Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Project in Brooklyn
I'll be meeting a woman who is rennovating a Brownstone townhouse in Brooklyn this evening. Should be fun. She wants some built in shelving, some painting and I don't remember what else, but it should carry me for a week or so. I'm excited, as it's been really slow. I removed some old window a/c units in Manhattan last week and installed two new ones. Took about an hour and the lady paid me better than I asked. I'm really looking forward to some viable work. I think they're not living in this upcoming Brownstone (which is very close to the apartment, by the way) and that means I can leave my tools out and not have to reload them every evening. Yay! I'll try to post some pictures of this project...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Shelf Installation in Manhattan
Being alive is very expensive in NYC. I'm really looking forward to leaving this God-forsaken place. In all honesty, I realize I'm responsible for all but two of the seven parking tickets I've received here, but I still get really annoyed when I get one. For the record, the two tickets I'm not responsible for were given by mistake. I paid them anyway (actually, my Sweetheart paid the last two) just because it would be a full day to go contest them.
The day before yesterday I had a small job that I found on Craigslist that entailed finding studs, installing brackets and mounting shelves. I charge a $50 minimum, and good thing I did, because the job only took about half an hour and the ticket I got before I left for work was $45. Ok, I'm spinning my wheels here and so ready to be somewhere where parking is a right, not a privilege. (sigh) I'll write more when I'm not in a negative state of mind. My apologies.
The day before yesterday I had a small job that I found on Craigslist that entailed finding studs, installing brackets and mounting shelves. I charge a $50 minimum, and good thing I did, because the job only took about half an hour and the ticket I got before I left for work was $45. Ok, I'm spinning my wheels here and so ready to be somewhere where parking is a right, not a privilege. (sigh) I'll write more when I'm not in a negative state of mind. My apologies.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Painting stripes in Upstate NY...
Well, seeing as I try to get out of Brooklyn during the week as to avoid parking tickets, I landed in my friend Don's yard in Springfield Center, NY. The closest "real" town is Cooperstown (of Baseball Hall of Fame fame). I decided I was going to come upstate to try my hand at painting Yankee parking lots.
I managed to sell a stripe job to a fellow who shall remain nameless, because I think he might just be "connected" (in a Sicilian way). Nice guy, though, and at the moment we're waiting for everything to dry out. I found traffic marking paint for $25 a gallon, which isn't bad, considering everything else up here is out of control expensive.
Hopefully I'll paint Mr. X's lot tomorrow morning and be able to head back into NYC by early afternoon at the latest. That way I'll be able to retrieve and cash a check for a job I did last week in Brooklyn. I'll probably stay until Monday and maybe hit Pennsylvania to try my luck with Amish parking lot stripes. We'll see...
I managed to sell a stripe job to a fellow who shall remain nameless, because I think he might just be "connected" (in a Sicilian way). Nice guy, though, and at the moment we're waiting for everything to dry out. I found traffic marking paint for $25 a gallon, which isn't bad, considering everything else up here is out of control expensive.
Hopefully I'll paint Mr. X's lot tomorrow morning and be able to head back into NYC by early afternoon at the latest. That way I'll be able to retrieve and cash a check for a job I did last week in Brooklyn. I'll probably stay until Monday and maybe hit Pennsylvania to try my luck with Amish parking lot stripes. We'll see...
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Debauchery
The other day I needed to find a Wachovia in order to cash a check, so my Sweetheart and I went to Manhattan. We got caught in the rain, and decided to grab a bite and a beer and wait it out. It was a nice little place where we split a bleu cheese burger with bacon and had a pint each. Uh, oh. That got the siphon going. After we found a Wachovia and I made my transaction, we did a slow bar crawl to the place where we were going to meet one of her co-workers for more drinks. Things got a little fuzzy after that. I do remember being asked to leave the NYC mounted police stables.
Once again, yesterday turned into a similar fiasco. We went to a party near Jersey City and once again, over imbibed a bit. As we were leaving the party, we poured our remaining beers into solo cups and proceeded towards the train station to head back to Manhattan. While walking down the street of a pretty suburban neighborhood a cop pulled up and we immediately poured out beers out. That didn't help. The cop wrote us tickets anyway and, to add insult to injury, checked the box requiring us to appear in court. So, on the 20th, we have to go back to New Jersey to pay the piper. Dang.
With that behind us, we proceeded to the train station, on time, mind you, and successfully made it back to Penn Station in Manhattan. I don't remember exactly what we were bickering about, but somehow I upset the little woman and she was walking quickly up the stairs as I called out her name. Evidently a nearby cop thought things were worse than they were, and detained me for a bit until I convinced him that I was, indeed, her boyfriend. He let me go and I managed to catch up to the woman of my dreams before she got too far, which is a good thing, considering the fact that I would have been completely lost without her marvelous sense of direction. I love that woman.
Anyway, I've decided that the NYC police presence is enough to leave me inclined to moderate. Or abstain...
Once again, yesterday turned into a similar fiasco. We went to a party near Jersey City and once again, over imbibed a bit. As we were leaving the party, we poured our remaining beers into solo cups and proceeded towards the train station to head back to Manhattan. While walking down the street of a pretty suburban neighborhood a cop pulled up and we immediately poured out beers out. That didn't help. The cop wrote us tickets anyway and, to add insult to injury, checked the box requiring us to appear in court. So, on the 20th, we have to go back to New Jersey to pay the piper. Dang.
With that behind us, we proceeded to the train station, on time, mind you, and successfully made it back to Penn Station in Manhattan. I don't remember exactly what we were bickering about, but somehow I upset the little woman and she was walking quickly up the stairs as I called out her name. Evidently a nearby cop thought things were worse than they were, and detained me for a bit until I convinced him that I was, indeed, her boyfriend. He let me go and I managed to catch up to the woman of my dreams before she got too far, which is a good thing, considering the fact that I would have been completely lost without her marvelous sense of direction. I love that woman.
Anyway, I've decided that the NYC police presence is enough to leave me inclined to moderate. Or abstain...
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Work in Brooklyn, NY
Being in Brooklyn a month ago made me skeptical of the possibility of being self employed in NYC. Come to find out it's the contacts one has and not one's ability. My Sweetheart sent out an e-mail to the people in her industry and the responses have been numerous!
Yesterday I patched the sheetrock under the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom of a very nice apartment here in Brooklyn. The repair under the kitchen sink was fairly straightforward except for the fact that the plumbers that made the repair requiring them to remove the section of sheetrock left the stub for the sink drain too deep in the wall and it was a bear to retighten it after I replaced the P-trap. I managed to get it, though, and that patch, for a one-coat patch turned out nicely.
When I moved into the bathroom, however, it was a different story. The wall behind the vanity sink was tile which the plumbers broke through with a hammer. Not the nicest hole. I couldn't realistically bring in my tile saw because it is a wetsaw, and it would have soaked the apartment down below. I called the landlord and told her that to repair the damage would be a fairly extensive project, entailing removing the newly installed vanity, chipping the tile out to the nearest stud on either side (which in this case would be a four foot span for some reason) , sheetrocking the larger hole and replacing the tile which means I'd be descending five floors to make the cuts on the wetsaw. She asked me what the alternative would be and I told her that I could silicone a piece of sheetrock over the hole and stub the plumbing through. A surface patch. To my chagrin that's what she had me do. I really don't like to band-aid stuff like that, but it is, after all, under a sink in a cabinet.
When I gave the landlord a bill, it was evidently not to NYC standards, (100$ for three hours is fine by me) and she said "That's just crazy talk!" She told me that no one would even show up for less than $150 and that she'd make it worth my while. I'm curiously anticipating the check. I'd be happy with what I told her was due me. We'll see!
That's life in the big city so far this go 'round!
Yesterday I patched the sheetrock under the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom of a very nice apartment here in Brooklyn. The repair under the kitchen sink was fairly straightforward except for the fact that the plumbers that made the repair requiring them to remove the section of sheetrock left the stub for the sink drain too deep in the wall and it was a bear to retighten it after I replaced the P-trap. I managed to get it, though, and that patch, for a one-coat patch turned out nicely.
When I moved into the bathroom, however, it was a different story. The wall behind the vanity sink was tile which the plumbers broke through with a hammer. Not the nicest hole. I couldn't realistically bring in my tile saw because it is a wetsaw, and it would have soaked the apartment down below. I called the landlord and told her that to repair the damage would be a fairly extensive project, entailing removing the newly installed vanity, chipping the tile out to the nearest stud on either side (which in this case would be a four foot span for some reason) , sheetrocking the larger hole and replacing the tile which means I'd be descending five floors to make the cuts on the wetsaw. She asked me what the alternative would be and I told her that I could silicone a piece of sheetrock over the hole and stub the plumbing through. A surface patch. To my chagrin that's what she had me do. I really don't like to band-aid stuff like that, but it is, after all, under a sink in a cabinet.
When I gave the landlord a bill, it was evidently not to NYC standards, (100$ for three hours is fine by me) and she said "That's just crazy talk!" She told me that no one would even show up for less than $150 and that she'd make it worth my while. I'm curiously anticipating the check. I'd be happy with what I told her was due me. We'll see!
That's life in the big city so far this go 'round!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Life since my last post... (long time ago...)
I've gotten away from writing much anymore and I've been told that I need to keep at it. I guess people want me to keep developing my vernacular and vocabulary... Ok, Folks, I'll try to be more consistant.
Not too awful much has happened since I posted last. Since the economy has deteriorated, I've been basically subsisting. I didn't rent a shelter in Apalachicola this past winter; my dog and I, more or less, just camped out of my truck. I had an invitation to park behind a friend's house, and it was very secluded considering that it was downtown.
Fortunately I have friends that had smaller projects for me to work on. I think they were, in all actuality, throwing me a proverbial bone. Thanks, y'all! I replaced some siding on a house, applied Ospho to a metal roof to stabilize the rust and then painted it with a tarnished copper-toned roof sealer. I then scraped a popcorn ceiling in a different friend's garage (to make it smooth) and painted the ceiling and walls with primer and two top-coats of high gloss oil based paint. That way, when it's raining and my buddy needs to process wild game in there, he can just hose down the walls. I then prepped the concrete floor of the garage and applied a 2-part tinted epoxy to seal and shine the surface. Turned out really nice.
When those jobs were completed, I decided to head up to Brooklyn, NY to be with my sweetheart, who I've known for around four years. Over Christmas, she came down to Apalach to be with her family, and I've always tried to make it a point to be able to see her when she's in town. We ended up having a really nice connection over our four day visit (staying up until 4am talking about anything and everything) and I decided that come hell or high water I was going to persue her to the ends of the earth. I was devastated that she planned to join the peace corps and I resigned myself to waiting for her for the 27 month sojurn. I think she's changed her mind for the time being, and we plan on doing a nat'l walkabout for several months come September. I'm really excited.
Anyway, I stayed in Brooklyn for a month with almost no work at all, and after harvesting 6 parking tickets, totaling $450 more or less, from my windshield, I decided that I should go where I could work. I went back to Asheville, NC, where my parents live, and over the course of another month I skim-coated raw cinderblock walls with topping cement, painted the soffit, fascia and trim on a garage and house, and cased and installed a steel door on the same cinderblock structure on which I applied the topping cement. Fun, fun!!
When I finished those projects in NC, paid my parking tickets and performed routine maintenance on my truck, I hopped in at 5pm last Saturday, and made good time on I-81 north. I drove all night on a steady diet of 1 energy drink every four hours, and arrived back in Brooklyn at 7am Sunday morning. I suprised my girlfriend because neither one of us thought I'd make it up here until 9 at the earliest. I think it was a pleasant suprise! =-)
I'm currently driving a 1986 full size Chevrolet Custom Deluxe 4x4 with the 305 small block v-8. I was shocked to see that she gets almost 18 mpg after a tune up! My last mid-80's 4x4 pickup had the 351 windsor big block v-8 and I was tickled in Kansas, with a tail wind, to get 12!! It's all relative!
Well, that's the news for now, and I'll try to keep y'all "posted" (snicker)...
Not too awful much has happened since I posted last. Since the economy has deteriorated, I've been basically subsisting. I didn't rent a shelter in Apalachicola this past winter; my dog and I, more or less, just camped out of my truck. I had an invitation to park behind a friend's house, and it was very secluded considering that it was downtown.
Fortunately I have friends that had smaller projects for me to work on. I think they were, in all actuality, throwing me a proverbial bone. Thanks, y'all! I replaced some siding on a house, applied Ospho to a metal roof to stabilize the rust and then painted it with a tarnished copper-toned roof sealer. I then scraped a popcorn ceiling in a different friend's garage (to make it smooth) and painted the ceiling and walls with primer and two top-coats of high gloss oil based paint. That way, when it's raining and my buddy needs to process wild game in there, he can just hose down the walls. I then prepped the concrete floor of the garage and applied a 2-part tinted epoxy to seal and shine the surface. Turned out really nice.
When those jobs were completed, I decided to head up to Brooklyn, NY to be with my sweetheart, who I've known for around four years. Over Christmas, she came down to Apalach to be with her family, and I've always tried to make it a point to be able to see her when she's in town. We ended up having a really nice connection over our four day visit (staying up until 4am talking about anything and everything) and I decided that come hell or high water I was going to persue her to the ends of the earth. I was devastated that she planned to join the peace corps and I resigned myself to waiting for her for the 27 month sojurn. I think she's changed her mind for the time being, and we plan on doing a nat'l walkabout for several months come September. I'm really excited.
Anyway, I stayed in Brooklyn for a month with almost no work at all, and after harvesting 6 parking tickets, totaling $450 more or less, from my windshield, I decided that I should go where I could work. I went back to Asheville, NC, where my parents live, and over the course of another month I skim-coated raw cinderblock walls with topping cement, painted the soffit, fascia and trim on a garage and house, and cased and installed a steel door on the same cinderblock structure on which I applied the topping cement. Fun, fun!!
When I finished those projects in NC, paid my parking tickets and performed routine maintenance on my truck, I hopped in at 5pm last Saturday, and made good time on I-81 north. I drove all night on a steady diet of 1 energy drink every four hours, and arrived back in Brooklyn at 7am Sunday morning. I suprised my girlfriend because neither one of us thought I'd make it up here until 9 at the earliest. I think it was a pleasant suprise! =-)
I'm currently driving a 1986 full size Chevrolet Custom Deluxe 4x4 with the 305 small block v-8. I was shocked to see that she gets almost 18 mpg after a tune up! My last mid-80's 4x4 pickup had the 351 windsor big block v-8 and I was tickled in Kansas, with a tail wind, to get 12!! It's all relative!
Well, that's the news for now, and I'll try to keep y'all "posted" (snicker)...
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