an infrequent repository of mostly new stuff
Next up, tile backsplashes behind the kitchen stove and the sink.
Again, after figuring out the plan, it only took a weekend. One day to cut the tiles with a $100 diamond wet saw and attach them with mortar. The next day do the grout and clean up.
Now the spaghetti spatters won’t show.
Between the worldwide pandemic and the weather, there’s a lot of time to spend on house projects.
The living room builtin bookcases are essentially done. All the doors came from old schoolhouse windows stored in the basement these past 25 years. The rest was built from scratch.
One major piece left was to tile the alcove behind the gas stove. Technically it didn’t need it – the stove is shielded on three sides and only needs three inches of clearance from combustibles. But it just didn’t look right, especially to those of us who’ve had house fires start in just such a location.
I worked my way through college as a brick mason’s helper, and we did tile work to fill in between jobs. Once I got materials together and figured out a plan, the whole thing was done in a weekend.
I also finished the posts and trim on the columns, which turned out nice.
You know the tropes:
take an umbrella = it will not rain
wash your car = it will rain
Two years ago, I bought some used cross county skis to replace my old ones.
It has not snowed since.
Until this weekend.
Uploading this for some friends.
A young scotsman recorded himself singing a New Zealand sea shanty. For a drum, he thumps on a wooden box in his lap with a gloved fist. Posts it on TikTok.
Somebody likes the song and takes that, duplicates parts and remixes it to make the sound richer. Reposts it.
Then some guy takes that and sings a bass harmony, which he adds on top. Reposts that.
Others pick up and add other parts, all recorded just on their iPhone mics, with videos of themselves in front, the previous ones receding further back. It starts to look like a funhouse mirror.
I’ve added a minute of each, end to end, so you can hear the increasing complexity. You’ll want to listen with headphones or good speakers if you can to hear the layers building.
At the end I added Hank or Jonathan Green explaining the history of the song they’re singing.
