Fear the Crab

The new Americast tub was installed today.

The tub

This type of tub doesn’t have legs and relies on a 2×4 secured against the wall underneath the back ledge.  Apparently that length of wood is what supports the tub, along with the wall itself.  The plumber told me something about putting some kind of material underneath in the space between the tub and the concrete base, but I didn’t quite understand whether it was for support to dampening the sound of water against the surface.

One thing I was not aware of when I bought this tub was that there are certain no-nos when it comes to cleaning it.  I can’t use Brillo pads or abrasive cleaners like Comet.  Instead I have to use a sponge or rag with mild cleansers such as dish-washing liquid or Liquid Tide.  There are also peculiar strips on the bottom of the tub, whose documentation indicates they are to prevent slippage, but apparently they also prevent dirt from being cleaned off.  The plumber said that no matter what I do, eventually these now-semi-invisible areas will become quite noticeable.  I can only hope the staining matches the walls, to make it look intentional, you know?

The plumber also installed new copper pipes for the water, as well as the Grohe pressure valve designed to regulate it all.

The shower pipes

The line for the shower head is off-center to accommodate the handshower system we purchased. The plumber will install the bar in the center so that the shower head is situated in a more-natural position.  He remarked that most showers actually have a fixed head and a separate hand-shower, using a diverter valve to determine which one water will flow through.  I told him that my experience has always been with a single outlet for water, whether it was a fixed shower head or a hand-shower.  He didn’t seem that impressed.

Here’s a closeup of the shower valve.

The pressure valve

This thing is super expensive, but it’s supposed to last a long long time, so hopefully it will pay for itself in the duration.  I don’t know if that black cap will stay on, but on the outside, this particular trim will cover it.

From what I can understand, the pressure valve will maintain a constant flow, and the handle is used more to determine the temperature.  This is slightly different than what I am used to, in which the handle controls the flow and a separate knob (often set in the handle) controls how hot it gets.  I’m sure I won’t mind either way.

The materials for the wall repair arrived, and much work was accomplished.

New wall, base

There’s still a bit of work left at the base, but it is progress nonetheless.  I’m particularly happy about the replacement of that wooden beam.

New wall, top

The redwood planks used to repair the wall were pre-cut.  I guess the size has changed over the last 40 years, because it obviously does not line up the same.  I am not too worried about that, however, since this section will be covered by the shower tile that will reach all the way to the ceiling.

Closet floor

The workers also replaced the rotten section of floor in the bedroom closet next door.  The gray stuff is a protective sealant that will be applied along the edge, in the hopes that it will prevent future damage.  We also sealed the exterior.

Exterior wall, base

This is the area I referenced earlier, where the slope and years of rain are strong contenders for being the cause of all this trouble.  The rain gutter spout right next to it probably doesn’t help.  We plan to do something about that, perhaps get a cheap plastic “extension” or some kind of diverting funnel to move the water away from the house.

Maybe drop it into the neighbor’s yard.

One year after the events in this post, the UH Systems Darksiders took the field once again for the AUW softball tournament.  Almost the same rules as last year, with three-inning games, 10-run mercy rule, and 20-minute time limit.  This year, all teams were required to field a minimum of two women.  Some of us believe our team was responsible for this rule change, since last year we only had one woman, and she didn’t play all the games.

Maile came with me this year.  I think she’s my good luck charm.  At the stadium, we found a sticker on her jacket, with a number the same as on my team shirt.  We don’t know where she picked it up from as it was on her back, but we thought it was a strange and rather interesting coincidence.

Played against HCC in our first game. We won after three innings by a small margin, perhaps no more than a couple of runs.

Played against UH Manoa in the second.  This was another game won after three innings, but the we had to play from behind and rally in our last at-bat.  I was particularly lucky in this one; at bat, with two outs and runners on first and third, I lined to the third baseman.  I figured I was done, but the ball squirted out of his glove, I reached on an error, and the winning run scored.

Played against WCC in our third game.  This was a brutal game that lasted the full twenty minutes.  Thankfully we were ahead by a few runs at that point, but this game was another lucky break since we were on the field trying to stop their contact hitters.

Single!

Our three straight wins put us in the championship game.  Unlike last year, we would only need to beat the opposing team once to secure the victory.

Our opponent from the loser’s bracket was our first match-up, HCC.  They did what we did last year; fought their way through to earn a spot in the last game.  They definitely were looking for the upset, but did they have the legs?

We lost the first game on a controversial call.  Bottom of the third, down by one, two outs, bases loaded, I was up to bat.  I hit a weak grounder to the shortstop, and out of the corner of my eye I could see that the fielder wanted to get the force at second, but the baseman wasn’t there.  I hoped that delay would ensure that I beat out the throw.  It did!  My foot fell on the base, followed by the ball in the glove.

Unfortunately, the umpire didn’t see it that way.  I think he was just trying to make things interesting.  Besides, I had made a few mistakes whilst playing first (couldn’t stop some errant throws on the force-outs), and I think those undoubtedly put us in that position in the first place, so there was no reason to argue the call.  We had one more game.

Our team woke up in the second game.  We gave up four runs in the top of the first and only managed to score one during our at-bat.  However, in the second, our defense made no mistakes, and our bats came alive to score nine.  That’s how it would end after three as we held on and got the last remaining outs to secure the win.

Final game

As a team, we’re now back-to-back champions.  I heard through the grapevine that a lot of teams this year were pretty sore about losing to us, and had stepped up their practices to keep pace.  Now that we’ve won our second tournament, I’m pretty certain all the other teams will be gunning for us.

Or they’ll change the rules again.

Champions

A dumpster arrived for all the stuff we’re removing.

Dumpster

It’s more than big enough for the bathroom, which hopefully does NOT translate into “throw anything else we don’t want in there,” since I’m paying by weight.  Someone was doing this the last time we had a dumpster, and while the difference was negligible, it still came out of my pocket.  I’m looking at YOU, neighbor!

As the rotten wood was cut away, more and more of the water damage became apparent.  Particularly disturbing is this area, where a post would be to shore up the ceiling in this area.  This, too, will have to be replaced, and it definitely calls for more work.

Missing: Wall

The “plate” under the vinyl floor, which separates the house from the concrete foundation, is also damaged.  The wood has become so rotten that nails cannot stick to it, and for who-knows-how-long, the exterior wall has not been attached to the floor!

Bath and closet floor

We are starting to suspect that the water damage originated from the outside.  Years and years of rain pooling outside, instead of draining away from the house, was instead soaked upwards from the planks there.  Maybe such a thing doesn’t happen often, but I think over the course of four decades, even a millimeter of rain seeping into the house would eventually deteriorate everything to the extent we see here.

In fact, the concrete outside has a slight, almost imperceptible slope down towards the house.  It’s something that I never noticed before, but I’m certain that water would pool near the base given enough water, and we’ve had enough heavy rains to make a fair guess as to this being the root cause of all our problems.

I was also wrong about the house all this time; it is not double-wall, it is single-wall construction.  I no longer remember who or what it was that gave me the wrong impression, but it could be that I heard it a long long time ago and never questioned it, because it didn’t seem like an important detail.

Work has begun on the shower.  They’ve ripped out the tile and got to the damaged section of the wall, and now they have a fairly good idea of how much repairs are needed to make things right.

Gutted shower

The workers should be able to keep everything the same on the left, with the exception of new copper pipes for the plumbing.  The tub will be replaced, too.

This part, however, makes me go eek:

Water damage

This is the damaged wall.  The water has affected the wood up to about the four foot mark, which is a lot more extensive than I imagined it to be.  Actually, I should honestly say that I did imagine it this way; I just hoped that it wouldn’t be true.

The contractor tells me the water has gone through to the other side of the double-wall, particularly the corner section.  We took a peek at the bedroom-side and sure enough, we found cracks in the paint around the same level as revealed on the bathroom-side.  I never noticed this before, but when I push on the bedroom-side wall, there is a noticeable “give” that makes my wallet scream.

Tomorrow they plan to remove the tub and start repairs on the wall.  It will be a noisy, dirty, dusty, and expensive affair.

As referenced in this post, our bathroom will be overhauled extensively, much to the disruption of our daily routine.  I think this is the perfect time to document the evolution of this sanitation sanctuary.

Here is the bathroom pre-renovation:

Before!

Yes, we have a phone in there.  It’s rather convenient for us, perhaps not so much for the caller.

This is the reason for the renovation:

Damage, Bath

Damage, Closet

Now how is that conducive to basic health and hygiene?  The second picture is from the bedroom next door, in the closet.  As you can see, the damage is much more extensive, and perhaps representative of what’s going on inside the double-wall construction.  If the wood has rotted away this much, it’s a sure bet that some nastiness is brewing within the bowels of the bathroom.

Hopefully the work will not reveal other problems hidden beneath.  This is already costing me.

Here is a preview of things to come:

New bath fixtures

Discuss amongst yourselves whether or not I’ll add the computer or upright fan.  Who knows?  Perhaps browsing the dregs of the internet requires some adequate ventilation.

Inevitably in the US, and I’m sure it occurs with as much frequency in other countries, people want to know where you work. What do you do, how much do you get paid? Oh wow that’s very interesting.

Less well-discussed is whether or not you enjoy your work. The common thread is that people in the US aren’t supposed to enjoy work. We’re not supposed to like what we do, it can’t be fun. And if, by some sick twist of fate it does happen to be fun, we’re not supposed to admit it.

Even LESS well-discussed is what your workplace looks like. Which is what I’m going to do now.

My desk

This is my little hidey-hole. It’s tucked away in the corner of a large communal work area, a place where consultants and students sit and work behind me and to my left. Note the door to the right; its placement is not accidental.

My backpack and sunglasses rest on a portable 3-drawer locking file cabinet, but I don’t typically put things of importance inside because it’s really light and someone could walk out of the office with it. Now it just serves as a shelf. My lunchbox sits on the floor because there’s no room on the shelf. You can’t see my umbrella, though.

On the desk are my tools of the trade: headphones, coffee mug, notepads, and photographic reminder of why I work. Dual monitors for a Windows machine, keyboard and optical mouse, and telephone are used less-often (I’m a State worker, after all). A mirror, to see who is behind me.

I have two calendars, one given by the university, another purchased personally. Mine has a wolf on it. The shelf above me holds meaningless materials, spare parts, and school newspapers full of coupons.

Back to the door. It leads to the snack room, refrigerator, and coffee machine.

The snack room

The Silicon Valley poster on the door is horribly out of the date.  Someone made little post-it stickers with “GONE” written on them, and now it is a daily puzzle-solving activity to try and find out which businesses are no longer in business.

You would think that with the amount of traffic in and out of the snack area, or community printer, that I would be constantly bothered. However, note that the door is open, it is continually left open, and if you reference its position relative to my workstation, you will notice that it helps to cover my back and secrete me away from the hustle and bustle. Yea, often the secretaries forget I’m at work and don’t bring me my paychecks.

Despite the non-usage of my file cabinet, I am not without storage. To my left, past an empty station, is my overhead compartment.

Overhead storage

A closed version is to the left; it’s not mine. The computers below aren’t mine, either, because their main purpose is to collect dust. Truly an aspiration for all State employees.

Inside my storage bin are books I no longer read, a box of envelopes I hardly need, a multitude of pens, rulers, and office supplies I never use, and some business cards I don’t hand out. I also have a few paper plates for the occasional snack, and a glass plate for re-usability. Whatever else is in there, I probably put in a couple of years ago and never touched again.

Back to work, I guess.

For anyone here with even a passing interest in professional sports, the impetus to choose a franchise to root for can sometimes involve complex mathematical calculations. Hawai`i is not the only state without a professional team, but unlike states on the continent, neighboring teams aren’t a simple stone’s throw away.

I think many people here do follow certain teams based on proximity. California can be considered the “closest” neighbor, and by consequence a number of professional teams in that state have been “adopted” by Hawai`i locals. I know a telephone book’s worth of people who cheer for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, and an equal number for the San Francisco 49ers. The Los Angeles Lakers in basketball is always a popular choice.

Baseball seems to have a more widespread audience here. I’m not sure if it’s a result of the long history of little league baseball in Hawai`i, with its tradition of borrowing professional names like Cubs, Reds, and Pirates. It seems likely that you might have some kids who would turn to the professional teams for inspiration. However, I played little league, and I didn’t find myself cheering for my team’s professional counterparts.

I’m sure popular culture goes a long way in attracting the fair-weather fans. I’ve seen many Yankees and Red Sox hats being flaunted about. Basketball jerseys from the Spurs, Suns, Cavaliers, and Heat are worn both on and off the court. Football apparel from the Eagles and Patriots seem quite popular.

I haven’t mentioned the possibility that people who move to Hawai`i from other states bring their favorite teams with them. The sheer number of transplants from military assignments alone is enough to bring a diversity of die-hard fans, and it is only added to by the amount of people who come to the islands for their own personal reasons.

I was asked why I chose the teams that I follow, and with one exception, my choices were made by video games:

~ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I’ve liked this football team since they wore the creamsicle colors and were the laughing stock of the league. For those two reasons, I chose them when I started to play Tecmo Super Bowl III, because I liked whooping ass against the stronger teams. The Bucs have since strengthened my commitment with a Super Bowl win.

~ Detroit Red Wings: There aren’t a lot of hockey fans in the islands, and I won’t go into the many theories as to why this is so. Despite the lack of media coverage here, I’ve liked the Red Wings because of their long history as one of the Original Six. Their logo and simple color scheme of red and white is probably the cleanest and most recognizable in the sporting world. My appreciation for them was solidified in part by NHL 2K, where it became VERY easy to distinguish the many players on the ice. I’m quite happy that they’ve just won their 11th Stanley Cup.

~ Seattle Mariners: The only team I cheer for NOT decided by video games. I started to follow the Mariners from my college days at Puget Sound in Tacoma, and Seattle was the state favorite. I entered into the mix with players like Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, and the iconic Jay Buhner. I had long hair at the time, and it was always a joke that I would attend one of the games on “Buhner Buzz-Cut” days to get it all shaved off.

Represent!

Invited Maile’s family for a late Mother’s Day dinner. Today was the only day all interested parties could attend, in particular my mother-in-law. Besides the usual clean-ups of household areas, we made an adjustment to the arrangements of the house, that of putting the second leaf into the dining table, to extend it for the glorious occupations of more-than-six people.

Expanded dining table

If the table settings seem weird, it is because we only had six place mats and damn it all but for the unexpected but delightfully welcome guests. The flowers were a nice touch, considering we got them this very day. Had to get two more chairs from the parents’ house, but they’re cool with that, because they bought new chairs and felt no compunction to hold onto the old stuff. Why not let the kid have it?

The table does not look as different from the default setting of one-leaf, but trust me, this is naught but the longest table in the history of this one’s experience with tables. Look at the number of chairs, damn it!

I think Maile went into an overdrive of cooking. Consider the proportions of the entree to the dessert:

Mmm...

This is not a trick of the camera, but rather a documentation of the priorities given to consumables. Truly there was a distinct thought given to the order of magnitude for each dish, because as dinner progressed, Maile had much of one over the other. I leave the specifics of the selections up to the reader.

The conversations were excellent, of course, and much was to be said regarding the adventures of men and women, the complexities of living together, and the discomforts of Las Vegas outings.

I had wine. A lot of wine. ‘Twas not because of the company, no, and how rude of you to think so. I had the wine because it was an excuse to have the wine, something I have been sorely lacking as of late. The excuse, that is.

I happen to think the wine was a pleasant by-product of the evening’s festivities, especially since I finished off the Boarding Pass bottle and moved on to the Fat Bastard. Before visions of general verisimilitude of tipsy party-goers fills your head, I was the only one drinking and thus the only one with the verbal thoughts of the true intentions of men and women, living together.

Sometimes I wish I had more drinking buddies, but other times I do not. I don’t think I would particularly enjoy it if everyone else were drunk with me. It’s hard to say when it’s been so long since I’ve gone drinking with more people than myself, but I’d like to think that I would enjoy an outing of tibbly conversations and general silliness. Unfortunately, it’s a lot harder to remember the fun-timey drunk-timey when one is deep in the nethers of shiraz.

The Kimberly has made me aware of what could possibly be the happiest bentos to ever grace the enamels of hungry happy hippos. These perfect-able comestibles look like they’d enjoy nothing more than to slide down the saliva-soaked joyride into your stomach, fill you with such elation that you will regurgitate this love for everyone to share. Yes, you will puke, it’s so feckin’ cute.

SQUEEE!

Some of those delightful delights invite you… nay, entice you to savor their sumptuous flavor, with promises of doing the Digestion Dance in your innards. It’s a fucking overload of cute. You will no doubt shit happy.

Kyaraben, or character bento, is a rather established hobby. They make tools to help you shape food to Hello Kitty size, and by all indications it is not limited to the cat. There’s a book that documents the designs that go into this crazy craze. Any character, specific or generic, is up for grabs and down for stuffing in this decorative food festivity.