in a white room with no curtains

Now that I have the walls covered with primer, the bathroom makes me think of the Cream song “White Room” – a smash single off their 1968 album Wheels of Fire. I’ve heard a ton of ideas what that song was “about,” ranging from drug use to the Vietnam Police Action. I prefer to believe Pete Brown’s explanation that it was simply about his new apartment.



Regardless of its origin, the tune is a shining example of a missed opportunity. Let me explain…

I recently compiled a mix cd for a buddy who is/was wrestling with the notion of pursuing his boyhood dream of becoming a train engineer. The theme of the cd was simply TRAINS. “White Room” would have blended nicely into one of several places on the cd, but as I explained to one of my college roommates (whom I sent a copy of the disc for editorial review) after he busted me for not including Rickie Lee Jones’ “Ghost Train,” there simply wasn’t enough room to include everything I wanted. Incidentally, I also failed to include “Night Train” or “Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking” – excellent Jones offerings from 1979 and 1981 respectively.

First, a word about the cover art, then I will include a list of the songs that made the cut. The main image is an iconic photo by O. Winston Link entitled “Hot Shot Eastbound.” In the original Link photo, the drive-in screen has a jet plane on it that serves as the exclamation point for an overall fun image. I replaced that portion of the image with a scene from the classic film Runaway Train to make it even more fun, if not completely obscure. If you’ve never seen Runaway Train, the film is capable of making you shiver on the hottest summer night, making it the perfect rental the next time your air conditioner (or evaporative cooler) isn’t doing the trick.



Okay, That’s Not My Harmonica includes the following:

Train Train – Blackfoot
Forever Changed – Lou Reed & John Cale
Mystery Train – Bob Welch
Orange Blossom Special – Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
Driver 8 – REM
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry – Bob Dylan
Train in the Distance – Paul Simon
Waiting for a Train – Boz Scaggs
Peace Train – 10,000 Maniacs
King of the Road – Roger Miller
Midnight Flyer – The Eagles
Riding on a Railroad – James Taylor
Train of Love – Johnny Ca$h
Silverton Train – C.W. McCall
(Waiting for the) Ghost Train – Madness
Homeward Bound (live) – Paul Simon & George Harrison
Crazy Train (live) – Ozzy Osbourne
Electric Trains – Squeeze
Casey Jones – Warren Zevon & David Lindley
Foggy Mountain Breakdown - Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
Downtown Train – Tom Waits
Another Song About a Train – Terrapin Isle
Last Train to Clarksville – The Monkees

As far as I know, I am the first person to attempt a mix cd that contains both Boz Scaggs AND Earl Scruggs. I think it works.

joy in mudville

I finally finished applying joint compound to the drywall. I actually had completed the third coat the day before, but it had some severe cosmetic issues. I didn’t care for the way it looked at all, until I got busy with a sanding screen. Even though using the screen to knock down all the bumps and ridges made all the difference in the world, I also gave the walls a once over with a wet sponge. The sponge allowed me to really smooth out most areas. After stepping back and inspecting my work, I decided to go back and add more mud to the joints where my drywall met the existing wall at 8 feet above the floor. Although it added a full day to the project (mostly drying time), I decided it was the best approach. Otherwise, every time I sat on the throne in the future, I would have to look at the lousy job I had done.

A quick word to any reader who happens to write or edit “do it yourself” books or websites- the rest of you can skip down to the next paragraph. Please stop suggesting that using a wet sponge will prevent the creation of dust. Sure, it creates less dust than sandpaper or a sanding screen or a sand storm, and perhaps that dust is somewhat damp, but it still creates a mess that will have to be cleaned up pretty much immediately.

While waiting for the final sections of wet joint compound to dry so I could sand them, I decided to begin priming the ceiling. I used the remainder of the stain blocking primer I had left over from the bedroom painting as a first coat. I intend to use the same “new construction” primer that I apply to the drywall as a second coat for consistency. I’m not sure if I will have to add a third coat of primer to the ceiling since I am going from a mottled navy blue and smoker’s white to a plain, “bistro” white. I’m also going from a disgusting semi-gloss ceiling to an eggshell finish so I am prepared for some coverage issues.

Switching gears… tonight I killed the largest black widow I have ever seen. It was outside “hiding” under the faucet that controls the garden hose. I guess she was hunting for gardeners. Over all, I saw significantly fewer black widows this year (a couple dozen) than the previous year (when I was killing up to 15-20 per night). I attribute the lower density to the fact that the house and two garages next door hadn’t just been gutted, and also because I had filled in all the crevasses and voids in the adobe brick garden beds with wet adobe- thereby removing a vast majority of their potential habitat. On the other hand, perhaps they have simply improved their ability to remain undetected.

I’ve also been noticing a higher population of praying mantids. This time of year appears to be their mating season, and they tend to congregate near the floodlights on the side of the house and garage where they can eat moths as long as they want. So far, only one male mantid has ventured into the house- via the open bathroom window. When I asked if he had been reading my blog he quietly cocked his head to one side and stared at me as if I was crazy.

down in the dumps

So I’m sitting here in my group W office chair waiting for the second coat of joint compound to dry. I figure I have time to compose a progress report before I apply the third (and hopefully final) coat.



Obviously I got all the drywall up. I used regular ½-inch panels across the majority of the room, but installed special water-resistant (not to be confused with “water-proof”) “aquablocker” board in the areas adjacent to the where the tub and sink will live.



I recently made a quick trip to Home Depot for one last sheet of drywall I required to finish up. I needed to have it cut in half, so I rounded up a likely candidate– i.e., the nearest “orange vest” who had a utility knife dangling from his belt. Let me tell you, this clown seemed determined on putting the “Ass” back in Associate.

“We don’t cut drywall,” he proclaimed while standing on a low mound of drywall remnants.

“You don’t cut drywall?” I replied, “Okay, I’ll go to Lowe’s.”

And with those magic words, the kid sprung into action and scored the drywall panel so we could snap it more or less in half. I’m not sure if he was just a slacker, or if it is Home Depot’s policy to try to get customers to buy utility knives that they don’t really need. Nevertheless, I keep saying that I won’t go back there, yet I do because they are about 2.3 miles closer than Lowe’s.

Over the weekend, I hauled a truckload of bathroom debris to the local solid waste plant. That is a very interesting place, but I wouldn’t want to work there. The dump has large signs posted at the entry indicating that they don’t accept construction materials, but I don’t think my old drywall and tiles counted given that they technically were destruction materials. It is really fun to back the truck up to the edge of this concrete pit and toss things into a heap while a backhoe operator waits to shove it into different piles. I also took advantage of the opportunity to unload a number of large cardboard boxes that I had filled with nasty weeds from the garden and alley. To be sure, utilization of the dump is a bargain at only $3.60 per load.

As for the renovation, lighting has been selected and purchased. I have examined both the ceiling light and wall sconce, and am about 97 percent certain they will work fine.

I’ve also been refurbishing an old wooden medicine cabinet, converting it into a simple shelf unit that will be set into the north wall of the room. I believe I have a photo that illustrates where that will go.




If progress continues without setbacks, I should have the walls sanded and primed by the end of the Major League Baseball regular season.

news from the front

Day um… aw heck, I’ve lost track already. At any rate, I don’t think I’m going to set any records for my bathroom renovation project. I have about half of the drywall up now, and have roughed in some support for a shelf that I will be installing into the north wall.

My befuddlement as to why the porch light stops working when I flip the circuit breaker that controls the majority of the bathroom had me once again rooting around in the crawlspace under the western portion of the house. I imagine the web of cables would make sense to the spider that ran them, or perhaps even to a professional electrician- but not so much to me.

I found another interesting artifact in the dirt worth mentioning. It is nearly a page and a half of the Albuquerque Tribune dated September 22, 1944 (that makes it 62 years old tomorrow). It is pretty kool- especially the funny ads for everyday items. It contains part of an article about allied troops taking an important bridge, an obituary for a local boy killed in action in France, a 50th wedding anniversary announcement, and part of the Major League Baseball standings (which I found particularly interesting).



The paper fragment contains all kinds of intriguing information, but I decided that I would have to save it to read at a later date, as I needed to get back to work on the bathroom. I did replace the regular old outlet with a brand new GFCI receptacle in order to check off the first item from the electrical “to do” list.



Then I took a deep breath and pulled out the double light switches on the north wall that control the ceiling light, sconce light, fan and wall heater. What a tangled mess! It didn’t look like what I was expecting, so I took some time and consulted my reference books and a few electrical websites. Half a bag of candy corn later I had formulated my plan of attack.



Everything went well, and I actually had one piece of wire left over. Great Bill Schmidt’s ghost! Someone had taken a strip of bare copper wire and run it between both live terminals on one of the switches. After I figured out that they had done so in order to use it in the manner of a brand new switch that hadn’t had that little copper plate broken off, I felt relieved. Surely that isn’t the best way to have done it.



On a roll, I ripped out the old rough in can for the crap wall heater and had the replacement one installed, wired and operating in just over two hours. Not bad at all!



Now I have more drywall to hang, and it is time to select the lighting.

electric SHOCK

No, this entry isn’t about the ongoing bathroom renovation, but rather the Lou Reed concert in Santa Fe on September 16th. The intimate, open-air John Crosby Theater at the Santa Fe Opera is a fantastic venue. A Lou Reed show can be a life-altering experience. You better believe it man, its true!

Several years ago, I made the mistake of listening to Lou’s "Magic & Loss" album while driving to my grandmother’s funeral. What seemed like a good idea at the time, actually backfired and resulted in me finding that cd practically unplayable. Hoping to change the personal attachment I have to the album, I decided to give it another try while driving from Albuquerque to the concert. Perhaps one of the best features of the Santa Fe Opera is that you are able to get to it via NM Route 599, the Santa Fe Relief Route, so you don’t have to deal with the tourist trap of a city itself.

Arriving at the theater some 40-45 minutes prior to the gates opening afforded the opportunity to listen to the sound check. Lou’s band started the tune What’s Good (interestingly, from the aforementioned “Magic & Loss” album) at least a dozen times as technicians worked on getting the sound just right. The sound check continued after the gates opened, and after obtaining a glass of wine, we wondered around the plaza area until discovering a small area where we could stand and see the stage simply by blocking the setting sun from our eyes with our hands.

While Lou recited some poetry between sips of Diet Coke, the band continued working on the beginning of What’s Good. Just prior to the band leaving the stage, Lou spoke into the microphone “How’s that sound Frank? Not too lifeless?” Soon after that, people were allowed access to their seats in the theater. We continued walking about on the plaza and looking at people. The majority of people wore black, and plenty of it. Still there was enough turquoise to remind you that you were no longer in the real world, and enough cowboy hats to suggest that you were either in the southwest, or at an extras casting call for a remake of Midnight Cowboy.

Once it was dark outside, the house lights were dimmed and the stage lights brightened. There would be no messing around with an opening act of any type. A roar from the crowd greeted Lou as he walked onto the stage with his band mates. Lou wore faded blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a light grey Unabomber-style hooded sweatshirt. He also was sporting a necklace with a red chile pepper pendant. (Um, did I mention that we were in the ninth row? And by the way, 50 bonus points to anyone who can explain why the opera doesn’t have a row “i.”)

Mike Rathke joined Lou on guitar. An energetic Fernando Saunders played bass and Rob Wasserman was on hand to play upright bass. Encased in a Plexiglas shell not unlike to the Popemobile, drummer Tony “Thunder” Smith served as the group’s beating heart, forcing the haunting sounds created by the four guitars to course through the veins of everyone in attendance. The combination helped prepare our brains to receive Reed’s lyrics which were dispensed as if by a pharmacist who suspects the recipients are being overmedicated, but also realizes that there is a 95 percent chance that they will survive the experience.

They opened with Dorita, the ghostly instrumental that is the first track on "Magic & Loss," transitioning seamlessly into What’s Good. Both were amazing! I guess I could say that about every song, so let’s just agree that you will assume that as you continue reading.

Lou’s delivery of my favorite line from the next song, The Proposition, “you won't see my parents honored on any stamp,” alone was worth the price of admission. As the band changed instruments following the third tune, Lou took a moment to chat with the audience. He said, “People ask me, “Have you ever played in an opera house before?” … Yeah, I’ve played in lots of bars. … (pause) … It’s good, but it’s not meant for electric.” They then proceeded to crack the adobe with an earth-shattering rendition of Egg Cream.

The lighting was minimal at best. The contrast between Lou’s metallic blue guitar and the red light that bathed the band during Ecstasy was sublime. It was incredible to watch how Lou directed the band and how well they responded. Fernando Saunders performed as if Ecstasy might very well be the last song he ever played.

Of course it wasn’t. Saunders was right there as the band shifted gears and turned onto the Dirty Boulevard. Leave it to Lou to make you feel great by forcing you to realize how lucky you are to not be a subject of one of his songs. Reed is forever tinkering with his tunes until he gets them just right. In this case, he delivered this modified portion of the third verse while shaking his head.

“You can believe it man its true
Somewhere a president’s laughing till he wets his pants
But this song is from 1989
And look at us today”

Not wanting to wet my own pants, I made a dash for the restroom instead of applauding at the end of Dirty Boulevard. I actually made it to an open urinal before I heard the muffled first notes of Waiting for My Man. While I relieved myself of a bladder full of grape juice, I realized that the restroom air-freshener was pot scented. As I washed my hands I observed that there were so many black leather jackets about that one could easily mistake the gathering for a Sweat Hogs reunion. I made it back to my seat well before Lou took the audience up three flights of stairs of a Brownstone for a taste.

Next, we were subjected to Lou’s interpretation of The Raven that I suspect would manage to scare the Poe out of old Edgar Allan himself. I regret that I am unable to string the right words together to describe the pure energy that cascaded over the edge of the stage and washed through the audience during that number. It made me realize that critics of Reed’s double album that includes The Raven are missing out on some of his best work by shunning the effort. Too bad for them!

Reed switched over to a candy apple red guitar for Coney Island Baby. The decision to play that song next was genius. It begins so mellow and builds to a point where you think something on stage is going to explode. It was near the end of Coney Island Baby when Lou had his first true one-on-one jam session with Rathke. Oh man, let me tell you this… Mike Rathke was playing his nuts off. It was so insane that I saw Lou smile. I swear!

I think it was a common feeling among the audience that each member of the band truly seemed to be excited to be performing with Reed. I don’t even think they were all that concerned about the audience. During several points in the evening, Lou would sort of well… get all caught up in the moment and begin screaming into the microphone. The veins in his neck appeared to be on the verge of bursting. Rathke, Saunders and Smith would exchange looks and laugh with each other, having more fun than the Harlem Globetrotters while running up the score against the hapless Washington Generals. Although considerably less animated, Wasserman also appeared to be having a great time.

After the standing ovation that followed Coney Island Baby, Lou returned to the microphone and said, “Thank you. We have to slow down now… Maybe for a month.” After another round of applause, he added, “But we won’t. Because we came here to play for YOU.” God I love Lou! Even though he said it in that classic tone that indicates that he knows that you know he is bullshitting you, you still want to believe that it is true. The joke is on everyone.

Next they performed Guardian Angel, another tune from "The Raven." It was great, but I had been hoping they would play Riptide, which they had performed in concert in New York 4 nights before.

Dreamin’ was next. Another selection from "Magic & Loss" that Lou dedicated to his friend Rita and his other friend Doc in which he mocks death by stating, “you were no saint, but you deserved better than that.” Seeing him perform such an amazingly personal and sad song definitely made me appreciate that album again to the point that it will be returned to the rotation.

The final song of the set was the ever-rockin’ Set the Twilight Reeling. This performance would get the audience up on their feet and dancing, and prevented them from sitting back down through the double encore that included Sweet Jane and Perfect Day. After playing for over two hours, Lou seemed nearly exhausted as he waved and exited the stage. Maybe that’s the price one pays when they invade.

electric avenue

Here are some snapshots of the electrical outlet I mentioned that needs replaced with a GFCI receptacle. Although the outlet is located in the bathroom, it appears to be an “end-of-the-run” receptacle for the circuit that powers the adjacent bedroom to the east.







Another oddity about the way the house is wired is that when I flip the breaker for the bathroom circuit, it also kills the power to my wife’s office (located in the 1920s addition).

I also read somewhere that you should never cover electrical boxes with walls in case they have to be accessed for one reason or another. That leaves me scratching my head trying to decide what I should do with the junction box I uncovered in the wall above the quad electrical switch next to the door on the north wall.



Moving clockwise from the upper left, these switches control the ceiling light, bathroom fan, wall heater and wall sconce respectively.

I guess my options are to either move it up to the wall and cover it with a solid plate cover, or just bury it behind drywall again.

the empty room

day five?

Not much new to report, and I’m busy designing a website for a client, so this entry is going to be short.

I got the claw foot tub out of the room today. It is currently located in the far reaches of the living room hidden under a sleeping bag. Kancun is utilizing the cover as a fort to rest up and launch surprise attacks on the unsuspecting shop.vac.

Now that the bathroom is finally empty, I was able to determine that the floor is indeed level. Sheets of ¼ inch Hardibacker cement backerboard have been purchased, although they won’t be installed until after I’ve completed the work on the walls.

While cleaning up the old electric space heater that was built into the lower portion of the west wall, I decided that it was junk, and probably not worth reinstalling. Will now look into alternatives for that while selecting lighting.

I also discovered that the single electrical outlet in the room was only “attached” to drywall. Since it is located next to the sink, I think it really should be replaced with one of those fancy GFCI dealies. I am fearful of messing with electricity, but I might as well start figuring it out now. I suppose I will also want to replace the light switches so they match the other changes.

Okay, I really need to get back to work on the website since the client wishes to launch it within the next couple of weeks.

the unbathroom

Since some of you crazies have been emailing for specifics about the flooring, here are a few detail photos.





The present “subfloor” is the original 1906 hardwood flooring. The house didn’t have true subflooring (nor did the house next door which was nearly identical in construction). There appears to be two layers of plywood/particle board over that. The lowest layer measures about ½” thick, and the upper layer is about 3/8” thick. Stuck to that is the sheet linoleum that gives the cats nightmares.

It is interesting how many different opinions have surfaced on how I should approach tiling the floor. They range from ripping it all up and starting from scratch, to tiling directly over it, and include various middle ground suggestions of securing backer board over the linoleum and going from there to leaving it as is and trying to enjoy the linoleum. Some have even suggested that this whole concept of blogging about my home improvement project is boring.

I did encounter an interesting surprise while removing the remainder of the drywall. Sorry, no mint condition historic circus posters to sell on eBay, but rather these two empty Like cola soda cans.



A little research on the internet suggests that Like cola was the diet version of 7Up, that appeared on the market in 1963. Although one would suspect it was no longer being manufactured once Sugar-Free 7Up began being distributed in 1970, these cans exhibit “stay-tabs” on the top, which weren’t introduced until 1975. Thus these relics appear to date back to the “Uncola” period of pre-9/11 Americana.

I suspect Michael Rock left the cans in the wall… perhaps as offerings to appease the wandering, thirtsy ghost of Isaac the Butcher. As I understand it, Rock was a sort of architectural historian who helped document the surrounding neighborhood in order to earn its well-deserved listing in the National Register of Historic Properties. According to archival records, Michael and his wife Dora purchased the property in 1975.




Photo of Michael Rock taken on the front stoop in January of 1980.



This photo illustrates the location of the missing door that used to connect the bathroom to the bedroom that now serves as my office.

another lathe in the wall

Amazing what you can do with a pipe wrench! The tub is finally unhooked and the tacky brass hardware has been removed and tossed into the yard. Funny how much larger the 6’ by 9’ room seems now even with the tub still in it. It is the only fixture still left in the bathroom. Now I have to figure out the best method of moving it to a good location for cleaning and painting.



After a considerable amount of effort, I was able to remove the remaining tiles and backing board from the lower wall behind the baseboard heating unit. What royal pain that was with the cramped work space and lack of leverage, but I couldn’t see any way of taking it apart (short of cutting the copper pipe which I wanted no part of). In fact, I now have all the walls stripped to 5 feet above the floor. I have removed the trim from the inside of the door and window, but likely will have to remove a bit more trim as I am planning on taking the walls off all the way to 8 feet tomorrow.



The replacement sink, vanity and toilet have all been purchased and transported home. While I take a break from the work to snap some documentary photographs, my assistant studies the area where the new sink eventually will be installed.



Also have picked up ceramic tile for the floor and a bunch of tools. Since no museums seem interested in my proposed donation of the linoleum due to the possible hazardous nature of the material, the plan now is to lay the tile directly onto the existing surface. I plan on doing that after I get the walls in place and painted. The new color scheme has been chosen, but no paint has been purchased.

I just realized that I’m probably going to have to shave the bottom off the door trim and quite probably, the door itself. So I’m either going to need a saw, or some very well trained termites. I suppose that as long as I'm creating a shopping list, I should also pick up a shop-vac.

I have yet to address any lighting issues. We better get back to work.

day two… what have I gotten myself into?

First surprise- the tiles didn’t pop neatly off the walls like I had hoped. Will have to remove the walls down to the studs and eventually hang new drywall. I wonder from the number of nails I’m finding as I remove the walls if the country didn’t experience a nail shortage in the early 80s when the plaster and lathe was removed from this portion of the house.

I’m planning on only removing the lowest 5 feet of wall, but can already see that I may have to change that approach and remove the lowest 8 feet to get a clean break between existing panels of drywall. Besides, I’m not sure how good I’m going to be at masking and plastering the gaps, so I may want any unseemly seams 8 feet high instead of near eye level.

I have turned off the water and located the circuit breaker to shut off power in the project room. Got the sink unhooked and the toilet removed completely. Can already tell that unhooking the claw foot bathtub is going to be a cast iron bastard. Another issue that I hadn’t thought about was the existing baseboard heat. The unit appears to have both dry wall and tile behind it, and I don’t see any obvious way to disassemble it. Maybe it will make more sense once I get the tub moved out of the way. Quite possibly it will make less.

I have removed all artwork from the project area with exception of a ceramic skeleton man who expressed an interest in being allowed to hang around as long as possible as the tunes are rather delightful. You may wonder what I consider a good choice of music to demolish walls to. I highly recommend the Cars.

Seriously! I recently reacquainted myself with their first album “The Cars” during a road trip to Arizona. I had forgotten just how good that record is from Good Times Roll right though to All Mixed Up- each song amazingly better than the one before. I dare you to listen to Moving in Stereo without thinking about the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. So after letting that run through several times, I switched over to another classic- “Candy-O.” Wow! I can’t even pick a favorite…. Let’s Go, It’s All I Can Do, Double Life, Candy-O, Lust for Kicks, Dangerous Type. They all rock! Even the Cars 1981 offering, “Shake it Up,” belongs in any jukebox or home cd collection.

I need a friggin’ pipe wrench and a larger trash container, and the State Fair has opened which means the ponies are running. (Note: I will bet on any horse named “Corn Dog.”)

renovations

One of my chores now that baseball has ended (locally), is to remodel the bathroom in the original portion of our house. Not that it is in bad condition, but we just feel that it isn’t dated enough for a structure that was built in 1906.

The plan is to untile the walls, remove the linoleum from the floor and donate it to a museum, tile the floor, repaint the bathtub in keeping with the new color scheme, replace the “fixtures,” and deal with whatever surprises pop up.

And so it begins….

Day One – Got a good start on the project by taking all the “before” photographs. As illustrated in these photos, I’m going to have plenty of help on this project.

I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Or is that merely the reflection of my camera’s flash? Either way, it’s clearly time to grab a beer and plan the next phase.

new sensations

When it rains in New Mexico, it pours. No, I’m not talking about the weather, but rather the concert scene.

Following directly on the heels of the previously blogged DEVO concert, I find in my hands a pair of tickets to see Lou Reed perform at the Santa Fe Opera on the 16th. While there are very few things that could convince me to make the drive to Santa Fe, one of them is definitely Lou.



Although I wouldn’t presume to guess what Lou might decide to perform that evening, I am intrigued by recent mumblings that insist he is going to be performing his Berlin album live for the very first time in New York this December. Perhaps we’ll be treated to a preview of that! You never know what you’ll get with Lou though… perhaps a reading of the graphic version of Paul Auster’s City of Glass.

If I were given an opportunity to request one song, it would be Crazy Feeling, my favorite tune on Coney Island Baby. I would be tempted to request Street Hassle, but suspect the majority of the audience would want to beat me up afterwards. Of course, a request for Lou to perform Skynard’s Freebird would also be very funny (to me).

At any rate, you can bet your shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather that I will have plenty to write about following the concert.