Random Ramblings CCLXIV · 7:31am May 23rd, 2018
IN WHICH I AM UP TO CODE
I'll get into that and writing in a bit. But before that, here's this:
Why? Why not? I like disco. Follow me past the jump.
So the electrical work on my home was finally completed Monday evening after five work days (a couple of which lasted 12 hours). I am now officially up to code -- smoke detectors in each bedroom, one in the hallway far away from the kitchen; all the remaining original 1940's-era wiring pulled out and replaced with new wires; new breaker box with surge protection and grounding; new fixtures (replaced all but one halogen fixture with LED and donated usable old fixtures to Habitat For Humanity). The only real downside is that the electricians accidentally broke the door to my attic. I could have demanded the couple-hundred-dollar cost of replacing the door be taken off my multi-thousand-dollar bill, but it was late and we were all tired, though I did show them what had happened and how it happened.
Now the only thing left is that the sudden surge of power sorta kinda burned out my stand-alone freezer my mother and I had always shared even before she moved in with me. With luck, the guy coming tomorrow will be able to fix its motor or, if the cost of fixing it is more than getting a new freezer, sell me a new giant freezer. Hopefully it won't cost too much; I already had to plunk down over $3000 as a first payment for the electrical work.
AND my mother wants me to get the siding on my home replaced. She's not wrong, as it's 20+ years old and quickly turning into a mildewed mess. Also my front columns are rotting at the base; I have birds' nests; my front screen door needs replacing and my back door needs shoring up.
The downsides of being a homeowner. Sigh. At least I have equity (my home and the land it's on is worth much more than what I still owe), and these projects will improve its value long-term, even though it sucks for my pocketbook short-term and may also hurt my property taxes if the county assessor gets wind of it. I like my home and plan to stay here for as long as I possibly can. And, I pay less on my mortgage than some people in this town pay in rent, which is nice.
None of these improvements would be happening -- because I am a cheap bastard -- were it not for my incredibly pushy mother, who wants to live in a nice home rather than a redneck hovel.
My internet was, by definition, spotty during the rewire. So when I wanted to write but couldn't access gdocs, I wrote stuff down on a legal pad or typed it into TextEdit.
Loyal follower Nonchalant is helping me clean up The Rejected so I'll feel better about it come publishing time. It's a four-chapter story. I plan to NOT publish all four chapters at once this time. I'm probably going to drop one chapter every three days or something. Let Me Know Your Opinion On This Idea, Please.
The final SRA story, Recovery, is also four chapters -- or rather two chapters and two epilogues -- but I likely will put that one up all at once (or mostly all at once), as it's a much shorter narrative that had to be subdivided for story purposes.
What I've been working on when not overseeing home improvement projects has been my Sci-Twi Burritoverse story. Yes that's right; I can't simply leave the Burritoverse alone. One "reader" complained that I wrote more than just the first two. Perhaps he had a point but... y'know what? Fuck him with rusty rebar. If I want to write Burrito stories, I'm gonna fucking write Burrito stories. Even if I'm the only one who likes them (which I'm not). My first Burrito story is what got users of this site interested in me to begin with, and I'm going to keep writing them as long as I can come up with good ideas. I was in a rut, with a run of male-pig antagonists, but I can assure you the Burrito stories I have yet to write will not fall into that trap.
It's been a few days since my last blog, so I don't remember what all I said about it, but I will say that Sci-Twi's story involves her meeting a character she never encounters in canon, and it literally changes the direction of the universe.
After SRA is completed, I will move on to a new(-ish) reboot continuity that's basically the same except Anon-A-Miss happens instead of Sunset having a psychological breakdown on her own. I've already novelized the original Anon-A-Miss story; I think I'll go and alter some more dialogue to remove more of Ted Anderson's words and replace them with mine so I don't violate Rule Two and can publish it. I think I'll call it: Anon-A-Fix, and give it this tagline...
Ever wanted to see Anon-A-Miss rewritten to plug up plot holes and fit Burritoverse continuity? No? Well, here it is anyway. Enjoy!
So that's all the news in this land of ancient wires and spending a fuckton of money on home improvement projects while writing for free because I don't have the stones to try and go pro. At least here, there are, like, two or three people who appreciate the shit I barf out once in a blue moon, and I appreciate them for it.
Peace out.
With the remaining repairs you're doing I guess it's more a case of out of the fire into the frying pan, which isn't quite so bad as the reverse.
For all the other readers wondering who the hell this Nonchalant fellow is, I can't really say much but I can say the story looks good to me and I'm doing my best to make it even better. It's certainly just as deserving of attention as the stuff that's gotten such before.
Also glad to hear about the Anon-a-miss thing. I'd been wondering just what you were gonna end up with for that. May you have the strength to survive yet more home modifications and come out all the cozier for it! (Came out more Norse than I expected but whatever. Nonnie out. Peace!)
Congrats on the new rewiring. And eww mildew. :O You should definitely get that taken care of. That stuff's bad for you over time.
4867769
It's strange to live in a place where all the lights and plugs actually work. As for the exterior, my current siding is off-white but the north side is slowly turning blackish green and bits are starting to flake off. It's time. I also don't think one side was properly sealed, so there's probably some water damage to the frame. But, again, in a growing area like NWA, the money I put into giving this 70-year-old house a much-needed tune up will pay off in the long run (and in the short run if it lowers my electric bills in the winter).
4867641
If you'd like, I can send you links to my other completed but unpublished stories, including Anon-A-Miss. But I may give that one a little tune-up before doing so.
I'm glad things are more or less moving in a good direction.
Man I hate big bills like those. But it sounds like you've got a good long-term view of what it's all building towards.
Oh, and to heck with whoever doesn't like the Burritoverse. I'm guessing this is probably like one or a handful of people. I think this is truly a case of, if they don't like it, they don't have to read it. The stories there are quirky and weird but also aim at deeper and more philosophical things. Plus burritos. It's not worth giving up burritos to make one rando slightly happier.
Also: hi, 4867641! I wish you well with working on the story!
4867783
Good wiring is good sense. :)
4867787
Yep. It was one guy who got under my skin. Dude didn't even read the story he commented on! He just saw the latest one (Maud?) and complained that I should have stopped after the first. It's just irritating to be dismissed outright like that. I tried to be civil, but the guy was a jackass. At least Moth (who didn't like Aria's story) had a legitimate criticism -- he felt Aria's target was too easy. He was right, of course, but I've brought its events up in multiple stories since, so that makes it okay.
It's not like I crank these Burrito stories out on a conveyor belt. In fact, it's been a long time since I've actually wanted to write an entry. After I got stuck on Octavia's story, I felt burned out. But that 'verse has an ending as well. Unlike SRA, I haven't written it yet.
I may be slow, but I'm committed to finishing what I start... except the Pinkamena story. I simply don't have time to do more than outline it in my blogs like I did. Earlier this year, I finally finished my Granny Smith story I started at the end of 2015 -- that's the one that ended up being over 30k words. It'll be published once SRA is fully out and I've cleaned it up.
4867842
Yes. Yes it is. Peace of mind (and being up to code) is worth a little financial sacrifice.