Gate Upgrade

One of the things you have to do when you have kids is danger proof your home as best you can.  We have a staircase in the center of our home that isn't the most baby friendly piece of architecture, so it needs a gate to keep the kid from making an ascent.

Most of the gates you can get now are based on an expansion concept.  The gate presses out against each end to provide resistance to pushing the gate out of the way.  This is great for a door opening or someplace along a hallway (we have a couple other gates installed in those situations) but are not so great for a staircase where one or the other end of the gate is relying on a freestanding newel post.  In that situation pushing out on the support just pushes the structure outward.  You probably can rig the thing with enough oomph to hold in place, but the fact of the matter is in doing so you are slowly but surely damaging the stair railing.

So for that scenario you need to find some other kind of gate.  In the Gib5on iteration of this solution I managed to find a kind of accordion type gate and MacGyver a mount for it.  You can kind of see what is going on here:

In order to mount this I cut two pieces of 1x2 and drilled them the long way to accept zipties (you can barely see one of those pretty much at the end of his nose).  The 1x2 was soft mounted to the structure so as not to damage it and then the included mounting hardware was hardmounted to the 1x2.

This worked reasonably enough and so now in the Sabian iteration of the project I went looking for the gate and the stupid hardware I'd made last time.  Search as I might I couldn't find it.  I eventually came to the conclusion that it must have been in the garage last spring when we had a little bit of a sewer backup and consequently must have gotten some ick on it - and therefore went into the dumpster.  So much for that.

We needed a replacement.  I went to the home center looking for the identical gate so as to repeat the earlier installation.  If you know anything about home centers you will not be surprised to know that I was unsuccessful.  They didn't have this gate (I bet I could have found one at Target or something.  It is a fairly common piece of gear).

They did have this:

This, lo and behold, is a gate designed exactly for the installation circumstances I was just explaining - bearing on the newel post of a staircase.  They have designed and manufactured the adapter hardware I had bush-fixed myself in the earlier round.  Instead of drilled out 1x2 there is a steel adapter piece that mounts to the newel post with adhesive and straps.  The straps are somewhat more formidable than the zipties I had used, and the fastener actually includes a ratchet mechanism; making it simpler to tension the belt (which was an annoying part of using zipties).

Here's the installation in place here:

The straps are also preferable over zipties because the buckle has a release capability, so when you install them backward such that the extra is in front you can take them off without damaging them and turn it around so the installation is cleaner.

I went back and forth over the adhesive.  It probably isn't necessary for proper function but I put it in anyway.  I'm hoping at the end I can get it removed without damaging the finish on the newel.  We'll see - in like three years.

The gate is oak.  The architecture is maple.  You can't have everything I guess.  It doesn't look too out of place, and even wrong it is way more spiffy than the raw pine of the Gib5on installation.

We'll see how it holds up.

Ellipses...

Yesterday's post was the first truly substantive thing I have posted here in quite some time...  We call the expanded bubble we've created "Camp Corona."  If I can find a package of iron on transfers I may make up some t-shirts...  We landed a Bob double stroller for free off of Nextdoor.  On its own that probably justifies whatever time I've put into that site...  I can't decide who to follow on Instagram.  Is it supposed to be more like Facebook or more like Twitter?  And who should I follow on Twitter anyway?  And why had Facebook become so much less about friends and so much more about Groups?  Isn't that what LinkedIn is for?  Maybe it is time to declare social media bankruptcy...  My email archiving continues.  I've created a new folder for my workflow.  I now have a "triage" folder.  It goes someplace between Inbox and ToDo...  I put a prompt up on Facebook that has over 200 comments.  I feel so successful.  That's a problem...  I've been to Lowe's twice this week.  I should probably do some kind of project to justify that...  There was another D&I town hall tonight.  More and more questions.  Not too many solutions.  We'll have to keep working...  Gib5on has an iPod Touch but he doesn't know about it.  Let's not tell him...  Now that there's been one Bagel post I need to decide if there should be a dozen more...  I've pretty much stopped watching MSNBC at night.  Lately I've just listened to them on the Echo while I do stuff like this.  The content doesn't lose much for not having pictures...  I think Costume Production people are going to find up being banned from the #NFTRW Podcast.  It isn't up to me, but I will be disappointed if that's what happens...  The "CrowdSource" class for the fall might have almost reached critical mass.  Hopefully that will turbocharge it into something really cool...  There are now 16 TANBI idea post-its at my desk.  And yet here I am again doing an Ellipses...  I almost bought a screwdriver today but I really don't need another screwdriver, even if the bit storage on it is pretty cool.  I did buy SAE and metric 3/8 drive hex keys.  The assembly instructions for the soon to arrive bike seem to require them...  It took two days but someone picked up the outgoing USPS package I had.  Or maybe someone stole it.  If that's what it was they will be disappointed...  I finished the Sunny Randal book I've been reading for like forever.  Next up it looks like I'll be moving on the the prequel book from the CBS Picard series...  This week should show significant progress in the basement fit out.  Maybe I'll take some pictures...

Bagel

Today I called it a year on the email for academic 19-20.  Usually I archive everything and start new folders at the end of May.  The way things have been going this year it took me a little longer to get to it.  Folders in my email typically are 1920_Something or F19_Something or S20_Something.  Next years folders will be 2021_Something (That we're into academic 2021 is something else altogether.  If you asked me what year it was 20 years ago I would probably say like 1987.)  One of the folders I archived today was different.  It was just called "bagel."

There's this episode of The West Wing where they are talking about a likely economic downturn and in the midst of the discussion somebody says "recession" and everyone else in the meeting harps on him for using the word.  (The audio here isn't great.)

The idea is that if you use the word recession you give the idea life and so instead you use a placeholder word to be able to talk about the thing without helping to make it real.

Several years ago I got sick.  Not sick like a cold, sick where my life was in jeopardy and a significant disruption of my day to day was required to protect my life.  I haven't really posted much about it here or on Twitter or on Facebook.  There have been some oblique references here and there, but really to know what was going on you had to really know what was going on.  Partly it just never seemed like the right kind of thing to talk about online.  Partly not talking about it was a way to try to keep from fueling it.

There were hundreds of emails associated with the process of getting through the thing.  Emails to and from docs.  Emails to and from insurance carriers.  Emails to and from work.  Lots of travel emails, coordination with airlines and hotels and babysitters.  At the end of the thing I had a stack of papers in a cabinet that was probably 18 inches tall.  Mrs. TANBI and I had a shared Evernote notebook with hundreds of documents.  Those two together probably couldn't even begin to touch the total amount of correspondence.

I am fairly anal about email as you might be able to tell from the annual archiving and the folder naming conventions.  So I needed a place to put all these emails, but somehow a folder called "Medical" or "Doctors" or God forbid "CANCER" seemed a little too on the nose.  And following the West Wing rule putting that name on it would give it power.  So once again following the West Wing rules I called the folder "Bagel."

Today I archived the "Bagel" folder.

It took a very long time to take that step.  A lot about being sick this way puts you in a frame of mind where you don't want to jinx something.  There's lots of tests and they never really use the word "cured."  You just don't want to tempt fate.  Even writing this feels... foolish.

To put it in perspective, at one point I went to the hospital for a scan - what was supposed to be the last scan for a while, the magical one where they give you the best news they give you.  I had done this trip a handful of times now but this time I booked the airfare as aggressively as I could.  I only planned one hotel night.  I'd never done that before.  That turned out to be tempting fate and when they did the scan they thought they saw something, one night became five.  One scan became a scan and a needle biopsy and a surgical biopsy.  I had to go to Target to buy clothes.  I'd only packed for one day.  It turned out to be nothing.  I couldn't help but think if I hadn't planned so aggressively that the process would have gone more smoothly.

On that same trip I remember being happy because I had finally remembered to bring my earbuds.  When you do a scan you get a tracer injection and then you have to sit quietly for a half hour but they don't want you to read or watch video.  The previous times I had done it I had always forgotten my earbuds, but this time I had remembered.  Shuffling the songs on my phone, the last song I heard before going in for the scan was Melissa Etheridge: "I Run For Life."  That's her anthem for cancer survival.  It felt like a sign.  I think I tweeted at her that I was going in for my last scan and that hearing that song was an omen.  You know me, I don't smile much.  When that song came on I smiled ear to ear.  That was tempting fate.  I already told you what happened.

So you don't tempt fate and you don't do anything to give it life.  I've been ostensibly clear for a long time but that bagel folder stayed in my personal portion of the folder tree for year after year while other emails were archived.

Until today.  Here's hoping that isn't tempting fate.

Ellipses...

I now have 14 post-its on my desk with topics for blog posts that are not Ellipses.  I just have to, you know, write them...  Yesterday I went out with Gib5on and forgot to take masks for either of us.  An earlier version of me anticipated this and had masks stashed in the car...  I am experimenting with making a zero calorie snack option.  It is a zero calorie frozen snack, so I think it might actually be negative calories - exercising by snacking...  There's a list of students that want to TA for the program formerly known as precollege, but I think it is possible they won't get cleared in time...  Moving the humidifier only helped a little bit.  We might need to research a quieter dehumidifier...  "Defund" is a good sound bite, but it doesn't really say what they mean and is somewhat inflammatory.  There's a lot of education necessary to go with that language...  When I was cleaning the garage today I found another box of N95 masks.  I wonder how many boxes there are in how many garages around the country...  The clock I had in my office that I recently brought home has apparently had an alarm set for 12:26 AM for like forever.  I never know because thankfully I am rarely in my office at 12:26 AM.  I heard it at home though.  Now I wish I could figure out how to turn it off...  Costco has Ramen that is less than 300 calories per pack.  That's an important find for me...  It occurs to me that during this time of tumult my Melissa Etheridge fanclub membership has probably lapsed.  When you get to be of a certain age they should offer you a lifetime membership.  Maybe for the price of five years...  Last night I screwed up and wound up laying awake well past a reasonable hour.  I made some real headway in my book though...  The new Netflix Ghost in the Shell has lead me to older Ghost in the Shell.  I guess soon I will be looking for the Ghost in the Shell movie...  Today was bubble widening day in our household.  It came off without problems, although it is in the nature of the thing that a problem wouldn't be apparent for another two weeks.  Check in with me then...

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

Sam Mendes calls on Netflix and Amazon to share 'Covid-19 windfall' with theatre

Theatre | The Guardian: The director Sam Mendes has outlined a rescue package for theatre during the coronavirus crisis and warned that if the performing arts are not protected, “an ecosystem this intricate and evolved cannot be rebuilt from scratch”.

Posted by David at 6/06/2020 10:37:00 AM 

 

Why Hollywood Is Still So White, and Why Responding to the Protests Isn’t Enough

Vanity Fair: “The Academy adds its voice to the call for justice,” read a tweet from the official account of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on May 31, as nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd escalated. “We must shine a brighter light on racism and do our part to step up to this moment.”

Posted by David at 6/05/2020 09:54:00 AM

 

Music Fans Show Solidarity for Backstage Workers in Tel Aviv

Techie Talk: A star-studded line of music stars and artists performed during a protest concert in Charles Clore Park, Tel Aviv, titled “Behind The Scenes: An Assembly of Solidarity” to draw attention to the plight of freelancers, backstage technicians and all the zero-hours contract workers in the Israeli event industry whose livelihoods have been decimated as the music and live event industry has been paused in the fight to control Covid-19.

Posted by David at 6/06/2020 10:37:00 AM

 

No, California Law Review, Food Plating Does Not Deserve Copyright Protection

Techdirt: Of all the mediums where intellectual property makes the least amount of sense, actual food and drink must certainly be among the most absurd. Not the trade dress of food packaging, mind you. I'm talking about the actual food and drink products themselves, be they craft beer or a plate of food. And, yet, you see this sort of thing crop up from time to time. A pizzeria somehow thinks it can trademark the taste of its pizza. Or, more apropos for today's post, a German court that says taking pictures of plated food could violate the copyright of the chef.

Posted by David at 6/07/2020 01:25:00 PM

 

White Supremacy and the Broadway Musical

Warren Hoffman - Medium: With Black men and women being killed on a regular basis by police in this country, and massive nationwide protests calling for racial justice, this might be a strange time to talk about Broadway musicals. Seemingly frothy and purely escapist, musicals would appear to be the exact opposite of what is happening in our streets right now. But if we look more carefully, musicals offer a window into the deep societal problem of systemic racism, revealing how something even as mundane as musicals are both affected by and help shape the oppressive system of white supremacy.

Posted by David at 6/06/2020 10:35:00 AM

Ellipses...

The thing about trying to write every day is that you have to write every day...  The Facebook post is still running on.  Petered out a little today.  Still pretty nice though - over 130 comments...  I missed a meeting on Monday that I was invited to but didn't notice the significance of.  I think I may have been conspicuous in my absence...  Being home like this has really boosted my online shopping tempo.  It might be time to go cold turkey...  The bike is coming.  I bought a helmet (a cheap one to get started).  I still need a lock.  In other news the store I was hoping might be helpful apparently closed this week forever...  We did our second Rita's trip of the summer today.  It gave me the opportunity to order a child's strawberry margarita.  The clerk didn't think it was nearly as humorous as I did...  It is possible we'll make a real dent in the basement over the next 10 days.  It is likely that will also feed my shopping disorder...  I went to my office today.  It was really sleepy.  There was a CMU Police Officer in the lobby.  I'm not entirely sure why...  Gib5on got himself signed up with an online Pokemon account.  He was maybe a little too excited.  It also required me to get an online Pokemon account.  I was not nearly as excited...  The Program Formerly Known as Drama Precollege is about a month out.  I should probably come up with a plan for my class.  I have to hone down what I previously did in 24 sessions into 8.  I think I can handle 8...  There was a demonstration at Bakery Square today.  Pictures showed that social distancing was not really possible.  I think we'd like to be involved but with Sabian it feels like a mistake...  I've been doing an online rigging workshop, as an attendee not an instructor.  My name does appear to get mentioned a lot though.  At least I seem to get "someone's been looking at your profile" notifications from LinkedIn after each session.  I guess maybe I should update my LinkedIn profile...  Between COVID and the protests there doesn't seem to be much room on the newscasts for other things.  There must be other things going on though...  I had another crazy dream last night.  I've forgotten the details.  If I want to remember I should probably put a pad on the nightstand...  I know "ellipses..." aren't the greatest posts, but I am trying to maintain a tempo.  I thought of two real posts today.  Maybe I will try to bank up a few weeks worth and really do some actual writing here eventually.  Or then again maybe I won't...

DP Weekly Wrap Up

 

COSTUME PRODUCTION

 

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/behind-curtain-interview-with-joe.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/cricut-maker-machine-lowest-price-ever.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-best-respirator-mask.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/scare-off-covid-19-with-horror-masks-by.html

 

SOUND DESIGN

 

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/powersoft-releases-q-sys-and-crestron.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/making-transition-from-wedges-to-in-ear.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/church-sound-university-tech-tips-video.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/powersoft-amplification-now-available.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/losing-echo-primacoustic-principle.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-science-behind-whitney-houstons.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/05/frank-sinatra-sings-britney-spears-in.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/tap-tap-tap-is-this-thing-on.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/alexandria-perryman-audio-engineer-for.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/mellotron-first-sampler-instrument.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/dante-at-core-of-extensive-networking.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/recording-kit-tune-up.html

 

TECHNICAL DIRECTION

 

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/gerber-armbar-drive-pocket-knife-multi.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/todays-leatherman-free-t2.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/work-edc.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/always-losing-your-screws-and-bits.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/rocket-rigging.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/want-to-make-perfect-cut-for-edge.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/todays-leatherman-style-cs.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/want-fast-hands-free-installation.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/covid-19-pandemic-osha-launches-website.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/todays-leatherman-leap.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/firm-grip-pro-fit-flex-impact-gloves.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/todays-leatherman-free-k2.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/05/adam-savages-one-day-builds-mini.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/to-remake-world-give-girls-all-power.html

 

STAGE & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

 

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/sag-aftra-condemns-police-attack-on.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/05/sag-aftra-leaders-condemn-racism-after.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/agma-and-sdc-consult-medical-experts-to.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/sdc-and-agma-hire-medical-professionals.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/events-venues-reopening-guidelines-from.html

 

LIGHTING DESIGN

 

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/when-lighting-class-goes-virtual.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/project-interview-tippaya-prasertsuk.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/project-interview-isabella-cheung.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/project-interview-jenna-liu.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/project-interview-cheryline-chua.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/project-interview-tippaya-prasertsuk_3.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/project-interview-isabella-cheung_3.html

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/new-york-rock-n-roots-stream-gets.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/act-lighting-distributes-uv-c.html

 

COSTUME DESIGN

 

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/check-out-crayolas-new-colors-of-world.html

 

VMD

 

http://greenpagesod.blogspot.com/2020/06/clc-delivers-stylish-streaming-options.html

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/06/disguise-xr-delivers-defining-moment-in.html

 

SCENE DESIGN

 

http://cmuptm.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-best-drawing-tablets-to-bring-out.html

 

 

STAY HOME – STOP THE SPREAD – SAVE LIVES

Ellipses...

Lisa Murkowski, how can you possibly be conflicted over the President's candidacy?  There doesn't appear to be a great deal of gray area here...  Still waiting for HBOMAX to show up on the Roku.  I am probably not the only one...  Washington DC is at a real disadvantage not having a governor these days.  The Federal government appears to be able to do just about anything they want...  Costco had hand sanitizer and toilet paper today.  No Clorox wipes though.  Might almost be time to reopen.  Oh wait...  I found Ramen that is less than 300 calories per serving.  That's a real find.  I hope it tastes like something...  Our mayor apparently got less than accurate information from his public safety folks before going on TV earlier this week.  I hope the inquiries he's asking for do a better job...  Nobody buys things we don't need better than I buy things we don't need...  I have this AUDL game on the DVR.  It was promoted on Twitter last week as being one of the best games played to date.  But it is just so long I don't think I can get myself to watch it.  Maybe I'll do it 30 minutes at a time...  This week has had crazy dreams.  Once I was in a play with Al Pacino, another time I was in some kind of melee with oversized machine tools, and last night I crashed a car into a huge construction pit.  The production values are really quite high...  It really does feel like the American center of mass might be approaching the edge of its footprint...  I have my most commented Facebook post of all time going now.  I'm not sure that should be as satisfying as it is...  We finished Netflix's The Great Flower Fight.  It was a fight, not so much about flowers, and maybe not so great.  We did watch the whole thing though...  I have now been in the same meeting at work maybe 6 times in the last two weeks.  Calgon take me away...  I have a class schedule for the Summer Program Previously Known as Drama Precollege (SPPKDP tm).  It is short a few things due to, you know, the pandemic but it should be pretty high level anyway...  It might be time for a haircut.  We bought a kit a couple of weeks ago, but shops should be opening up tomorrow.  Is a reasonable haircut worth the exposure?  Tougher decision than it should be...  Usually the end of the academic year is a time when my inbox becomes less of a disaster.  Doesn't seem to be the case this year.  I guess I should get on that...  It is Thursday night.  I am really hungry.  It's worth it though...

Too Much Time on my Hands

Let's take a break from current events for a currant event.

In our new normal life I am making lunch for Gib5on and Sabian these days, not all the time, but often.  The boy has been experimenting with all kinds of new cuisine.  He's had his first Ramen noodles.  He's recently had his first Spaghetti-Os.  We're breaking out all the hits of the 1980s.  His go-to lunch solution is a turkey wrap.  He likes turkey, avocado, shredded cheese and barbecue sauce.  Under no circumstances are you to use mustard or mayonnaise.  Improper condiments are grounds for vetoing an entire plate.  When there's no avocado to be had he likes pickles, but pickles don't go well when there is avocado.

As a pandemic treat I've been working through a back stock of juice boxes that I had in my office at work.

Today I decided to change it up a little.  I'm not sure where I saw this online, but it seemed like it was fairly simple so I gave it a go:

Today's lunch was a PB&J Maki with grape dipping sauce, tomatoes, grapes and pretzel chips.  I even came up with a fortune cookie to round out the concept.

The roll is just bread with the crust cut off rolled out with a rolling pin.  You put peanut butter on that and roll it up and then drizzle grape jelly over the top.  I had to make a piping bag to do the drizzle.  Someplace else on TV I think I'd seen someone do that with a plastic sandwich bag so I tried that.

Gib5on hasn't been eating much of his lunch lately, but today he returned an empty plate.  I think maybe I hit the bullseye.  Photo evidence would support that:

I hope I haven't set me up for failure tomorrow.  Maybe I'll fix it so mom has to make lunch.

Ellipses...

I missed the President's speech tonight.  From what I see on social media it might be better that I did...  Somehow I wound up with a full day of work today.  To the best of my knowledge it is June...  We opened our bubble another person today.  It feels weird but it really did help out...  I printed the 20-21 production calendar today.  Then I had the thought that if we're not doing plays in theatres I am not sure why we care about the calendar...  The Pittsburgh local news isn't running live footage of chaos in the street.  I wonder if that's because there's no chaos or just no coverage...  Last month I managed 28 posts in 31 days.  There were still a lot of work posts, and many, many, many ellipses, but still that's a good posting tempo...  I finished Ghost in the Shell without realizing I was watching the finale.  the last episode is really well done.  I've moved on to another anime called B: The Beginning...  Gib5on thinks he would do better on his schoolwork if we did it in the afternoon rather than the morning.  I am fairly sure if we moved it to the afternoon he would say it would go better in the evening...  Pittsburgh hasn't been featured in any of the national news at night.  That's probably a good thing...  From my perspective Twitter is doing a better job of the moderation of problematic content than Facebook.  But FWIW I haven't been all that happy with Twitter either...  Now that I think of it, around 5PM today I noted an odor in the air.  I thought someone had made a mistake with their grill.  In hindsite it was probably smoke shells...  I started to 30 For 30 about Lance Armstrong.  They didn't get to the "What are you on?" commercial in part one.  That's where it all changed for me...  There were only 8 more cases of COVID in the county today.  That's part of a general trend of dropping cases.  Maybe moving to green this week isn't too aggressive.  At least that's my hope...  Today I managed to put together a wrap for lunch for under 200 calories.  That let me use this sentence in context: I get to have all this and a bag of chips...