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Car alarms and fire alarms?!? What is going on down there man? You're sure your son's not playing tricks on you?

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Mark, I like the vanity update. That sounds funny for some reason, but you know what I mean.

Tim, that sounds bogus about your job. You knew you were leaving, and apparently he just confirmed it for you. We could sure use somebody with your skills up here. I'm consistently coming across work that I could forward to somebody who does it well and reasonably priced.

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That mindset is the reason that we get so many inferior products and services these days. Quality doesn't matter to these management types. Just pump out garbage as fast as you can.

Your ex boss sounds like a perfect example of this thinking. You're better off without having to deal with that nonsense.

I bought a new sofa and it came in a box. I had to put the legs on it. No big deal except the legs didn't even come close to lining up. How much trouble would it have been to get the holes in the right place?

I got some of those plastic pink flamingos for my new place. Yes I know they are silly and goofy looking but I like them.

They showed up in a bag with no packing at all and USPS had smashed them and they had no legs.

What the heck am I supposed to do with 2 legless crushed pink flamingoes? :lol:

Quality seems to be a thing of the past.

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I had a neighbor who's car alarm went off all the time. If I ever actually saw someone trying to steal that car I would let them.

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Sorry to hear... about the sofa... ; )

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The guy is very insecure. So insecure it oozes out his mouth :lol:. I could write a book, but I'll just say I knew the job was not a fit, was not the "historic preservation" job I ended my 38 year stint of self-employment to take, his personality is lacking, I'll be happier elsewhere, he did all he could to make me want to quit (including cutting into my money... 48-60 hours in 2wk period), I'm too smart to quit/strong enough to handle what he was dishing out, it wore him down instead, and he went haywire over a me asking a question. I guess that was a pamphlet right there :lol:. The guy was foaming at the mouth, literally! I will never forget that sight. Never seen such a thing. I was waiting for steam to shoot out his ears and make the factory whistle sound :lol:

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It wasn't that. Although he did claim I was costing him money. I could see, through other things happening, that he was feeling a financial crunch. I could say a lot about what I observed as reasons. After all, I ran a business successfully for 38 years. I only lost money that wasn't paid me. My jobs always produced profit. He could learn a lot from me, but anyway...

He convinced himself that I had no skills, didn't believe I was actually a carpenter, couldn't believe I ran my own business for 38 years. That is how twisted his insecure mind worked. He clearly has unaddressed issues. He says he's a genius carpenter. I told him if he actually was he wouldn't have to be telling me. My sister, and others, felt I intimidated him. Yet I always carry my unchallenging casual non-comparing not out to prove a thing attitude. It drove him nuts. Everything worried him. Blow it off, it will work out just fine, come out in the wash, and such are not in his vocabulary.

I cut a piece of trim 1" short, after being interrupted by the new helper as I was measuring. I asked him to hold up as I wrote the measurement down, then cut that measurement after he left. I wrote it down wrong, was already distracted when I wrote it down. I learned then to always remeasure after any break in the flow. I'm no spring chicken and am having to learn new ways to deal with such things that used to never happen. I've also worked alone since '05. It's such a common mistake there's a carpenter's term for it, I "inched it". Usually when that happens everyone laughs at the guy. To this guy had it stuck in his mind like a brain tumor. "So I made a mistake, don't you ever make mistakes?", I asked him. Apparently he thinks not, although I can name a few.

That was around Thanksgiving and things have been bad ever since. I got a talking to over that three different times. All seemed rehearsed, orchestrated. He said I could be making $10 an hour more and work all the hours I wanted. As it is, last year's wages summed up to a salary at $5 per hour @ 40hrs per wk less than I was being paid, due to his poor management, keeping the work flowing. About $12k less last year.

I got really focused, even started drinking decaf! I was on the ball and made no mistakes. He kept setting me up to knock me down, but I came through each time. At some point I could feel I was winning, his crap wouldn't work on me. It seemed to make him madder when I did better. I knew from the other guys that had left since I started that he has a thing about never firing, but making you want to quit. He's about a sadistic hateful maniac, no doubt. I'll be better off now. I'm glad it's over

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There was only one perfect Carpenter..

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Exactly!

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Amen!

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Is Norm still around!?

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That has been said many times by friends when they became aware of my situation. The odd thing is this guy's father was a preacher and also the carpenter who he learned from. This guy is absolutely lacking in any spiritual connection, certainly not religious. His father has passed on and he says his mother is a whore. He took pleasure in telling of some of his evil exploits. I am so glad to no longer be associated with him

Steeveedee, I'm sure he would have fired Norm

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:lol: Man, that's bad. I feel sorry for people like that, actually. They and the people around them are all some level of miserable. I worked for a gal like that (in aerospace) and the best description I can think of is "shrieking harpy from the third circle of hell", first circle being the bottom. I was on blood pressure and reflux medication and some other things until I'd finally had enough and got another assignment. I was off those meds in just about 6 weeks. I take my job seriously and always try to do my best. Some people just ain't happy unless they're angry at the moon, as a minimum.

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This guy's only laugh was at evil. I think he despised me for being happy and friendly to everyone, always having something nice to say in passing. I used to take my guys to lunch every now and then, sometimes turning into an afternoon, then run back to gather up the tools. I wrote it off on my moral account. I worked for him 16 months and never had a beer with him. He knew nothing about my interests or anything outside of the job. Definitely saw his employees as subservient. I'm a down in the trenches with the troops type of leader. Worked well for me, earned me respect. My guys would do anything for me. With this guy I couldn't wait for quitting time and started dreading Monday come Sunday evening. The days he put me on a job by myself were pure heaven. It's pure heaven every day now :cool:

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I've inched a board or two in my life. So aggravating looking for the board stretcher.

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The stores were always out! ;)

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I’m impressed you made it 16 months Tim! He probably has something in his past that hardened him

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Exactly!!

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You guys crack me up! :lol: Don't you know cutting a board too short means the end of the world is coming?
Thanks Kirk. I guess I have strong resolve and can look at the bigger picture clearly in such circumstances. He was just strange for about a year. Then when I was the last man standing he started talking how I was hired to replace his lead man. This was close to a year after being hired and not being allowed to be the carpenter that I am. Just do as he says. I never saw a blueprint and never was told the full scope of a job, yet expected to lead with finite accuracy. After 38 years of all the knowledge and decisions being in my own hands, this was a very hard adjustment. And 180 degrees off from my working philosophy, the methods I used to lead.

This is the most I have ever spilled here about my personal life. I'm not a wear my heart on my sleeve person. We come here to enjoy ourselves. But, I may just break with tradition and start a thread on this. I've actually been holding back a lot. There is so much and hopefully once out I'll let it all fade away.
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So... What I've been doing not on my truck is chipping away at details I never finished on my house or things I want to change/improve.

I finally ordered and installed a vintage style brass & porcelain toilet handle on the vintage style Kohler toilet I installed about 25 years ago that came with a contemporary looking chrome handle. The bathroom has Douglas fir porch ceiling paneling w/oak trim and brass/porcelain hardware. It all matches now!!

While sitting there, yes there, I looked as I have for so long at the gap between the tile and oak threshold. The toilet has overflowed in the past and flooded the floor, which caused the threshold to cup a few times. It always settles flat again, but the grout has cracked out and the caulk I have used has pulled loose, so I cleared that out long ago.

From the rip I took off the original oak backsplash cap I ruined for my kitchen (prior post), I made quarter round to trim inside this bath's vanity bottom inside. There was a gap. I made extra and got to playing with it and made up some mini-1/4 round, about 1/4"-5/16". I tried it in that gap at the threshold and it filled it well. So I glued and pin nailed it so it could move with the threshold, in case there is another flood :rolleyes:
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The base is just oak 1x with an 1/8" bead and old style oak shoe. I also sit there, yes there, and ponder that wide dust collecting and caulked to fill the void due to it's rigid nature 1x. This tiny 1/4 round is like wood caulk, it's so flexible. Today I'm going to make up some more and cap the base with it. Also looking around at other areas around the house that could use it, both clear oak and painted pine

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I got the keys to my new swinging bachelor pad today. Okay. I'm not so swinging and mama would have something say about the bachelor thing. But I did get the keys. All done. :metal:
Except the moving stuff in part. :(

It's not the best looking girl at the dance but it's nice inside and right on the river and downtown. Should be fun. Just a weekend place. It's a great location and I'm going to enjoy barbecuing on that deck.

And I like the name of street. Whiskey Flat Days and the rodeo are coming up in February and I'm right there.

I have no idea who's going to clean up those leaves... Not me. :lol:


http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...6_Sirreta_.jpg

No clue about the vacant lot next door with the crappy fence. But it gives me more distance from neighbors.


http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...16_Whiskey.jpg

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Last year I was at an estate sale looking for old chevy truck parts. I found this old church pew. Turns out my wife wanted one to restore (aka she wanted me to restore it haha). Well I finished it today.

Plenty of sanding and filler, two coats of black primer, 3 coats of red, some careful sanding for a "patina" look, and one coat of clear satin. She is happy... ;)

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Keep calling it your bachelor pad and your wife may just accommodate you on that! :lol:

So you can see the river from the deck? The street name is great. You need to come up with a name for the place using that (so you can stop calling it the bachelor pad and all). There is an old country road near here called Whiskey Springs Rd. Been on it end to end but can't seem to find that spring!

Don't worry about those leaves. In time you'll either flick a butt or a spark from the BBQ will take care of that. I predict you will have that same gathering of leaves in that same spot every year.

With all your free time, go to the county's tax assessor's office to see who owns that lot. Could be held by county commissioners due to non-payment of property tax. If so, it could be had for the amount of back taxes. Could be for one reason or another it's tied up in a title dispute, and you could file a first right to refusal to be first in line once that gets settled

Are you sure that's a church pew and not a 1919 Chevy truck seat? ;)

That came out excellently. Sanding was the fun part, right? The question is "Are you happy?". Uh, well... No you're right :lol:

I made up a batch of that mini-1/4 round yesterday. I about froze my fingers out there! It was a clear blue sunny, maybe up to, mid-20s day but the table saw created a wind chill and Jack Frost wormed his way through my gloves. Had to come in by the woodstove for a thaw break!

Then I decided to do another project I thought up. I had this piece of slab wood from out of my former boss's old bank barn. The hay floor was made up of old wide live-edge slab cuts laid down loose, lapping over one another. He had me take it up and lay back down in a single layer so it can be covered with plywood. This meant cutting the ends off of some. I stuck those pieces in my truck rather than toss out.

The project is make a small coffee table type thing, something minimal to take less space. I'm calling it a coffee stool. I always used a cobbler's bench, but it had to be set away from the couch for leg room, which meant walking around it in my small house. My son scooted it across the room to set his big Playstation monitor on, which works well. That's what we watch DVDs on. This table is about the size of a stool so it can set against the couch next to where I/we sit. Just something to set your drink on. I think it will be nicer than the Ryobi box
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The rest of it is made out of that oak 2" x 4" I started cutting on for part of the countertop extension I made last week
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Beautiful wood inside that thing!
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Not exactly a table yet
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I plan to put it together today

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I envy you guys with your wood projects. As a youngun I figured I'd grow up doing stuff with wood since my grandad was a carpenter by trade and I liked making stuff in high school wood shop. But my love of automobiles was stronger and drew my attention away from wood working. Oh, I've done my share of fixit wood work, [mostly necessary repair work] but not many wood projects for pure enjoyment. So I thought I might finally get into it in retirement but I don't have the room for it and with the aches and pains I don't feel like doing it either.
I can't drive a piece of furniture but I can drive my truck and eat in it when I want. ;)

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Just waiting on the faucet to make the final placement of the sink . I took some god awfull bright solid brass hardware and made the old .

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Those hinges look a million times better Mark.

Sometimes shiny isn't better. Just ask a bald guy.