Don't Ya Just Think?

That Lindsay Lohan simply needs a spanking (maybe in jail)?
Last night I finished another Cormac McCarthy book "Outer Dark". The guy can write Appalachia like an Appalachian. Easier reading than Blood Meridian. Still good. I'm taking a break from 'Mac for a while to get up to speed on Stephen Hawking's new book. You know, catch my breath stuff. The difference between reading McCarthy's books and Hawking's is that with Cormac, he frustrates me with his timely narratives and an equally timely vocabulary (for which an I-pad with definitions would ease my frustration), whereas Stephen's physics (when he gets into the mathematics) flies so far over my head that it's invisible so I don't care. Anyway, I've read 4 McCarthy books so far and I will say he's not for everyone, but I can also say that his diversity of narrative makes each little novel a surprise. Ciao.

Randomless Observations: In The Beginning................

Randomless Observations: In The Beginning................

In The Beginning................

As of today, the ship date for my computer is 9/22. That means I can expect delivery a couple days later. Maybe three. Meanwhile, my 23" Asus widescreen LED's sit at the ready. Ready for what, you ask? Got me. I'll be happy to navigate the PC to operational mode. I have no idea whether this company has pre-loaded Windows 7 or whether I have to do it. I'll have to download drivers for my printer. I'll have to properly hook up the monitors, figure out how to set orientation.............
After all that, I must be sure I can get on line properly, then attempt to download the trial version of Chief Architect and see if I can navigate my way through. If I can, and am convinced this is the program for me, at some time I need to bite the bullet, drop $2,600, order the full version and watch it stream the monster to my PC. I have a 1 Tb hard drive so space shouldn't be an issue. Nor should speed. (quad core Intel i7), nor RAM (6Gb) nor graphics (1Gb video card). Success will depend on the skill of the operator (me)- I can't use equipment limitations as an excuse.
Whenever this CAD drawing thing gets to the stage where I feel comfortable to advertise, I will be creating a blog and/or website showcasing my accomplishments to date. Once I get the gist o the program, I plan to design a home from scratch, adding detail as I figure how. Call it my Cadfolio. The company name will be simply "Boettcher Design"

Just so you know..........

I received my monitors the other day- two Asus 23" LED widescreens, and I have them on my desk, plugged into the wall outlet with nothing to do until my computer shows up (ship date 9/22). I don't think it will arrive until the 24th or 25th, and by then Amy will be in Dallas, so I'll be on my own for the inauguration. Bummer.

What subject.........?

What subject would elicit a response from the most people? Generally, readers are more likely to shout back at an outrage than to acknowledge an observation. I know that sometimes I write in the oblique, and I suppose it's hard to get mad at or support any notions that just seem strange or weird, especially if you know me (or thought you did) and the subject matter disturbs. Keep in mind that when I travel down those many roads Lovecraftian, I'm simply exploring the angles of consideration left lost to the practical mind.
You wanna know what I think? No problem- I'll tell ya. Ya wanna know how I think? That might require more than can be put to paper. That might require experimentation. Suspension of disbelief. Warshak testing. Subliminal observation. Restraints. A control. Leverages against PETA. Paying umbrage to old Catholic beliefs. Maybe even an enactment of Buddha wrestling Confucius.
I'd suggest sticking with finding out what I think. That way we won't have to break any international laws.
See ya.

A Shout Out To Sarah Evans!

Sarah, as of Monday, you have the distinction of being the only member of the immediate family who has not skydived. I suggest you contact "Skydive Dallas" and join the rest of us to make it unanimous.

To Begin With...............

The new picture to the right is of my wifey and my daddy, taken a year ago in Peoria at an outdoor music festival in which Nick was performing. The relevance to this blog? Don't know.

First Steps

OK, so today I made the first move toward my oblivion. I have ordered a PC. Yes. A PC. Me. A lifelong MAC man. Had to. The CAD program I want will only run on an Apple computer if I install a conversion program and load Windows 7. Too much hassle and probably too glitchy.
So.............. ya wanna know what I got? Do ya care? Do I care if you care? It's easy to answer a question with a question when there's no one available to berate me. Here's what I got:
Just a few borings- Intel Quad core i7-950
6 Gb RAM
1Tb hard drive
1 Gb video card
Liquid cooled

lots of other borings I will not drill you with...............
I am considering two ASUS 23" LED monitors-
After I run some trial CAD programs, I'll decide which to buy- as of now, I'm leaning toward Chief Architect (if for no other reason at least I've seen this in action).
FYI: As of today I have christened my as yet non-existent company "Boettcher Design" and will accept any and all donations to the cause for my future celebrity in the world of CAD system desk junkies. If I fall on my face and this project dies with me, at least Amy's artistic talent will enable her to create a beautiful cadaver outline on the office floor. I'm sure she'd sell it for a discount.

New Career?

Get this: I am more than toying with and less than certain that I will be entering my old '70's brain into the 21'st century of Computer Assisted (or aided) Drafting. After (and during- I'm still building) contracting residential projects for 25 years I feel- and have been reminded- that I'm not Superman any more and my construction expertise needs to find a new level. The world at large doesn't need another 50 something know it all carpenter working at a hardware store, a lumberyard or Walmart, and I can't be saddled with a 9 to 5 and still visit my grand kids a dozen times a year, so the only logical step is to get back to my roots and start drawing house plans again. However.......... nobody draws house plans. The days of drawing with a Pentel .o4, a T-square, a 45 degree triangle, a 30/60/90 triangle (for isometric), an eraser, an erasing shield, velum, eraser shavings to keep the plan smudge free and a horse hair brush to clean them off, a triangular scale, an architectural template for door swings, toilets and bathtubs, masking tape.. you get the drift... are gone. Today it's all on computer. The prints look like it. Not much artistic flair. OK. I'm done. I am not about to say something about the good old days. You know- when men were men. When you'd pull your hair out if the client didn't like the first draft. When the eraser was your best friend and worst enemy at the same time. When fatigue affected your line work. When you had to draw the same damn wall section for every single plan. I could go on but I choose not to.
This is not a case of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". It's more like " I could do that!". Though I'm not any kind of computer wizard, I can usually figure things out eventually what with my new found OCD gene. I work with CAD plans all the time now, I visit a young lady who draws (there's a laugh) for my lumber company and she freely educates me on CAD drafting, I build houses from the prints and can spot an anomaly a mile away, and on occasion I've been asked to aid CAD designers to correct their roof designs.
Look, I know more about building a house than nearly anybody. I have to deal with the practical application of every house plan that comes by. I know what's lacking on these prints, and the problems are more related to omission than error. I can also offer structural information that a drafts person would not know- steel beam load calculations, bearing points, trib loads, torsion, shear, bending, lateral wind pressure calcs, header span limitations, joist spans and proper sizing, live load. Dead load. Heat loss calcs- u-factor r-value, infiltration, air exchange rates................
I could go on and on (as I have), but the bottom line is that I know what needs to be presented in a set of plans. I know builders and home owners would like more information, and I have that information. All I need to do is to study these mechanical drafting programs, get tutored, work hard, learn the system required to get the information on the screen and then it's a cake walk. (not exactly). Why? Because I already have all the answers. All I need to do is learn how to present them on a computer screen and sell them to the consumer. Wish me luck. T.