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Gabriola

Gabriola, Life, Random, Sketchup
Boring blog
09.05.09 | Permalink | Comment?

I haven’t got much to write about – all I do is work, and that’s all very frustrating and boring. Not much exciting has happened here in the last little while. In fact the only things I can think of that are remotely note worthy are:

- an owl landed right outside my window the other night

- Zack and Dave broke James’ truck (nothing too major, but they dropped the cap off the back and dented the box)

- I came home to find a brand new box spring and mattress waiting in my loft, which I’m not allowed to use

- I made pizza pops in the toaster oven for the first time ever

- I showered

Aside from that it’s pretty much been a mix of work, and missing Holly constantly. On Monday classes start, and it’s going to get pretty different around here. James has very little time for me already, and I can only assume he’ll have even less after Monday. That could be both good and bad. It would be good if he realizes that he’s too busy, and I am basically on my own, so then he hopefully won’t have a problem with me heading back to Ontario in October. It would be bad if he is too busy for me, but insists I stay until the book is complete – I’d really like to go home (I used the H word!). I did manage to get five minutes to chat with him today about some drawings I was sort of held up on, and at the end of our conversation he told me again how much he loves every drawing I do, and he said he was pleased with how far we’ve gotten, and how little there is left. I might be a pessimist, but I see it as the worst is yet to come.

I just remembered another thing worth mentioning from the last few days… James got an advance copy of a new timber framing book that’s about to come out, and when he showed it to me all I could say was, “Oh man, your book is going to look so much nicer than this piece of shit.”, and he of course agreed. It’s insane how much better my drawings are compared to what is in this book. I’ll ask James to lend it to me so I can take a picture of how bad they are. I can honestly say if the two books were next to each other on a table, it would be like a pile of vomit sitting beside a plate of your favourite food after you’ve been starving for weeks – you wouldn’t even notice the vomit because the food looked so appealing. So ya, to sum that up: that book’s drawings = vomit, my drawings = pizza.

Speaking of my drawings, there is another up top there (as usual). It’s a Tommy gun I modeled while waiting to speak with James yesterday, and during smoke breaks with Zack. The grips were tough to make in the manor I wanted to, so I had to compromise. I don’t feel too bad about copping out, because it was just for fun and entertainment. I still really like it. I think next I’m going to make a P-90. Then perhaps a PP-7 with a silencer!

It’s 1am, and it’s time for me to have a snack and do some work. Goodnight bloggy.
Gabriola, Life, Log building, Random
Highly useful, poorly named log jig
09.01.09 | Permalink | Comment?

This morning I chatted with Holly for a moment before heading down to the yard to play cameraman, while the new log jig got erected. It went up pretty easily, and it looks awesome (aside from the colour scheme). This model has a ton of improvements from the original prototype, but I doubt all work as good as they should in theory. We won’t find out until the students go to use it next week, although I have been suggesting to James that we try it tomorrow just for fun.

After it was all setup and we shared a few celebratory smokes, I came back up here and talked to Holly until it was time for her to leave work. I made pizza, and then got to work on a drawing. I managed to get two done today, and then I finally got a chance to sit down with James and look over these elevation drawings I did for his house. First thing in the morning (second thing technically, rolling a joint is usually first thing) I will spend a few minutes getting those elevations labeled and converted, then I need to print some drawings for James (I haven’t printed him anything since a few days before I left for Ontario) and clean my room.

I think I’m going to go to bed now (or try to at least) and hopefully feel well rested in the morning.
Gabriola, Life, Love, Random, Sketchup
Domicile doodles
08.31.09 | Permalink | Comment?

Today I woke up around 9:30, and got right to work on the drawing I stopped working on around 5:30am. That’s it above. It’s the house James is building as soon as he can (realistically next spring), complete with fireplaces and finishes. It took me less hours than I guesstimated, and turned out nicely. The drawings are for James to send to his engineers, so they can get an idea how much of the walls are glass, and see exactly how he pictures the finished product. I don’t think he’ll send the above one, because it’s a more artistic style, and since it’s for engineers, I think they’d want straight lines and shit like that. I’ll show him a couple different styles in the morning, and let him decide. Then I have to add a bunch of details (titles, compass, address) and convert them to .pdf for some reason.

After that, I get to watch as Jan and his son Mike raise the jig they constructed, with James’ design, so the students (who arrive this weekend I guess) have a brand new jig to play with. It was supposed to go up today, but things didn’t work out and everyone decided to try again in the morning. I’m hoping James doesn’t ask me to film the erection again, because I doubt it’s going to go smoothly. I asked Jan today how long it should take to set it up, he said “2 guys, 4 hours.”. They had 4 down there today for 6 hours, and decided to try again tomorrow, after failing to get even the first piece standing. I suppose prototypes don’t come with manuals though.

I got some other drawings done today also, including 2 with chainsaws! I’m back on the book now (BOOOOOOOOOOOORING), and I’m hoping having the classes here isn’t a distraction. However, I have considered claiming just that, as an excuse to go back to Ontario to finish the book. I’m hesitant to bring the subject of me leaving any time soon up, right after he paid me – I don’t want him thinking I’m bailing on the second half of the book now that I got paid (fuck that sounds tempting). It would be so nice to be back there right now though. Holly is going through all kinds of shit she shouldn’t have to, and I feel terrible that all I can do is listen over msn.

Here’s some more images of James’ house. I like it.
Gabriola, Life, Random, Sketchup
Contract confusion causes cobra chagrin
08.28.09 | Permalink | Comment?

Today has been frustrating and annoying. I woke up thinking everything was good in the world, only to have James inform me that he had been advised not to cut me any cheques. He had gotten an email stating that the publisher was under the impression the project was going to cost $1500 less than I quoted, and until they agreed to that, he should not be paying me.

After lengthy emails and numerous phone calls, I think we finally have things somewhat sorted out. I’d like to take this opportunity to point out how fucked up this entire situations is – I’ve done hundreds of hours of work on a project they’ve received and I haven’t been paid for, I continue to invest hundreds more hours in the remainder of the project, and they advise the guy who is paying me (according to them) not to give me shit until they get their asses in gear, and draft a contract between them. Then the girl who might be to blame for all this has the nerve to ask me about my deadline. Are you kidding me?? I have to take time out of my day to figure out what THEY should do to get me paid for work I’ve finished, and they’ve received!! I’m starving (financially) and I appear to be the only one doing anything, but also the only one not getting anything out of this.

I offered James his cheque back, or to not cash it until his contract is sorted out, but he said no. I feel bad because I’m sure if he thought I was financially stable, he’d have taken me up on the offer. Since he knows I’m broke, he feels bad and doesn’t want to deprive me of what I need. I should have kept that part to myself when I brought up needing to get paid for what I’ve done so far.

Somewhere in between all that, I managed to finish the floor plan for James’ house. That’s it up top, and it’s pretty cool in it’s original size. Now I have to do a 3d version of it so I can show some finished side elevations. Zack is cooking me pizza, and I’m listening to Holly vent about two people who are causing her a lot of grief, when they should be kissing her ass trying to display their gratitude.

Tomorrow I go to visit Michelle in Victoria, and possibly see my friend Cam, who I haven’t seen in probably 15 years or more. Hopefully I find some good pot in Victoria and can relax a little.
Gabriola, Life, Random
Cobra cash is coming
08.27.09 | Permalink | Comment?

This morning when I got up I packed up all my belongings and moved into the loft above the classroom. So long trailer, and whatever was living in your walls, I’m moving up in the world! The loft is a bit nicer so far, and I think I’ll like it here more, just based on the fact that I’ll have internet 24hours a day now – maybe now I can finally finish downloading all 3 seasons of Deadwood. I don’t know if I’ll like it up here once the classes start, but at this point I don’t have any other options, so I’ll go where I’m told.

As I was moving my last load over to the new pad, James said the 6 words I’ve dreaded since childhood – “I need to talk to you.”. I always assume I’m in trouble or forgot something I’m about to catch shit for. I think it’s because I was so bad as a kid, I always expected to be in shit whenever anyone said that. It turns out he actually had some good news for me. He had heard back from the publisher regarding my payment and contracts, and wanted to let me know that they had worked it all out. Basically, because he needs to retain the rights to his drawings, he will now be the one paying me, and then the publisher will pay him for the drawings. That makes it easier for contracts and shit I guess, but I don’t really care. I just want my money.

James said he’d cut me a cheque sometime in the next few days, so hopefully my money issues are laid to rest, even if it’s only temporarily. I’ll be getting a cheque for the first section, and then as soon as I finish the second section, I’ll get paid for it as well, plus a small bonus for doing the little extra work James has asked me to do for his house.

I also got a decent bag of pot this morning from a person I now love, and the hash was actually really good last night, so my habits are all taken care of for a little while. And as I said yesterday, I’m stocked for food, so I should be good for a week at least.

I also get to take a small break from the book, and do something that will be hopefully a bit more fun for now. First thing I have to do is recreate this drawing:

After I finish that floor plan, I need to do some finished elevations, and that should keep James’ engineer busy for a while.

Should be fun working on something different, in a different place.

That’s my new office, attached to my bedroom. pretty sweet huh? Now I just need to plaster the walls with hot pictures of Holly, and it will feel like home.

Oh, and speaking of homes, I was trying to think of all the places I’ve stayed in the last year, and it’s a pretty long list: my old house, Jon’s, Dave’s, Ryan and Amber’s, my parent’s, Dallas and Jenna’s, Holly’s, Jeff and Dawn’s, Dave Howe’s, the trailer, and now the loft.
Food, Gabriola, Life, Random
Cobra cuisine
08.26.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

Today I got a couple drawings done in the morning, then I took a break and went with Ian (the guy who is basically James’ assistant) to the village. The grocery store had a sale on frozen pizzas (the kind i like even), so I bought 6 of them (they were 2 for $8, normally $6.99 each), some juice, and a small bag of mint chocolates from the bulk section. Then I picked blackberries at Silva Bay while Ian enjoyed a coffee and a chocolate bar. I’m glad there is free fruit here, otherwise I probably wouldn’t eat any at all (except what I stole from the ferry!).

When I came back I got another drawing done, then went to see about getting some good fucking pot finally. FAIL. On the bright side, I did get some hash (not sure if it’s good yet), and someone gave me a tiny nugget. And when I got back, James made me some fries! I hate fries (unless they’re curly), but I’ll take free food of any sort (meat excluded obviously) right now.

Here’s a picture of my new roommate.

I’m moving tomorrow morning (I haven’t told the roommate yet) then I’ll be spending all day working on drawings. Then I might spend a little time tomorrow night trying to get the Lego Factory software running on my machine. I found out about it the other day while Roan was showing me all the cool Lego sets he wants, and I thought it would be a cool thing to play around with. I’d love to recreate the Deathtruck using their software, then have them ship us a kit I could give him for Xmas. I know if I was a kid I’d think that was a cool gift, but who knows.

Time to go try this hash, and enjoy the fire Zack (my other roommate) built, then watch some dudes get hit in the face and go to bed.
Food, Gabriola, Life, Random
Cobras commit confectionary crimes
08.25.09 | Permalink | Comment?

While I was home I visited with a lot of people I haven’t had a chance to see in months/years/decades, and one of those people (SPK) gave me a great piece of advice for when I got back here. That advice was to pay the extra $10 on the ferries and get into the VIP area. He promised me reclining chairs, a quiet atmosphere, all you can eat snacks, coffee and tea, and a wireless internet connection. He was right on all counts but the Wi-Fi.

Normally when I take the ferry, I get a drink, and usually a slice of pizza (they have surprisingly good pizza for a boat bus) and it costs me close to $10, if not more. So today I figured I’d give it a shot, and hopefully I’d be able to chat with Holly the entire trip across. When I discovered there was no internet, I decided I’d better get my money’s worth out of the trip somehow.

Above is a picture of all the food I took back to my table, then wrapped in my napkins and put in my bag. Also pictured above is some pot this guy named Ray gave me.

I met Ray today on the Gabriola ferry. He asked if I was sleeping outside tonight (probably because I was carrying to big packs and a blanket with me) and I responded “Fuck no! I’m dreading just hitch hiking in this rain, I can’t imagine having to sleep in it.”. He then asked where I was headed, and said he’d gladly give me a ride if I didn’t mind waiting while he made a quick stop. After he made his stop, he handed me a joint and said “One for you, and one for me.”. I smoked the joint (first of the day) and we chatted about some stuff (mostly pot), and he told me he’s a mechanic in Nanaimo. He bought his land with cash years ago, and built his house without taking on any debt. We stopped at his house for a moment, and he came back with a handful of buds for me.

I love how nice everyone is here, and I hope that the fact that I’m pretty miserable about being here right now isn’t too obvious. I’m trying to stay positive, but I’m having a real hard time. At this point I’ve had enough of the lifestyle the island imposes on me currently. I’d much rather be back in Ontario working on a resume.
Gabriola, Life, Movies, Sketchup, TV
Cobras <3 cubes
08.10.09 | Permalink | Comment?

It was pouring rain again when I woke up this morning. It has been going off and on all day, switching from drizzle to downpour every so often. I made a fire around 11 this morning, and I’ve kept it going all day. I’m just talking to Holly as I watch it die down so I can go make some dinner in a bit.

I got a drawing done this morning that was a bit of a pain in the ass, and I was almost done a second drawing, when James came in for a smoke and decided he wanted to give two options to the reader. So, now I’m basically half way done it. I figure another hour or two after dinner and it’ll be finished.

I’m also watching the progress bars on Utorrent, as I’ve run out of interesting stuff to watch when I’m going to bed. I’m waiting on all three seasons of Deadwood, and The entire Cube Tetralogy – I love those cubes.

Above is a doodle from a few days ago that I never posted. It’s titled: Bongbot Uses Pot And Pie To Make A Touch Lamp Pass Out So He Can Touch Her Base. Enjoy.
Gabriola, Life, Love, Random, Sketchup
Cobra campfire in a classroom
08.09.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

It was raining this morning when I got up, after another night of shitty sleep. I wandered over to the trailer and called Holly (who is stuck working on a Sunday) to chat for a bit before starting work. I finished a drawing I had to work on for the last two days – partly due to the fact that it’s got a chain mortiser in the image (which I had to model last night), and partly due to the fact that the image should be a single large image, but because of limitations I don’t know how to work around in Sketchup, I was forced to create two separate images and try and blend them to look like one (something I often do, but it’s sometimes a time consuming bitch).

By the time I got finished I was freezing, and ready for a break. Now I’m sitting on the couch in the classroom, beside the fireplace, having a smoke break, and chatting with Holly.

When James gets back today I plan to talk to him about me going back to Ontario for 9 days next week. My mum’s birthday, Ryan and Amber’s wedding, and the ITW reunion show are all within that time frame, so it would be a perfect time to come back for a short visit. At this point it all depends on James’ reaction to me leaving for a bit, and my bank account.

Come on book money, please hurry… it would be nice if you and UFC 101 were here tomorrow morning when I got up. Thanks.
Gabriola, Random, Sketchup
August 8th is a beautiful day
08.08.09 | Permalink | Comment?

This morning I woke up early after another shitty night of sleep, and felt like just sitting around for a few minutes. I played with Sketchup and modeled an embalming machine. Holly sent me a picture of one yesterday, and I thought they were neat looking. I plan to do a couple more things to it, and make a much better hose, but I refuse to spend more than five minutes on it. I think it looks pretty good already, but I see a couple things I could change, or improve.

Other than that I’ve spent the morning talking to Holly, who is off to a family gathering she was hoping I’d be able to attend with her this afternoon, and smoking weed. James is gone today (not sure where) so I’m here all alone to work – which I plan to do after I go make a pizza in the trailer and eat it.

Also, I just realized it’s August 8th, so I think I will listen to NoFX’s song with that title. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s a song about the day Jerry Garcia died, and how happy the rest of the world was that the hippies lost another icon. Unfortunately, unlike that day, today is cloudy and dreary – instead of bright and sunny. It sort of makes me wish he could have died today, but then I think about all the shitty music he could have been making the last few years, and I realize i should be grateful. Ha! Grateful Dead. Didn’t even plan that…. Fuck I’m witty.

Also, although this post began with a picture of an embalming machine, I hadn’t intended to talk about anything related to death at all. Weird…