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Junctions: No Job Too Odd
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“No Job Too Odd” is a funky diner on the corner of Odd Jobs and Strange Renovations. Everything imaginable has been orchestrated from its naugahyde booths. The coffee they serve there does pushups on the tongue. On the back wall there are pictures of the old crowd.
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The lunchtime special fits neatly in a box. The dinner rolls are the size of a Beetle and yes, that is the cook you saw leaning on the wall around back wearing clown makeup and having a smoke.
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In this corner are some green builders and over there some red men talking. A stack of blue plates drops into a stainless steel cabinet on some sort of spring.
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Bad directions, Big Ideas and Sad Stories…
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February 26, 2009
February 25, 2009
Vinyl Siding: Chasing Arrows
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Vinyl siding was introduced to the public in the 1960’s but did not really begin to take hold until the 1980’s. It began as an option for remodeling and evolved into the skin of choice for new structures in America. Vinyl had its best year of reported sales in 2004 and now, I believe partially due to the increased interest in fiber cement, has begun to slowly decline.
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Contrary to the sales pitch vinyl has proven far from final. For some time the product was prone to fading and much of it I have encountered has become brittle and in need of replacement over the years. So with all of that vinyl ready to come off our houses and end up in our landfills shouldn’t someone be stepping forward with a viable recycling program?
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There is one huge obstacle to the mass recycling of post consumer vinyl and that is contamination by foreign matter, even a small amount of which can render the material unusable. For years the Vinyl siding industry has been recycling in house scrap generated during production and more and more the recycling community is taking an interest in pre consumer vinyl scrap. (Pre consumer vinyl is jobsite waste that is fairly easy to keep contaminant free.) But the post consumer waste which is the majority of what’s out there is the hardest to economically justify recycling.
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The mantra of the recycling industry seems to be that someone has to make money from recycling for the recycling to continue. There are technologies available or at least on the drawing board which can help us to identify what of post consumer vinyl waste is usable and what is not but this technology costs money that no one will invest if they do not see the possibility of a financial return.
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But what about the companies that made money from the sale of the product? I have recently read that computer manufacturers will soon be forced to contribute to the recycling expenses of their products. Why shouldn’t the manufacturers of vinyl building products be responsible to contribute to the sustainability factor of their product as well?
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The worst part of this entire scenario, in my opinion, is that today’s vinyl may outlast yesterday’s by a decade or so. That is good news for a home owner hoping to get the maximum value for their investment but terrible news for a country who couldn’t get enough of the earlier version that will soon be in need of replacement. Because no one saw fit to plan ahead, all of that viable and valuable vinyl may soon be covered by dirt in our landfills only to be reclaimed at a much higher cost many years from now.
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.
.
Vinyl siding was introduced to the public in the 1960’s but did not really begin to take hold until the 1980’s. It began as an option for remodeling and evolved into the skin of choice for new structures in America. Vinyl had its best year of reported sales in 2004 and now, I believe partially due to the increased interest in fiber cement, has begun to slowly decline.
.
Contrary to the sales pitch vinyl has proven far from final. For some time the product was prone to fading and much of it I have encountered has become brittle and in need of replacement over the years. So with all of that vinyl ready to come off our houses and end up in our landfills shouldn’t someone be stepping forward with a viable recycling program?
.
There is one huge obstacle to the mass recycling of post consumer vinyl and that is contamination by foreign matter, even a small amount of which can render the material unusable. For years the Vinyl siding industry has been recycling in house scrap generated during production and more and more the recycling community is taking an interest in pre consumer vinyl scrap. (Pre consumer vinyl is jobsite waste that is fairly easy to keep contaminant free.) But the post consumer waste which is the majority of what’s out there is the hardest to economically justify recycling.
.
The mantra of the recycling industry seems to be that someone has to make money from recycling for the recycling to continue. There are technologies available or at least on the drawing board which can help us to identify what of post consumer vinyl waste is usable and what is not but this technology costs money that no one will invest if they do not see the possibility of a financial return.
.
But what about the companies that made money from the sale of the product? I have recently read that computer manufacturers will soon be forced to contribute to the recycling expenses of their products. Why shouldn’t the manufacturers of vinyl building products be responsible to contribute to the sustainability factor of their product as well?
.
The worst part of this entire scenario, in my opinion, is that today’s vinyl may outlast yesterday’s by a decade or so. That is good news for a home owner hoping to get the maximum value for their investment but terrible news for a country who couldn’t get enough of the earlier version that will soon be in need of replacement. Because no one saw fit to plan ahead, all of that viable and valuable vinyl may soon be covered by dirt in our landfills only to be reclaimed at a much higher cost many years from now.
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February 24, 2009
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February 23, 2009
Now and Here
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Did I say that out loud?
Did I say that out loud?
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Yesterday I made a post which was highly personal but guarded and terribly mysterious. Today briefly I had 3 followers of this blog and then later in the afternoon I had 1. Now, I do not know if the oddball post played any part in those who had publicly proclaimed an interest in this blog pulling up stakes but noticing this and reading todays Copywrite Ink has caused me to ask the question: Was my personal post appropriate on a blog which bears my business name?
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Please, allow me to introduce myself
Yesterday I made a post which was highly personal but guarded and terribly mysterious. Today briefly I had 3 followers of this blog and then later in the afternoon I had 1. Now, I do not know if the oddball post played any part in those who had publicly proclaimed an interest in this blog pulling up stakes but noticing this and reading todays Copywrite Ink has caused me to ask the question: Was my personal post appropriate on a blog which bears my business name?
..
Please, allow me to introduce myself
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Amongst other things, this blog is about self discovery and my relationship to how I earn a living. In the past I have played various roles in the trades and none of them were entirely satisfying. I have built houses the traditional way always feeling like something was amiss. I have discovered rot under homes and detected the reason behind it. I have acted as a detail man doing the final walk through on a new residence before the homeowners were given the keys. I have been in charge of subcontractors, quality control and safety and still none of these jobs on their own made me feel entirerly fulfilled.
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Art and Carpentry
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I did not grow up particularly good with my hands. I was an imagination kid who played with action figures and Dungeons and Dragons and later transformed that history of role playing into hopes of an acting career. I attended the North Carolina school of the arts for drama where I also happened to learn I was a songwriter and a harmonica player. During my second year of college I had an increasingly hard time. I began questioning several of my teachers about why various aspects of acting were as they were being taught and I remember feeling very unsatisfied with their answers. There was one teacher, Cigdem Onat , who saw right through me and told me so in an end of semester evaluation. She told me she believed that I needed to find something that was all my own. 3 months later I was gone from NCSA and after a brief layover in Chicago I found myself back in the state I grew up, in a hundred year old one room schoolhouse with a hammer in my hand.
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Carpentry and Art
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In Stewart Brand's book “How Buildings learn” there is a chapter entitled “The Low Road” in which he writes :
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“A young couple moves into an old farmhouse or old barn, lit up with adventure. An entrepreneur opens shop in an echoing warehouse, an artist takes over a drafty loft in a bad part of town, and they feel joy at the prospect. They can’t wait to have at the space and put it immediately to work.”
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He goes on to write:
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“even in rich societies the most inventive creativity, especially youthful creativity, will be found in low road buildings taking full advantage of the license to try things.”
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These two passages describe my relationship with the schoolhouse to a T. Anything and everything was game to try. Mixed styles, mixed media and found objects incorporated into designs. Demolition and additions and I am still revisiting and reworking much of what I have made over the past twenty years. My tastes have changed some along the way and I now substitute study for youthful enthusiasm but my experiments in this house are a road map for how I got to where I am today.
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Full Circle
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This blog is partially about self discovery and my relationship to how I earn a living. It did not start out this way but truthfully it is the only honest way for me to proceed and at this juncture it is very important for me to be honest. Why? Because all of my life I have been hiding who I truly am in one way or another. In my business dealings I have always been afraid I might appear too weird if I let my artistic side show. In my art I downplayed the tradesman but now I feel the first thing you see when you land on this page is true: This really is a Junction Box. A place for customers and friends to better get to know me and I them. And, like in yesterday’s post, it is a place for me to get to know myself out in the open and with the utmost certainty that I can take all the gifts and challenges I have been blessed with and make of them an honest and fullfiling way of life.
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Thanks for riding along dear reader and please, don't be afraid to chime in.
.
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Art and Carpentry
.
I did not grow up particularly good with my hands. I was an imagination kid who played with action figures and Dungeons and Dragons and later transformed that history of role playing into hopes of an acting career. I attended the North Carolina school of the arts for drama where I also happened to learn I was a songwriter and a harmonica player. During my second year of college I had an increasingly hard time. I began questioning several of my teachers about why various aspects of acting were as they were being taught and I remember feeling very unsatisfied with their answers. There was one teacher, Cigdem Onat , who saw right through me and told me so in an end of semester evaluation. She told me she believed that I needed to find something that was all my own. 3 months later I was gone from NCSA and after a brief layover in Chicago I found myself back in the state I grew up, in a hundred year old one room schoolhouse with a hammer in my hand.
.
Carpentry and Art
.
In Stewart Brand's book “How Buildings learn” there is a chapter entitled “The Low Road” in which he writes :
.
“A young couple moves into an old farmhouse or old barn, lit up with adventure. An entrepreneur opens shop in an echoing warehouse, an artist takes over a drafty loft in a bad part of town, and they feel joy at the prospect. They can’t wait to have at the space and put it immediately to work.”
.
He goes on to write:
.
“even in rich societies the most inventive creativity, especially youthful creativity, will be found in low road buildings taking full advantage of the license to try things.”
.
These two passages describe my relationship with the schoolhouse to a T. Anything and everything was game to try. Mixed styles, mixed media and found objects incorporated into designs. Demolition and additions and I am still revisiting and reworking much of what I have made over the past twenty years. My tastes have changed some along the way and I now substitute study for youthful enthusiasm but my experiments in this house are a road map for how I got to where I am today.
.
Full Circle
.
This blog is partially about self discovery and my relationship to how I earn a living. It did not start out this way but truthfully it is the only honest way for me to proceed and at this juncture it is very important for me to be honest. Why? Because all of my life I have been hiding who I truly am in one way or another. In my business dealings I have always been afraid I might appear too weird if I let my artistic side show. In my art I downplayed the tradesman but now I feel the first thing you see when you land on this page is true: This really is a Junction Box. A place for customers and friends to better get to know me and I them. And, like in yesterday’s post, it is a place for me to get to know myself out in the open and with the utmost certainty that I can take all the gifts and challenges I have been blessed with and make of them an honest and fullfiling way of life.
.
Thanks for riding along dear reader and please, don't be afraid to chime in.
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February 22, 2009
Choosing to be sane.
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Tonight, I come to you (not so) fresh from two days in the hospital. I am not too interested in telling details but I’ll say that I was the visitor and not the visited. There was no death involved unless you count the death of silence and there is now a nagging hope of a new tomorrow; one that simply by showing up, I have pledged to make time for.
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Hope really can be a nag; often right up to the point it turns into hopelessness or blossoms into health.
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Tonight, I come to you (not so) fresh from two days in the hospital. I am not too interested in telling details but I’ll say that I was the visitor and not the visited. There was no death involved unless you count the death of silence and there is now a nagging hope of a new tomorrow; one that simply by showing up, I have pledged to make time for.
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Hope really can be a nag; often right up to the point it turns into hopelessness or blossoms into health.
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February 20, 2009
Leaps and Bounds
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Expanded our network here by adding a faster router and a one Terabyte drive to handle the amazing amount of images we are amassing. (This took the better part of 2 days) Thanks to Linksys badge # 19739 and to my nephew William who, although extremely sleepy, finally brought it all together. Now, we tweak the filing system a bit to direct the images, audio and video to their new home and we are good to go.
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Phew.
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Expanded our network here by adding a faster router and a one Terabyte drive to handle the amazing amount of images we are amassing. (This took the better part of 2 days) Thanks to Linksys badge # 19739 and to my nephew William who, although extremely sleepy, finally brought it all together. Now, we tweak the filing system a bit to direct the images, audio and video to their new home and we are good to go.
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Phew.
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February 18, 2009
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February 17, 2009
Hovering Gulls
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I stopped by the inlet yesterday to photograph the progress on the bridge. It was windy and bitter cold and I did not think to dress warmer until I was far away from the van. At the end of a rock jetty, a group of gulls hovered, gliding but going nowhere in the spray.
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I stopped by the inlet yesterday to photograph the progress on the bridge. It was windy and bitter cold and I did not think to dress warmer until I was far away from the van. At the end of a rock jetty, a group of gulls hovered, gliding but going nowhere in the spray.
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February 16, 2009
Grand Opening
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Countdown
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It occurred to me that since March 1st, 2010 is our deadline for determining the services we will offer that this would also be a good day to officially open the website.
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Junctionhomeservices.net (or .com whichever you prefer) is entering into the planning process of our overall business model at a very good time. The website has opened up a range of possibilities that I am really excited about. First of all, it will provide a space for you, the client and I to interact. We can have a password protected area of the site where all of the digital documentation of your home can live. In other words you get your own room and in that room one of the things we will keep is photographs.
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When a new client came to me through a friend this year one of the first things I did was a photographic walk around of their home, shooting it from every angle as a living document of the time when the building came under my care. I did this initially for myself, to keep in the customers file on my computer but then I began thinking that this type of pictorial once over might be of interest to the customer as well. In fact, for a client who does not live full time in our area it may be something they want to request periodically, after a storm or simply to get an idea of the current condition of their home or to help them plan for an addition. The pictures could be posted in PDF format to the client’s room on the website and the client could access them whenever they wanted from then on.
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Along with the concept of a photographic walk around came the idea of a walk through interior version. This might be helpful for insurance purposes or during the framing of a home so the homeowner would always have a record of what is inside their walls. (If I build the house this would be included in the price.) Again the possibilities are endless, right down to photographing a home at predetermined intervals and the actual detail desired in the documentation.
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This is some of what I have been imagining for the website but first it must be built and this will happen slowly over the next 377 days.
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February 15, 2009
I believe I'll have another cup of coffee.
“A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.”
~ Alfréd Rényi and Paul Erdős
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I spent the day yesterday looking into software for website creation..
I only have a basic knowledge of HTML so I was looking for a program that I could use visually, dragging and dropping and inserting text and pictures and so forth. Money is an issue so I ruled out some of the more expensive options but I still wanted to be able to create flash menu’s and insert jukeboxes and video.
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Enter Coffee Cup ; they have authored a host of programs which tackle the various aspect of designing a modern website and all are very affordable. You also get free upgrades for life when you purchase one of their programs and plenty of solid endorsements from web heavies to allay your fears that you will be disappointed. But if you still need convincing you can download fully functional trial versions of their programs. (Web developing aside I sure do love Lock Box. )
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The Coffee Cup website itself is a learning tool written in an easy to read, informal style that hints at this company’s coffee house roots and totally lives up to their motto: “Fresh Software. Warm People. “
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"Good coffee is like friendship: rich and warm and strong."
~Pan-American Coffee Bureau
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Below are some other warm people doing interesting things on the web and a complimentary cup of coffee for each.
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"Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break."
"Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break."
~Earl Wilson
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James Beddell is a lighting designer who writes for the Konstructr blog. His posts are genuine and extremely readable, inviting the reader who may not be familiar with lighting specifics to consider this very important aspect of our lives. He also has the gift of an ever widening focus which gives his work a solid sense of perspective.
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"Its amazing how the World begins to change through the eyes of a cup of coffee!!"
"Its amazing how the World begins to change through the eyes of a cup of coffee!!"
~Donna A. Favors
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Vik Duggal is an admin at Konstructr. He hosts an audio program called Kcast. The show is a well spoken and engaging look into the real estate, development and construction industry. Vik’s positive attitude and enthusiasm for the work are infectious and inspiring and his commitment to making things better invites us to take heart, roll up our sleeves and get to work..
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"If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning."
~Mae West
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Margie and Edna are two elderly sisters created and brought to life by two amazing and kind people named Jane and Beth. Margie and Edna’s basement combines a form of linkable nostalgia which is only made possible by the web with a high comedy based on character which evokes Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Lucille Ball and Giulietta Masina amongst others..
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"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
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"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
~Abraham Lincoln
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Rich Becker writes about communication on his blog Copywrite Ink. He always takes the time to respond to comments left on his posts and very often will allow these impromptu exchanges to inform upcoming installments. This a great sign that someone is really listening and reminds us that listening is a cornerstone of communication..
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"I put instant coffee in a microwave and almost went back in time."
"I put instant coffee in a microwave and almost went back in time."
~Steven Wright
.This post is brought to you by (What Else?) Coffee.
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February 13, 2009
Junctionhomeservices.net
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I am pretty set on the name and direction so I gave us a home on the web. I am content to let it grow slowly but for now I can include on the business card an Email address that is tied to the business.
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I am pretty set on the name and direction so I gave us a home on the web. I am content to let it grow slowly but for now I can include on the business card an Email address that is tied to the business.
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February 12, 2009
February 11, 2009
Mission Mine
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Recently I listed some of the services I would like to provide and came to the decision that this blog would, over time, lead me to solidify them and put them into play. In the mean time Rich Becker over at Copywrite Ink has gotten me thinking about mission statements. I have never had one for my business but I am going to stand and deliver a working one now:
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The Junction Home Services mission is to help clients and their buildings discuss, dispute and finally discover the delicate meaning of home.
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Why personify the home that will ultimately house the person? Because when we think of the exchanges we have with our existing or un-built home as a dialogue we assign buildings and future buildings the life force which is required to make it our true partner. Every building project is a conversation, every renovation a dialogue and all signs of needed maintenance are story tellers. By listening to the house with our eyes we can learn to communicate on its level and by building the house so it tells us what it needs it can learn to communicate on ours.
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Why include disputes? Doesn’t this send a negative message? In all meaningful dialogues there are moments of friction. Besides having obvious alliterative qualities dispute is there to symbolize struggle. Nothing good can be ushered into reality without it.
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Why is the meaning of home delicate? The meaning of home is delicate because human beings have a sacred bond with their space. When their space does not work for them it will work against them. This may not make them any less attached to their building but it may make them less attached to their home.
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How do you know any of this? I don’t, for sure, that is why I am calling this a working mission statement. Its purpose is not unlike the delicate meaning of home. It should feel right and make sense to me on a fairly organic level. A mission statement is a home of words for my business. It should be comfortable, therefore I am trying it on.
.
.
.
Recently I listed some of the services I would like to provide and came to the decision that this blog would, over time, lead me to solidify them and put them into play. In the mean time Rich Becker over at Copywrite Ink has gotten me thinking about mission statements. I have never had one for my business but I am going to stand and deliver a working one now:
.
.
The Junction Home Services mission is to help clients and their buildings discuss, dispute and finally discover the delicate meaning of home.
.
.
Why personify the home that will ultimately house the person? Because when we think of the exchanges we have with our existing or un-built home as a dialogue we assign buildings and future buildings the life force which is required to make it our true partner. Every building project is a conversation, every renovation a dialogue and all signs of needed maintenance are story tellers. By listening to the house with our eyes we can learn to communicate on its level and by building the house so it tells us what it needs it can learn to communicate on ours.
.
.
Why include disputes? Doesn’t this send a negative message? In all meaningful dialogues there are moments of friction. Besides having obvious alliterative qualities dispute is there to symbolize struggle. Nothing good can be ushered into reality without it.
.
.
Why is the meaning of home delicate? The meaning of home is delicate because human beings have a sacred bond with their space. When their space does not work for them it will work against them. This may not make them any less attached to their building but it may make them less attached to their home.
.
.
How do you know any of this? I don’t, for sure, that is why I am calling this a working mission statement. Its purpose is not unlike the delicate meaning of home. It should feel right and make sense to me on a fairly organic level. A mission statement is a home of words for my business. It should be comfortable, therefore I am trying it on.
.
.
.
February 10, 2009
Old Salts
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Our Delaware coastline has had its share of familiar facades.
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Does anyone remember the A framed Nomad Village? It was almost as notable for where it was on the outskirts of the Delaware Seashore State Park as for the way it looked. I would have liked to have the chance to photograph it but now it is approaching long gone.
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Many of our areas Iconic establishments are no more. There was Mack’s Homemade Ice Cream on route one in Rehoboth which was torn down just this year and that little motor lodge with the tree shaped sign and the horseshoe driveway a little farther north that was demolished a couple of years back. As my friend Sergei Zharinov used to sing: "Everysing must change, Young become ze old.”
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One venerable veteran of the lifestyle that is still going strong is the Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach. I remember driving past it as a kid on our way to the boardwalk in Ocean City. On the sign ,or side of the building , somewhere it was written “The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Bar". I have been there a few times to see shows and this slogan still adorns the stage. Someone I talked to told me amazing stories about driving there from seaford back in the 60’s or maybe even the 50’s. The story teller’s identity escapes me but the image of a dark and desolate drive to get there on a friday night lives on.
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Our Delaware coastline has had its share of familiar facades.
.
Does anyone remember the A framed Nomad Village? It was almost as notable for where it was on the outskirts of the Delaware Seashore State Park as for the way it looked. I would have liked to have the chance to photograph it but now it is approaching long gone.
.
Many of our areas Iconic establishments are no more. There was Mack’s Homemade Ice Cream on route one in Rehoboth which was torn down just this year and that little motor lodge with the tree shaped sign and the horseshoe driveway a little farther north that was demolished a couple of years back. As my friend Sergei Zharinov used to sing: "Everysing must change, Young become ze old.”
.
One venerable veteran of the lifestyle that is still going strong is the Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach. I remember driving past it as a kid on our way to the boardwalk in Ocean City. On the sign ,or side of the building , somewhere it was written “The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Bar". I have been there a few times to see shows and this slogan still adorns the stage. Someone I talked to told me amazing stories about driving there from seaford back in the 60’s or maybe even the 50’s. The story teller’s identity escapes me but the image of a dark and desolate drive to get there on a friday night lives on.
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February 09, 2009
Taking Social Networking Slow
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Over the past week I have joined Digg, Twitter, Newsvine, Blog Catalog and technorati. Each one of these sites, although similar in some ways, is also very different. Digg and BC I have spent some time on in the past so I know the drill but the other three I am taking very slow..
I have yet to tweet once. I am a little daunted by the premise that I should post in a 140 characters or less what I am doing right now. I mean you could end up in a never ending cycle of:
.Updating my twitter.
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Updating my twitter.
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Updating my twitter.
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And so on.
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Newsvine is interesting but I haven’t quite figured it out. I get that I can seed stories and I have done so with four but you can also write your own stories and join groups and discuss, which of course takes time.
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At Blog Catalog you can create groups about anything you want or you can join groups and again discuss. BC also has a dual banner and box advertising which is video based and aside from being annoying, makes my movement through the site somewhat slow.
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Technorati is last because I have spent the least time there. (Even less than twitter where I sit idly looking at the tweet box) Technorati embraces the term blogosphere and on your profile page where you claim your own blog you get to keep track of how many people are your fans.
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I am so not fond of the fan aspect of social networking. Blogger calls them followers.
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Don’t even get me started about Entrecard, where you make a "card" which represents your blog and you drop it on other bloggers who drop their cards back on you. Everyone is earning credits along the way for their activity which you can sell or use to buy advertising or books or who knows what else? Entrecard seems to hectic for me.
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My advice to you if you are just getting your foot in the social networking door is to take your pick and take it slow and remember whatever happens on the internet stays on the internet.
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Updating my twitter.
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Updating my twitter.
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Updating my twitter.
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February 07, 2009
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