Short and sweet. Here was my weekend:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel
https://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Per my dear friend's comment from my last post, I decided to show what I can do. Last post's video was my first time. This video is me 10 minutes ago. Whosajiggawhat?! ;)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Post number 200!
Where have I been for the last 2 months? Michigan (3 times), Home Depot (about 10 times). We've been crazy busy the last few weeks. Highlights, you ask? Certainly!
First, a video I've meant to put up for the last 3 months. My first time on rollers: http://www.youtube.com/user/BJHkitten#p/a/u/0/ran7ft9-lOw
Then, the day after Christmas, we embarked on a project to make our family room look like it isn't being lived in by a college kid. Here is how that turned out:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel/RedecoratingDec2010#
Then, last weekend, we took on the project of making our kitchen cabinets look more up-to-date, instead of looking like an outdated country home: http://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel/PaintedCabinets#
We still have some work to go - need to update our backsplash, because we're not feeling that yellow tile.... we also need to touch up a few cabinets, and repaint a few (thanks to the learning curve on the sprayer that we bought). But the house is coming along. It is actually looking like a home, and not like a mismatched, unorganized dwelling. Yay for feeling grown up!
Where have I been for the last 2 months? Michigan (3 times), Home Depot (about 10 times). We've been crazy busy the last few weeks. Highlights, you ask? Certainly!
First, a video I've meant to put up for the last 3 months. My first time on rollers: http://www.youtube.com/user/BJHkitten#p/a/u/0/ran7ft9-lOw
Then, the day after Christmas, we embarked on a project to make our family room look like it isn't being lived in by a college kid. Here is how that turned out:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel/RedecoratingDec2010#
Then, last weekend, we took on the project of making our kitchen cabinets look more up-to-date, instead of looking like an outdated country home: http://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel/PaintedCabinets#
We still have some work to go - need to update our backsplash, because we're not feeling that yellow tile.... we also need to touch up a few cabinets, and repaint a few (thanks to the learning curve on the sprayer that we bought). But the house is coming along. It is actually looking like a home, and not like a mismatched, unorganized dwelling. Yay for feeling grown up!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
And the winner for most trips to home depot in a single day: ME! 4 trips to Home Depot today. What magnificent project did I work on? Well, the plumbing under our kitchen sink has been a problem over the last 2 months. Every so often, when our sink fills and the garbage disposal needs to be run, we'll run it, and all of the sudden the pipe leading out of the garbage disposal would force itself out of the pipe underneath, and there will be a huge mess, requiring us to clean up about a half gallon of dirty water. You see, the previous home owners installed the garbage disposal, but didn't use the proper length of pipe coming down from the disposal. Their solution was to force the pipe to connect by slanting it, which of course, weakens the seal. Today, when trying to jam the pipe back into place, I ended up busting a hole in the pipe, inciting me to replace all of the plumbing.
Trip 1: Brought the original pieces to Home Depot, bought replacements
Trip 2: Back to home depot because one of the pieces I needed didn't have any threading on the pipe.
Trip 3: While putting one of the pipes on, an important washer cracked.
Trip 4: After putting everything together, I decided that one of the pieces that I bought still wasn't long enough, so I went back for an extension and some PVC cement.
I hate finding all of the mistakes that the previous home owners made. If you're going to do something, DO IT RIGHT!!!
Trip 1: Brought the original pieces to Home Depot, bought replacements
Trip 2: Back to home depot because one of the pieces I needed didn't have any threading on the pipe.
Trip 3: While putting one of the pipes on, an important washer cracked.
Trip 4: After putting everything together, I decided that one of the pieces that I bought still wasn't long enough, so I went back for an extension and some PVC cement.
I hate finding all of the mistakes that the previous home owners made. If you're going to do something, DO IT RIGHT!!!
Friday, October 08, 2010
I'm Ba-ack!
I've missed blogging. I did it quite regularly for 6 straight years, and I believe this is the longest I've been away from it since then. What did you miss?????
I worked. A LOT. Several 90+ hour weeks as I tried to do the work of 2 people for about 10 weeks while my boss was on maternity leave. It was a mess. I was a mess. I was bringing work home every night, working weekends.... BLECH. I don't know how Jessica put up with it. I was all but absent at home. And stressed. Then in mid-August, they hired me a new boss. (My old boss recently came back part-time to work on something else, which had been her plan all along). After my new boss was hired, I worked even more! I was trying to do the work of 2 people, plus trying to get her caught up on everything.
And then, a break. A glorious week of hiking through the Colorado rockies. Amazing weather- 70's and no rain for 7 straight days. Amazing scenery, and wildlife- a fox, coyotes, deer, a snake, pika, bighorn sheep, elk, a bear... yes, a bear. We were hiking and encountered one no more than 20 feet from us. It was behind a bush, grunted to let us know it was there, and we took off the other direction as slowly and calmly as someone who has just had their heart jump through their chest can go. We also learned that next time we should bring better padding for the camping trip. The trip was 3 weeks ago and my neck is still stiff from sleeping on the ground for 6 nights. I'm going to call a doctor on Monday if this weekend of heating pads and icy hot doesn't help. Pictures are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel/RockyMountain2010#
I also came back seeing funny flashes of light in one eye- looking like little sparks from a campfire in the corner of my eye, which an opthamologist deemed photopsia. (I am no longer seeing said flashes of light- they lasted for about 2 weeks).
I've also started biking! Seriously. This summer a colleague at an agency took me mountain biking. That turned into taking evening bike rides with Jessica and discovering that our town of Westerville has some great bike paths , and that in turn ended up in Jessica and I buying a pair of Giant bicycles. (Jessica got the girl version of that bike). We LOVE them. We also dropped quite a bit on accessories - bike computers, new floor pump, tool kit, spare tubes, water bottles and holders, gloves, bike rack, padded bibs, jerseys, etc. Now I need my neck to feel better so that I can go riding again. I LOVE IT. I can't believe that no one ever told us how great it is! ;)
Finally, all of my hard work has paid off. The day that I came back from my vacation, my new boss called me into her office and gave me some good news: for the work that I had done over the past year, I am to receive a 10% bonus and 9% raise! Fantastic!!!!! I was definitely not expecting that! A couple percent, sure, but not that much! Now I only feel like I'm slightly behind my classmates from the MBA program. (I was far below my class average for compensation- though at least I've had a permanent job since graduation!).
So life is good! I'm also not working nearly the same crazy hours - not bringing things home on weekends and evenings usually, and am able to enjoy time with Jessica and with Michigan football. As a side note, this coming week I'm heading to Orlando for the Produce Marketers Association convention. (Last week I was in Anaheim for this convention). Here is where I'm staying: http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Portofino-Bay-Hotel.
Cheers! I hope to post again soon.
I've missed blogging. I did it quite regularly for 6 straight years, and I believe this is the longest I've been away from it since then. What did you miss?????
I worked. A LOT. Several 90+ hour weeks as I tried to do the work of 2 people for about 10 weeks while my boss was on maternity leave. It was a mess. I was a mess. I was bringing work home every night, working weekends.... BLECH. I don't know how Jessica put up with it. I was all but absent at home. And stressed. Then in mid-August, they hired me a new boss. (My old boss recently came back part-time to work on something else, which had been her plan all along). After my new boss was hired, I worked even more! I was trying to do the work of 2 people, plus trying to get her caught up on everything.
And then, a break. A glorious week of hiking through the Colorado rockies. Amazing weather- 70's and no rain for 7 straight days. Amazing scenery, and wildlife- a fox, coyotes, deer, a snake, pika, bighorn sheep, elk, a bear... yes, a bear. We were hiking and encountered one no more than 20 feet from us. It was behind a bush, grunted to let us know it was there, and we took off the other direction as slowly and calmly as someone who has just had their heart jump through their chest can go. We also learned that next time we should bring better padding for the camping trip. The trip was 3 weeks ago and my neck is still stiff from sleeping on the ground for 6 nights. I'm going to call a doctor on Monday if this weekend of heating pads and icy hot doesn't help. Pictures are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Benjamin.Hummel/RockyMountain2010#
I also came back seeing funny flashes of light in one eye- looking like little sparks from a campfire in the corner of my eye, which an opthamologist deemed photopsia. (I am no longer seeing said flashes of light- they lasted for about 2 weeks).
I've also started biking! Seriously. This summer a colleague at an agency took me mountain biking. That turned into taking evening bike rides with Jessica and discovering that our town of Westerville has some great bike paths , and that in turn ended up in Jessica and I buying a pair of Giant bicycles. (Jessica got the girl version of that bike). We LOVE them. We also dropped quite a bit on accessories - bike computers, new floor pump, tool kit, spare tubes, water bottles and holders, gloves, bike rack, padded bibs, jerseys, etc. Now I need my neck to feel better so that I can go riding again. I LOVE IT. I can't believe that no one ever told us how great it is! ;)
Finally, all of my hard work has paid off. The day that I came back from my vacation, my new boss called me into her office and gave me some good news: for the work that I had done over the past year, I am to receive a 10% bonus and 9% raise! Fantastic!!!!! I was definitely not expecting that! A couple percent, sure, but not that much! Now I only feel like I'm slightly behind my classmates from the MBA program. (I was far below my class average for compensation- though at least I've had a permanent job since graduation!).
So life is good! I'm also not working nearly the same crazy hours - not bringing things home on weekends and evenings usually, and am able to enjoy time with Jessica and with Michigan football. As a side note, this coming week I'm heading to Orlando for the Produce Marketers Association convention. (Last week I was in Anaheim for this convention). Here is where I'm staying: http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Portofino-Bay-Hotel.
Cheers! I hope to post again soon.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
I'm switching to guns.
Its been a busy few months- several trips to Michigan to visit family, a graduation, etc. Several trips from family members coming down to visit and see our house for the first time, and also to install lighting.
Today, I'm glad that my parents brought me my air pistol, as I've had enough of our squirrels. We hung bird feeders a while ago, and much like a few of our friends who have blogged about their squirrel problems, we are having them too. Baffles haven't worked, spring-loaded feeders haven't worked. Moving the feeders hasn't worked. So today I decided to do a little illegal hunting from my family room window with a CO2 powered pistol and some BBs. I'm not shooting to kill- just shooting to cause a lot of surprise and pain. I'm aiming for the meaty part of the leg only- we already have a squirrel missing an eye- I don't want to maim them. After 1 shot and direct hit, I'm happy to say that the squirrels have decided (at least temporarily) that the ground is a safer place for them.
Other home ownership projects lately: lots of gardening - we have tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, strawberries, raspberries and herbs all flourishing - we've picked a few strawberries already, and have some green tomatoes that should turn later this month. We also did a little ripping out of mint and some weeds, and planted a few shrubs. We also had my dad down a few weeks ago to help install some recessed lighting in one room, and a ceiling fan in our bedroom. Tomorrow morning the A/C repair man comes to take a look at our A/C - I think we just need to recharge the refrigerant, but I'm not 100% sure. I know it isn't the filter or the blower, and the fan for the compressor outside is fine... so I'd think the refrigerant is a pretty safe bet. Oh, and there was the leaking shower causing a drip in our ceiling that needed some caulking, and then drywall patching the other week.
This home-ownership thing is a lot of work, but we like it quite a bit!
Its been a busy few months- several trips to Michigan to visit family, a graduation, etc. Several trips from family members coming down to visit and see our house for the first time, and also to install lighting.
Today, I'm glad that my parents brought me my air pistol, as I've had enough of our squirrels. We hung bird feeders a while ago, and much like a few of our friends who have blogged about their squirrel problems, we are having them too. Baffles haven't worked, spring-loaded feeders haven't worked. Moving the feeders hasn't worked. So today I decided to do a little illegal hunting from my family room window with a CO2 powered pistol and some BBs. I'm not shooting to kill- just shooting to cause a lot of surprise and pain. I'm aiming for the meaty part of the leg only- we already have a squirrel missing an eye- I don't want to maim them. After 1 shot and direct hit, I'm happy to say that the squirrels have decided (at least temporarily) that the ground is a safer place for them.
Other home ownership projects lately: lots of gardening - we have tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, strawberries, raspberries and herbs all flourishing - we've picked a few strawberries already, and have some green tomatoes that should turn later this month. We also did a little ripping out of mint and some weeds, and planted a few shrubs. We also had my dad down a few weeks ago to help install some recessed lighting in one room, and a ceiling fan in our bedroom. Tomorrow morning the A/C repair man comes to take a look at our A/C - I think we just need to recharge the refrigerant, but I'm not 100% sure. I know it isn't the filter or the blower, and the fan for the compressor outside is fine... so I'd think the refrigerant is a pretty safe bet. Oh, and there was the leaking shower causing a drip in our ceiling that needed some caulking, and then drywall patching the other week.
This home-ownership thing is a lot of work, but we like it quite a bit!
