Please note that I am moving my blog to my new web site.
The address is easy: www.masonmarsh.com
It will be the home of my blog and other items to be added later. I'm expecting the new format to enable me to use more photos and have more creative control over layout, etc.
So from this point on, this blog is now inactive.
See you all at www.masonmarsh.com!
Mason
10/01/2007
9/18/2007
Home Improvement
OK, so my last post was a downer. I have my days.
This post is about the work Julie and I have done on the house. We've been in the place for a year and a half and I can now say that we are done with the front and getting close on the back. Inside we still have a bathroom and kitchen to remodel, and I'll begin on the bathroom this next week.
So far we've painted the outside of the house and garage, installed a new front door, new garage doors, a new back door, back steps, a back patio, a rainwater collection system, painted the living room, bedroom, office, hallway, and built a guest room in the basement. We've rebuilt several gates and fences, and installed a ridge vent along the roofline. There's also new gutters on the house and new wiring in the garage. It feels like home now.
This is how the house looked when we bought it:
Now it looks like this:
This post is about the work Julie and I have done on the house. We've been in the place for a year and a half and I can now say that we are done with the front and getting close on the back. Inside we still have a bathroom and kitchen to remodel, and I'll begin on the bathroom this next week.
So far we've painted the outside of the house and garage, installed a new front door, new garage doors, a new back door, back steps, a back patio, a rainwater collection system, painted the living room, bedroom, office, hallway, and built a guest room in the basement. We've rebuilt several gates and fences, and installed a ridge vent along the roofline. There's also new gutters on the house and new wiring in the garage. It feels like home now.
This is how the house looked when we bought it:
Now it looks like this:
9/13/2007
Updateness
Does anyone still check this old thing?
I'm working at home today, but for once I'm not working ON the home. Progress with the house has been steady and now we have a pretty spiffy place. I'll post photos soon.
The reason for the post is to rant a bit (after all, isn't that what blogs are for?). I just read that Greg Oden, Portland's new hope for NBA brilliance has a bum knee which will keep him off the basketball court for a year. We just drafted the guy with the Blazers' miracle #1 draft pick and he pulls up lame. He's a nice guy and I'm happy to have him in town, but goddamn I gotta wonder if I could get a job and then go on a disability vacation for a year and still hope to get paid.
I'm feeling put off by the seemingly endless job hunt. I've been looking for a good full-time job since I moved to Portland over two years ago. I'm beginning to think that I am unhireable. If you had told me years ago that I would be a 38 year old boat captain/educator/first aid specialist and still not be able to find steady work for more than $13 per hour I would have shrugged you off. Now I'm wondering what I did to piss off the job gods.
I'm off to check my post office box to see if there are any rejection letters.
I'm working at home today, but for once I'm not working ON the home. Progress with the house has been steady and now we have a pretty spiffy place. I'll post photos soon.
The reason for the post is to rant a bit (after all, isn't that what blogs are for?). I just read that Greg Oden, Portland's new hope for NBA brilliance has a bum knee which will keep him off the basketball court for a year. We just drafted the guy with the Blazers' miracle #1 draft pick and he pulls up lame. He's a nice guy and I'm happy to have him in town, but goddamn I gotta wonder if I could get a job and then go on a disability vacation for a year and still hope to get paid.
I'm feeling put off by the seemingly endless job hunt. I've been looking for a good full-time job since I moved to Portland over two years ago. I'm beginning to think that I am unhireable. If you had told me years ago that I would be a 38 year old boat captain/educator/first aid specialist and still not be able to find steady work for more than $13 per hour I would have shrugged you off. Now I'm wondering what I did to piss off the job gods.
I'm off to check my post office box to see if there are any rejection letters.
6/09/2007
Saboteur
As I grow older I have noticed that I find myself bitching about things more than I used to. I have always had strong opinions about things, but now I seem more willing to share those opinions. If something pisses me off, I want to talk about it.
Here in Portland, we have this massive city festival every June called Rose Festival. There are fireworks, a huge carnival along the waterfront, dragon boat races, and parades. Today is the centerpiece of the festival, the Grand Floral Parade. They have been making floats out of flowers and dragging them through town for 100 years now, and the whole place gets pretty uppity about tradition. I'm all for tradition, but not tradition for merely tradition's sake.
Several years back, before I claimed Portland as my home, people began a tradition of taping off sections of the sidewalk and street along the parade route so they could have a place all to themselves to watch the parade. Growing up in Spokane, I would often go to the Starlight Parade during Lilac Festival, (another flower festival, eh?). If we wanted good seats for that parade, we got there hours in advance, played cards and waited for the event knowing that we had earned the prime spots by physical occupation. In Portland, thousands of folks figure their time is better spent watching TV or drinking, so they lay down yard after yard of duct tape to "reserve" their place. That leaves less selfish folks straining to see the parade over the absurd encampments these entitlement-minded assholes erect on their claims. It's a stupid, selfish, arrogant, and presumptuous tradition and I for one would like to see it die.
Now let me state here that I have no intention of watching the parade, therefore I do not need a spot for myself. For me this is about community. Community is about sharing. Sharing is about getting to know new people and coming to sensible arrangements that benefit everyone with some regard for politeness and fairness. That said, it felt really good last night to ruin some people's weekend.
I joined about 50 other people for a work party disguised as a rolling protest against the taping tradition. We gathered at 8 p.m. near the start of the parade route at the urging of our progressive weekly newspaper, The Mercury. Wm. Steven Humphry publishes the paper and began a written assault on the tradition last year when he urged people to go out and seize the lawn chairs that had been "abandoned" along the parade route. This year he wanted to take it further and organize a tape clean-up brigade. I was happy to join him in his campaign to rid the streets of this abomination.
The work party began with some encouraging words from "Humpy" himself. He directed us to clean up the streets and take back what belongs to everyone. Someone jokingly yelled, "What do we want?" Another voice answered, "Tape!" Someone else said, "When do we want it?" The crowd yelled, "NOW!" It wasn't the stuff of gas-masked anarchists and we knew it. The group was comprised of regular people, a couple of families, and a smattering of lost souls looking for something to do that was contrary to the norm.
Humpy asked us to leave the people alone who had the decency to camp out on their spots, for they had earned them by showing up early. The rest was ours for the taking. And take we did.
We picked out way down MLK Blvd. balling up wads of tape and stuffing them into trash bags. When we encountered chairs roped together, we cut the ropes and stacked the chairs nicely against trees. Within a block we ran into a large camp of rednecks who let us know with utmost clarity that we were the assholes and that we were ruining the parade for everyone.
With the police and the bulk of the Portland mass media looking on we crossed the Burnside bridge stripping tape like kids on Christmas morning. We passed the Gospel Mission on the west bank of the river and the bums lounging on the sidewalks cheered us on. We turned onto 4th and continued to pick and pull. Several businesses had taped off the sidewalks in front of their establishments and we took that too. At one point a security guard for a travel agency told us that we were breaking the law. We told him that he was welcome to talk to the cops about it, as they were right there smiling in their cars and giving us covert thumbs up.
The tape around the bus stops proved to be tough to pull. The busses had been grinding it into the pavement for days, so the work there was slow going. At one stop a Tri-Met bus driver asked us over his loudspeaker if we weren't taking our civil liberties too far. We marched on, big bags of tape wads slung over our shoulders. Up Salmon and onto Broadway we worked. The Hilton could not get chairs out onto the sidewalk fast enough to save their signs and tape. A family we passed were camped out with hot dogs on the grill and sleeping bags laid out for the night. They thanked us and we thanked them for doing it the right way. "This is the best part", the mom said, "the parade is kind of secondary to the camping. It's our tradition."
The highlight of the night for many of us came when we stopped to wait for a light by Pioneer Square and a sea of white chairs loomed ahead of us in front of Nordstrom. We crossed to find giant laminated signs taped to the sidewalk proclaiming the entire block "Reserved for Nordstrom" We cut the ropes, ripped up the signs and folded the chairs into neat stacks. Crowds in the square watched and took pictures while a breathless but well-dressed manager from inside Nordstrom begged us to "leave her property". A few blocks later we ran out of steam. The bags of tape we had collected were tossed into the Mercury's van for disposal and we went our separate ways.
I walked several blocks back to the MAX to catch a train back to my car. I was smiling. A handful of my fellow saboteurs joined me on the train and we promised to return next year with a better understanding of how to remove tape. We plan to bring putty knives and the like next time.
Before I left I snapped a picture of the load of tape in the back of the van. It was quite a haul. I'd say it was a small dumpster load worth of fun.
Now it's parade day and the news is all a-twitter about what we have done. It was a hot topic before our work party, now it's even hotter. There's talk amongst the city leaders of banning the tradition of taping off spots next year. If that happens, I'll be thrilled. If it doesn't, I'll be back.
Here in Portland, we have this massive city festival every June called Rose Festival. There are fireworks, a huge carnival along the waterfront, dragon boat races, and parades. Today is the centerpiece of the festival, the Grand Floral Parade. They have been making floats out of flowers and dragging them through town for 100 years now, and the whole place gets pretty uppity about tradition. I'm all for tradition, but not tradition for merely tradition's sake.
Several years back, before I claimed Portland as my home, people began a tradition of taping off sections of the sidewalk and street along the parade route so they could have a place all to themselves to watch the parade. Growing up in Spokane, I would often go to the Starlight Parade during Lilac Festival, (another flower festival, eh?). If we wanted good seats for that parade, we got there hours in advance, played cards and waited for the event knowing that we had earned the prime spots by physical occupation. In Portland, thousands of folks figure their time is better spent watching TV or drinking, so they lay down yard after yard of duct tape to "reserve" their place. That leaves less selfish folks straining to see the parade over the absurd encampments these entitlement-minded assholes erect on their claims. It's a stupid, selfish, arrogant, and presumptuous tradition and I for one would like to see it die.
Now let me state here that I have no intention of watching the parade, therefore I do not need a spot for myself. For me this is about community. Community is about sharing. Sharing is about getting to know new people and coming to sensible arrangements that benefit everyone with some regard for politeness and fairness. That said, it felt really good last night to ruin some people's weekend.
I joined about 50 other people for a work party disguised as a rolling protest against the taping tradition. We gathered at 8 p.m. near the start of the parade route at the urging of our progressive weekly newspaper, The Mercury. Wm. Steven Humphry publishes the paper and began a written assault on the tradition last year when he urged people to go out and seize the lawn chairs that had been "abandoned" along the parade route. This year he wanted to take it further and organize a tape clean-up brigade. I was happy to join him in his campaign to rid the streets of this abomination.
The work party began with some encouraging words from "Humpy" himself. He directed us to clean up the streets and take back what belongs to everyone. Someone jokingly yelled, "What do we want?" Another voice answered, "Tape!" Someone else said, "When do we want it?" The crowd yelled, "NOW!" It wasn't the stuff of gas-masked anarchists and we knew it. The group was comprised of regular people, a couple of families, and a smattering of lost souls looking for something to do that was contrary to the norm.Humpy asked us to leave the people alone who had the decency to camp out on their spots, for they had earned them by showing up early. The rest was ours for the taking. And take we did.
We picked out way down MLK Blvd. balling up wads of tape and stuffing them into trash bags. When we encountered chairs roped together, we cut the ropes and stacked the chairs nicely against trees. Within a block we ran into a large camp of rednecks who let us know with utmost clarity that we were the assholes and that we were ruining the parade for everyone.
With the police and the bulk of the Portland mass media looking on we crossed the Burnside bridge stripping tape like kids on Christmas morning. We passed the Gospel Mission on the west bank of the river and the bums lounging on the sidewalks cheered us on. We turned onto 4th and continued to pick and pull. Several businesses had taped off the sidewalks in front of their establishments and we took that too. At one point a security guard for a travel agency told us that we were breaking the law. We told him that he was welcome to talk to the cops about it, as they were right there smiling in their cars and giving us covert thumbs up.
The tape around the bus stops proved to be tough to pull. The busses had been grinding it into the pavement for days, so the work there was slow going. At one stop a Tri-Met bus driver asked us over his loudspeaker if we weren't taking our civil liberties too far. We marched on, big bags of tape wads slung over our shoulders. Up Salmon and onto Broadway we worked. The Hilton could not get chairs out onto the sidewalk fast enough to save their signs and tape. A family we passed were camped out with hot dogs on the grill and sleeping bags laid out for the night. They thanked us and we thanked them for doing it the right way. "This is the best part", the mom said, "the parade is kind of secondary to the camping. It's our tradition."
The highlight of the night for many of us came when we stopped to wait for a light by Pioneer Square and a sea of white chairs loomed ahead of us in front of Nordstrom. We crossed to find giant laminated signs taped to the sidewalk proclaiming the entire block "Reserved for Nordstrom" We cut the ropes, ripped up the signs and folded the chairs into neat stacks. Crowds in the square watched and took pictures while a breathless but well-dressed manager from inside Nordstrom begged us to "leave her property". A few blocks later we ran out of steam. The bags of tape we had collected were tossed into the Mercury's van for disposal and we went our separate ways.I walked several blocks back to the MAX to catch a train back to my car. I was smiling. A handful of my fellow saboteurs joined me on the train and we promised to return next year with a better understanding of how to remove tape. We plan to bring putty knives and the like next time.
Before I left I snapped a picture of the load of tape in the back of the van. It was quite a haul. I'd say it was a small dumpster load worth of fun.Now it's parade day and the news is all a-twitter about what we have done. It was a hot topic before our work party, now it's even hotter. There's talk amongst the city leaders of banning the tradition of taping off spots next year. If that happens, I'll be thrilled. If it doesn't, I'll be back.
5/01/2007
New Flickr Page
I've been inspired by my brother-in-law Jeff to put some photos up on Flickr. Last week I sent off a bunch of slides to be scanned, and I've already posted some of the digital shots I've taken recently. The link to the page is over on the right. I'll try to keep posting photos to the site frequently.
Take care!
Take care!
3/26/2007
Tardy
Sorry... I'd be shocked if anyone is still checking this blog since I have neglected it for so long.
I've been busy as usual. Everyone is busy, so I have no valid excuse why I haven't updated in so very long. Sorry.
Here's the latest...
The spring rains have the trees in the neighborhood blooming while the grass grows shin-high. We planted two dogwood trees in the front yard and they too are beginning to green up.
I've been teaching a lot, which is good. I wrap up my annual evening Captain's course this week, so soon I'll have some time back in which to catch up.
We tackled the guest room in the basement and after much foundation work, framing, sheetrocking, mudding, and painting we now have a pretty spiffy place for guests. We anticipate also using it as a refuge from the heat this summer. Next up is the bathroom, which is going to be a hoot. I'll be sure to update on that one.
Chloe the wonder dog is doing better and has adjusted well to our family. She and Cayenne now play together regularly and they seem to be best of pals. Chloe is due to go in soon and get spayed, (suprise!) so that ay mellow her out even more.
The only other news is that I have applied to become a 911 dispatcher for Portland, so that may be what I become. As much as I like the freedom of part-time work, I relish the opportunity to engage in more profesional pursuits. The hiring process will take several months with many stages, so I'll be unsure of the outcome until August, unless I get washed out sooner. Ugh!
I've been busy as usual. Everyone is busy, so I have no valid excuse why I haven't updated in so very long. Sorry.
Here's the latest...
The spring rains have the trees in the neighborhood blooming while the grass grows shin-high. We planted two dogwood trees in the front yard and they too are beginning to green up.
I've been teaching a lot, which is good. I wrap up my annual evening Captain's course this week, so soon I'll have some time back in which to catch up.
We tackled the guest room in the basement and after much foundation work, framing, sheetrocking, mudding, and painting we now have a pretty spiffy place for guests. We anticipate also using it as a refuge from the heat this summer. Next up is the bathroom, which is going to be a hoot. I'll be sure to update on that one.
Chloe the wonder dog is doing better and has adjusted well to our family. She and Cayenne now play together regularly and they seem to be best of pals. Chloe is due to go in soon and get spayed, (suprise!) so that ay mellow her out even more.
The only other news is that I have applied to become a 911 dispatcher for Portland, so that may be what I become. As much as I like the freedom of part-time work, I relish the opportunity to engage in more profesional pursuits. The hiring process will take several months with many stages, so I'll be unsure of the outcome until August, unless I get washed out sooner. Ugh!
1/16/2007
Snow Day!
We have been "buried" in a suprise snowstorm that "struck" this morning. The city is basically shut down and I had to cancel my day's plans, so the dogs and I played in the 4" of snow.
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