Ok, let it snow!

I've got Fish Slayer back from the boat store where it has been tightly shrink wrapped for the winter and pushed it back to the fence and out from under the carport. I also got the neighbor to help me back the camper behind the fence today and once I get the battery out of it and the tarp tied down, the weather can just go wild and bring in the snow- which is due beginning on Saturday.

I've been up to Powder Mountain Ski Resort to try and obtain employment for the winter and I expect- since the guy doing the hiring remembered me from previous years handing out chocolates, that I'll be working once the resort opens. Powder Mountain isn't using dedicated ticket checkers any longer so I's have to be part of the lift operations staff, meaning I'd have to bump chairs and operate the lifts but I've done all that in the past so I guess I can do it again.

And I had a job interview! I actually had a sit down interview yesterday for a logistics coordinator for a big company here in Ogden that makes interesting and big stuff that requires some really cool machine tools. Now I'm on pins & needles waiting for a follow-up call to see if I got the job. I really think I'd like this job and company so I am very anxious for them to call me.

It's not as fun as you might guess-

scrabbling around on a cold, concrete slab painting a boat trailer while the boat is still installed, that is... That's what I've been doing for the past several days, painting and fixing up Fish Slayer's tatty, shabby looking trailer.

It all started with replacing the rear support bunks and the terrible brackets that allowed them to tip when putting the boat back on the trailer. I hated them and it was just too difficult to get the boat seated correctly, so I ordered new parts and installed them.

Did I mention these bunks fit under the boat? I had to use my engine crane to lift the engine and boat up, off the trailer for room to work- all kinda risky with the stern of the boat swinging in the air.

Once the new bunks were installed and adjusted to hold the boat, I decided to go ahead and paint the rusty, stone chipped trailer. I started this part of the project months ago by painting the easy part- the tongue, but only this weekend got busy with the rest of frame.

I did jack up the trailer to give myself a little headroom under the boat but it was still a lot of work painting all 6 sides of the C-channel frame and the insides of the fenders. I spent several hours scooching around on the chilly concrete, priming everything first on one day, then painting over the primer today. I did get most everything put back together this afternoon including my PVC corner posts mounted to the new 1/4" steel plates that I welded on to replace the too small brackets I made the first time but I need to buy 1 new minature clearance light because I broke one and then get them rewired. I've got to re-attach the dangling wires and finish a little touch up painting tomorrow and then I can take a break.

But Fish Slayer's trailer looks 100% better than it did a few days ago. No longer will it be the ugliest trailer in the parking lot at the lake!

Another excellent week-

Where does all the time go? This week a bunch of my time has been spent on my knees at church- but not in the typical manner you might expect. Instead, I've been back up in Brigham City at St Michael's Episcopal Church, wearing kneepads and working on their lawn sprinklers. After the work I did for them last month, they decided there was more that needed doing and no one there wanted to wrestle with it. So they called me.

I replaced a cut line that was installed too close to the ground, adjusted heads, replaced 2 lines that were cut out as part of their landscaping, added a sprinkler head where they needed one and generally tried to give the entire system a tune-up. I think there are 13 different systems out there so it was plenty to keep me busy for 3 part days.

Buddy Jim and I took Fish Slayer to Willard Bay on Wednesday evening and we trolled for a little while but when the wind kicked up hard we had to get off the water with no fish in the cooler. I also discovered while getting the boat back on the trailer that I had rubbed all the insulation on the battery wires just outside the engine and there where sparks kicking around when I turned the motor certain directions. So- I'm about half finished installing new cables between the motor and the battery.

My grass seed in the backyard where I had to replant all the trenches from my sprinkler job is growing in very nicely so that makes me happy. The weeds have also tried to move into the bare spots but I can't spray them until the grass gets stronger. But the yard looks great- better than ever for this time of year, except that I desperately need to get out there and mow it. Maybe still this weekend.

Still no phone calls for headlight restoration but I did talk to one guy this afternoon that may call me tomorrow for a job. I do have a state tax exemption number and some other legalities in place. So all I need now is some business! I'm even going to get my website domain name purchased in a day or two.

I need to get a job so I can rest up!

Fish Slayer is fixed- Part XXXVII

Ok, maybe not quite that many posts about fixing the boat but I know there's been several and even if you're bored with them, well, I'm happy to have it fixed. The throttle control lever jammed up last week while the boat was in the carport, similar to the failure that kept Jim and I from fishing last summer. That time I was able to coax all the parts into working, this time I had to buy new parts.

Isn't it really amazing that you can buy marine parts for 32 year old boats online with no real problem? That's cool, (and helpful) to me! So the part I ordered last week arrived yesterday and I got it installed today and the throttle/shifter lever is working smoothly. Hurray!

So in spite of a lousy weather forecast, Kenny and I are heading out for a morning of fishing tomorrow!

Skunked, we were-

That's right, Kenny and I got skunked this afternoon at Willard Bay. Bummer. It was after lunch before we ever got out there and by the time Fish Slayer hit the water, the wind was blowing strong and there were white caps on the waves. We tried leaving the marina but we didn't go a couple hundred yards before deciding to get back inside the marina bay and the protection it provided.

We still had to fight the wind and it made the fishing (and boating) very tricky. I tried out my sideplaner and tower but that was a bust. The planer wouldn't pull straight, the tower rotates in its base and the pulleys on the top of the tower kept fouling the line of the whheels and getting stuck in the pulley frames. So I've got some work to do to get that entire system working.

And it looks like I'm going to have some time to sort it all out because there is a cold front coming in tonight that is bring rain and high winds for the next several days... Bummer.

The Murray Mark V is alive!

That would be my lawnmower that has been hibernating peacefully in the storage closet since last October. I broke it out today and it fired up with just 4 tugs on the pull handle and that meant there was nothing for me to do but to run it over the grass that has been sprouting since the snow melted.

So summer is officially here no matter what the calendar or the planet alignment says.

Fish Slayer is getting wet tomorrow! Kenny and I are going fishing for this season's inaugural fishing trip. Today I finished the sideplaner tower and added the mount for it to the bow of the boat. It looks pretty slick and I'm anxious to give it a try tomorrow. Maybe I'll even remember to take some pictures!

On another note, the BSU had a liver biopsy done today so she's been napping and taking it even easier than usual. No results- that will take a couple weeks but something is up with that big, blood filled organ of hers and nothing else we had tried has proven conclusive.

Not much blogging going on-

Busy here at Wasted Electrons World Headquarters. Spring is trying to break out and I'm spending more time outdoors and away from the laptop. No job yet in spite of diligent efforts. Yesterday I dethatched most of the front yard with my thatch rake. That manual labor lasted until my arms gave out. I'll try to get that finished today and then I can put down some fertilizer that the neighbor gave me. I'm also trying to get down to the church to see if I can get the grass mowed there.

I've begun sanding and priming Fish Slayer's trailer and I need to get some new tires on it as well since I just don't trust the weather cracked, worn rubber that is holding it up right now. They may be ok for a trip or two to Willard Bay since it is close but before I leave the immediate area, the trailer needs new tires.

I've fixed a hand me down lawnmower and the church's snowblower this week and need to transport both of them down to the church. The lawnmower is a donation to the lawnmower shed and the snowblower is going up for sale when we have our car boot sale in May.

There's been some drama with the eldest son and he got himself banged up a bit but that's not a story for online telling. It is causing concern and stress here at the house though.

I think I'll go buy some Rustoleum and put some paint on my boat trailer...

When the current cold front passes through-

I'm taking Fish Slayer to the lake! That's right, Fish Slayer is ready for fishing! I've completed all the mods that I set out to do with the exception of installing my sideplaner tower and it's not quite ready yet. But otherwise, it looks good. The cockpit has all new vinyl. There's a new steering wheel and glovebox. The black vinyl on the consoles has been replaced and the storage spaces up front have been raised 3". The old padded benches are still waiting for new plywood and vinyl covering, which requires some more funds so that's another week's project.

But the downriggers and the happy troller plate are installed, the batteries are back in their places and just as soon as this weather front leaves and the temperature hits 60 degrees, we're going to the lake for some fishing!


Maybe this being unemployed thing will work out after all...

It snowed how much?

About 6" in my diveway this morning! By the time I came home from a meeting last night it was a real blizzard outside and the driveway was piled high when I got up this morning. Most of it has melted off this afternoon but it's still cold.

On a better note, the brown truck of happiness delivered my downrigger mounts this evening so as soon as it warms up, I'll be getting the Scotties installed. I'm having a pair of downrigger weights made and I will be picking them up Thursday. So when the weather finally gets right, Fish Slayer will be right!

Score!

Today I bought a 2nd hand Happy Troller trolling plate for Fish Slayer's motor for just 30 bucks! Thar was too good of a deal to pass up even if I did have to drive 55 miles to go get it. Hey, the wind was blowing 35 mph outside so working on the boat was out of the question!

I also ordered the Scotty swivel mounts I need for my downriggers today. I finally decided the used Cannon mounts I bought last fall weren't going to work for me.

Well it's been a good day-

except for the blisters of course... I've given myself 2 blisters in the palm of my right hand from turning too hard on a screwdriver putting my floors back in Fish Slayer. I tore one of them so I have an open hole that's about dime sized. It's pretty miserable.

But Fish Slayer is going back together! The 3 seat bases are installed, both windshields are back in place and the first 2 pieces of the recovered panels have been put in place. Tonight I bought the hardwae needed to reinstall the steering wheel cover. So things are coming along and that makes me happy. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be crap but if it gets nice enough, I'll be out there putting things back together.

No words back on any job offers yet but I had some pretty positive feedback from some of the folks I spoke to today so I'll see.

On another note, the BSU talked me into buying a weeping willow tree for the backyard. She won't admit that it is going to overpower every other tree out there in 10 years or so which it no doubt will. But she's been wanting another willow for a few years now and she caught me in a weak moment. I've already planted an apple tree beside the house earlier this week and tomorrow I suppose I'll be digging a big hole in the backyard for the willow. Doesn't she realize how difficult every new tree makes my mowing?

Busy morning on the job hunting front!

In spite of what seems pitiful few places to apply for work, today is turning out to be a red letter day and with any luck at all, something good- maybe several things good, could result. I'm energized by the swirling possibilities!

I spoke to a man in Oklahoma City about a job opening here in Utah as a support contractor this morning. I know the guy that is leaving the position, he heard recommendations from a couple people that know I am out of work and had already forwarded my name back to his boss in Oklahoma. Today I spoke to that boss and sent him my resume. I also attended a job fair for positions on the base that were supposed to be intern positions but the qualifications required a current or pending Masters degree. That was the bad news. The good news was that the fellow doing the interviews is a supervisor in the building where I worked last and we were able to close a connection concerning my availability that he was unaware of. He didn't know that I was a contractor in his building, thinking I was already Civil Service and also unaware that the assistance he was providing to one of his Flight Chiefs regarding bringing in an external hire was for my benefit. Once all those coincidences were ironed out it sounded like he would do all he could to get me hired back into his building at the first opportunity!

I also received my first ever email from the Utah Department of Workforce Services recommending that I apply for a particular position based upon my skills and so I did that just before coming here to write about it. It's a technical writing, and get this- a blogging position! Woot!

Now it's time for lunch and more work on Fish Slayer. I installed the new glovebox last night and I can begin to reinstall all the newly recovered panels.

No posting? Been busy I guess-

So what have I been doing? Not blogging obviously. I've been to the International Sportsmans Show with Kenny and Jim- we went on Thursday- before the weekend crowds arrived. I guess that's one nice thing about not working, I can go do things during the week that I couldn't if I had a job. But anyway, we had a really nice time checking out the exhibits, spending our money with Rocky Mountain Tackle, and ran into the guy we met last summer while we were staying at the Vacation Inn over at Flaming Gorge. It was a really nice day out.

I'm still working on Fish Slayer. Today I finally pulled out 1/2 of the floor and installed the first seat post base and got the floor back in and screwed down. Tomorrow I'll get the other side and then I can begin putting back in all the panels I've pulled out to recover. I put new black vinyl on both consoles, reinstalled the formerly missing horn, dropped the steering wheel key under the floor- I guess I'll get it back tomorrow, and fixed the light on the tachometer already. So reinstalling the trim boards is next and then the downriggers can be installed- the 2nd one arrived today- thanks Ebay! and then the boat will be ready for fishing. I'm getting pretty excited about getting on the lake!

What else... the BSU and I have been to the movies a couple times recently. She's Out of My League is a raunchy, funny romp that we both really liked. It's a "timid, nerdy boy meets hot, successful girl" love story and if you liked There's Something About Mary you'll probably get a kick out of this movie.

We also saw Bounty Hunter that stars Jenifer Anniston and Gerard Butler, he's a former cop turned bounty hunter, she's a succesful newspaper reporter on the trail of a story nobody else suspects and a bail jumper due to a missed court date. And they are both ex's, formerly married to each other and now distractedly divorced and still angry at each other. But she has a warrant out for her arrest and he is promised 5000 bucks for bringing her in and they spend the weekend handcuffed together, checking into the honeymoon bed & breakfast, running from bookie money collectors and generally misbehaving. If there were an Academy Award for the best boobs on display for the greatest portion of a movie, Bounty Hunter would be a contender because Jen's rack is generally on display for the entire time except for the time Gerard has her slung over her shoulder and her shapely butt is on display! Of course they end up falling back in love and solving the murder mystery by the time the weekend is over. We both liked this one- me particularly because of the previously mentioned cleavage bounty but it's fast paced and fun.

One thing did pissmeoff about this movie and it is high time Hollywood get this message- Get your boogerhook off the bang switch! Butler's character Milo has his index finger jammed into the trigger guard of his handgun every time, from the minute he pulls it out from wherever he's hiding it! I found this dumbass behavior more than annoying and it is time for it to stop!

Fish Slayer update-

For those of you that have seen or fished out of Fish Slayer, you won't recognize it pretty soon for the improvements I'm making in the interior. I've mentioned that I'm replacing the ratty old vinyl in the cockpit and installing new seats but I'm also removing the tatty, stick-on black contact vinyl from the consoles. I haven't used up the vinyl from the first purchase so I've removed a few more panels and will be covering them this week.

It's gonna look like a new boat inside real soon!

Fish Slayer is going to look so much better!

I've been working on recovering the interior boards this week with new tan vinyl. I've got just 1 board left to redo out in the shop and 1 more small one still installed in the boat. But it is going to look so much better inside the boat this year! I really should redo the floor covering too as it's an ugly orange color but it will have to stay for another year just due to the additional cost that isn't critical to going fishing.

But it's looking pretty nice so far!

I've also received the two old downriggers that I purchased off Ebay so my next step will be to begin building a side planer tower for the front of the boat.

50 degrees! Time to get outside!

I've had the winter cover off Fish Slayer 2 days in a row now, making the improvements that I want to have done before the serious fishing time begins. The weather has been really nice for the past 2 days and so I have been out in the driveway weilding tools and getting ready.

New seats are going in with new posts and bases and the trolling motor gets a quick detach plate and I'm going to raise the level of the front storage areas to the height of the pads on top of the current covers. I've got 1 downrigger already that needs mounted and I want to tidy up the cockpit by removing the ratty black vinyl on the consoles and replacing it with something new. I'm also planning to replace a bunch of the worn out trim fabric on several of the boards around the edges.

Today I pulled out the transition boards on both sides of the cockpit that form a shelf under the gunnels and cleaned them and sanded them and hit them with a spray can of new color. They look 100% better than they did before.

I also realized while I was out in the driveway, working away on my boat, that I was really happy; happier maybe than I've been in a while. I was really enjoying myself, out in my driveway. It felt like maybe I had been waiting all winter just to get outside to play with my boat. It was a really good feeling.

Anyway, there's lots to do and I'm looking forward to having Fish SLayer tidied up and lake ready for a full season of fishing, starting very soon.

Fish Slayer parts! Hurray!

I love discounts and I really hate paying full price for marine parts as in my humble opinion, they are usually overpriced. So when I discovered this week that a marine dealer in Salt Lake wass closing shop after 53 years and selling all their remaining parts and accessories for half off, well, I had to check it out.

Yesterday I stopped in there with the BSU in tow and bought 2 gallons of 2-stroke oil for the outboard and the quick release mount for my trolling motor that I had been wanting. Today I went back and with the BSU's approval, purchased 2 seat bases, posts and the swiveling spyders for the seats I bought back in November. The posts aren't adjustable for height like I really wanted, (and that don't exist) but will free up considerable floor space in Fish Slayer. I also got the stainless screws that I'll need to install the posts once the weather clears.

So, half price- I like that. Fish Slayer will be looking good when fishing season starts. Now if the ice will just melt off...

My homemade sideplaners are almost finished too!

In case I happen to be on your holiday gift list...

Cannon downriggers are on my wish list. Until today I wasn't fixed on Cannon brand but then I got a chance to buy 2 low profile swivel bases for just $100. That's half price and I couldn't pass up the deal.

So, Cannons please!

I do love hanging out with my buddies-

and tomorrow, 4 of us are going to Cabelas! My buddy Loc has never been to the store just an hour's drive south and so we have decided to make a day of it tomorrow. Kenny is going and Jack too. We are having breakfast together on the way and then we are going to go hit the store to browse and shop with no restriction on our time.

I'm hoping they have the seats and parts that I need for Fish Slayer because I have some money in my pocket!

What a nice weekend!

It's been terrific here with much too warm temperatures for November but it has been beautiful. Yesterday was a perfect "man" day- breakfast with friends at Cracker Barrel, a trip to the gun show and shopping at Harbor Freight. COuld it be any better?

I blew, vacuumed and sucked up leaves from the front yard in the afternoon until there were 2 80 gallon trash cans full. I covered up the boat motor and my engine crane with tarps and inherited a lawnmower project from my neighbor. It runs but not steadily so I saved it from an ignomious end in the dumpster and I'll figure it out over the winter.

Today was a great day at church and our pastor has asked the BSU and I to consider participating in our diocesen search convention for a new bishop. That might be an interesting challenge! We have decided anything yet but maybe it is something we could do.

I've also got the money I need for new seats for Fish Slayer! I decided a couple weeks ago that maybe I would sell my black powder pistols and so this evening I listed them on KSL to see if I could sell them. It took 20 minutes for the phone to ring! The guy that called came up from Salt Lake so it took him an hour to get here but he bought the guns! That was cool. On Wednesday when I go to Cabelas with my buddies, I think I'll be able to buy my seats. Sweet!

Now if the weather would just turn and start sending snow our way, I can start thinking about ski season!