kentcowgill.org/blog

I'm putting my time off to good use.

Last week I pulled down a bunch of jury-rigged shelves and the drywall behind them, and hauled most of the rubble out. I still need to break down the shelves.

Today I hauled out three large (and heavy) contractor bags primarily full of "previous owner detritus" as well as two boxes - one of which was new(?) or at least unused subfloor adhesive tubes (which maybe someone cruising the alley might find a use for) and a box full of (wrong-sized!) discarded air filters.

I also found a replacement piece of glass for the glassblok window in the basement that's been missing a piece of glass - so I screwed that into place. That'll help keep the basement warmer in the winter if we don't get around to finishing it off this year.

I think I'll cut down the makeshift shelves and remove the crappy cabinets throughout the basement next.

I just had the opportunity to learn two very important lessons in the ownership of an older home.

1. No matter how well you think you know how a circuit is laid out, you're almost certainly wrong.
2. So long as you have decent balance, getting zapped with house current at the top of a ladder won't actually kill you.

In retrospect, thinking that the entire garage's power was switched off with the solitary switch by the door was completely ridiculous. How else would the garage door opener work?

Naturally, the corollary is:
* Always locate and shut off a circuit before manhandling the wires connected to it.