Weekly Word Count: February 19

What Is This?

Following the lead of my mentor, friend, and exemplar, Tami Moore, this is a weekly article to document progress in meeting my writing goals as described here.

I use an Excel spreadsheet to track all my work by category (blog post, copyediting work, creative writing) and item. So all I need to do is add up the “words” column and I’m good to go. This article will be counted, minus the first 150 words. However, it will be counted in the following week’s total.

All other blog posts and creative writing count full credit. Copyediting for other writers is counted at ten percent of the starting word count for the document; style sheets for that copyediting will count twenty-five percent. Editing my own work, if and when I get to that point, will count fifty percent of the starting word count.

How Did I Do?

My weekly goal is 2,000 words. This week, I was on vacation through Wednesday, so very little was done.

• “Weekly Word Count: February 12” – Blog post, 702 words
• “Walt Disney World Follow-Up” – Blog post, 416 words

Total: 1,118 words. To be honest, that’s about 1,100 words more than I expected to write, so I’m not going to beat myself up on that. However, I do expect more of myself next week. I want to get at least two substantive blog articles up, and I want to either finish chapter 2 of Darklight, and/or write some backstory on the two main characters.

Upcoming Projects

After spending the past three weeks in California and Florida, then returning to snow showers yesterday here in South Dakota, I have a serious case of spring fever. It’s especially bad since the weather wasn’t very warm in either state we visited. Late January and early February along the Central Coast of California aren’t exactly hot months, but I was hoping not to wear a sweatshirt every day. And I certainly didn’t expect to wear a sweatshirt on six out of seven days in Orlando! I packed two pairs of jeans and three pairs of shorts: I wore shorts exactly once—and got rained on that day!

Bathroom Remodel

Anyway…I do have some projects I want to start on, which don’t involve writing. The first of these is to redo my bathroom. Because our “master” bathroom is so small, and because the upstairs bedrooms aren’t bedrooms (one is my office; the other is Janet’s sewing/computer/TV room), Janet uses the master bathroom and I use the one on the opposite side of the wall.

A few years ago I replaced the shower rod and curtain with glass doors. We also re-carpeted the upstairs not so long ago, including the bathrooms, so I’ll be leaving the floor alone. (I must admit, though, the idea of laying tile in there appeals to me. Let me see what the wife thinks…)

So, I’ll be replacing the medicine cabinet (in-wall thing, so somewhat restricted there), the 36” vanity, counter, and sink, as well as the sink fixture. Pretty sure I’m going to opt for separate faucets, rather than a single lever/knob. I also want to replace the toilet with a low-flow, high-pressure unit. (Our other low-flow toilet, in the main floor bathroom, tends to back up more often than I like; hence, the high-pressure requirement.)

I’d like to keep the current vanity more or less intact and take it to our local Habitat for Humanity recycle center, but I’m not positive I can do that: It’s going to be rather flimsy when it is removed, and I’m not sure I can get it out the door without removing the counter, which may well cause the vanity to self-destruct.

Likewise, the toilet is perfectly serviceable, but seems to use 5 gallons per flush, rather than 1.5. Guess I could turn it into a planter. Or maybe not.

Computer Desk

My current desk is a beautiful, large, oak veneer on particle board, 3-piece setup. To my left is the writing desk, topped by a very functional hutch with cabinets and CD and book storage, with a top shelf that is also full of stuff. The right-hand return is the computer desk proper. The slide-out keyboard tray is on the left side, with a pencil drawer to the right, above a couple open shelves. On one of those shelves is my printer; the other holds a plastic cabinet in which I have photo paper stored.

Also under the keyboard tray is an open vertical shelf area. On those shelves are my two uninterruptable power supplies, modem, and Airport router, as well as a USB hub. All very functional, to be sure!

However, it’s that left-placed keyboard tray that causes a problem: I’m very constrained on where I can position the iMac, and hence my second monitor. The iMac is directly in front of me, while the Dell 24” monitor is to the right, angled slightly toward me. If I also want to use my laptop, the space to my left is limited, and since I share the mouse and keyboard between both computers, it would be nice if the laptop could be positioned more alongside the iMac. Due to the construction of the desk below the tabletop, I can’t move myself any further to the right—my leg hits the left side wall of that vertical shelf.

So…I am going to replace the computer desk portion with a home-built model. I had thought to use medium-density fibreboard (MDF) for the top; however, I think I’ll consult with my woodworking neighbor and get his advice.

The plan is for the desktop to be 60 to 72 inches (152 to 183 cm) wide (currently, it’s 60”), and 24 inches (61 cm) deep. Currently, the table top is at 30 inches (76 cm), but I plan to put it at 25 inches (64 cm)—the height of the keyboard tray. That way, the 24” iMac will be positioned more ergonomically, with the top of the screen at or just below the level of my eyes. I also intend to router the the tabletop so the large aluminum base of the iMac is flush with the desktop. In my imagination, at least, that will look very cool.

I plan to position the iMac in the center of the desk, with the Dell monitor on one side and my laptop on the other. The “legs” of the desk will be shelved pedestals: One for the printer and other storage; the other, as now, for UPSs, modem, router, and USB hub. I plan to incorporate hidden cable management into the entire arrangement as well.

Unfortunately, my workshop is in our unheated, uninsulated garage, so until the weather is significantly warmer, I won’t be doing anything except imagining this one.

The Deck

Shortly after we bought our house, I added a small deck on the front, just to the right of the front door (as you go out). It’s big enough for a few chairs, and is a nice place to enjoy a beer when the sun is on the other side of the house, as it is after noon in the spring and summer.

After 21 South Dakota winters (and summers), the redwood and cedar used for the deck is definitely showing more than “fair wear and tear.” Time to replace the decking. This time around, I’m going to use composite decking, such as Trex®. But first, I need to remove all the old boards. They were secured with 2-3/4” deck screws. I’m sure more than a few heads were stripped. This will not be a fun task.

Likewise, putting in the new boards won’t be a joy either. Composite decking generally requires predrilling, which means twice as many drill cycles as soft woods such as cedar and redwood. That’s a lot of time kneeling on a deck—even with pretty decent construction kneepads. And my back isn’t exactly the back of a 20-something anymore.

However, this job still shouldn’t take more than two or three days. I hope.