I Think About The Implications Of Diving In Too Deep
I just finished putting 100 1 1/2-inch stainless steel screws into the marquee for the theatre I built last spring. The plywood facing is starting to warp just a bit, which is creating just enough of a gab between it and the plastic tracks so that the letters are falling through the gap between them. So, I ended up putting in a bunch more screws into the tracks, on roughly 2-inch centers, in order to push it flat against the plywood.
It sounds like overkill, I know, but I initially tried adding screws on 4-inch centers and found places where the letters would still slide out of position, so overkill it had to be.
I was down at the theatre last night doing some prep work for Marquee II: This Time It's Personal (see last Sunday's entry below), when my friend Molly, who also happens to be in the show, stopped by to check her email on the company computer.
Now, Molly has become renowned in our fairly largish extended social circle as something of a genius when it comes to baking, and in particular she's developed a reputation for creating delicious wedding cakes. In preparation for a cake she was going to bake last night for a wedding this afternoon, she'd been doing some research to create a frosting that would match the coloring of some ribbons being used as part of the bride's entourage, I believe.
So, while we were chatting, she pulled out a small sandwich bag containing a gluey white substance - I had a pretty good idea what it was, but when she opened it and I got a good nose-full of the aroma, there was no question: evidently, Molly carries plastic baggies full of butter cream frosting around with her, and under certain circumstances, she'll let you sniff it.
Which, personally, I find rather delightful, if perhaps just a tiny bit evil.
I'll Say It Straight Girl, You're Breakin' My Back
Things didn't go exactly according to plan today.
I got to the theatre about 1:00 p.m. this afternoon and started prepping for the arrival of people who were going to help me lift the marquee into place. However, before that could happen, I had a number of other tasks to complete: 1.) pre-drill holes in the masonry to install the anchors; 2.) set the anchors and the anchor boards; 3.) install the hanging boards.
Turns out, I didn't even manage to get through step number 1 before I started running into problems.
First off, it appears the window hidden beneath the sheets of corrugated metal attached to the side of our building is much larger than it appears from the inside (most of it has been boarded up for years, decades, even, so it's very difficult to ascertain the exact dimensions). I drilled the first pilot hole, which was fine, but when I went to drill another for the second anchor all I hit was empty air after punching through the metal; subsequent holes on either side of this garnered the same result.
Added to this was the fact that the guy on-duty at the skate shop directly below us came out to inform me that I was punching holes through his wall! Turns out the hidden window actually extends into the back of their shop by about 16 inches, and he could see through it; upon inspection, the hole where I'd drilled in through the sheet metal was clearly visible. But, at least I was able to go in and see where the brick actually started, which made it easier to relocate the next attempt at a pilot hole.
Unfortunately, by the time I found solid masonry beneath the metal, I'd extended the length by roughly two feet; far longer than the hangers I had at-the-ready. So, I sent the crew away, intending to finish drilling out the anchor holes, so that I could at least get those up today, with the plan of painting and prepping some 10-foot hangers over the course of the next week.
Unfortunately, just as I was starting to drill into the masonry for the second hanger, the rotary hammer I was using suddenly caught fire! There were literally flames shooting out of the bottom of the handle like rocket exhaust! So, that put a stop to hole-drilling for the day.
Besides which, after more than four hours wrestling with drills, hammers, large bolts, ladders, et al, my back and arms had finally had enough, and since there wasn't really much more I could have done anyway, I finally gave up and called it a day. Very frustrating.
Now, my back hurts something fierce from all the direct pressure on the drills, and accumulated impact vibration, and so I'm going to take a nice, long, hot shower, some Ibuprofen, and maybe a whisky, and then spend the rest of the evening in a supine position.
Best laid plans and all...
On Edit: And to top off my day, it turns out my upstairs neighbors have been doing laundry this afternoon, hence no hot water for at least an hour.
