Thursday, July 05, 2007

my turf


So, here's something that's a little weird. I had started with just a little rug. Then, a longer runner, but it was never enough room. When I came in the door and had someone following me, it was never enough room for more than one person to come in and take off their shoes without having the other wait in the doorway. SO, I had to figure out a way to fix this problem. I figured that the first person in would have to step to the side in order to be out of the way to get another person in. I didn't want shoes stepping on my too delicate bamboo floors, so I knew I had to cover the floors. As I was contemplating my options, I remembered how nice and clean it was at this one hotel we stayed at in Japan. And, how they had a whole section just to take off your shoes at their entrances. I really dug this idea, so I researched my options on how to create this idea in my tiny apartment. I didn't want a plush rug. I wanted a tight clean flat covering that would separate my entrance area from the rest of my studio. I quickly came up with this company named FLOR. They sell floor coverings by the square. I was thinking of a brown or a tan to sort of work with the whole "Japanese" idea and to work with the rest of my place. Then, I came across this texture. Its a grass green and it has flickers of other colors in it to calm the intense green down. So, it comes across like grass. I knew that this option was either a hit or miss. And, that it would be a risk. But, sometimes I get these little surges of energy to go for the risk and this was one of those times. So, this is my front yard. And, I must say, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Now I enter my apartment, scoot to the side, and place my shoes or flip flops on the edge of my lawn. And, it reminds me a little of my short time spent in Japan. Always a good thing.

cushions...

And, I've finally got some cushions for my bench. I got these from a weekend bus trip to Ikea. Yep, the free bus. Not all of us have access to a vehicle. So, I ventured out there with my girlfriend and a friend. Enjoyed some Ikea food. And, spent a day walking around in that gigantic store. Here's one of the items I picked up. Yep, I'm doing my apartment slowly, but surely. I had been looking for a long cushion to fit the whole length of the bench, but haven't seen anything that works or is cheap enough. So, I went with these. I'm sure these will deflate soon, but they'll do for now. I think they were $3 or $5 each. Can't beat that. Anyway, almost to where I can have visitors. :)

Monday, July 02, 2007

like butta....

So, this is what I've been doing my drilling with. I had a cordless drill before. I thought that would take care of all my drilling needs. But, I was wrong. And, I always liked the cordless. Cordless phone, wireless internet, wireless remote, wireless gaming controllers, and so on. But, when it comes to drills, the wired ones are better. Unless you can drop some serious cash on a serious wireless set up with extra batteries, the single purchase of a nice wired drill is the way to go. There's never a weak drill due to low battery charge. You just plug it in and you're good to go. For me, I needed to drill into concrete. So, I was looking for a hammer drill. A hammer drill "hammers" the drill bit as it drills in order to break down the concrete it is drilling through. You can drill into concrete using a regular drill with a masonry drill bit, but it takes a lot longer. This is the DeWalt hammer drill. It's has settings to switch from hammer drill to regular drill. And, the power to twist your arm if you're not careful. That's what the extra handle it for. :) Grant it, this drill was probably overkill for what I needed it for. But, it's like driving a Diablo in a 55mph zone. There's really no need for it, but its nice to have the power there. So, my drill made drilling into concrete as if it were drywall. Nice!(two thumbs up) So, now I'm drilling everything into my walls. I've put up my massive curtain rod(pictured below) and my shelves(pics to come). Oh, and for those that are thinking of drilling into concrete, use anchors. It's just a cleaner safer way to go. Happy drilling!!