USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Jughead]

Morning all! Finally Friday...

 

[Ringel05]

Up, suckin' down copious quantities of coffee while listening to and occasionally glancing up at the news. If you want to know how banal, trite, adolescent and dramatized the news on TV is don't watch it, listen to it while you're doing something else........ I think I'll do something to change that..... Okay, TV off, now onto something educational and mentally stimulating, computer solitaire.

 

[Statistikhengst]

Painting a place can be fun. I am painting my place this weekend.

But the prep actually takes more than the painting. Taping edges and ridges and also taping so the tarp stays down, taping things like outlets and doorframes and light-switches - getting the furniture shoved to the middle of a room, cleaning like crazy before painting, this stuff will take me about 9 hours to do for the entire place. Then, with help of two buddies, I hope to get it painted in 8....

LOL.


Should be fun, with the weather to go up to about 39 Celcius... oy....

 

[Ava]

Blackberries are the best, btw.

Especially inside a pie ...

Yeah, I like blueberry pie too.

Good stuff.

Yes it is and I would like mine nuked for a minute or so and then place a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top and watch as it begins it's melting journey down the sides, just waiting to be devoured.

I <3 my fantasies....

 

[Ava]

Blackberries are the best, btw.

Especially inside a pie ...

I like pie, just sayin ..

Given a choice between a serving of pie, or cake, I would always take the pie. And Southern Pecan Pie, is a fave, with honorable mention to lemon or chocolate meringue.

 

[saveliberty]

Litlle Miss Harper had some raspberry pie a few weeks ago. Her mom had removed her very nice dress prior to the spoon pounding, finger grabing and smearing taste test. I have a phone video.

Harper's great grandma made it and was able to witness the messy fun.

 

[Ringel05]

If we get my parent's house I'll have to paint everything as well as replace the 70s paneling in the basement, pull up the carpeting upstairs and refinish the hardwood floors (hidden under the carpet), replace the basement carpet with a Pergo type product and redo the upstairs bath not to mention scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets and replacing the dishwasher and fridge. I will also add an exterior venting range hood in the kitchen and exhaust fans in both baths.
As for the painting everything is painted in semi-gloss, I'll have to lightly sand every wall and ceiling then coat with Zinsser or Kilz before using the finish paint.
Other than using drop cloths I rarely tape off anything, just remove the outlet/switch covers and use the appropriate tool for cutting in. In the case of my parent's house I'll also replace all the interior trim.

 

[Statistikhengst]

If we get my parent's house I'll have to paint everything as well as replace the 70s paneling in the basement, pull up the carpeting upstairs and refinish the hardwood floors (hidden under the carpet), replace the basement carpet with a Pergo type product and redo the upstairs bath not to mention scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets and replacing the dishwasher and fridge. I will also add an exterior venting range hood in the kitchen and exhaust fans in both baths.
As for the painting everything is painted in semi-gloss, I'll have to lightly sand every wall and ceiling then coat with Zinsser or Kilz before using the finish paint.
Other than using drop cloths I rarely tape off anything, just remove the outlet/switch covers and use the appropriate tool for cutting in. In the case of my parent's house I'll also replace all the interior trim.

In my case, taping is better...

 

[Ringel05]

If we get my parent's house I'll have to paint everything as well as replace the 70s paneling in the basement, pull up the carpeting upstairs and refinish the hardwood floors (hidden under the carpet), replace the basement carpet with a Pergo type product and redo the upstairs bath not to mention scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets and replacing the dishwasher and fridge. I will also add an exterior venting range hood in the kitchen and exhaust fans in both baths.
As for the painting everything is painted in semi-gloss, I'll have to lightly sand every wall and ceiling then coat with Zinsser or Kilz before using the finish paint.
Other than using drop cloths I rarely tape off anything, just remove the outlet/switch covers and use the appropriate tool for cutting in. In the case of my parent's house I'll also replace all the interior trim.

In my case, taping is better...

Amateur.......

 

[Derideo_Te]

If we get my parent's house I'll have to paint everything as well as replace the 70s paneling in the basement, pull up the carpeting upstairs and refinish the hardwood floors (hidden under the carpet), replace the basement carpet with a Pergo type product and redo the upstairs bath not to mention scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets and replacing the dishwasher and fridge. I will also add an exterior venting range hood in the kitchen and exhaust fans in both baths.
As for the painting everything is painted in semi-gloss, I'll have to lightly sand every wall and ceiling then coat with Zinsser or Kilz before using the finish paint.
Other than using drop cloths I rarely tape off anything, just remove the outlet/switch covers and use the appropriate tool for cutting in. In the case of my parent's house I'll also replace all the interior trim.

In my case, taping is better...

Amateur.......

I don't mind admitting to being an amateur when it comes to painting. What I have discovered though is that the painting pads are infinitely superior to both brushes and rollers. I can lay down a first coat with finished edges in the about 2/3rds of the time and then add a final coat in the same time a single brush or roller coat would take. They make a huge difference in my opinion but I have no doubt that experienced painters would probably disagree.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I take Mrs. Bloods Altima to get it serviced and inspected. There are no warning lights on. Guy starts it up takes it into the service bay comes in the waiting room and tells me I have a check engine light and it can't be inspected until I replace a sensor. I'm thinking WTF. NEVER had a warning light and the moment I want to get it inspected all of a sudden I need a sensor that costs $285 bucks. What are the odds?

Don't fall for it, Bloodrock. Get a scanner and see if you really have a faulty sensor. Mrs. Jughead used to have similar issues when taking my truck, or hers to the service station. I finally decided to invest in a scanner, so when I have issues like check engine light, rough idle, lack of power ... I just connect the scanner and diagnose the problem myself before even taking the vehicle to my mechanic. One time after I did a tune up on my vehicle, I noticed that the truck would stall intermittently as I was slowing down. I hooked up the scanner and got a code that one of the spark plugs was not connected. I checked, and sure enough I had forgotten to tighten one of the spark plugs ... . I still routinely hookup my scanner to make sure I have no codes on either vehicle.

I may have mentioned this before; that scanner technology is the same as what we have on our airplanes, except the problems are displayed in clear text instead of mysterious "check engine" signals. Any discrepancy is first displayed on a screen where the flight crew can see what it is. Then, there is a part of the computer system accessible to maintenance personnel that gives more details about the problem. We also have the ability to troubleshoot and ground test most problems displayed, as well as pull up detailed performance parameters (snapshots) that may also indicate where our problem is. To get that kind of detail on a vehicle, you have to invest thousands of dollars in the proper technology, as many dealerships and automotive shops have done. Many of the smaller scanners are useful but leave out a lot of detail. Kinda nice to know those auto shops have you by the nads when it comes to interpreting those nagging little messages, isn't it? Most places around here charge just to hook you up to find out what the problem might be.
I would recommend getting a second opinion, if you can.

 

[Ringel05]

I take Mrs. Bloods Altima to get it serviced and inspected. There are no warning lights on. Guy starts it up takes it into the service bay comes in the waiting room and tells me I have a check engine light and it can't be inspected until I replace a sensor. I'm thinking WTF. NEVER had a warning light and the moment I want to get it inspected all of a sudden I need a sensor that costs $285 bucks. What are the odds?

Don't fall for it, Bloodrock. Get a scanner and see if you really have a faulty sensor. Mrs. Jughead used to have similar issues when taking my truck, or hers to the service station. I finally decided to invest in a scanner, so when I have issues like check engine light, rough idle, lack of power ... I just connect the scanner and diagnose the problem myself before even taking the vehicle to my mechanic. One time after I did a tune up on my vehicle, I noticed that the truck would stall intermittently as I was slowing down. I hooked up the scanner and got a code that one of the spark plugs was not connected. I checked, and sure enough I had forgotten to tighten one of the spark plugs ... . I still routinely hookup my scanner to make sure I have no codes on either vehicle.

I may have mentioned this before; that scanner technology is the same as what we have on our airplanes, except the problems are displayed in clear text instead of mysterious "check engine" signals. Any discrepancy is first displayed on a screen where the flight crew can see what it is. Then, there is a part of the computer system accessible to maintenance personnel that gives more details about the problem. We also have the ability to troubleshoot and ground test most problems displayed, as well as pull up detailed performance parameters (snapshots) that may also indicate where our problem is. To get that kind of detail on a vehicle, you have to invest thousands of dollars in the proper technology, as many dealerships and automotive shops have done. Many of the smaller scanners are useful but leave out a lot of detail. Kinda nice to know those auto shops have you by the nads when it comes to interpreting those nagging little messages, isn't it? Most places around here charge just to hook you up to find out what the problem might be.
I would recommend getting a second opinion, if you can.

Most auto parts stores will read the code for you for free.

 

[gallantwarrior]

That's true. I used to work on my vehicles a lot more, still do work on the older stuff (Jeep, tractor, old Chevy). I can still do a lot of regular maintenance, too. But some things require care so you don't mess up the damned computers. For example, my new truck has pressure sensors in the wheels, comes with a load of "thou shalt not" caveats for what should or shouldn't be done. With the back up camera, even taking the tailgate off becomes a major operation. At least I know my limitations on a B747!

 

[Ringel05]

In my case, taping is better...

Amateur.......

I don't mind admitting to being an amateur when it comes to painting. What I have discovered though is that the painting pads are infinitely superior to both brushes and rollers. I can lay down a first coat with finished edges in the about 2/3rds of the time and then add a final coat in the same time a single brush or roller coat would take. They make a huge difference in my opinion but I have no doubt that experienced painters would probably disagree.

The pads are fine as long as their not overloaded with paint. Since most paint is water based a couple of good sponges and a bucket of water is great for wiping off over spread (little mistakes).

One of the other problems I'm dealing with is the walls in my parent's house are textured, kind of a swirl pattern which I don't like so I'm considering smoothing some walls and doing a knock down (rough adobe) texture on others. That's a lot of work which is why I'm seriously debating whether or not to do it.

 

[Spoonman]

Yeah, I like blueberry pie too.

Good stuff.

Blueberries > blackberries.

I also like to just eat frozen blueberries, and it's a taste I've apparently imparted on the little one. She actually just finished eating a bowl of frozen blueberries.

This is a good smoothie: 1 banana, 1/2-1 cup of frozen berries (any type), 1 cup juice (orange is good). Put it in the blender until it is 'smooth.' It's cold and tasty. I love berries. Anything with berries in it is good. I like fresh berries on Greek type yogurt.

yogurt and fruit go together perfectly

 

[Derideo_Te]

Amateur.......

I don't mind admitting to being an amateur when it comes to painting. What I have discovered though is that the painting pads are infinitely superior to both brushes and rollers. I can lay down a first coat with finished edges in the about 2/3rds of the time and then add a final coat in the same time a single brush or roller coat would take. They make a huge difference in my opinion but I have no doubt that experienced painters would probably disagree.

The pads are fine as long as their not overloaded with paint. Since most paint is water based a couple of good sponges and a bucket of water is great for wiping off over spread (little mistakes).

One of the other problems I'm dealing with is the walls in my parent's house are textured, kind of a swirl pattern which I don't like so I'm considering smoothing some walls and doing a knock down (rough adobe) texture on others. That's a lot of work which is why I'm seriously debating whether or not to do it.

Agreed, learning to load just the right amount of paint on the pad is the secret to success. Once I figured that out I was off and running.

I abhor textured walls. If was me I would rip them out and replace them with drywall as being quicker and easier. I have done that on a couple of rehab/upgrades in bathrooms and kitchens. The effort to refinish what was in place exceeded the time to remove and replace and I did a better job with the replacement that the original install.

 

[Derideo_Te]

That's true. I used to work on my vehicles a lot more, still do work on the older stuff (Jeep, tractor, old Chevy). I can still do a lot of regular maintenance, too. But some things require care so you don't mess up the damned computers. For example, my new truck has pressure sensors in the wheels, comes with a load of "thou shalt not" caveats for what should or shouldn't be done. With the back up camera, even taking the tailgate off becomes a major operation. At least I know my limitations on a B747!

I know my limitations too. I stick with what I know I can do and leave the stuff I am likely to mess up to the professionals. As someone who grew up resetting points and plugs every weekend so that the car would start on Monday morning I know that things today are very different. However one of the smartest things I ever did in the 1970's was to fit one of cars out with a Heathkit electronic ignition system. This required soldering the transistors, etc to the motherboard first and then fitting it to the vehicle and making the necessary adjustments to get it to run smoothly.

Never failed to start after that and I never reset the points again. However I sent it in for an oil change and they billed me for new points and plugs. So asked them to produce the old parts. The grease monkey (and yes, that is a very apt description of him) came in from the back with some old champion plugs and dumped them on the counter. I asked him what plug gap he set them to and he said 25 thou. That was when I told the manager that my car has Lodge plugs set to 40 thou and the car won't run properly at 25 thou. I tore up the bill and walked out of there never to return.

 

[WelfareQueen]

If we get my parent's house I'll have to paint everything as well as replace the 70s paneling in the basement, pull up the carpeting upstairs and refinish the hardwood floors (hidden under the carpet), replace the basement carpet with a Pergo type product and redo the upstairs bath not to mention scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets and replacing the dishwasher and fridge. I will also add an exterior venting range hood in the kitchen and exhaust fans in both baths.
As for the painting everything is painted in semi-gloss, I'll have to lightly sand every wall and ceiling then coat with Zinsser or Kilz before using the finish paint.
Other than using drop cloths I rarely tape off anything, just remove the outlet/switch covers and use the appropriate tool for cutting in. In the case of my parent's house I'll also replace all the interior trim.

In my case, taping is better...

Yeah....I don't tape either. I go painting commando.

 

[saveliberty]

Give me an angled paint brush and its go time.

 

[R.D.]

Give me an angled paint brush and its go time.

I really like to paint. A local supermarket closed down and I bought two dozen of these at .50 a piece