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Visit by Prince Charles
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Clann Tartan Meeting
Most of Saturday afternoon was devoted to the quarterly membership meeting of Clann Tartan. It seemed to go quite well; some organizational problems were discussed at length, three solutions were proposed, and one was chosen by a clear vote of the membership. Then elections were held to fill some vacant positions. These went well, with clear results. Nobody lost their temper in the course of the afternoon. Seemed like a good meeting, and afterwards several of us went over to the Groveland Tap for a pleasant late lunch and a few beers. I thought it was a good afternoon’s work, and felt quite pleased with the day.
Appearances can be deceiving. Checking my e-mail this morning I found two exceptionally unpleasant msgs from someone who had been at the meeting and at the bar afterwards. This was completely unexpected–nothing in what he said yesterday suggested he would write these things. rillaspins received the same e-mails (for the same reason), and there is some discussion of it on her Live Journal. I was really shocked by this, and it took me while to readjust to our family’s Sunday routine.
Saws and planes
Finished ripping that old oak….then planed the sawn sides smooth. Unfortunately, in the course of that I broke a small part on my best plane. The part was not original, in fact it was a distinctly inferior modern replacement. Nevertheless I have to find another replacement, or, perhaps, make one. I am getting more comfortable with simple metalwork.
Protected: Hassle at Work
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Axis of Ripping
A little more shop time tonight. Nothing fancy, just legs for a stool. I did not want to buy more wood, so I am using some leftover oak (from discarded church pews). Did not have any in the right size, so I have to rip (saw longways) about 4 feet of thoroughly seasoned, very dry oak, 1 1/2 inches thick. …..
…. without power tools. I have several hand saws, and did some experimenting. A very cheap rip saw from Harbor Freight proved to be worth about what I paid for it. A pull saw (Japanese style blade) from Home Depot actually worked OK, though it is not specifically intended for ripping. My big Japanese rip saw did quite well, but I think my Putsch saw from Germany did better.
This is hard work. That oak is tough. I am getting some exercise on this project.
Apheresis
Did a another platelet donation at the downtown Minneapolis Red Cross today. It takes a while (2+ hours), but I don’t really mind. All I do is lie on my back for a couple hours and doze off. Occasionally the nurses (mostly female) stop by and tell me what a great guy I am for doing this!
Protected: Reorganization
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Selling books
Back in the summer of 2004 I realized I had way too many books, and was never going to do much with a lot of them. Rather than dumping the lot at a used bookstore, getting pennies on the dollar, I have been selling them on Amazon.com. This takes longer–sometimes a book will not sell for months–but I get a much more reasonable return. Also there is some satisfaction in knowing that the book is going to someone who cares.
Parting is hard. These books, mostly advanced math and physics, are part of the dreams of my youth, and I have been carrying them, in more than one way, for a long time. I was going to list one particular quantum mechanics book tonight, but glancing through it brought back so many happy memories of college and grad school studies (OK–you knew I was weird) that I put it back on the shelf. Still, I did list 9 others, and one has already sold for nearly $40.
Sign at Work
There is a basket on the floor receptionist’s desk, labeled:
Halloween Candy Amnesty Program
Make your home safer by turning in your leftover Halloween candy here.
Four hobbies in one Sunday shopping trip to the West Metro ….
1. A discussion of kilt history with 3stitches, and subsequent research, sent me to SR Harris (fabric outlet in Northwest suburbs). I bought some wool (on sale) to make a kilt in the style of c. 1800.
2. MicroCenter (computer store in Western suburbs). Bought a USB Jump Drive. Long overdue!
3. Whole Foods. Bought fresh ginger to brew a sparkling ginger mead. Having discussed mead in rhymeswithghoti‘s journal, it seems to be time for another batch of my own brew.
4. Rockler Woodworking. Another diamond sharpening stone.
From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space, and beyond 