there's a new 20-amp line to run out to the garage, for the welder. So I can fix (replace) the rusted-out spots on the cars.

Hand in hand with the wiring is the new framing. We completely changed the bedroom wall to incorporate the new kitchenette and move the closet. Ran into a little bit of a hitch on the southeast basement wall that had been built a few years back; I'd forgotten that two of three sections along that side wall were framed with 2x2s instead of the standard 2x3s, so I'll have to rebuild them to be consistent -- and also to increase the insulation factor.

Then there's that issue with one of the original outlets on the south wall just above the thingie. It has to move, since we're not allowed to put outlets behind wall intersections. To move it properly, I have to tear into the drywall and pull the wire that connects it to the other outlets. Unfortunately, the outlets are wired horizontally instead of vertically, which means I have to remove horizontal sections of drywall. And, even more unfortunately, the original drywall is glued onto the studs (with Liquid Nails), and there's no easy way to remove it without completely destroying the drywall. So looks like I'll be doing a lot more drywall work than I'd planned.

At least the overhead lighting was easy. I just wired in some outlets in box extensions and plugged in my flourescent light panels. Since we're putting in a drop ceiling, I don't have to worry about the final lighting for a while.

As for the other projects, they just keep coming.

Mary's laptop died. Figured out the video chip had overheated and melted the solder that was bonding it to the circuit board. It's possible to re-heat it and try to reflow the solder, but that's kind of dicey. Probably easier just to head over to the PC recycle place and pick up another one for a couple hundred bucks. Which we have lying around here like so much popcorn. Not.

Adam's car is leaking again. We had it in the shop a month ago so they could replace the water pump. It was fine for three weeks. Now it's leaking again. So we have to find a time when he won't need his car so we can take it back and have them fix it again. Oh, joy.

I had my car in the shop last weekend so they could replace the right front bearing and the ball joints. It's still not driving properly. I think they messed up the brake somehow. I hear scraping. And they didn't tighten the drive belt because it screams every time I start the car. Do I take it back, or fix it myself? And if I fix it myself, where does the time come from?

Work is rapidly running out at the office, so it's time to polish up the ol' resume and start sending it out all over the place. No telling what'll happen next. Kind of makes me nervous when we've just started a major basement project and now this uncertainty arises.

Oh, well. That's the kind of adventure that makes life worth living, right?