Re: The 2025 Burning Man Bar is open

[ygmir]

*strolls in, checks Cheeze Doodles in barn, starts ECM*
Good call FJ! those electric hammers, and hammer/drills are a great tool.
I"ve found them used on CL and Marketplace, usually in good shape.
I've had great service from an old Makita hammer/drill with a spade. it's the largest "hammer drill" model.
I like it because you can select "drill, hammer, or hammer/drill", for the different tools that go with it. It's nice to be able to drill a hole in rock or concrete.
but for heavier digging the 30 lb. like FJ says, is a back saver!

Yeah FJ, that caliche...many years ago when I did underground cable work, the company was plowing in cable between Vegas and Flagstaff. finally came up with a good method, where they'd have a D8 with the cable plow (5' ripper tooth, 2" thick steel), hooked to another D8 by a 3" thick cable. These two machines were following another D8 that was "pre ripping" the ground". It can be some very tough ground down there...
It was laying that cable 5' deep, though, and much faster than trenching.

[FlyingMonkey]

So, a friend told me there was a meteor shower tonight. 1 bottle of wine and 30 minutes in the hot tub & I beg to differ. I didn't see anything. On another note.....the big dipper doesn't even come close to pointing to Polaris. I feel like the big lie never ends.

Anyway, I'm heading up to Lake Superior for 5 days to disconnect from everything. No cell service and only 1 trail heading to my cabin. It should be very introspective.

The weather should be cold and rainy but hey, that's the UP. I'm just wondering what everyone else uses for their sanity safety relief valve. Shitty weather or not, I feel privileged to have the time with myself.

I hope all of you have a realese that helps put things in to perspective.

I'll see all you fuckaroos soon enough. The man burns In 134 days.

Until then slide me a bourbon and let's talk shit.

[lucky420]

Have fun FM
Sounds lovely and peaceful

[ygmir]

*strolls in, starts ECM*
I hear ya FM! I have a cabin "Hof" in the mountains I use for the same thing. Get away, well sometimes some friends come visit.
I think the "point at Polaris" is from the lower right corner of the cup, to the upper left and then project? IIRC, that is.

HI Lucky! good to see ya pop in for some light conversation and witty repartee...

[Elorrum]

Fuckaroo reporting for diversion. Eh, I’m trying a tolerance break. Fun is ever elusive. Outside feels better than indoors, but we had rain yesterday. Take it easy FM, enjoy your woods.

[trilobyte]

Drinks all round!

There was a meteor shower, I saw a few out my way. They said the best time to look was between midnight and 6am (pacific time), I didn't really start to see anything til after 1am. I was lazy though, and just periodically went outside for a few minutes when I was getting up to refill a drink or go to the bathroom. The dipper lined up last night for me... the two at the end of the big guy (merak and the other one, can't remember the name offhand but begins with a D) point to polaris, which was the end of the handle on the little one. the little dipper seemed a little dim for me though, but that probably had more to do with light pollution than anything else (I'm only a couple miles from airports, resorts, and downtown blinky stuff).

The UP's quite a getaway, went there a lot as a kid, but haven't been back in decades. I've always been more of a city cat than a country cat myself. As an escape I like getting lost in a project... building stuff or trying to figure out how to do a thing. It can either be physical stuff like woodworking or irrigation systems or playa projects, or software stuff (a new version of a program I use a lot just came out, I'm looking forward to getting some time to push everything else to the side and play with that for a bit). That'll have to wait, since I've got a bunch of other stuff to get to first. The day started out rainy and I thought I'd get some down time after dealing with the spammos and nogoodnicks, but the rain's moved on and now it's all sunny and gorgeous out again. Time to grab some lunch and get into stuff. Have a great night!

[burner von braun]

On a completely different subject, and I wasn't sure where to even post this. (I'm not even sure this kind of post is acceptable, if not, mods do your thing) Does anyone here know or have any experience with Proxxan woodworking equipment? They make mini-sized versions of standard things such as a drill press, bandsaw, table saw, etc., that are aimed at small, finely detailed projects, as well as making a 'dremel' type of tool, among other things. Not cheap, but they do seem to get good reviews. I've never seen their stuff in person.

[ygmir]

*wanders in, starts ECM*
Hi BVB!
I don't have experience with that particular brand, but have woodworking experience.
What sort of projects are you planning for? IE: furniture, Jewelry boxes, carvings, bowls, cabinetry, barns, houses, remodels, erotica...?

[burner von braun]

Well let's see, other than the familiar erotica that I'm known worldwide for, haha, I am thinking along the lines of intricate modelmaking, sort of as an artform. Dimensional wall reliefs perhaps. These days it may be that laser cutters and CNC have superseded the old school approach, but I suspect they can still compliment each other.

It's not like I don't have a ton of other projects on my list already, and really, much of this could be done with simpler tools, x-acto tools and the like, with the aid of the occasional full-sized woodworking machines, such as a scroll saw, which I'm fortunate to already have. Just considering what's out there.

*pours another round*

By the way yg, I hope you're feeling much better at this point, after your bout with appendicitis gone wild.

And looking forward to seeing your work Trilo!

[ygmir]

ah ok, sounds fun BVB.
I don't know......laser and CNC is super cool, and do some fine work.....but..I like the hand done stuff, flaws, to me, make it perfect. Some things look great "perfect and sterile", some don't. IMHO.

[Elorrum]

Good Morning bar!

Sounds fun, BVB. I’d love to see how you incorporate these items. I love the accuracy of cnc and laser milled stuff. They are amazing tools, and I’ll admit I covet them when I look at my snaggletooth hand tool woodwork. I think of all the time saved.

I do feel a kind of despair when I see a “project” pitched by an artist, that requires total assistance from people who know how to actually program the mill efficiently, own or rent out the mill, and operate the mill. The pitch generally does not even inquire how or where one might learn to do this. Human contact with materials and fasteners is the making imho. I don’t like to make value judgements; a cool thing stands on it’s own. I love to see what people create. Still, I feel that subcontracting everything except the mental picture is a sad situation for d.i.y.

[bigbluedoggy]

*saunters in*
Been awhile since I’ve been to these parts! *waves to the familiars*
Planning on adding some dust layers to our camp gear once again this year. I do hope some of you will be by! Can’t say I’ll be any more regular than I’ve been here for the last few years, but I may pop in from time to time!

Keep the seats warm!

*strolls out*

[burner von braun]

Good to see ya BBD! Not sure if you'lI see this, but congratulations on your burner podcast interview. You did a great job and provided a lot of camp insight! Well done!

[bigbluedoggy]

Aww thanks! It was fun!

[ygmir]

*wanders in, starts ECM*
Hey, BBD!! great to see you!
HI BVB!
spring is springing here, we had a couple of late season rains, so hoping it helps delay fire season for a while anyway. Bummer is we got one freezing night, and it nipped a lot of just budding plants and trees. My fig tree lost a lot of early leaves, as did some other plants and trees. I don't think it killed the plants, but probably any fruit and stuff.
*heads for ROS*

[trilobyte]

Heh... from my experience people have no idea what's involved in CNC. They just assume some kind of magic easy button and everything is always perfect, but man that's just not how it goes. GIGO ("Garbage In Garbag Out") was a popular term in the early days of computering, and it certainly applies with CNC. Don't get me wrong, I ***love*** it, but it can be a huge pain in the backside in that respect. Not only do you need to have the design right, often down to the millimeter, but you need to figure out the subtle nuanced details between one program and the next, and the specific machine. Case in point, I spent more than ten years working on a "shopbot" CNC machine made by a company in one of the Carolinas, using the software that the makerspace I used in SF had at their workshop. Now we're in a new city, using a new tool, and looking at how to get the software we've used in the past to communicate with it. On paper it ought to be easy, but so far it's been a pain in the butt. I don't mean to dissuade you BVB but know that it's not a magic wand. Your skills and patience will still be a part of it.

Congrats BBD!!! Not just on the podcast, but the recent installation of the temple UV enlightenment in your local community!!! I saw a couple of those pics on FB, and man that looked cool. Amazing playa installations are mind-blowing out in the desert, but then when we get to see and hear about those pieces in Defaultia, just does my heart good.

Doing my heart good today (or maybe doing it bad) is TILLING THE EARTH!!!! I was finally able to get all the prep work done (so much raking and bagging of waste material) and finally get to tilling a big chunk of our yard. It was a ton of work, but something we've been wanting to do since we moved in. It will probably take us months or even years to utilize the space, but it was an important first step in the process.

[ygmir]

well said Trilo. the CNC stuff is very detailed and not an easy process. And art is art.
and wow, look at you tilling the soil! that's gotta be a challenge with the desert soil that's possible in that area. I'd imagine it'll take some amendments?
*heads for ROS*

[Elorrum]

Hey bar! Tuesday, right? I’m thinking of going to the ballpark for a mid day game today. Ten bucks to sit on the lawn in right field. A lawn! I’m trying to think of when I sat on a lawn last. I think easily removable shoes and socks will be part of my attire. (Sunblock on those feet too!). I’ll also see what the wandering possibilities are for an assured not full attendance. I watched a documentary last night about the Rotisserie League that was the genesis of fantasy baseball. They furiously defended their copyright of the word “Rotisserie” and competitors found “fantasy” was an available moniker. They were obsessed fans, not businessmen, and honestly seem ok with the outcome.

Trilo, good work in the yard. I hope it rewards you. BBD, howdy! ygmir, thanks for starting the coffee. I’ll see if Pulpo can blaze some bacon for us. BVB, you picked the perfect bartender.

[trilobyte]

Nice! Back when I was into sportsball a mid-day game in the season was always a blast. Major or minor leagues, it's early enough that nothing hinges on anything, nobody has too many statistics on what's going on with the season, and it just feels like fun and possibility. I loved that.

You're right, Yggy, amendments is where it's at. The nursery/garden center we connected with once we got here is in Las Vegas, Arizona, and Utah, and they've adapted their business model and everything else to their environment. They do their own fertilizers and supplements for soils, and formulate them for the specifics of where they're at... I'm a fan of that. Not only does it feel good to support a local company, but it's also good to see that they're paying attention to the ground beneath their feet. Home Despot and other big box garden centers have their strengths, but these guys seem to have some good ideas on how to deal with the specific and unique conditions of where we're at.

We will still get some 'good soil' to put on top for planting things, but I'm super happy with having been able to have broken up the ground beneath it so the roots have a place to go. I also did a walk-through of the yard to figure out how many posts I'm going to need to "wall off" the oleander. A previous owner thought OLEANDER and planted a bunch of the stuff... it's like a cockroach, I tell you. Grows anywhere and everywhere. Unfortunately it's poisonous to both humans and pets. In the long run we'll replace it all with something that does shade and is a little more friendly to everyone, but in the meantime I wanted to fence the stuff at ground level off.... we have some campmates with doggos, and want them to be able to enjoy the yard without immediate risks of death lol.

Mmmm coffee and bacon, maybe I'll fire up the smoker to do some cinnamon rolls...

[ygmir]

I remember a friend in Lovelock, who had soil similar to what you describe. He had a unique way of using it: he'd dig "pots" in the hard soil, and plant things in them. He treated it like above ground potted plants. He'd fill the holes with super good soil, and leave the rest undisturbed. He said weeds were few and easy that way.
I've never really cared about sportsball, of most sorts. I've played some sports, but never really watched much. I had a fairly long run at a moderate level of volleyball, but other than travelling to play in different tournaments and such, I didn't really watch.
I'm happy, though, for those who enjoy it.
I'm building a laundry room for one of my apartments, and it's nice to go to the pile of lumber I milled on my sawmill, from beetle killed trees. "I knew that wall when it was 150' tall and had green needles".

[trilobyte]

I feel the same these days regarding sportsball. Haven't played or been interested in going to games in years. For the first few years I lived in SF we were 2-3 blocks from the stadium, which led me to really dislike the baseball fans. They were far worse than homeless when it came to garbage and using the streets and alleys as bathrooms and vomitoriums, plus the crowds would make traffic, parking, and going to a local bar or restaurant really tough on home game nights. After we moved, that stopped being a problem for us. And overall, I'd say the majority of the ppl coming to a game were fine, it was just a few hundred bad apples a night hahaha.

I've about had my fill of pine needles for the week. We've got a big ponderosa pine in our front yard that's all fine and good, but the neighbor's big parcel of land behind us has a bunch of pine trees. When it gets gusty, which is often, the needles from their trees blow into our yard and occasionally also the pool. It's not all that bad, but 4-5 years of serious neglect meant there were loads and loads of them in that chunk of the garden I was working on for Pani. Before I got started with the tiller I raked and bagged four big black trash bags full of pine needles and other detritus. Glad it's done though, and should hopefully never get to that level again. It started off as a busy morning, hauling a bunch of dirt, stones, and pavers from the van to where she wants them in the back. Then re-hung some light strings I'd moved out of the way for the heavy work, a little bit of cleanup, and then realized I'd forgotten a meeting. Just finally getting a chance to get this morning's round of spammos before back to another thing, and then more stuff outside after lunch sometime.

[ygmir]

yeah pine needles. I can relate. I also get lots of black oak leaves.
It'd be interesting to test the soil under and near the pine, compared to other spots. IIRC, your soil there should be pretty alkaline, but pines create an acid soil condition, so wondering if the soil right nearby might be pretty nicely balanced, in that way? wondering.

yeah crowds of humans are messy. I bet being near the stadium was crazy at times! and considering so many are from "out of town" so have very little invested in caring for the area, add beer and emotion (win or lose). ugh.
Considering the supposed "caring" at TTITD, and noting the huge volumes of trash, etc left in the city and the roads leading to and from, one can imagine the volume at a "game"...

[Elorrum]

A sunny day outside with the opportunity to shout joyously, could be a concert, could be a game. I think of the possibilities. Tuesday, was an away game, poor planning on my part, but next Tuesday is a home game. Baseball connects me to history, family long passed, a time when any entertainment was something that took some planning, travel, and participation. I am within walking distance of a very nice ballpark. After 7 years here, I’ve only been to one game, two may be my quota, who knows?

[ygmir]

on the plus side, if it was an away game, I bet you didn't have to fight any crowds and could set up your blanket anywhere you wanted! how was it?

[ygmir]

*strolls in, starts ECM*
finally Friday!
Anybody got fun weekend plans? I don't.
Work for me, building a laundry "shed" For a tenant so they don't have to go to the laundry mat any more
As a landlord, I try to make things as nice as I can, and work with tenants if they have ideas.
It's amazing how just a little consideration, creates such a good relationship with folks.
Most tell me my rents are below what they've seen for similar spaces. I let them choose what date the rent is due, and I mostly don't get excited about late rent for a week or two after.
Some of the stories I hear are horrid about landlords.
But, to be fair, some tenants are horrid, as well. When I advertise a vacancy, I'll get 40 responses in a week. I ask for a general description of them and their situation, as far as people, pets, employment etc. From that I weed some out. Then offer showings to the rest. The "face to face" time really tells a lot, at least to me, about the person.
From there, more are weeded out, and I offer applications to a few.
But wow, some just flat out lie, or try to hide things, or you can tell they'd be trouble. Enough conversation while showing the place, and things slip...I depend mostly on the in person time, than even the application. I mean, people are going to give references that will say good things, only. I've never called a reference and had them say "oh, don't rent to them, they are terrible"....I don't hang a lot on credit rating, either. I know folks struggle and try and sometimes it's tough. But if they don't have a clear source of income, it is a red flag...

But, it's hard on me. I have to say "no" to 39 people, to say "yes" to one. and many have such sad, honest, stories and needs. I hate the idea that so many are desperate and I am saying "sorry, find another place".

[gaminwench]

You're a good man, Ygmir.

I lived under bad landlords for twenty years.
They wouldn't fix things (plumbing problems, hello? rats in the walls, what??)
Each of them booted me because they wanted their kids/grands to live there ...

and my last landlord seriously creeped on my female visitors with large tits. and shot the feral cats (which I was completely happy to trap and take care of and find homes for) So gross. Mike sucks.

I am so happy to have moved to MY OWN HOME; no one else has a say in my visitor status/pet status.
My roof belongs to ME!!!

Come visit!

[AntiM]

I now own my house outright, which wonderful, although the reason sucks. I tried to help a woman who the neighborhood church had been assisting. I got lucky and was able to bounce her ass fast, she was alright on the surface, but an inconsiderate leech who stole my groceries and piled her crap in my family room. Never again. I have three bedrooms, one is mine, one is a sewing room (ha), and the basement one is now my witchy meditation space aka afternoon nap room. I hope to never share space in this house again. I will freaking die in this house, and linger as an incorporeal busybody.

[ygmir]

Hi GW! Hi AntiM! wow, nice to see you two.
GW: yeah, a little respect and understanding, on both sides, goes such a long way.
and wow, am I glad your landlord didn't creep on me when I visited. Not that I have big boobs, but still.
I can imagine the relief to have your own place, and not deal with others dictating terms. Good for you!

AntiM: yeah, renting a room is a whole new paradigm. I've not done it, but my daughter has, and it can get so bad, so fast.....and it's often the people "needing a little help" that are the problem. It's a bummer, but I've found mostly, there are reasons of their own making, for the spot they are in. I'm happy (not for the reason), you own your home outright. It's so nice to not have that payment hanging over your head. Well, at least it was for me.
I partitioned off part of my house to make separate apartments, no shared spaces, just shared walls. Could you do that with your basement, where they had a separate entrance and bathroom? Just an idea.

well, it's Saturday morning:
*Starts ECM, hits TV clicker, heads for ROS*

[AntiM]

Theoretically, the house could be split into up and down, but I'd lose the laundry room, pantry, and family room. I don't need it financially, so not worth the hassle.

[Elorrum]

Such a quandary, wanting people’s money, and then having to actually give something to get it. It could be easier to just shoot them butcher them and sell the meat.