Thanks, "The Man" . . .

Day 2, stranded in the wasteland between Stapleton and Northfield . . . drinking water is scarce, there is a fountain, but the water taste like heavy metals and industrial solvents. My trashcan chair has been replaced with a real life office chair, but still no climate control or operable windows. I guess it is just another one of the benefits of working for "the man" . . . health care, dental, paid time off, and festering, hell hole of an office in a bombed out industrial area, surrounded by Superfund sites.


It isn't that bad, really . . . I think I will be able to maintain my sanity by riding my bike to work and stuff. It is an 11 mile commute, through some of the lovely neighborhoods of Denver (until I get to Smith Rd. and it gets less than scenic) and shouldn't take much more than 35 minutes. I suppose that isn't too bad compared to the 20 minute drive. There are also new territories to explore when it comes to the lunch hour distraction of eating food.

Last night, I made good use of the truck. I found out that 4'x8' sheets of drywall fit in the back of the pickup perfectly and that a 30-pack of PBR also fits perfectly.


I picked up an apprentice in young Jose Pinkerton and taught him everything I know about hanging drywall. After that 2 second speech, followed by 5 minutes of laughter, we got to work. The first beer went down smoothly because it was cold. The second beer took a little longer to drink because we kept picking up sheets of drywall for some reason. That's not the proper way to tackle a 30 pack of PBR if you ask me. As you can see in the pictures above and below, we got some drywall in place. Ultimately it will look good . . .


What you can't see is how much of a joke the windows are. The previous owner just placed a couple of fixed window sashes in the openings with some 1" material as a stop/guide. I am going to have to play junior framer to clean up the openings and provide the right amount of material to keep the windows from falling out, yet still allow for the full range of motion intended. My plan to try and keep further halfassery to a minimum is to do a drywall wrap on the two legs and head of each window, using a J-channel as the window guide so the drywall doesn't quickly fall apart. The sill will be wood and provide enough depth to take advantage of the western exposure and place young, growing plants there.

It will all be done eventually, but I found on this one, the best way to get started with the project was to just start. Anybody want to finish it and get started on the landscape? Anyone?