The Shed - Roots; The Shed - Blocks; The House Next Door; "KYLE XY"; Occupational psychosis; Presidential Vacations

As I should know by now nothing is simple.

I thought I'd gotten rid of the root problem in the metal shed. I'd concentrated on cutting a large root that came in at the north east corner. It was a very large root and positioned at an angle, so it made dealing with it very difficult. But I'd finally gotten it cut back to within a couple of inches of the shed wall. Which I knew was the best I was going to be able to do.

Since I was running out of blades for the reciprocating saw, I bought three 8-inch wood blades.

As I was raking the soil, I came across several more smaller roots that needed attention. So I attacked them with the new blades. Big mistake. I've got to learn that the length of the blade must roughly correspond to the width of the item in question. In this case, I managed to break all three blades within a couple of days. Plus doing the same thing to a couple of similar blades designed for metal. (If there are several inches of a blade vibrating loosely, the blade will quickly snap.)

The root situation is not completely solved, but it will do for the present.

When I'd cleaned the yard, I'd come across about fifteen 8 x 16 inch concrete blocks. I felt these would be a good base for the floor of the shed. But obviously I would need more.

I'd noticed some at WalMart for a month or so, so last week I picked up 20 of them. ($0.74 each)

Once I unloaded them, I noticed that the new ones were heavier than the old ones. Then I discovered that the new ones were about 1/8 of an inch longer. (Oh! Joy!)

I started off with one pattern that I quickly realized would not work. Then I noticed I was having to build up the soil for each block I lay. Seemingly the ground slops in the area of the shed.

My next option was to tear up everything and put down sand for a base. Sand comes in 50-lb bags. I'd used three or four bag on the patio. But that was only to fill the crevices. But in this case I needed more to be able to level out the slop. I had one bag left over from the patio. I bought five bags last week, and then today I bought four more bags. So all-in-all, I've shipped in about 1/4 of a ton of sand.

This morning, I woke up around 7, so having nothing better to do, I traipsed out to the shed for fun and frolic. After a couple of hours, I realized I didn't have enough blocks.

After lunch, I stopped by WalMart, only to discover they only had one left. My next move was to try the next WalMart. Surprise, surprise; they didn't have any. I grumbled and whined and headed for the super WalMart about 15 miles away. Want to guess? You're right; not a one in stock.

At this point, I figured I was going to try plan B and use a different but similar style block. I'd noticed these at both Lowe's and the first WalMart. I crossed the street from the Super WalMart to the Super Lowe's. And they had what I wanted at the clearance price of $1.08. I carted off everyone they had - 17. This is where I picked up the four bags of sand. I asked if they were going to send a large burly person home with me to help unload the car. This elicited a bored chortle from the ever-so-sharp staff.

Homeward bound I headed. I pulled the car around to the back and heaved and grunted and finally go everything out. Took all of ten minutes to realize that these blocks were slightly wider and longer than the others. And thicker. And heavier. Crap!

Again, I re-arranged the pattern. And again, I recognized I didn't have enough blocks.

Back in to the car I went. And returned to the first WalMart. And picked up 20 more at the non-clearance price of $1.34 each. Back home I came. Again, I drove the car around to the shed. Odd, this time as I unloaded the car, the blocks felt about twice as heavy.

At this point, there are three types of blocks in the shed and several hundred pounds of sand in little piles. Outside, there are 20 new, new blocks and two bags of sands. And tomorrow is another day.

Just as I got settled to watch "KYLE XY", there was a knock on the door, and I could tell from glancing outside, that there was a car in the drive of the house next door. (The house that has been deserted for at least two years.)

Well, of course, the lady wanted to know if I knew anything about it, which I don't. She then glanced at the potential garage sale collection on the carport and wanted to know if I wanted to get rid of two chairs. I asked how much she was willing to give. Which was not what she had in mind. She was thinking more in terms of "taking them off my hands."

Christ! Talk about "chutzpah." I've just got to get this in. From American Yiddish words 101. "One of the most amusing Yiddish words is "chutzpah," (silent c) meaning an inordinate amount of gall, brass, or nerve. The classic example of someone with chutzpah is the guy who murders his mother, then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan. An unusual thing about chutzpah is that its origin begins in Yiddish and then traces its way through Hebrew, rather than the opposite."

About once a month, someone asks about the house. I'm not sure what the attraction is. Maybe, people think that because of its derelict condition, it will have a cheap selling price.

And I have no idea why it is not for sale. Maybe there's a question of ownership that's working its wait through the courts.

"KYLE XY" comes on ABC Family on Mondays at 7 pm, and on ABC on Fridays at 8 pm. And of course, I got the two criss crossed and missed the first 20 minutes.

I know it's happened before, or so I've read, but there was a commercial that looks very genuine that ran during the program, but the commercial is actually fake and part of the alternate reality game scheme.

The preview for next week has Kyle undergoing hypnosis in an attempt to bring back some memories. And it shows him in the forest near a security fence.

By the way, ABC Family has ordered another ten episodes. It has had the highest ratings of any original ABC Family programming.

There's a part of me that is less interested in his origins and more interested in how he goes about figuring out things. Tonight, he discovered he could hit the basket from almost anywhere in basketball. But he didn't understand the aggressiveness of the other team. Or the way the coach treated his players. The captain hurts his ankle, and the coach tells him to go in, or he's off the team. The coach then tries to pass the game to game, and Kyle says, "No! I'm also injured!"

A most unflattering portrait of a high school basketball coach, but one that is not uncommon. At the college level, Bobby Knight comes to mind.

While I'm discussing coaches, I may as well discuss owners too. During the World Cup, I came across an interesting article about Beckham when he was with Manchester United and manager Sir Alex Ferguson. See Wikipedia - David Beckham.

"His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following a defeat to Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would be first to leave the club."

Beckham, of course, went on to Real Madrid.

Alas, far too many managers, owners, CEOs, vice presidents, presidents, secretaries of defense, etc., frequently exhibit behaviour that would be considered an example of Psychosis.

I wanted to make a snarky comment about President Bush's vacation plans, but everything I come across is so depressing that I think it's hopeless. As I've said before, he will go down in history as the worst American commander-in-chief in history.

PAX!