Chris Poch

I helped Richard move into his sweet pad in Stadium Apartments today.  The highlight was the 8′-6″ long couch that wouldn’t fit in the front door.  Our solution: pass it in the back door via the deck (he’s on the third floor).  Sno and I stood the couch up on end, carried it up the few steps to the edge of the second floor deck (still on end) and lifted it as high as we could.  Richard and JJ caught it upstairs, but couldn’t quite pull it in.  Sno kept the balance while I ran around and joined Richard and JJ.  With three of us, we got the couch over the railing and in the back door.  And we only nearly smashed Richard’s sexy truck in the process.

I also started sanding down the chairs we inherited from 606A.  I have the tops of the chairs sanded, save for the thin back supports.  Hopefully, I’ll get them painted by the weekend.

Somewhere in there, I finished up my second project for Digital Design II.  I’m starting to feel that the end is in sight.

Tomorrow is looking to be a tubing on the river day.  Let me know if you’re interested in joining in.

Some big stuff is going on, so please keep me in your prayers.  Also have two friends who could especially use prayer.  Thanks!

Once again, I’m planning to go to the Starlite Drive-In this Friday night. It’s a fun way to see a movie on the cheap and is a great experience. Each person is $4. This week: Monster House. Show times are 8:45 and 10:20, so I’m thinking that we’ll leave around 9:15 and catch the 10:20 showing, hopefully with enough time to stop by the snack bar first.

Been keeping busy helping people move and doing a project.  Friday through Sunday, I helped three people to move.  One of the moves was clearing out 606A, which was the original NLCF office.  It hasn’t turned over according to the landlords until now, so we had to take 15+ years of stuff out of it.  And we had about 48 hours to do it.  But now 503 has a new kitchen table and several other useful things.

I finished the implementation of my Digital Design II project today.  Still need to finish the report before midnight tomorrow.  But it looks like I’ll have time to go to the river either Tuesday or Wednesday, paint the table, and potentially help two more people move.

It’s about devil employee stories.  Very long and time consuming, but lots of funny comments.

This year, my car decided to give me a little birthday present in the form of a flat tire.  It wasn’t fixable, so I ended up needing a new tire.  It’s always best to have matched pairs (front and back) of tires, so I needed at least two tires.  And my front tires were apparently still the originals and nearly bald.  So, $450 later, I have four new tires and my car back.  At least these tires have an 80,000 miles or 6 years warranty.

I just finished Angels and Demons, the prequel to The DaVinci Code. At 710 pages in paperback, it’s probably the longest novel I’ve ever read. But it’s also one of the books that I’ve made it through the fastest. Cory handed me the book at about 6:30pm yesterday, and I finished about 12:15am–less than 30 hours after starting.

The story is a typical Dan Brown thriller. Murder. Plot twists. Multiple viewpoints. Lots of short chapters (137). Unexpected. It reads stylistically exactly the same as The DaVinci Code, yet is different enough in concept to be interesting to someone who has read other of Brown’s works. Since The DaVinci Code makes some minor references to Angels and Demons, I’d recommend reading it second. But regardless of order, both novels offer a historically inaccurate but enthralling escape from reality.

Our A/C died again (same problem as last time).  The owner took apart the motor and sprayed it with bug killer, and now it seems to be working again.  Tomorrow, the HVAC guy will come and replace the contact that the bugs were in, since it’s probably damaged.

Our a/c in 503 went out early this afternoon. Fortunately, we were able to get it fixed today as well. It was 95 degrees when it came back on and 82 inside. The problem? Earwigs. Earwigs? Bugs? Apparently, the little buggers like to make their home in the compressor fan motor. Sometimes, they get into a contact point in a circuit and cause it to open. Apparently, our compressor had more earwigs in it than the repairman had seen before. Earwigs removed, and it’s now 75 degrees inside again. Sorry, no pictures of the bug filled motor. I didn’t even get to see it.

1. In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.
2. In California, it is illegal to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle … unless the target is a whale.
3. In Florida, if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
4. In Nebraska, it is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.
5. In Texas, a law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and explain the nature of the crime to be committed.

Note: some of these laws might not be in effect anymore.

Hat tip to the Roanoke Times and lawguru.com 

Saw Cars at the Starlite Drive In tonight. Unfortunately, we missed the 9:00 showing (it filled up before we got in), but we came back for the 11 showing. Cars was a well done movie (both the story and technically). Seeing it in the 50s decor of the theater added to the movie experience. We were in the second row and other than a rattle in our speaker box, nothing could have been better. Sunroof open, 70 degrees, light breeze, stars in the sky overhead. And the price couldn’t be beat. $6 bought me a movie ticket, popcorn, and a large drink.

The screen was nice and large and the image quality just as good as the local multiplex. I’ll be back next time they have a movie I want to see that doesn’t need surround sound to satisfy me.  Good job Starlite team.  I hope you’re there in 51 more years.