Home Depot vs. Rona

I love shopping at home improvement stores. It's my toy store, there is not much I like better than perusing through aisles fittings, fixtures, and raw materials that are just waiting to be used for some project. Becky can attest, we will go to Home Depot and window shop (and no I don't mean shopping for windows!). Even Keira looks dejected when she sees that big orange sign, she knows we're going in and won't be coming back for awhile.

So why do I like Home Depot versus Rona? Why pick the orange over the blue? Pick the American chain over the Canadian chain? Well, it all comes down to their websites.

Home Depot's website is useful, it'll tell me what they have (for the few times I'm not sure they have what I need), with pictures, details, sizing, pricing and reviews. There website is easy to use, straight forward, doesn't ask me if I want to see the French versus English version, and gets me what I want quick. Rona's website? None of the above, they don't even list their products, or didn't until very recently. Say I want an Impact Driver (because if Mike Holmes has one, I need one!) Rona lists 9, Home Depot has a category just for the selection. So who am I going to choose?

And know what, it's not even just that, not only is Home Depot helpful on the web (and doesn't ask me for my Postal Code twice, or even once), but they tend to extend that quality into the store. I mean really, when you go into just about any big block store and ask for a 1/4 NPT nipple you are going to get snickers from all the 17 year old high school boys working there, but at least in Home Depot you can find someone to ask. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a Rona looking for 4-40 machine screws in a quantity with more than 8 per package and can't find anyone, not one helpful person. And yes, contrary to what you say, 4" ABS pipe can be used for more than plumbing, I'm sorry you can't imagine that far.

So I'm sad to say, even though I'm a proud Canadian, I'm going to keep shopping from the boys in Atlanta, and drive that extra mile past Rona.

Randomness

Just watched One Week. It was not a bad movie, definitely indie, and definitely that you won't forget within the next 3 hours. As per the movie, out of 10 I'd give it 7, which is in some way generous because there was geographical placement issues. If the big deal is to ride across Canada make sure that you at least get the highway shots right.

I'm lying here in bed, well Becky is busy playing with Picnik, it's really nice to have laptops. I'm feeling a little anxious, and mostly depressed. Which is always frustrating, considering there isn't really a good reason to feel depressed. But frankly, sometimes I feel misunderstood, mistaken, mistreated, well not so much mistreated, but I was trying for alliteration (I can't be serious for more than half a sentence). I need to find some balance, need to find some way of feeling fulfilled, not just half-filled. And I don't want to wait until I only have "one week."

I think that I have more creativity than I am letting out, and I don't know how that makes me feel. Partially, I feel frustrated because I feel constrained, partially kind of glad because I know how fickle creativity can be, and I don't know if I could be that creative every day. Mind you at the same time, maybe I need to be surrounding myself more with things that help me feel creative. I know that when I see the things other people build it helps me feel like I can build too, and maybe I need more of that every day. And maybe too I need some of the routine, and rituals that allow my mind to be free enough to be creative. It's tough because it's not like it is in a book, and if it was, I probably wouldn't believe it. I guess all part of the journey.

So, I need to get things a bit more straight, I need to see life as it is, and change what it isn't. I need to be strong on what I believe, and let other people see that too, and I need to focus on our life (because even though this post is about how I feel, Becky is so much part of me that it's the two of us - and I never needed to ask if I was in love, I always knew). I know this sounds a big angsty, but it's how I feel, and I just needed to get it out. Life all in all is positive, and I just need to keep a look out for those things. I know, I'm a natural cynic, pretty pessimistic, but I'm working on changing that, just like the fact that I drink coffee and listen to country (on occasion) and that someday I'll eat chinese food again and own a motorcycle, I do slowly change, so someday maybe I'll only see the positive.

Boy that was random :-)

Logging Layout

So, Brent and I have been passing around ideas on a future logging layout in the basement. We've been trying to figure out how to have the right balance of scenery, track, interest. And not to mention figuring out how to make the space work for multi-family uses. Not that the family accounts for much more than 2 cats, 1 dog, 5 "sometimes" adults (the 5th one is not always here, but she makes good suppers!).

So we are working out how to allow ourselves a good amount of run in a 10x14' space that can really only be used around the walls. We tried a square type walkaround (as in walk all the way around, glorified table) but that got poo-pooed by the planning regulator. I was wrong that it's only slightly larger than a 4x8.

So we are working around the walls. Hopefully figuring out a nice way of building a layout that is above any other required uses of the space and well out of reach of small fingers, and allows those small fingers to store their toys underneath. One plan we both liked was the CVR plan by Ron Newby. Especially the switch back for the Okanogan Lumber Company, so we are thinking of ways we can work that in.

So, between homework I'm hoping we can get a good handle on this so that by sometime in the summer when I finally get the basement finished we can start building.

BTW - I used Paint.Net for the image, because I don't have Photoshop on this machine again. Very useful, and very lightweight.

Cheers,
Eric

This is how I feel...

Jalopnik

So very true!

Pour My Heart into It...

My lovely wife challenged me last night to re-evaluate my focus and what I pour my heart into. Lately I've been pouring my heart into one thing only, something which as of late isn't returning on the investment, no matter how hard I try. So Becky's suggestion was to look at what I'm doing, and all the things I have going on in my life and re-evaluate what I'm pouring my heart into.

It's tough, we both have the John Rebus protestant work ethic. Not that I think there is anything wrong with that, but it's leading to an unbalanced life. I think that I need to concentrate on our home more, school more, even enjoying life more. It's hard though because I feel like I'm not doing what I should be if I'm not beating myself by working hard. But maybe there is more to life! You know, back when I had hopes and dreams, I looked forward to stuff, felt positive moving forward.

So I think I'm going to shift my focus a bit, really work hard at school, get some more stuff done at home. Still put in my 100% at work, but leave work at work. And hopefully it'll work out better for the future.

-Eric

P.S. Dex and Piper have decided that the upstairs room is much more dull than having the ability to walk on keyboards and knock off pens in the living room/office. They truly are becoming stinkers. I forgot how much fun Kittens are!

Lost and Found at Church

Ever tried to lookup Lost and Found at a church, especially one with a very good/big website. I "found" alot about Sheep, converting to Christianity, and grief counselling, but not one thing pointed to where I might find my wallet. Teaches me for trying to be quiet in church :-)

I'm enjoying school, though I'm writing this in class. It's been really good having some enthusiastic professors who are teaching like they want too, and learning something that I want too (or don't already know). Dr. Gavrilova for example is very good at bringing in information from the real world and providing examples. My programming paradigms is interesting as we are studying functional programming which is completely different then what I'm used to (imperative) but is becoming more common in multi-core, cloud type computing networks.

The kittens are doing well, Dex has decided he likes to come downstairs and sleep on the chairs (sorry for those of you who are allergic like me), and Piper is slowly warming up to the larger world of our house. Piper is actually more likely to get along with Keira I think then Dex is, though I figured it would be the other way, and is a big fan of kick boxing Keira's squeak toys. We need to get some more pictures, because they've already grown a ton, even though we've only had them 3 weeks!

But I should pay attention here now, we are talking about Pascal (which I'm not sure has been used other than to teach for the last 15 years!).

Cheers,
-Eric

P.S. Oh yah, I bought my first game in years (Trainz 2009), it's so Brent and I can test out some designs for a new layout! Very exciting.