Welcome to the CozyNet Blog!
General update v12
So it’s been a little while since I’ve made a blog post. It’s been a little too busy here on my side!
I was working on a few different blog posts, but have either put them on the back burner or scratched them altogether. One such post I was wanting to make was a gift guide, but then realized after finishing, it seemed more like an elaborate advertisement. I really don’t want to look like I’m trying to shill ads or something.
The other blog posts I was working on reached a point where they either got too boring to finish or I was so far off in the weeds half way into it that I forget what I was writing about. I was working on one about “get back to work” Mike Rowe, and plan to finish it one day, but I’m sort of all over the place in that one.
Meanwhile out at the house, I’ve finally moved into it! This would also explain my lack of blog posting and keeping the homepage up to date and stuff… I have my fridge out here, I bought these portable heating rods for heating water, and got a Berkey water filter, an electric heater an antique kerosene heater, and more vintage fans! It’ll do for now, but I do intend to eventually get things in a better place with running water, propane, and stuff. Think of it like “glamping” or something; I mean, I was seriously considering the RV life before buying a house. I was wanting one of those GMC Palm Beach Motorhome’s (still do), but I think homesteading would make a more sustainable early retirement.
The outhouse project is still on-going. I’m getting tired of shidding innawoods outback, and I’ve been working on this damn thing since early in the summer! I’ve finished cutting out the pieces for a door and fitted it all together. I’m at a complicated point in the build because I didn’t draw this part out on paper like I did for most of it. I couldn’t really envision the door and how it would sit or operate, but at least allowed enough space to set one up. The complicating part is making sure it’ll repel water and keep water out, so some areas I’ll need to spackle and take into special consideration. Exterior facing doors are supposed to open inward so that the gaps between the door and the wall can be shielded, but since this is opening outward it makes matters difficult. There are solutions, but I also weigh in aesthetics too so it doesn’t look like a rednecks slapped together shitty McShit house either. I did manage to hang up the door and it all works pretty well, so here’s a picture of it. The stacked cinder blocks are to keep the door from possible blowing up, even thought the hinges are spring loaded to keep the door shut.
Straps kept it in place so I could nail it together.
As for the main house itself, I’ve been trying to get contractors to come out and quote bids on the cost of repair work to the damaged wall. I’m getting a little frustrated with having to speak with nearly non-English speaking contractors because I have some considerations with the form while they seem very focused on simply function. Again, I weigh in aesthetics here and don’t want it looking like a lazy redneck dump. I’m considering having some cheap-ass soul stripping vinyl work done as a temporary measure in shielding the wall, then save up money to have the whole house done properly with period accurate wood lap. It’s just been hard to find anyone that’ll do the work though. It’s possible I might just do this myself too…
Meanwhile back at the office, I received this email from a lady co-worker out of the blue saying that she thinks I should apply for this open position at a college. It was really random, but apparently she sort of already knows the IT manager that’s looking to hire for the position, so I guess I’m going for it! I’ve already met with him on an informal interview and things seemed to go alright. I did notice he had his Masonic ring on to signal, but I’m not a Mason so I guess my free ride ends on the initial entry level nepotism at least. The job is apparently a CISO position, to which they had already reached out to her and this other lady at my job who presently work as a CIO assistant and project manager respective, but they’re both looking to retire soon and declined the offer and forwarded it to me!
Honestly I think it’s a little over my head, and I can’t stand IT security larpers and their stupid pseudo-technical corporate ass kissing language; buuuut it’s also a $30K pay raise! I’d be making like almost six figs bros! I think I can suffer thru it for about 5 years and put that toward the house, buy up a couple of acres nearby, and then retire early to start a cozy homestead. I guess it all depends on how well the real interviews go and whether or not I can tolerate it.
I also have a few new pics to show. This is my now working kerosene heater. I had to get a few parts for it off of eBay since the others were either missing or damaged.
This is the General Electric fridge I scored for $100 off Craigslist! It’s in really good shape, despite the scrapes on the side. I’ll have to scrub off some of the rust and apply a rust killer before re-painting it in a while chalk paint and a gloss coat that goes with it. Everything else works pretty well it seems. In case you’re wondering about it being on its side, I let it sit a few days upright before plugging it in so the oils in the compressor return back to the right place. It’ll need a new gasket seal around the doors since the old one is cracked and tough, which shouldn’t be difficult to reproduce.
I don’t have a picture of my fridge, so I found one on Reddit that looks exactly like it.
So I bought another electric fan when I really shouldn’t have. Within the minute of me walking into an antique store my eyes locked target on this beauty!
The fan cage isn’t on correct so the logo is tilted.
It’s a Robbins & Myers Pedestal floor fan that can stand seven foot tall. It wasn’t for sale and had a sticker on it stating the fact but I wasn’t going to pass this one up without a fight. I found the guy running the place and offered him $300 for it and he thought about the offer for a second and accepted! … Eh, yeah… I need to stay away from these antique stores for the rest of the year now. The fans man, the fricken fans! I can’t resist them bros, especially one as rare as this! You don’t typically see these anywhere, it’s always the desk fans.
The thing is in near mint condition, but it does have a few problems that shouldn’t be difficult to address. It needs oil over the stator so it stops making that annoying grinding noise, the oscillator screw is wrenched on tighter than all hell, and the “high” speed on the switch doesn’t work which is a little sus.
But yeah this is going to pretty much conclude my antique buying adventures for the rest of the year. I’ll still drop by some places to window shop, but I can’t be spending anymore money like this. It’s over! I need every penny I’ve got for house repair work because I don’t intend to finance any of it. I’m also planning to revisit some of the abandoned houses I blogged on last year because I kept a catalog of hardware fixtures that I think would go well here, such as rim lock sets and porcelain knobs for doors.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Date: 2023-11-18
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Nov 20, 2023
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