Second cell phone holder for a Droid phone

I completed the second cell phone charger stand for my youngest cell phone a droid based smart phone. It is made from salvaged mesquite flooring and piece of a end cut from a mesquite log for smoking.

Each one that I build causes me to focus on the little things and details.  The next one will be for my daughter's iPhone with the way it charges has me changing the way and what I do  so ti will be a little different.

On this current one if I had to do it over again I wold orient the wood grain on the back differently.

While on the shop I have gone back to working on the scrap pine wood end table. Working on the legs sketched out what I thought would work and have started to think about finish. I am thinking about a dark green wash top and natural legs or maybe a dark stain on the legs. See how it goes.\\

Reading

Still working through "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" slow beggining and family demands keep me from getting on with it. Just got a book, newfor me Peter Bowen character  'Du'pree a  montana based mystery' Called "Stewball".  Kind of a hardboil detective wearing Levi's working as a brand inspector. Good series if you like regional mysteries.

Politics

Can't think of anything to say over the sound of flushing of the US down the toilet.  Too much draconian and hatred not to mention verbage to say anything. Do read Robert Reich's blog.

http://robertreich.org/post/3476451774

I will say this and that charity begins at home. We as a nation seem to forget that.

What a difference a week makes.

A little more than a week ago the DFW area was wrapped up in severe cold and ice and now it is in the low 60's at night and 70 to low 80's at daytime.  Thank God for the change. I don't think I wanted to continued with the severe cold. But what ever comes will come.

In four months I will be 62 and that is a important milestone for me. Both of my parents died in the mid 50's and I thought that would be the same way with me. So for a long time I resented each birthday that came along. I felt that time was betraying me. What a great waste in worrying about it.

Just like the weather it will come and it will be what it will be. If I find myself blessed with life that takes me to 62 then I am grateful. If I live to my late 90's like my grand mother the I will be also grateful. I am going to do and live my life the best I can and accept the frailties of my body as being what it is.

For now I have the love of a good woman, children who are respectful and caring and finally grandchildren who will remember me. What more can a man ask for from this life.

IN THE SHOP

Well my little phone holders are becoming a frequently ask for item and they are easily made and I enjoy making things that are practical.  I am also continuing to work on the small side table for the patio. When it is done I will take some photos.

Transportation

Well I am still pretty well afoot. But that is OK. I am saving as best as I can and will buy a replacement when I can.  I am pretty well stuck on the ideal of another little mini-truck . But we will have to see.

When I pick one out to use I go by what some would call a gut feeling more than anything else. Looks can be deceiving and on more than one occasion when I allowed my desire to overwhelm my gut or intuition I always regretted it. 

As a result some of my choices for vehicles can look a little horrendous. But somehow they always seem to get the job done. Isn't that what it is about.

POLITICS

I have been reading Robert Reich's blog and I have got to tell you that this guy has it nailed as to what is going on in Washington. As a former Clinton appointee during his first 4 years he has a unique perspective on what is going on. I got to tell you it is very frustrating to read him and know he is right and feel helpless to stem the tide of self-serving blow hards. that seem to get elected to our leadership.

The the feel the betrayal of the individuals (Obama) who you felt would represent your best interest and the best interest of the USA do nothing but kiss ass. 

Extremely frustrating.

It's warm

Well here are a couple of photos that I took of the cell phone holder I made to go beside my bed. This was the first time I have been able to get into the shop for about a month.

made from mesquite flooring that I scavaged from a guy who was throwing it away.

Rolling black outs and too cold to think about it.

I write this today by occasionally blowing on my fingers in an attempt to get them warm enough to type. I have never been so sick and tired of cold weather than I am now. If I liked and wanted cold weather as a constant companion I would move to the frozen north and not live in the occasionally frigid south.

Our local energy supplier, Oncor, the one who sells to everybody else in the state of Texas, used the recent past snow and ice too do two  15 minute rolling black out. Supposedly their system was overtaxed as it was down time for a lot of their power plants while doing routine maintain. Even the hospitals were effected well almost all was affected as the NFL super bowl venues were kept in power.

I would complain more but --------

in the Shop

I would tell you what I did in the shop but it is just too cold to do anything. But the good news is that forcasted weather indicates we may be getting closer to our Texas Spring. So yea. Maybe when I write next week I will have something to write about and post a photo or two.

Ouch!

I can;t believe how much the weather changed from what it was last weekend. I am sitting here looking out and it is a winter wonderland. If I wanted to live up north with snow and ice as a regular visitor I would move to the north.  I check my garage/shop this morning and the temp is 38 degrees. a little too cold for this old man. The good news is spring is a month and a half away.

I live in the DFW area and right now and with all of the hoopla over the super bowl needless to say JJ and the city leaders are wishing they had attended church a little more. Personally I could care less. all it has meant to people like me is a great inconvenience.  The money that is fed into professional sports in my opinion is one of the biggest waste and greatest fraud perpetuated on mankind.

All I am saying is that because you have big hands and can run fast does not mean you are worth  million dollars plus a year. Then when you add to that the greed of the stadium owners such as Jerry Jones and they are selling tickets for $200 to sit in a tent outside and watch the super bowl on big screen TVs.  Folks there is something wrong. The same goes for all pro sports today.

There was a time you could go to Ranger Stadium and set in the bleachers behind 1st and watch a great  game for $4.  My boys are wanting for us to go to see a local minor league team the FW Cats' and catch a couple of games and we probably will because the price is still affordable. Truth is these guys are putting their hearts into the game hoping to make the majors and end up giving us a better game than we can get most times watching the Ranger's.

Enough on Pro sports.

Reading

Currently reading "Woodshop Lust" by David Thiel and truthfully it is good. I enjoy seeing how many of us amateur and pro woodworkers tackle our shops. What we choose for tools and benches. Also the type of projects we undertake in them.

One Reason I enjoy reading them and looking over the shops these guys and gals work in is that I am reminded that it is not always the tools and space but rather the workman who uses them that makes the difference in the work. But I know that if I had the right tool my work would improve. No Seriously.

 Projects

I was thinking about how to laminate and cut out blanks for wine bottle stoppers for my wife to offer to the non-profit she works for to auction off in the spring. What I am thinking is that if I laminate a thin piece of mesquite between two 3/4"  pieces of red oak then cut the blank out at a angle then when I turned the wine bottle stoppers they will come out in a spiral. That is the way I see it anyway. I expect some experiment in the near future once the garage/shop get above 50 degrees.

That in turn got me to think about the first time I turned a pieces of wood. When I was a 13 living north of Houston TX my Dad always busy. Had taken on a series of building cabinets for someone. Anyway it called for him to turn  spindles for overhead cabinet supports at a breakfast bar. 

At the time he was using a shopsmith for just about the complete build and he had setup to turn the spindles and I was fascinated with  the process. I remember he ask if I wanted to take a turn at it. The next thing I knew he was showing me how to duplicate the spindle and suddenly I had turned 4 legs that became legs for a step stool for my mother.

When I think about it that was what my Dad was always doing trying to get me involved in what he loved to do and that was woodworking. My Dad could take what most would use for kindling and turn it in to furniture. Often using tools he had scavenged from what folks had set out on the curb. He in his career had worked on renovation of the furniture and woodwork of governor mansions in Ark and Georgia as well as working on the bar for the club that had Elvis had built at Graceland.  I always felt like maybe I dsiappointed him when I choose to go into construction inspection instead of moving up to journeyman as a cabinetmaker.

A taste of Early Spring

Wow two days in a row that were quite nice.  I actually got out in the shop yesterday and open up the doors so that it would warm up. That was nice. But at lass it will not last. Winter still has their heavy hand in the day.

I did yesterday decide that I would never again buy a Skill Router. No matter how much I tinker with it trying to refine it's use it keeps balking and showing me who's boss. Right now it has a favourite bit and will not give it up. I think it is time to start haunting the pawn shops and flea markets and see what I can find in a way of a 1 1/2 hp router or up along the lines of a Bosch or Porter-Cable.

Well I in the spite of family I loaned my old Isuzu Pickup out to my son and he was rear ended and knocked into another so. I am mini-truck less now. It doesn't help that the insurance company looks like they are trying to bail out on paying something for it. Anything would help towards getting another old mini-truck.

By the way did I mention that the truck that hit him and knocked him forward bugged out and left the scene of the accident. I think the terminology for this situation is screwed, blued and tattooed. O well.

I have begun to work on how and what form the next mini truck will take.  I am thinking about a 4wd one . The only thing is that goes against my philosophy of keeping it simple stupid.  Of course I will probably pick one that is quirky for me. I actually leaning toward a Mitsubishi Mighty Max. They are low to the ground get reasonable good gas mileage and are built like a tank. I have had over the years 3 of them


My favorite on was a little red  90 model  I owned. It was like a little skate-board.  Combined that with the fact that you can find one for about $2500 the rest speaks for it self.  Even so I will miss the old white Isuzu PUP. So long old gal.

Reading Material

Finished reading Alan Furst "The Spies of Warsaw.".  ---Excellent is all I can say. If you like your thrillers with a taste of history then Furst is the guy to go too.

Also Finished  "Collins- The Complete Woodworker" written by the editors of Wood Magazine and published by the Smithsonian's.. Good book to have around got me to thinking about a lot of different approaches to my wood work.

Starting Stig Larrson "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo".

Politics, Economy, and Life

Well, what can I say. the economy still sucks and the politicians are still playing the finger pointing game. In short expect nothing to happen.  What really blows my mind is the fact that on paper the stockbrokers and big fiance and big internationals are doing great. Profits are up. Bonus are up. So why is their no jobs no investment in the USA.

Because people the trickle down theory does not work!

Never has and never will. The Rich get richer because they sat on it and the poor or working people of this nation as usual carry the burden on our backs for what these people don't do in carrying their share of the tax burden and the government and politicians developing some backbone and saying it is time we do something about

1. affordable housing - and I don't mean Mac-mansions
2. universal health care - move us up to the rest of the major world players
3. establishing a living wage - I don't mean minimum wage which is ridiculous
4. decent public transportation
5. investing in our environment
6. investing in our infrastructure
7. getting out of wars that has nothing to do with us.- If a country doesn't like their rulers then do what Egypt is doing.
8. Education that means something. - No child left behind does nothing when it just causes kids to drop out because they are not good test takers.

These are just a few of what I talking about needing to be done.

Do I vote? Hell yes.

Because I vote to let them know that I am not happy by my vote and while it is possible to say my vote doesn't count. That the election is rigged. That all might be true but it at least I voted and I voted my beliefs . I may be a socialist in my thoughts and beliefs but it does not change the fact that I believe I am without questions right.
Liberal and Proud of it.

Just in passing

I was thinking about what to write about in this week blog and finally decided why have a theme this time why not just things in general.

First, I have had the opportunity of late to do how- to do articles and what more do I like than telling people what to do. After all I used to be an inspector and what more does a inspector does if it is telling people what to do. 

But I found that telling folks how to do is quite a bit different than telling people what to do.

As a inspector I would be required to tell someone his work was not in compliance. But as a how to do author I must tell them how to do it.  It is a different mindset.

Now don't get me wrong. When I was a young inspector I would often find myself inclined to tell someone how I appreciated them. Before I came to know them I didn't believe in abortion but now I see a purpose. Later as I grew older and would be meeting some of the children of the men I inspected as a youngster I found myself telling them they were prof that stupidity is genetic. For their father believed I would fall for some of the same things.

I also of late because of te cold weather found myself doing a lot of reading of magazines and books. The magazines vary from woodworking to Popular Mechanics magazine and so guess what comes in a PM issue dealing with "War On Privacy". You know that helps my love of conspiracy theories.

The newest issue of UNTE magazine deals with the destruction of the middle class in Great Britain and the US through the destruction of the Unions. Unlike the rest of Europe where Unions have significant power. It makes a interesting read.

Then there are the books I just started reading Alan Furst "Spies of Warsaw" and just got through reading Robert Greer "The Devil Hatband" these are just fun reads.

I also have been haunting Craig's list and pawn shops looking for replacement tool for my shop and looking for wood to do the project. Did you know that Rockler has Maple on sale for $4.59 a board foot. that is a good buy.

I am definitely looking forward to warmer weather where at least my little shop heater has a chance of keeping up. Meanwhile when the weather hits where my garage temps are in the 50's I have been going out and reworking the top of  the end table I had given up on. I think it may be saved.  A little time will tell.

TV sometimes surprises you with some good stuff and recently the show "The Cape" has done that. Llow budget maybe but really good acting and action scenes make it  really fun too watch much like the "The Human Target" all taken from either comic books or illustrated novels.