Nerd Pride Radio

In the interest of generating some other types of interesting discussion that would matter more to people here, or if nothing else provide a break from the nightmare carnival of politics, I'm curious about what kinds of projects people are working on. Maybe it's something you're doing at work or maybe it's something you're doing it home, or maybe it's a good thing you've been trying to create in your life generally, but I would like to hear about it. For instance, I noticed that Stan has dropped some info about new games he's working on in another one of the categories below, and Zen is working on his fiction. What else is going on with people? What are you trying to do lately?

I'm trying to fix my house in a number of ways, which is tricky as I don't have time to work on it much. I really radically changed my whole diet and exercise habits for the better and have stuck with it for 2 months now, so that's a positive but still a work in progress. I'm trying to institute a new system of regular tasks for the people in this house, since as kids grow older they are capable of different things but also have different activities to invest time in outside of home. Every week night is incredibly densely packed with activity, which we can hardly get done before it's time for bed and do it all over again the next day. If anyone has really good systems that worked for them I would love to hear about it.

Currently in Tennessee, building a log cabin on the side of the mountain. Well, actually, hiding from the rain and trying to figure out the plan.

So talk to us about how you do this, because I don't know anything about. Like, how do you get the best logs for a log cabin? I know somebody who built logs into their house and it was a major process to find the particular tree trunks they were going to put in a certain place, but I think that was a specialty project and not a normal one. How long does it take and how many people do you have to have helping you/subcontracting, or do you do it all yourself? How do you make sure that the house you build isn't vulnerable to things like washing away in all that rain, or alternatively, having its lower floor flooded??

When I was in my 20s, I swam laps a lot. I loved it, and it's healthy. So the last few Summers we joined a nearby pool, and I did some lap swimming, but then stopped when the pool close. This year I'm trying to find a nearby place with an indoor pool so I can continue.

Well, I'm just a carpenter, not a master or head carpenter(I aspire), so some of these things are out of my purview. Like flooding or subcontractors.

Our crew ranges from 4 to 6 guys. I work for my uncle, and I try to learn as much as I can from him. He's only been doing this for fifty years or so.

Most log homes are kits, where you buy the logs from a manufacturer. Now we are mostly building Southland log homes, which are all pretty cut and labeled, and you just follow a simple s hematic showing where to stack them. Now, we have built other kits, randing from pre notched, random length logs(where the corners are pre cut, but you have to measure and cut to length), random length logs we have to notch ourselves.

The floor framing is pretty conventional. Most Southland kits are conventional stick framing(i.e. with 2xWhatevers) for the floor. Sometimes we do TJI, which are basically wooden I beams. I hate TJI. It frames up good, but TJI floors are EXTREMELY vulnerable to fire. I don't like em.

Just dropping this here for Bonefish, because how cool is this?:

currently working on living as frugally as possible so I can enjoy my upcoming vacation in Hawaii. I forget do any of you weirdos live on the islands?

Rebuilding a henhouse, more challenging than expected because weasels.

kauai. 7 days of fun in the sun. The more rural island but I'm looking forward to it.

Sounds fun! Never been there but it certainly looks beautiful.

I am working on:
trying to get an old Toyota roadworthy so I can stop paying so much for gas
fixing my brakes that I just fixed but needs to be bled so that they work properly
finishing the installation of a new picture window - all that's left is the outside trim
cutting staining and installing trim in our nbew living room,-formerly a large bedroom

and in my spare time at work or in the evenings...whenever I get a chance I work on my chain maille for next year's Dragoncon cosplay.

Pictures!!! The people will be demanding pictures!!!