Author Archives: Alice
Spy Eye
Kevin dropped a bug on the street as he walked past the target’s flat. The little micro recorder actually looked and acted like a biological bug. As soon as it’s titanium feet hit the ground, it began to scuttle into the building. With Ted’s skillful remote navigation, the bug reached the target’s personal space, and settled in to record and broadcast. Almost imediatley it was detected. “Eeeeew! A cockroach!” Crunch. Ted turned toward Kevin with a laconic air. “I told […]
13 Bloggie Habits
I’ve been posting regularly to this blog since 2006. In that time I’ve picked up a few habits. I’ll leave it to you to determine if they are good or bad habits. 1. I always, always, always go to the blog of someone who leaves a decent link with their comment and find something to comment on. When I can, I do it in less than 24 hours.
Suzie’s House 415 : The Mask Maker At Home
No one was home when Bruce slipped into this house though it was already well after curfew. Every room was dark, so probably no one had been home all day. He raided the fridge and took a beer, and a pudding pack then grabbed some chips from the cupboard. It wasn’t much of a meal, but he’d had worse. He settled in front of ht big screen high def brand new wired up the wazoo stereo system and popped the […]
Straps and Dragons
Well, I was going to talk about straps today. I mean the kind you use to attach a load to a pickup, not the kind on a shirt. I even have it mostly written up. But I didn’t get around to taking any pictures. Nor do I have any pictures of the finished window. So instead I thought I’d talk about vacations and dragons. Specifically Komodo type dragons. Only in Java instead of Komodo. In a few weeks I will […]
What To Do When You Are Diagnosed With Bone-On-Bone Arthritis
A year and a half ago I could barely walk. Getting up became so painful I did everything I could to avoid it. I tried to go for a bike ride, and didn’t even make it around the block. Yesterday I rode my bike all the way to the end of the trail and still had not had my fill. The trail includes an underpass just for us none-motorized folk that goes under one of the busiest streets in town. […]
Window Replacement Checklist part 2
I left out a few things from last week. Remember, this is for putting a window in place of a door. 1. Crowbar! They aren’t joking when they say you can break your screwdriver if you keep using it to pry up wood. And yes, just assume you are going to have to remove every flipping piece of trim. Better to do it from the start rather than arguing over it and ended up removing things as you go. 2. […]
Suzie’s House 414 : Bouquet
Justin caught the bouquet. As soon as his sister stepped up to the top of the church steps with her miles of fluffy skirts and barracuda smile, he’d tried to sneak around to the back of the building where he’d be safe. No such luck.
Lost and Found
Clear back in May I loaned my cell phone to The Girl. She promptly lost it. I mean, really prompt. As in I gave it to her the night before an overnight field trip, and the next morning she couldn’t find it. We found it last week. In all that time all the people who wanted to reach me through that number couldn’t. I ended up getting a new phone. Then I had to piece together all my old contacts. […]
Gold Rings
Jack: I guess a woman of my own was just a figment of my imagination. No gold rings for me….. Eeeeek! Theodor: If you want the right future, help me make it! Previously in Jack and Jill: Making a Horse’s Blanket of Yourself Over Love The theme for this week’s Jack and Jill is “gold rings” as suggested by Heather Want to see what I can do with a word or phrase? Make a suggestion.
Eye of the Beholder
“Hey. What-cha call that?” Mural pointed at the art display with one thumb. The other hooked through a belt loop on his generous wasteland. “I call it an art installation.” Ted knocked back his floppy hat for a better look. He examined the upended cars and found them good. “Yeah, I know that much. What’s the art institutional thing called? What’s the name?” “Accidental Tye-Dye.” Ted popped out the first thing that came to mind, since he hadn’t named it […]
Window Replacement Checklist
If I ever have to do this again, I want this list so I don’t have to go to the lumber yard so many times in a row. 1. Window. One that will fit in the hole you need to fill. 2. Studs. Measure them out! For filling a doorway you need two times the height of the doorway, plus two times the height from the top of the window to the where you’re going to end up ripping out […]
Suzie’s House 413 : Reading the Riot Act
“Hey, it’s the detective guy. And Walter. Where you been, Walter? You’re lunch is in the fridge.” Donny smiled, and his words were chipper, but his voice was raspy as he stubbed out a cigarette. Drew couldn’t decide if Walter’s care taker had actually been crying, or if the red eyes and voice had something to do with the smell of pot in the air. Then, thinking about how negligent Donny was in his job, Drew decided he didn’t care.
High Places
Last Monday I talked about putting in a new window. I thought I’d talk a little more about the project. The window is replacing a door in an old house. This in and of itself isn’t so hard. We simply built in the studs the way we would with a new construction and sized it for the size of the window, filling in the area where the door once was. The problem is the height. The door in question lead […]
