We were talking about politics some time ago, and Bob mentioned to me how a very specific speech left a strong impression on him. It was a speech that Jesse Jackson gave, when he was running for President back in the 80’s. Bob explained to me how profoundly that speech changed his way of thinking. It was a big deal, and really shaped how he then started to look at the world.
This is a photo of the column we were pouring today. Unfortunately, soon after this the bottom gave out on the frame, and the concrete came pouring out of the bottom.
Did a bit of concrete mixing and pouring today with Bob.
This stuff was actually harder to get out than the driveway concrete, believe it or not.
Bob and I worked a lot this afternoon, clearing out a ton of soil and debris so we could work on repairing and re-enforcing the foundation a bit, near the kitchen. We’re also building out the wall a bit more (and creating a storage area where the trash bins will eventually live).
The last few weeks leading up to this weekend have been pretty hectic and quite busy. It’s been a blur of activity.
For Julie’s birthday, Liz arranged for a day of various activities in Chicago. Starting around 2:00 PM, we hit up a few different locations in the area for Open House Chicago.
Spent a long day today, working outside on the house. We’re doing some repair work to the foundation, near the kitchen area… and today I needed to bust up the driveway/concrete against that side of the house.
Sometimes, this kind of thinking helps spot potential efficiencies and gaps. And I think of it as just “planning.” But sometimes it spirals a bit out of control, where each decision or action fractures into different paths, each with their own outcomes and consequences. And my brain locks up a bit, as I’m trying to process and/or break out of what feels like a loop.
Spotted this while walking to work. It’s been sitting in a nearby apartment complex lot for some time, at least since the Spring of this year. The windows have been open, and I think it’s seem more than one thunderstorm.
A lot of the work we’ve done in the living room lately was to make things clean and clear, so that we could house some bunny visitors.
I really enjoyed playing Azul a few months ago. In fact, I liked it so much… I ended up buying it so that Liz and I could play at home.
After work, Liz and I suited up to finish off the last remaining bits of work we needed to attend to. We’ve got some boarders coming to our house tomorrow night, and still had some things that needed to get done.
Instead of shattering each brick (they’re hollow on the inside), I opted to take them off whole. I used the hammer drill to break off the mortar, and once that was done each piece got pretty loose.
Here’s me talking about a particular moment from back in 2005. I’ll keep this a secret until the video’s available, but maybe some of you might know what this is about.