In the Grim Dark Future passed

Now that people are upgrading, they are parting with the old editions. I was able to snag a hardcover copy of the 5th Edition 40K rulebook. I’m looking forward to it tiding me over until I get the 6th Edition boxed set after the holidays.

Why get an old copy if I already had the small rulebook from the boxed set? In addition to the rules, there is a lot more ‘fluff’ or background info as well as modeling info and pictures in the hardcover edition. Through all the years, even the place-holder ones when I haven’t really been playing, the background on the system has really managed to keep my interest.

Fence me in?

The fence and deck is the next project. We made sure to get the Call Before You Dig people to check over the area and have no pipes to watch out for. We even told the neighbors on both sides about it. We have burned down the wood piled against the fence and have cleared away anything that had been against the fence so that they can work.

Gee wanted to take down the old deck so we started on the weekend and managed to remove all the decking – leaving the stairs and supports. We could have done more but we’re taking out the nails as we go.


We’ve got Bathfitters scheduled to come next week and change the tub surround. We popped into Revy and Shan picked out her new counter and has been looking at faucets. She’s still booking a date with the flooring people. She’s picked the new kitchen door to the deck – they said that they can book that anytime. She also picked out the shingles with the roofers but they haven’t booked a date yet.

AC done - as such

The first project done was the air conditioning. We had looked at Furnasman as they had put in our furnace but their quote was very high – almost $7000. Shan got a quote from Sears that was under $4000 so she went with that.

The boy and I had to clear out the wall of shelves so that they could have easy access to the furnace as well as clean out the laundry room. They came on Wednesday and so far have not impressed us.

Shan’s not happy with where they put the outside unit – as it will severely cut into her deck-space. They didn’t use the hole that was already there but instead drilled a new hole in the wall to the outside unit.

Instead of going above the ceiling like we requested, and were charged more for, they attached the tubing underneath the ceiling. They also had trouble attaching the wiring to the thermostat and took off (and left off) the door moulding and cut two holes in the wallpaper. They also left the wire connected along the outside of the wall.

My brother came over and fished a wire through the wall for them to use so that when they came back the next day they were able to pull it up behind the wall using that. He didn’t repair the holes as ‘he was just the electrician not the installer’.

To recap, inconvenient spot for the outside unit, wrong placement of the wiring/tubing downstairs, and holes left in the walls but a savings of about $3000 - so annoying but barely passable. We’ll be able to better judge based on how it performs next summer.

dog days of summer

It looks like this might be one of the last really nice weekends before the weather starts to turn. I should take advantage of it and enjoy the outside – maybe get some fibreglassing done on D3’s ODST helmet.

Instead, we’ll probably be doing a bunch of yard work like closing out the pool and garden. We should burn down a bit more of the branches and rake up more of the crabapples. Add a bit of driving around getting fabric for Gee’s costume and that should eat up the weekend.

I am hoping to squeeze in a bit of time to get to a few of the comic book store for Heroclix though. Maybe even a bit of time to play one of the new games.

I should get in some good time cleaning up my desk and sorting out if there are any parts to keep from the old computers but those might have to wait until mid-October when I get some days off.

booking renos

We’ve been busy over the last two weeks. We’ve had a bunch of renovators come in and give quotes. We’ve paid a few deposits and booked some work.


So far we have booked for installing central air, new fence and patio, changing the window in the kitchen to a door, and changing our tub surround. The roofers are coming back tonight so hopefully we can finalize that as well.

We are still waiting to hear back about replacing the counter top and flooring in the kitchen and bathroom. Shan’s been busy cleaning and we’ve done a few loads to the storage unit as well as to Value Village.

D3 and I removed the rest of the electrical conduit and the former piping for the old pool heater as requested by the deck people.

new bank - renovations partially on

Since our mortgage was up for renewal anyways, we spoke to a new bank and they were much more helpful in the matter of finding money for renovations. Shan’s been dealing with them for a bit and I went down on Tuesday to sign a bunch of forms to move our mortgage. Shan’s also been getting estimates for a bunch of different renovations.


We still weren’t able to get enough for the big renovations yet but we will be able to do a bunch of other renovations that also needed to get done. This includes replacing the tub surround, the kitchen counter, the flooring in the bathroom through kitchen, replacing the fence, adding a deck, adding air conditioning, and changing the kitchen window to a door.

In addition, since we won’t be putting a second floor above the kitchen/bathroom yet, we’re going to fix the roof on that side. It seems a bit of a waste to fix the roof now only to rip it off in (hopefully) a few years for the renovations but it really needed to be done. With it fixed we can repair some of the water damage at our own pace.

We already had the electrical panel replaced with a new one. The old one kept kicking off when we had any three of (washer, dryer, dehumidifier, oven, microwave, hair dryer, room air conditioner) on at the same time. Since the replacement, we have had no problems. This means we don’t have to keep resetting the clocks on everything all the time.

Books read - May to August 2012

May
The Illustrated Star Wars Universe by Ralph McQuarrie and Kevin J Anderson
Heat Wave by Richard Castle
The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies by George Anastasia & Glen Macnow
The Absolute beginners guide: Making Metal Clay Jewelry by Cindy Thomas Pankopf
Eat This Not That 2012 by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding
1000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear & Art by Dr Grymm with Barbe Saint John

June
Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee
Steampunk gear, gadgets, and gizmos: a maker’s guide to creating modern artifacts by Thomas Willeford
Hayes: Millenium Falcon modified YT-1300 modified Corellian freighter: owner’s workshop manual by Ryder Windham

July
Crimson Skies: Pirate’s Gold – Wings of Fortune: Book 1 by Stephen Kenson
Codex: Dark Angels (4th ed) by Jervis Johnson and Andy Hoare
The Art of Steampunk by Art Donovan
Steampunk Emporium by Jemma Hewitt

Aug
The Boy’s Book of Mechanical Models by William B. Stout
The Old West: The Railroaders by Time Life Books
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlen
The Steampunk Bible by Jeff Vandermeer with SJ Chambers
Zombies!: An Illustrated History of the Undead by Jovanka Vuckovic
Fine Woodworking Best Workbenches by the Editors of Fine Woodworking
CelebraTori by Tori Spelling