The new deck – June 29

IT IS DONE!!!!
Ok, it needs to be waterproofed, but really IT IS DONE!!!

Joists, taken from my back door

We spent last week finalizing the joists (which are the REAL backbreakers on this project). They all needed ‘Hurricane clips’ and various other Ninja-star-looking metal bits screwed into them, and we had to keep checking levels and stuff, plus adding joist-hangers… it was the hard work I tell ya.

They need to have deck kits that include joists… because its a completely unsatisfying part of the project. They are ugly, you spend the entire time stepping THRU them, and tripping OVER them, and did I mention all the metal hangers you have to screw in to place to HOLD them there?!?!?

Crappy crappy crap. Joists suck. I get that they are the skeleton of my lovely new deck, but they suck anyway. So there.

Laying the cedar deck boards over the evil joists

After three weeks of working with the pressure-treated-chemical-filled 2×4s that became the evil joists, we made the decision to go with the cedar boards for our actual deck.

A very good-but-expensive choice (cedar was double the cost of pressure-treated deck boards) – but at least we got them on a weekend with a special no GST/PST!

So we started screwing them into place on Saturday afternoon.

And despite the rain on Sunday, we mustered on through, screw after screw.

Our deck, as taken from the west side

Finally resulting in this beautiful finished cedar deck!

We only have about half the screw in place, but that is probably going to change <groan> tonight.. and then we Thompsons-waterseal the sucker and HELLLOOOOO Summer!!

I’m totally thrilled, it makes the backyard look so much bigger, and the cedar is gorgeous.

The new deck – June 17

Two of the three 15' beams we laid.

DONE WITH THE CEMENT!!!
DONE WITH THE DIGGING!!
Someone remind me that I was excited to be done those things when I complain about the drilling and hammering please, ’cause right now, I’m pretty thrilled to be doing that instead.

We set in the beams as you can see, and squared the ’skeleton’ of the deck this weekend and a little into this week.

Next we will be doing joists which have these evil metal hangers called joist hangers attached to them. I say evil ’cause they cut you really easily and could be substituted for Ninja Stars in a pinch.

Off to PAB2009 this weekend, so don’t expect an update until next week this time (unless the hubby actually manages to both watch the little monkey AND get some work done, but I am not holding my breath).

The new deck – June 7

Mixing and pouring cement

As predicted, we were knee deep in cement this weekend.

Got three of the holes filled with the sticky goupy stuff (which it turns out, when mixed to the right consistency, sounds vaguely like cow patties leaving the cow and hitting the ground.. lovely).

Both of our backs are really sore, but once again The Claw totally came thru for us (I feel a little like a Canadian Tire ad or something)… we poured about a third of the cement into the white bucket pictured to

The post hole with a brace on top

the left, added water and then ‘mulched’ the stuff together with The Claw. Worked great – that tool has paid for itself twice over already in my opinion.

So, three of the nine posts are poured.

Next week, more concrete, and we’re widening the center post to accomodate a 12″ sono-tube instead of a 6″… so more digging and more shop vaccing! YAY!

The new deck – May 31

And the digging continues. Another weekend goes by and we are three more post-holes closer to… well… more work. [sigh]
Supposedly, the dirt we have scraped off the backyard will be picked up tomorrow, at which time the area where the last three postholes have to be dug will be exposed.. and THEN… well THEN.. we will dig the three more post-holes. [sigh]
This is the most time-consuming project EVER!!!!
Ok, no, pregnancy and THEN THIS.
Anyways, that is the update.
Next Week stay tuned for when the hubby says “Honey, its time to pour concrete!”

The new deck – May 24

So, we are working on a deck my friends, OH YES.

Posting pics as we go, we are currently at the phase I like to call “hole digging hell!”
We have an innovative way to dig holes in which to put these Sono tubes that you then fill with concrete (don’t ask me, I am the grunt-work on this project). The holes have to be two feet deep to go past the frostline (so the deck’s foundations don’t wiggle during the winter).

We are loosening up the dirt with my cool new twisty tool (no idea what it is called.. The Claw maybe?) and then sucking up the loose dirt using our Shop Vac. It doesn’t seem like it would work but it really does!

Getting something (anything) done

iTouch lists

I don’t know if it is the time of year, or what, but I’ve been feeling like I am just getting less done these days.
Less ACTUAL work done at work, less QUALITY time with my family, just less things ticked off that massive list everyone carries around in their head of stuff-to-do (or is that just me?).

Now though I take everything I read with a grain of salt, I liked The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People because it did make me THINK about my approach to that massive list in my head.

I thought a run-through of the habits quoted by author Stephen Covey might be pertinent:

Habit 1 – Be Proactive
Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3 – First Things First
Habit 4 – Think Win Win
Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand (then be Understood)
Habit 6 – Synergize (Synergise)
Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw

I especially like Habits 2 and 5. I feel like way too often, especially on larger projects at work that we lose sight of the goal. Its like it should be posted on the wall to remind people why they are there. And Habit 5, is another vital step that I myself skip far too often… pushing my point across sometimes at the expense of understanding another’s point.

I’ve written my list on the my whiteboard, I’ve written the 7 habits next to them, and I am going to get something done, I swear it.

What is my role?

One of the things about attending Pod-Conferences (the latest being PodCamp Toronto) is that I find myself answering one of two questions over and over again:

1. Am I speaking/ do I have a session?
2. Why not?

I’m not trying to flatter myself, but attend enough of these conferences, and people start to assume you are an expert in the field (of Podcasting or Social Media or something related). So it forces me to think about my role/my job because I DO want to be a leader in this medium, but here is how I see my contribution:

Watch for the Signs
Attending these conferences and being around these brilliant forecasters is the best way to know both what is coming up next and share what I might have heard. I love these people, they are smart, they are open and totally inclusive.

I listen, I take notes, I do more research and I make some calls based on ideas I may never have come across unless I was a part of this community. Once in a while I actually share something that someone may not have known about, and I hope that I am helping drive forward a medium of which I am an avid user.

Share the Information (with the People who control the Purse Strings)
Ok, so those forecasters - they know a lot (that’s why they are hired as experts in the field), and I know SOME stuff (that’s why I have the job I have), but the people who control the “Purse Strings,” no offense, but they usually know the least about the medium.

Not their fault, they can’t know everything about everything, they have to trust us to sift through the massive amount of choices on the web and bring forward the nuggets of value.

That’s part of my role; making the arguments, bringing the experts forward, making sure that the brilliant ideas that are come up with on the ground level are heard by those who can make the decisions to follow through on them.

Encourage the Development
Often an idea that is brought up in these conferences is very much still in the germination stage, and not yet ready for me to take forward to the big decision makers. In that case, I think part of my role is to encourage the development, to keep up to date on how it is going, and to continue the conversation.

That’s another reason I attend these get-togethers – so people start to know me, and we become allies in realizing their great ideas.

I would LOVE to get to the point in my career where I could in some way finance that development… through some kind of mentoring program or workshop or something. Not there yet, but its something I think about all the time.

Be a Good Neighbor – Share with the Community

At the end of the day, I am really lucky in that every move I make forward in my job (I believe) benefits the users. Whether it be the podcasts we offer, the websites we work on, the streams, the contests, whatever.

One of the benefits of being a Public Broadcaster is that your mandate is essentially to satisfy your audience.It is NOT an easy goal, or even one that we hit every single day, but everything we do IS for the larger community. And I am hoping that contribution is valued, because I am personally very proud of it. I’d always like to do more, and I know Canadians will always want more; trust me when I say part of my role is to DO MORE.

As part of the web community though, I do try to contribute to the ongoing discussions, I try to be the sounding board and the test-audience when someone needs it. I disseminate the information that I think needs to be disseminated, and I comment, blog, play around with Apps, call little old ladies at home and coach them on how to listen to podcasts, you know, the whole gamut, point being, I participate, trust me, to the point that my family misses me.

Enjoy the Spoils
I don’t just do Podcasts or create websites or support webstreams, I consume them. Even if God forbid I were no longer working in the online medium, I would continue to be an avid user of the content.

At the very root of my contribution to all of this sits a girl who loves the internet, and loves the people who create the internet. A big part of that I do daily, but a smaller treat I covet and relish when I get the opportunity is when I get together in these lovely gatherings, and I am truly thankful for it.

le boeuf vrai

Don’t get confused, I just thought that “The Real Beef” sounded cliche… I’m talking about beef. Literally the meat that used to be a cow, and ends up in our tummies.

I have to admit, that the first time I read about the plight of the modern beef cow was over two years ago, in a Time Magazine article about a rancher who had switched from stuffing his cows  “with corn and soy” and “synthetic hormones to make them grow faster,” to letting them eat grass. ‘Letting cows eat grass?’ I remember thinking, what the hell else would a cow eat? Turns out lots of stuff, and against their will too. ‘Cause not surprisingly, it turns out cows would really like to eat.. well.. grass.

Well, now I’ve read The Omnivore’s Dilemma and ‘plight’ doesn’t even begin to cover what we are doing to the cows in the world. Anyway, I am a realist, and a firm believer in the adage of Think Globally, Act Locally so when Jason suggested that we try this grass-fed local rancher’s stock, I bought in. Literally. Again.

The steaks we bought were roughly 150% more expensive than the comparable steaks you would find at Loblaws down the street… but we were prepared for that reality by Mr. Pollan (the Omnivore with the dilemma). The taste was a lot like the one he described in his book: the beef tasted beefier… more like the beef we grew up on for sure. Lots less fat, and I seemed to get full faster.

But the thing is, I really don’t feel a whole lot better about my beef. I guess that I am not a huge carnivore to begin with, I can go weeks without having red meat (though I would miss my weekly eggs at brunch), and would probably miss fish way way more than chicken (once a week?), pork (very rarely, once every three months or so) or beef (once a week – tops).

Maybe the point of the Omnivore’s Dilemma (I’m about a chapter away from the end) is not so much a dilemma (”a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives.”) but more of an end-of-the-road choice.

No longer can I be in ignorance as to the life (such as it is) that that hamburger “lived” before arriving on my plate. Whether feasting on grass and clover as he/she was meant to or force-fed antibiotic-infused corn that makes him/her sick to his/her stomach… that cow was raised to be eaten.

Think about that. Born on this earth to be eaten by me. No other purpose. Nothing else to look forward to. And isn’t that the situation of the whole frickin’ Bos taurus species? Are there any cows born into this world who’s sole purpose IS NOT to feed humans? Are there any ‘free’ cows in the world?

I mean, I’m a Hindu, and I know cows are sacred back home, but I wouldn’t call them ‘free.’ I guess they are ’safe’ from being eaten by humans, but its not like they are cared for or anything. Maybe that is where cows are supposed to be evolutionarily speaking. If we were not cow-eaters… if eating beef was as crazy an idea as eating rats… I guess cows would be wandering the streets, filthy and diseased like they seem to be in the cities of India.

I think what I am saying in this long blog entry (sorry guys!) is that I think its time to explore a beef-free existence… I want to see what that is like… will I really miss it? And if I do, is there a way for it to be such a rare occurrence that it is totally not a big deal? Let’s see.

My Favourite Parenting Sites

I’m a parent (if you did not know) and recently I’ve been pretty focused on helping my son to learn to read. <She wonders for the umpteenth time, why doesn’t parenting come with a manual?> Not surprisingly, in addition to reading books about reading, I’ve got some key bookmarks that I like to hit when I need a parental-cheer-me-up:

Here are my digital recommendations feel free to add yours:

Two Boobs and a Baby Podcast - Been listening to this since PAB 2007 I think. Lots of great funny anecdotes in this show. My favs are episodes 36 and episode 5.

Pirate Papa – Very funny blog written by a proud papa; everything from advice to anecdotes to great links. A good read. One of my favourite posts: Smashing Capitalism – check out the baby pics.

Suburban Kamikaze – “Her address says suburbs, but her shoes scream “get me out of here…” Need I say more? Yes? She’s funny, she’s dealt with a lot of kid-stuff and has some great friends who write great comments. Fav post: 101 Hamster Names (ROTFLOL).

Brightest Kidz - Cool site with advice on making science fun for kids. We had fun making our own rulers (from this post).

Everything Preschool Site – I’ve used quite a few of these ideas, including this one for teaching the alphabet using coloring pages.

Toddlers and Tykes – Some stuff that I wouldn’t use, but definitely some stuff I do, mostly prompts me to think more about upcoming challenges in parenting. Check out the post about teaching your child fiscal responsibility.

Geek Parenting – Anyone that knows me will totally understand my enjoyment of this site.. if you don’t know me, I dare you not to find this review of Batmobile toys totally brilliant and useful.

Jayne recommends TVO Kids (big shock Lady Jayne lol) so I suppose I must recommend CBCKids, though those are both more KIDS websites than useful or fun for the parental units…

Jesse Brown recommends Bunch!

Found it!

Yes, I was worried, but at the very least, I have located a hard copy of my book. I also found four 3 1/2 floppy disks with it, so hopefully one of them has a digital copy of it on there, but I can’t check ’cause none of my computers have a 3 1/2 floppy drive (sigh).

But don’t worry, the Ceeb has the most amazing stock of ten-year old hardware I have ever seen. Will try my luck at work on Monday.