Technology
Story Machines is Online
I just noticed that the Western Folklife Center put my short from this year’s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering online. If you didn’t get a chance to see any of the Deep West Videos this year, be sure to check them out. Mine was in very good company!
Just in Case the Internet Really is a Fad
The Diesel Mechanic and I spent a couple hours this morning fussing with a laser transit before we finally decided there was a problem with the receiver and gave up for the day. Disgusted with technology, he put everything away and pulled out a couple of bent welding rods from his old pickup and placed them in my hands. Although he says he does not possess the ability to find water himself, he wanted to see if I could. I’ve always thought dowsing was a bunch of bunkum, but I indulged him because he’s been so generous to me over the past few weeks.
He set me marching across the property with the rods pointing straight out in front of me like a Jean-Paul Gaultier bra. I had walked about 50 feet when all of the sudden they started turning inward and there was nothing I could do to stop them. We walked most of my property and some of his. My divining rods said there was water where he knew it existed, but not where he thought it might be. We won’t ever know for sure if I’ve got the power, but I’ll sleep easier now knowing that I may have a backup career in case this Internet thing doesn’t work out. I AM a water witch!
My Cell Phone Got Run Over by a Grader
My cell phone fell out of my pocket at some point yesterday and the Diesel Mechanic ran over it with a grader. I didn’t know it was lost until it was too late. Miraculously, he was able to find it by lightly picking over the soil with the blade on the machine. Shockingly, it was still in one piece, but the screen had shattered. When he handed it to me, it was ringing, but I had no way to answer it. So, back to town today to replace it. I’ve had so many phones in the past six weeks, I can’t remember if this is my fourth or fifth one. The first few weren’t my fault, though!
Wireless Outhouse
At the risk of sharing too much information, I wish to inform you all that I can hit the outhouse at the top of the hill with my new wireless-N broadband router. Yay! Unfortunately, though, the signal peters out just over the hill, which means the building site is still inaccessible.
Ha! I said outhouse and peter in the same paragraph.
A Landmark Moment in Internet History
Or a landmark moment for me anyway. As I sit here in my trailer house bed listening to KMUD and waiting for my coffee to happen, I am updating my blog via satellite. Sure, I still don’t have running water, but it’s kind of startling how easily I seem to be able to live with that. And yet the thought of living without the Internet for few days left me in tears.
Yesterday, the Diesel Mechanic came over early and we finished up the trenches for the leach line. My job was to help him get the floors level and tell him where to dig in the areas that he couldn’t see for himself. I had a great time challenging his abilities, which by definition probably makes me not very good at that job, but I can tell you now that after three days of testing, he is highly skilled at his. He was so precise that he could put the bucket within a quarter inch of the cement “D” boxes in the center trench.
The finished septic system makes it look like I’m putting in a small apartment complex, but the good news is that it’s not likely to fail and hopefully will pass the county’s requirements when the inspector comes out in a few days. I’d show you pictures, but my USB cable is either hiding out at the Worm Lady’s or has disappeared among the tools, toilet paper, and emergency canned meat I store behind the seat of my pickup. Maybe it will reveal itself later today and I will be able to upload some photos. [It did, and I have.]
While we were finishing up the leach line, the ForSat guys showed up and went to work locating a satellite for me to connect to the Internet. It turned out that Leon, who owns the business, is married to a woman I went to high school with and who also has family ties to Blocksburg. His assistant was the star point guard on the boys varsity team when I was in high school. We had a great time catching up, and the whole experience was a hundred times better than the time I wasted with that installation outfit from Washington. So, if you’re thinking about having a broadband satellite dish installed in Humboldt County, call Leon at (707) 768-2149. I highly recommend him.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m headed over to have some coffee with our local postmaster.
Septic Satellite
I got up early yesterday morning to head to town. I had originally planned to buy the rest of the parts for my septic system from a business that caters to contractors (and where my dad gets a discount), but that didn’t work out. I had to go back to Hilfiker and buy 240 feet of infiltrator system and four D-boxes, which was a shame because I could have had everything delivered all at once with the septic tank. Instead, I had to haul all of it in the back of my pickup. There was quite a bit of debate today among my various advisers about whether I’d actually be able to pull it off, but everything fit just fine. The forklift operator turned out to be the same guy who delivered my tank. It was nice to see a friendly face, but everyone at Hilfiker was great. When I walked in the door this time, the gal at the front desk asked, “Are you the girl from Blocksburg?”
“I am,” I said.
“Your dad is on the phone,” she replied. I busted up laughing. Small towns are so funny like that.
In other news, I’ve decided it’s possible the mix-up with the satellite dish technician was actually a blessing. My friend the surveyor stopped by yesterday to catch up over coffee. We had a lot to discuss, but he mentioned that he had a terrible experience not too long ago with the same outfit that was supposed install my dish. The Worm Lady has recommended another company out of Arcata, so I’m thinking I’ll try them. It will probably mean a longer wait, but it’s worth it if I don’t have to deal with creeps.
My Projects
- Web: TED.com, Mod Shop
- DVD: How to make cowboy boots
- Book: My grandmother's life story
- Always: The House!
My Short Films
- What's a Nice Girl like You...
- Story Machines
- Boot Camp
- Moving Horses from Montana to Washington in 1903 (audio)
My Tweets
My Photos
The Blocksburg Book
My Favorites at the Moment
- Spore on my iPhone
- These hand-tooled shoes and purses
- Gossip Girl
- Red Rock Rondo