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May 29, 2010
live|greene day 5
On Monday, I received word from my immigration attorney that my application was approved. Alas, it had been approved 6 days earlier, but either my attorney or a wayward bureaucrat at Immigration forgot to send it. Time is money, right?
It was late afternoon, too late to start working on the renovation. It was a bead shop previously, and the transformation will be huge. I immediately notified my landlord and raced over the get the keys.
Chis and some of our local friends met me at the store after I practiced yoga. They brought wine and cheese and we toasted the new enterprise amongst the dust, filth and grime. Work would begin in earnest on Tuesday.
The most difficult part of the renovation has been the removal of the laminate flooring. I hired one of Chis' colleague's college kids to lend me a hand with the heavy lifting and soon we were driving the flooring in a U-Haul van to the dump. Not very green of me, I realize. I felt better when I reminded myself of the low VOC paint, recycled cardboard shelving and other elements that would more than offset dumping the nasty flooring.
Until I discovered several layers of adhesive, probably carpet and/or tile, under the floor. Several cans of nasty adhesive remover later and my goodness greenness had all but evaporated, along with what is left of my brain cells.
I finished removing the adhesive this morning, and Chis came to help me sort out wiring, and keep me company. What a trooper on a long holiday weekend and he hoofs it to the store to work. I got some painting done, which made the space start to look like my design. Friends drop by randomly with food and moral support, which is so fabulous and welcome.
Target opening next weekend. So much work to be done. Need rest. zzzzzzzz
I will do my best to post regular daily photos and progress reports here, but forgive me in advance if I miss a day or post two at once. The days are long and physically draining.
Posted by dave at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2010
Peak XV
In 1852, in the Dehra Dun offices of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, it was announced that a Bengali computer named Radhanath Sikhdar had discovered the highest mountain in the world. Designated Peak XV by surveyors in the field, the mountain in question jutted from the spine of the Himalaya in the forbidden kingdom of Nepal. According to Sikhdar's meticulous trigonometric reckoning, which took into account such factors as curvature of the earth, atmospheric refraction, and plumb-line deflection, Peak XV stood 29,002 feet above sea level, the planet's highest point.
Modern surveys using lasers and state-of-the-art Doppler satellite transmissions have revised this measurement upward by a mere 26 feet - to the currently accepted altitude of 29,028 feet.
Mount Everest.
Posted by dave at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
May 14, 2010
Los Lobos Natural Reserve
I keep expecting an approval for my immigration application, which would result in tearing apart the store, painting, adjusting the lighting, and stocking the shelves. I fully expected that would be how I would have spent the weekend. But with no word, we decided to get away for the weekend to Carmel.
Carmel is at the north end of the Big Sur coastline. We took a drive down the coast to Big Sur, which is definitely stuck in a time warp. In a good way. We hiked Los Lobos and took some photos. Stunning topography and wildlife.
Posted by dave at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)
May 05, 2010
Oil Spill in the Gulf
Sorry y'all, I've been leaping through more hoops for immigration. My petition went sideways in a not-so-fruitful way, but more on that later when I write the epic about what I have lately been referring to as my steeplechase of immigration. At least in a steeplechase, you can see the hazards in front of you.
The environmental implications of BP’s spill from the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico is very concerning on so many levels. But as I listen to the media create theatre out of bashing the big oil companies, it occurs to me that the real culprits here are you and me. The problem is that you and I don’t really want to know how oil gets from the ground and into the tanks of our cars, or into the energy plants that produce electricity for our homes and offices and stores and streets.
So long as we are going to consume oil, we are going to have environmental disasters that result from accidental oil spills. It is a random, yet probabilistic fact. I don’t believe that anyone intends that these things happen, and maybe more regulation and inspection would help.
My point is that with everything we do with this planet, there is a balance between the consumption of non-renewable resources, economic prosperity, and lifestyle choice. Be happy with the choices you make, be aware of the consequences those choices make to the planet, and respect with dignity the impact those choices have on the living things around you.
As my First Nations’ brothers and sisters in Canada say “Judge no man before you have walked two moons in his moccasins”.
Posted by dave at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)