Van Buildout (Update)

 It has been five years since  I planned to build out my van. Luckily, I never did complete it.

Van Build Out (continued)

There are sketches of the layout, nothing concrete, just the basic idea. Most important is that the larger equipment will fit in the van so there is no repeating the mess from before. Here is the plan  after I placed all the equipment into the van.

With that in mind I went ahead and purchased the remaining wood panels.

Perfect height

I spent a day cutting the side panels to fit the contour of the inside and the shadow boxes to fit and extend the width of the future shelves. It is "only" a 2" inset, but every inch counts in that case.

More to tell once I get back in gear.

Van Buildout

Before I was able to get started with the "new" van interior build out I had to get to a stopping point at my current project. After that point was reached I had to take out all the equipment, gear, and whatever else was in the Sienna Mini Van and put it in the garage. Before it slips my mind, I appreciate the use of the garage and the driveway of my client, and above all, their patience.

Unfortunately, the back hinge of the Sienna broke a couple of weeks ago and had to be fixed first before I could empty the rear of the van. Installing the part was a short task, loosen some screws, remove the panel, loosen the old hinge, install the new hinge, re install the cover and screws, done.

 Although it is a known fact that you always have too much stuff, I'm was amazed how much stuff I accumulated and fit into the Sienna Van. All of it is piled up in the garage at the moment to be sorted out and organized into the new van.

After the seats were reinstalled in the Toyota Sienna I finally got started on the insulation of the Ford Transit Cargo Van.

One of the best web reference I found during my research is Isabelle and Antoine's blog about van life. They did an amazing job researching and blogging about the entire process. The blog can be read at https://faroutride.com/

Perfect fit

Much debate went into the thought of insulating the floor and provide a solid walk surface. I decided to purchase a molded floor mat for $180. It was an absolutely perfect fit.  Initially I was looking into laying insulation in between the floor ribs, covering it with Reflectix, and top it off with ¾” plywood. However, after adding up the cost (about $240) plus the time it takes to cut the strips, Reflectix, and the wood I decided otherwise.  There is always the option to add a sheet of plywood in between the left and right cabinets at a later date.

 

For the side walls I used 1.5“ thick Foamular 150 by Owens Corning. For the expanding foam I used Loctite Tite Foam especially formulated for large gaps -  also sticks to anything and everything.

Bunche cord helpers  

Last Panel with helpers

The ceiling was covered with ¼” plywood. In hindsight I should have used 1" foam board for the ceiling, it would have made the installation of the plywood much easier ...

One more time

Again, occupied with the things dreams are made off I ventured out to try my luck again with the jackpot at $400 million just like everybody else. Needless to say after the below announcement, or a bit before, the bubble burst again...

til tonight, getting ready for the next bubble ...

Powerball jackpot reaches $500 million, 6th largest US ever

Ritika Shah | @RitikaTShah

 8 Hours AgoCNBC.com

Andrew Kelly | Reuters

Powerball lottery tickets sit on a store counter in the Manhattan borough of New York January 5, 2016. The estimated jackpot for Wednesday night's Powerball drawing has hit $500 million, making it the sixth largest lottery prize ever in the U.S. If a winning ticket is sold, the winner could select $306 million in cash, before taxes are deducted, or the full jackpot in an annuity paid out over over 29 years. The jackpot value was boosted from $450 million earlier in the day due to strong ticket sales, According to Powerball's press release. However, it still has room to reach the record $656 million jackpot in a Mega Millions drawing in March 2012. The largest Powerball prize was a $590.5 million jackpot won by a Florida woman in May 201. The odds of landing this jackpot? One in 292.2 million. The drawing is at 10:59 p.m. ET Wednesday. Powerball is played 44 states as well as the Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.Ritika ShahNews Associate

It's been a while

How time flies. It was Spring just yesterday, now there are only 21 days left in the year. It has been a busy time in between, lots of travel, lots of work, and lots of new things to try. I will fill in the gaps hopefully before the year passes.

Life without a smart phone Day I

Since my iPhone gave up communication to the mother ship I realized (again) that most of the daily "support" items are conveniently located on the device. It is not very apparent at first, but then it surfaces one by one. Grocery shopping - all my bonus cards are stored inside my little helper. So instead of logging around a heavy bundle of half torn cards they are neatly organized with hints of "deals" for a particular store. Normally I don't pay too much attention to it, however, today I bought 10 items on sale for $.69; without the card it amounted to $22+ with tax, with card the total was $8+.
Another nuisance is the time. I don't wear any jewelry, watches or bracelets on my arms. The time is on my smart phone, now I have to rely on the sun dial. Traffic alerts are the next vital item I got used to. One of the streets was blocked due to some construction. Normally I have an advanced warning that the road is not usable - today not so much. It is Sunday, I can't wait what happens during the week.

The Warranty Game

warranty
[n. wawr-uh n-tee, wor-; v. wawr-uh n-tee, wor-]

noun, plural warranties.

1.  An act or an instance of warranting; assurance; authorization; warrant.
2. Law
a.      a stipulation, explicit or implied, in assurance of some particular in connection with a contract, as of sale:
an express warranty of the quality of goods.
b.     Also called covenant of warranty. a covenant in a deed to land by which the part conveying assures the grantee that he or she will enjoy the premises free from interference by any person claiming under a superior title.
c.      (in the law of insurance) a statement or promise, made by the party insured, and included as an essential part of the contract, falsity or non-fulfillment of which renders the policy void.
d.     A judicial document, as a warrant or writ.
3. A written guarantee given to the purchaser of a new appliance, automobile, or other item by the manufacturer or dealer, usually specifying that the manufacturer will make any repairs or replace defective parts free of charge for a stated period of time.

Source: Dictionary.com

The end of March my iPhone 5s decided to get stuck in reboot mode forever and my bad luck with Apple products continued. There was nothing which I could do nor any of the Genius Bar members at the Apple Store to bring it back to function. Of course it happened two days AFTER the warranty expired (is it me or does this apply to many items, it is almost like a timer). However, the very courteous member brought the case to the manager who was nice enough to replace the iPhone for no charge. Fresh out of the box and the content restored from the backup I went on with my life with the iPhone.
Then came last Thursday, said iPhone was searching for the provider. Friday it was still searching for the provider. I checked the billing status just to make sure that the error was not in my court - it checked out, the account was current. The next step was to visit the provider store, another 2 hours I don't get back. After endless minutes of probing, consulting with technical support, and getting the iPhone to factory install it was decided that it is the antenna which was malfunctioning. Since the store was the closest but it was a provider store there was no replacement from the store itself. Instead I was referred to the corporate store, yet another trip I really did not need since they do not replace equipment either. At this store I was reminded that there was no warranty on the replaced device therefore they can not replace it, although I was told at the first store that it was clearly an equipment failure and the device would be replaced at no charge (it was also written up like that). So the first question which popped up in my mind is that if the replaced device is fresh out of the box should it not have a warranty as well? Obviously not. After some discussion with the clerk at the corporate store who was somewhat irritating and arrogant, he finally saw it my way and entered the replacement order, it will be mailed to me within a couple of days.

So here is the million dollar question: Why in the world do I have to pay for a defective device when it was clearly a malfunction on the manufacturers side? Especially if the device just came out of a box and therefore was brand new. Should there not be a warranty on that device automatically?
Here is an interesting quote I dug up:

Consumer advocate groups, such as the non-profit Consumers Union, advise against purchasing extended warranties unless they can be purchased at manufacturers cost. David Butler of the Consumers Union says, "The extended warranty is definitely in the best interest of the company because if the product breaks down they want you to be satisfied with it and buy another one when the time comes, but isn't often in the best interest of the consumer unless it can be purchased at cost with no or very little markup." 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

The extended warranty does nothing but feeding the bottom line of a corporation, a bet against a malfunction. Granted that they have a cost associated with the repair, tech support, maintenance and such, but I'm sure that this is already factored in. Besides the cost of manufacturing it in China guarantees that the profit margin is tremendous. However, should it not be done RIGHT in the first place? 

Perhaps it is time to look for alternative smart phone.

Just a reminder

Once in a while things happen out of the blue. Some of them are little reminders that we are all temporary fixtures on this planet. Even though this occurrence was not earth moving in general but it was a reminder that things can change at a moments notice. One day everything seems fine just to turn around within hours, minutes or even seconds, creating ripples in the sea of life - screaming mortality.

Two weeks ago it was such a day. A very good friend of mine complained about pain in the lower intestine. After a checkout at the doctor he was rushed to the hospital for further investigation of the problem. Luckily it turns out that it was nothing serious.

Today was such a day. It was my beloved soccer day, although every day is a special day in my eyes, this event is a special bond between mind liked individuals. Whether we win or loose is not that important since we play for the "fun" of it. We deemed lucky that we are able to play given the advanced youth we all possess.
It is customary to be at the field early to get ready for the game, socialize and to have a chance to watch the second half of the previous game, given that we don't play the first game of the day. It was a relatively mild day with a nice breeze, ideal for a "friendly" soccer game.
During the second half all eyes were on a beautiful pass to left field, which was skillfully defended, when one of the defenders collapsed in midfield. The game was halted and players attended to the downed player.  It was not a foul, he just dropped to the ground. First it was speculated that it was the heat but it turned out it was more serious. Experienced CPR-trained players were applying their skill to the fallen player and the ambulance was called and showed up six minutes later. After what seemed like an eternity the player was transported on a stretcher to the ambulance with the hospital as its destination. It was only later during our game that the sad news spread that he never made it to the hospital and passed away.
Rest in peace, my condolences to his family.
 

Senseless Departure

Everyday you read and hear in the news about shooting, mugging, murder and mayhem. After a while you tune all of it out, after all, there is your life to live, bills to pay, games to play, movies to watch and all the news reported events seem very far away from your own life.
Until one day the news do affect your life because the person in the news was somebody you knew personally. Perhaps you shared a dinner just a couple of weeks ago, attended a family event together, or spend time talking about this and that on a regular bases. The impact is traumatic, especially if you know that it was just the beginning of his life. Reaching out in the world to establish what could have been a life worth living, however, his life was cut short. Nobody knows why, just the how.
The impact on the last fleeing moments of his life created a tremendous ripple effect throughout the family. Normally it is said that your life flashes in front of your eyes just seconds before you die, the same can be said if somebody close to you passes, except it is not your life but the valuable moments you spend with this person. Nothing can prepare you for this. If it is a long lasting illness you might be more prepared, but not when it just happened an hour ago and by force.
Perhaps it could have been prevented - or not, perhaps the prevention should have happened a long time ago - or not, perhaps somebody should have ... None of it happened and nothing will change the final outcome. Helpless feelings and disbelieve is all there is left for now. Perhaps you will always remember the flashing smile, the sparkle in his eyes, his courteous behavior or the daring efforts to do something right - perhaps that is how he should be remembered.

Weather

Speaking of breaks, I'm "stuck" in 75+ degree weather in the south - I know, poor me.

While the winter storm "Thor" is ransacking the north I'm glad that I'm here and not there. Luckily I'm in a position were I don't have to rush back for anything. Work can be done from here too, so does golf after 2PM ($25 for 18 holes including card). 

As mentioned in previous posts we have all the technology to do the "road warrior" gig - or as it is called TeleWorking...

One more time

As the jackpot reaches an astronomical sum again I thought I'll try it again, after all, my chances are as good as anybodies. Lots of brain storming, mathematical and "logical" analysis, comparisons, coin flipping, dart throwing, dancing around the cauldron, and, of course, just let the machine decide to cover all the bases went into the carefully selected numbers.

 Low and behold, there are three winners - I'm .......  NOT one of the them, again. I don't understand it, the odds are only 179 million. Perhaps I picked the wrong line to wait in. But you can't win if you don't play; at least once in a while when the jackpot reaches a certain amount. I guess I have to return the Ferrari asap ...

Back to work

There goes another $20 towards a dream, much cheaper than a movie and longer lasting. That what it boils down to the majority of the time anyway - a dream - a what if scenario. Back to work it is...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Powerball's jackpot climbed on Sunday to $450 million, one of the richest ever offered by the multi-state lottery, after the previous evening's drawing failed to produce any grand prize winners.The winning numbers in Saturday's drawing were 5, 10, 21 34 and 58, lottery officials said, and the Powerball number was 33.
While no players qualified for the jackpot by picking all the numbers, ticketholders won about $30 million in lesser prizes, according the Powerball website.
Powerball jackpots start at $40 million and grow until at least one player comes up with the winning number at a twice-weekly draw. The next drawing will take place on Wednesday evening.
The jackpot winners receive either payments over 29 years or a smaller cash lump sum. The cash option for the jackpot rose to $304.1 million after Saturday's drawing.
The biggest Powerball jackpot awarded by the Multi-State Lottery Association was $590.5 million and went to the holder of a single winning ticket in 2013. The association also operates the Mega Millions jackpot, which awarded a top prize of $656 million three years ago.
Game drawings for Powerball, played in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.
Powerball sales reached nearly $5 billion last year for game tickets that are sold through more than 210,000 lottery terminals. Each ticket costs $2. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 175 million.
(Reporting by Frank McGurty; Editing by Crispian Balmer)

Easter 2015 - Seriously?

I went to the grocery store today and one of the displays in the front of the store featured EASTER ITEMS.
I can understand lead times, but Easter already? It is 56 days until Easter as of this writing, no wonder people feel that time flies by so fast. It was just Christmas 43 days ago. It is not even Valentines Day yet. It is bad enough when there are stores during the summer time specializing in Christmas decorations. Christmas season used to start end of October or so, now it starts in August to get a head start for Christmas shopping ...
I think everybody needs to slow down a bit and smell the roses and not wait until retirement to do so.

Food for Thought

I was reading this article, it was thought provoking (http://c.tickld.com/x/andyweir-theegg)

If You're Only Going To Read One Thing Today, Make It This.

3rd February 2015

A new Gorilla

not the animal but the Gorilla tripod for the smart phone. I have been using this flexible tripod for the last two generations of iPhone and it is great.

The older versions came with a frame to wrap around the iPhone; but the iPhone 3 frame did not fit the iPhone 4 frame; iPhone 4 did not fit iPhone 5. BUT this version has an expandable holder to fit any smart phone. Good gizmo, but expensive (in my opinion): $29.95.

Another Gizmo

A recent visit to the paint department at Home depot revealed this find

Yes, you can say I was excited. Why? Here is the dilemma, you are painting but you are not finished yet. Two choices for the care of the paint roller, one wash it, two put it in a plastic bag until tomorrow. The first choice is mediocre since the roller will not dry overnight completely, and if it finally dries it is stiff and does not hold the paint well. The second choice is good for several days, however, it is messy, it gets lost among the other bags with stuff. 

I used the latter successfully on several jobs with the thought in the back of my mind that there has to be a better way. 

There is the paint roller cover, keeps it sealed in plastic, does not dry out or worst gets stuck on the roll holder. Anyway, at $5.98 a piece it is not a cheap alternative to the plastic bag but a more durable and cleaner one.

Fun Facts?

Billboard.fm has an app to find the #1 song the day you were born. It does not stop there, by subtracting nine months from your date of birth the number one song was ...

Of course that might not be true in my case since I was born in Germany, but here is the number one song in the U.S.


Most likely, the #1 hit in Germany in 1955 was
1955 –  Caterina Valente &  Orchester Mike Firestone: „Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe“ (32 Wochen)

Punxsutawney Phil Groundhog Day

Today would have been my Dad's 85th Birthday, it also is Groundhog Day in America. Although Punxsutawney Phil is only about 40% accurate, it seems to be more fun than flipping a coin for a better chance to predict the weather - at least the guys in the picture look excited, Phil not so much.

Oh, the prediction is that there will be another six weeks of winter - well?

The Empty Pickle Jar

and this is what life is all about in pictures

to get to know the concept watch the video

The first real signs of Winter

I just returned from Florida on Monday where the scenery was green and lush. Now it is finally here, the first real signs of winter. It started around 11 am today but only lasted until 2:30 pm. Nice thick flurries of snow blanketing the entire area. The roads were just wet so far, tomorrow morning is perhaps another story. Snow plows everywhere getting ready to battle the threated white stuff...
It looked very pretty for the most part through the Virginia country side.