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Saturday July 15, 2006 5:05 am Lethbridge Alberta
A. Morning Musings
5:05 am
The temperature is currently 11 C with a high forecast of 30 C.
Last Saturday I began a routine of reviewing the week's web pages. This will make it two Saturdays in a row.
First item is backup of files. Dragging one folder from my Documents folder to the external hard drive is a no-brainer. However backing up my photos is a bit of a problem. Simply dragging my iPhoto Library to the hard drive means moving about 9 GB of data, which will take about 10 - 15 minutes. It should be fairly easy to select the new images, but while this may save the images, it will likely lose the important iPhoto information. Just doing this backup reminds me that I still have lots of work to do editing these files (in particular, adding keywords to the images so I can select subsets easily).
Second item is chores. I like the idea of deleting this item from the Saturday and Sunday schedule. The major accomplishment this week was getting the 5th wheel into the dealers for maintenance. Hopefully it will be ready early next week. I completed parging the area near the back garage step and did some much needed weeding of the lawn. There are still some weeds in the front lawn that need attending to. One of the nice features of being retired is that I can schedule such activities for action during the week, leaving the weekend free for leisurely pursuits. I have two sets of cracks to repair (cement floor in garage and mortar near garage front door). I also need to take a load of cement blocks to the landfill. This will complete the list of items that is essentially repair and maintenance. I also am ready to begin making 4 more book boxes. The saw has been recalibrated to make a 'perfect' right angle cut and the blade has been tested on scrap wood to verify that it will still make a smooth cut. The next step is to buy 2 sheets of 4x4 plywood.
Now for my Learning activities. I have three main categories on the go at the moment: Literature, Technology and Model trains.
Literature: I finished reading two novels - 'A Map of Glass' and 'Mr. Palomar'. I am half way through a third novel, 'Grizzly Lies'.
Technology: I have updated my iTunes and iPod files and have read and have read the first 3 chapters of 'Switching to the Mac' and made notes for the first 2 chapters. I am not as pleased with my progress here. I am making a conscious effort to include more photos on this web site.
Model Trains: Progress here has been substantial. I now have a clear idea of the overall wiring plan and have an equally clear idea of the control panels that are going to be required. I have created a diagram for the Lower Mainline layout and have 'tacked down' the primary track for this circuit. I have tested this track with a train consist of a locomotive and 4 cars (2 box cars, a tank car and a caboose). I now have a work table where I can put together the numerous kits that I bought a few years ago, and have begun work on an oil tank piping kit. I also need to complete the second oil tank that I began about 5 years ago.
Finally, and more importantly, are activities related to Health. My walking schedule is erratic at the moment and I am still eating more than I should. Additional exercise routines are almost non-existent. I really must turn this around.
B. Plan
Immediate Health Walk & exercise 1 hr Technology Make notes for chap. 3 of "Switching to the Mac" 1 hr Test Skype and iChat with Allan in Australia 1 hr Model Trains Assemble oil refinery piping 3 hr Literature Continue reading "Grizzly Lies" 1 hr Later Chores Take cement blocks to landfill 2 hr Fill cement cracks in garage floor 2 hr Fill mortar cracks in brickwork near garage front door 1 hr Investigate water softeners for home 2 hr Build 4 more book boxes Buy 2 sheets of 4x4 plywood Technology Read manual for cell phone 1 hr add keywords to iPhoto records digital photography try using extender lens and monopod 2 hr Mathematics Larson "Calculus" Read "The Computational Beauty of Nature" Chap 2 1 hr Gardner "The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles" History Continue reading "Citizens" Watson "Ideas" Model Trains Add blue backdrop to layout 2 hr Review layout for under the table turnouts Purchase an NRMA gauge and some terminal blocks while in Edmonton Wire lower mainline track for a power block
C. Actual/Notes
9:40 am I have been working on two different Walthers Cornerstone Series model kits for the last 3 hours. How time flies when one is having fun. I began with kit #933-3105 Piping Kit which "represent the piping found in refineries, bulk fuel terminals, chemical complexes, and loading/unloading facilities." I have assembled the walk ways as well as attaching the turning wheels to the valves, and have removed all of the pipes from the sprues. However I will wait until I have the complete refinery, oil storage tanks, and tank car loading platform kits completed before placing them all together on a small platform. This will allow me to see where I need to place the earthen berms around the storage tanks and then where to place the piping so that it all joins together into a coherent whole. The piping should be painted silver. I noticed that the sprues that hold the pieces together when the kit is new also make for some good piping.
I then began work on kit #933-3120 Oil Storage Tank. I built one of these many years ago, but I had a second one which I had yet to open until this morning. Although there are not very many parts in this kit, the actual construction is quite difficult as one needs to bend a spiral staircase up the side of the tank.
I also have a third kit, #933-3104 Tank Car Loading Platform, which I need to assemble. This will complete my oil refinery complex by providing a facility for loading my railway tank cars with the products from the oil refinery. I now need to keep my eyes open for some additional feaatures that will make the layout more realistic (e.g. people, vehicles, trees, shrubs, earthen berms, lawns, offices, oil barrels, wooden pallets). I should have a look at my magazines and see if there are some suggestions or ideas that I might be able to use with this scene.
The center-piece for this is the oil refinery which I completed a few years ago. So the hard work is behind me. But this will be the first time I have tried to tie together a number of kits into one overall scene.
2:00 PM I am back from a quick trip to the local model train shop. I ended up buying:
- 1 can Testors spray enamel (Gloss White) - I will need this when I paint the oil storage tank.
- 1 small jar Tamiya acrylic (Black) - I will need this when I paint the oil storage tank [Looking at the jar now, I don't see where it says it is a glossy finish. I had better test this first!
- Tamiya masking tape. I did not realize they made masking tape for modelers. This should help me make a straight line between the white and black sections of the oil storage tank.
- 1 Bright Boy track eraser. I need one of these to clean my track. The one I have is well worn.
- 1 Life-Like Trains Scenic Master "People Standing" set of 6 figures
- 1 Life-Like Trains Scenic Master "People Walking" set of 7 figures
- 1 Life-Like Trains Scenic Master "Tractors" set of 3 old style red tractors
- 1 Life-Like Trains Scenic Master "Stake Trucks" set of 2 old style farm trucks.
I will put all of these latter 4 sets of figures/vehicles on the layout immediately.
D. Reflection