Category Archives: Life

Pallet shelf with coat and key hooks

Hobbies, Home Improvement, Life As A Painter, , , ,

Another pallet venture. This is modified from some pictures we found on Pinterest. In those pictures, the ones that had coat hooks had them attached to the front piece of wood, but that won’t work for us since the door would open into them. Instead, we got some celing hooks to attach underneath, and a couple standard coat hooks to serve as decorative “key hooks”.

Continue reading Pallet shelf with coat and key hooks →

In 1980, after long consultation with some of America’s most senior nutrition scientists, the US government issued its first Dietary Guidelines.

…

The most prominent recommendation of both governments was to cut back on saturated fats and cholesterol

…

Look at a graph of postwar obesity rates and it becomes clear that something changed after 1980. In the US, the line rises very gradually until, in the early 1980s, it takes off like an aeroplane.

…

At best, we can conclude that the official guidelines did not achieve their objective; at worst, they led to a decades-long health catastrophe.

The sugar conspiracy

End of an Era: Moving on from WebDevStudios

Business, Life, WebDevStudios, WordPress, Work

After 5+ years, last Thursday was my last day at WebDevStudios, and needless to say, it was a sad one. I’m going to miss working with those guys/girls, who have become practically family, and they are, truly, an incredible team. 3 years ago, I wrote a post, Why you should work at WebDevStudios, and I still stand by that post. If you are looking for a great job in the WordPress space, you would be remiss in not considering applying with WDS.

Continue reading End of an Era: Moving on from WebDevStudios →

DIY Dining Room Table refinish/painting

Hobbies, Life As A Painter, , , , ,

Here’s a recent project I took on. My wife has been begging me to do something with a dining room table for a while. I’ve been reluctant to paint the one we have because it has a laminate/formica top, and I wasn’t fond of the idea of the finish chipping off.. But after some research, I felt more comfortable with the idea. After sanding the crap out of it, I ended up using oil-based kilz as the bonding primer.

Continue reading DIY Dining Room Table refinish/painting →

My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the “boss” is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly take the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets “laid off,” nor has to go on a strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed, & needed badly- the man who can carry a message to Garcia.

— A Message to Garcia By Elbert Hubbard, 1899 (h/t Brian Richards)

Operation Desk: DIY desk and shelves

Hobbies, Home Improvement, Life As A Painter, , , ,

I decided to build a desk since the prices of nice desks are astronomical, and since I wanted it to be a custom fit for me. I knew I wanted more desk space, but didn’t want to necessarily build a giant desk, so I opted instead to build two side shelves that could serve as an extension to the desk. This is super convenient if I ever needed to use the desk in a smaller location or if I wanted to position the shelves differently.

Continue reading Operation Desk: DIY desk and shelves →

Thanks everybody!

“Southport version of Extreme Makeover”

Home Improvement, Life As A Painter, , , ,

For the last week, we have been renovating Vic & Cindy’s master bedroom in anticipation of Vic’s arrival here.  He lost his job in MN, which is a bad thing, but is a good thing because he gets to move here to be with his family.  We wanted to do this for them, because we … Continue reading “Southport version of Extreme Makeover” →