Fun with Electricity

It's pretty obvious an amateur handyman lived here before us - there are a lot of things of shall we say do-it-yourself quality.  Over time, some of these items will likely find their way onto the blog.  In this entry we felt we'd share a few anecdotes about the configuration of the house's electrical system.

The breaker box is not only messy, but also completely labeled in a fashion best described as 'false'. There are two breakers labeled "Washer". When we had to turn off the circuit the washer was actually connected to, it remained powered up with both of those breakers open; neither of them were correct. We have to figure out which breaker connects to which circuit, and then probably clean up the wiring.  There are a number of circuits which don't actually connect to anything anymore - those would be logical places to start.

OK, so this isn't amateur, but can someone tell me what it is?  I'm not certain if it is power or like an old phone line or something but I'm pretty sure I don't need one in my living room. 

Finally, we have an epic tale of frustration and confusion centered around our water softener. We have a fairly old water softener that came with the house, which is good because the water here is quite hard, but it also predates the age of manuals being on the internet and the like.  It didn't seem to be working right, so we called a guy to come out and take a look at it and show us how to actually operate it. Aside from being old, he pronounced the device in perfect health.

After that, we'd hoped that everything would be peachy in the hard water department.  However, a few days later we started getting the white residue on our dishes that is typical of hard water again.  We looked in the salt bin and it was pretty apparent it wasn't actually using any appreciable quantity of salt.  It made all the right sounds and the gears of the clock turned on their own, etc, so we really couldn't figure it out.  We also adjusted the settings a few times thinking that maybe that was the problem, though when we did the math the original settings were pretty reasonable.  This went on for maybe a month or six weeks.  We manually initiated cycles every couple of days, which seemed to work.

Eventually, Ana was coming up the stairs after once again manually re-setting the clock and cycle, and realized that when she turned off the basement light, the water softener shut off. Apparently, they had the softener on the same circuit as the lights. The water softener is now working fine.  Our temporary solution has been simply to only screw in the bulb when we want light down there, and there are a number of other things that need permanent fixes before we get to that.

My question is, did the previous owners unscrew the light bulb for the past 15 or so years they've had that softener, only turn it on when they wanted it to work, did they just not realize it wasn't running?  The world may never know.

YouTube PhD Projects

We're taking mostly the same classes at the moment, the basic classes for Engineering Education (ENE). This is a very interesting department, filled with all kinds of people from very diverse backgrounds. Engineering Education wasn't something you could get a degree in until Purdue started its School of Engineering Education in 2004. Due to how young the program is, the wide-ranging interests of the faculty, the wide-open nature of what you do with a degree in this area, and the fact that we're being trained to have not just a research interest but also an ability to discuss with the public and influence policy, we get some interesting program requirements and projects.

Towards some of those desired outcomes, one of our recent class projects was to work in a group and create a YouTube video on the topic(s) of engineering and engineering education. Ana's is more informative and authoritative, while Lee's is,well, less so, but more fun.

First up, Ana's, a voice-over presentation that starts a bit slow and is geared towards high schoolers considering engineering or undergraduate students who aren't yet sure about this whole engineering thing:

Yes, Ana is the voice-over (Lee - and she did it in one continuous take)

Next, Lee's. His team wanted something memorable and funny that would have a chance of going viral amongst technical faculty, and went a bit lighter on the historical and philosophical elements.  His group cut down and re-captioned an Iron Chef episode and made one of the funniest things this department has ever seen, though some of the jokes are technical or specific to engineering education. Make sure you turn captions on if they aren't on already! If you're not sure what to do, click the square in the bottom-right corner of the video, then click on the "CC" button in the bottom-right corner. Even if you understand the Japanese, that is not what the captions say at all!

 

 Amazing, no?

Many people in the department said the Iron Prof video was probably one of the best videos in the five years they've been doing this project.  Faculty may have cried with laughter at the presentation. If you want to take a look at some more such videos, the entire list of all of the ENE videos can be found here.

The third and final YouTube video we're presenting here is from some students in a section of Honors First-Year Engineering that Lee is a part of teaching (about the Honors First-Year Engineering program he is a part of teaching), and was not done for this or any other assigned project. We think it is pretty funny as well, and put it in for your enjoyment.  Note from Lee - in my professional opinion, the class they are singing about is in fact brutally difficult and life-consuming, as it is intended to be.  They are learning so much, and are really great students that are generally a pleasure to work with.  Apparently, some can also sing.

As a final note - this is not what we do all day.  Mostly we read, write, and discuss research papers.  YouTube is not yet a professionally acceptable mode of publication for scientific discourse.  Comments that we're going to school to make internet videos may result in you being forced to read our recent literature reviews on the topics of extant K-12 engineering design cycles and the uses of intelligent tutoring systems for engineering education.  They are pretty dry.  You have been warned.


 

It's Been Awhile, Again

Well, we said posting would be minimal, and we weren't lying! We're a month in to the semester, and things are very busy. Working, reading, trying to keep some level of social life (it would be nice to know some people over the next three years) and sanity, meals...we're making sure it all gets at least sort of done, but our schedules are definitely overfull. We've been taking the bus, which gives us some time in the morning and afternoon to do something non-work related (Lee: or as also happens, more work stuff), and have been getting stuff done around the house when we can. We've had a few things going on at the same time, with some setbacks in each as happens with such things, but have finally finished the front garden!

 Starting point. Some scraggly plants, a lot of weeds, everything patchy and overgrown.

We had hoped to get a lot further with the outside areas by this point, but we've got Virginia Creepers. Some people, myself (Ana) included, react to this plant as if it were poison ivy. We learned this the hard way, and consequently did not have as much gardening (or anything else) done as we originally intended, as I was having severe allergic reactions and Lee was sick. Knowing what we wanted out of the grounds, in general, we asked for some landscaping advice from Lee's professional parents and picked up a (very full) car load of plants when we visited New Hampshire before classes started. We hoped to get things in the ground quickly, but classes started and daylight hours at home with time to spare have been minimal. We started by digging up the big things we didn't want in there and Freecycling the ones that were good but not for us. Then we outlined the desired space with some rope:

After cutting out the edge and tweaking it until we liked it, we sprayed the area with weed killer to get all the grass and other undesirables out. It took roughly two weeks before it killed what it was supposed to kill, so we waited until we had this:

Almost ready. We would need to till in some compost to make the soil better for our plants and break up the existing dead roots, but we also needed to dig up the drainage pipe that was connected to the gutter downspouts. These pipes are fairly common in this area to help rainwater drain away from the house. Ours was buried too close to the the surface (showed through in several places) and had a fairly ugly opening on the end:

For our nice 3-day Labor Day weekend, we planned to dig up the old drainage pipe, bury it deeper, till the front garden area to prepare it for planting, and maybe start putting things into the ground. That did not exactly go as planned.

We did manage to get the pipe out and re-buried. The two days we were working on this, it rained. Poured. It was very, very wet. We played in the mud anyway. The real problem was finding a second pipe system underneath the first one (were we wanted the first one to be), so after determining that the second pipe system served no purpose (Lee: I'm 99% sure it was an improperly installed French drain - tilted uphill, bone-dry on the inside during a rainstorm) we ended up digging out all of one and most of a second, since they were both in the way of planting. The first pipe runs along the entire length of the house, coming from the back gutter drainpipe to the front. Eventually, we got it all out, and back in, and the sun shone all Monday when we were back inside doing the homework we didn't do Saturday and Sunday because we were out in the mud. Of course. At least it was done, and done right, and just about ready to plant.

 Now we just needed to figure out exactly where our plants were supposed to be. We played around with a few configurations, placing the pots here and there, and Skyped home to Lee's parents to get some more input and be sure we were placing each plant in a pleasing place, far enough away from its neighbors that when they start filling in, they won't be overcrowded.

We tilled, planted, re-planted a couple that weren't quite in the right spot, and mulched. Now we just need to keep it all watered and happy, and in a year or two, we should have quite the front display!

Now to make the rest of the property look as good. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

Feline Shenanigans

The yard is coming along, but we haven't made enough progress to post about it. Instead I give you kitten shenanigans, because we've had some of those!

First off, a leash. Layla is very interested in the outside world, and must have a window available in every room to see what's going on outside or she gets antsy. While these cats are strictly indoor cats, I felt she might enjoy going outside, so I bought her a harness. The first time, she did not particularly appreciate it (and it was the only time she's scratched me):

Once we got the harness on, I had to adjust it (which she also was less than pleased with) and I let her hang out for a little bit with it on inside, to get used to it:

When she eventually stopped attacking it, we headed outside to check out the wide world of the front porch:

The encroaching trees and creepers have since been cut back

She was quite confused by this experience, and snuck from one corner to the other, trying to figure out what this new place was and why she was there. She then made her way from one step to the next, with my encouragement, and we explored the front pathway in the same crouched, halting manner:

She doesn't mind the harness now, and we head outside every so often when she's interested. She knows to stay away from the back door (which we typically use) but will run to the front door if she thinks she can go outside.

As for the little one, she likes hanging out on people's shoulders. If you're standing around, doing the dishes or talking, she'll put her paws around your leg in a request to be put up on your shoulders. Every morning before I go to work, we spend some time walking around the house together. She likes Lee's shoulders too, but he's a bit more skeptical:

Alternatively, she'll fall asleep on your feet while doing dishes or other standing-around chores, and then it's always a dilemma for me, move the cat or try to find something else to do while standing in the same spot. Lee just moves the cat.

KITTENS!

For the last year or two in Japan, any time I had something about my job or living in Japan that was particularly grating, my mantra was "X more months left, then I get kittens." We'd have to choose a place to live in Indiana that would allow pets, and since we ended up buying a house, there are no pet prohibitions. The plan was to get two kittens, preferably litter mates, so that when we're not around they have each other to play with. I went to the local pet shelter, Almost Home Humane Society, a few times to take a look at the cats and kittens available. They had a LOT of cats, and Layla, a Brown Mackerel Tabby (according to the vet), caught my eye. One of the excellent workers there took the time to help me check out Layla, who was very playful and well-behaved and nice. I've only gotten one scratch from her in the two weeks she's been here, and that was my fault. She was just over a year old, so I wanted to get a cute little kitten to be her friend.

We went back into the kitten room and started taking the kittens in with Layla, one by one. We tried a bigger male 6 month old, but Layla is a fairly small cat and was scared by the larger, more playful kitten. We tried two little black kittens, Emerald and Sapphire. Emerald was really freaked out by Layla, who just wanted to sniff hello. Lots of hissing and claws from the 2-month old, so not her. Sapphire was not exactly pleased with being put in with the larger cat, but neither was she overly upset by it. No major adverse reactions, so Sapphire was a maybe. I decided to go get Lee before making a final decision.

Fairly typical sleeping position

When Lee came, the dog visitation room was the only room that was open, and Layla was quite upset being in that room. She was very nervous and tense, and not the same cat I'd seen that morning. We tried one more little black kitten, Banzai, but she was so aggressive for a 3-month old that Layla was running from her. Sapphire it was, though Lee still wasn't sure about Layla.

The kitten needed to get spayed the next morning, but Layla could come home right away. At first, she was a bit cautious, not really sure what was going on. After exploring the house and realizing she could wander just about anywhere, she started running around the house, running into things (example: face-first into a table leg at speed) and generally being happy she was out of a cage. Lee still wasn't convinced she was a good cat (I had to go out to run some errands), so he brought her into the office in the hope that she'd calm down. By the time I got back, she was cuddled up and purring in his lap as he was working on his computer. She's pretty much his cat now and spends at least some time every day curled up in his lap while he's at the computer.

We brought the kitten home the next day and there haven't been any problems between the two of them. She seems to have two speeds, asleep and turned up to eleven and she doesn't stop purring. We don't particularly like the name Sapphire, but haven't settled on a final name yet. Princess Murderface Cuddlekins (Lee: a joke name created in Japan where Ana picked part of a name and then I did) gets thrown about, and we've been calling her "Itty Bitty Kitty" or "Terrorista" depending on her level of activity as well.

I'm very happy to have them, and especially happy that they're (for the most part) very well-behaved and smart cats. Of course, more pictures on Flickr!

Moving In

Since we were no longer going to be hiking for the summer, we wanted to do something useful and productive. We moved all of the things that were still at home as well as the stuff from Japan that was in a storage unit to Lafayette, Indiana, where we bought a house. We moved a LOT of boxes, mostly books, and mostly Lee doing the moving since I was still fairly lethargic and useless.

We put most of the things where they ought to go, though we don't have much storage space here in the main house, and bought some of the more important things. A car, a bed, a KitchenAid stand mixer, and of course, a grill:

We plan to make quite a few improvements to the house. We know we'll be refinishing the floors and painting all the walls, maybe trying to reclaim doors and floorboards that were painted over to bring back the original wood, but we haven't yet decided exactly what we'll be doing in each room and what order to do it in. The one thing that could really use some obvious work is the plant life outside:

The previous owners used a lot of plants that work well as groundcover under the mature trees, and that means a lot of plants that shoot out tendrils and spread over anything they can touch. In this case, it's everything lining the garage and pathways:

There are some daylilies, a rosebush, and other plants hiding in here!

Again, real bushes and daylilies in here!

We have two options here, either nuke it all from orbit and start anew, or pull out what we don't want and add in more of what we do want to make it nice again. Since there are a number of rosebushes, daylilies, and other plants that we like (even if they are in need of pruning and/or relocation), we're going to attempt to reclaim most of the yard. We're fans of the backyard covered in groundcover like ivy rather than grass, so keeping that and filling in the patchy areas with more ivy or other easy-care, shade-loving plants is our plan. We'll be using local Purdue resources, xeriscaping, and the Uncanoonuc Mountain Perennials downloads to help us. It'll take some time, but hopefully it'll be worth it!

Appalachian Trail, Section One

While Lee was out eating cheeseburgers, rescuing Beagles, and seeing some amazing sights, I wasn't feeling so hot. I got a ride from Standing Bear hostel to Hot Springs, NC to wait for Lee and hopefully start to feel better. He made it in good time, covering the 33 miles to arrive around 1 pm on the second day. I wasn't feeling any better, even after sleeping for hours and hours (and hours). I got a ride to Erwin, TN, the next logical town, and waited there for Lee again, this time 67 miles away and with a pile of books from the Hot Springs library book sale. We figured I could always come back in the fall to pick up those missing miles, and if Lee kept going until I could continue, we still had a chance of finishing.

 $2.50 breakfast in Erwin, $1.39 for the biscuits and gravy plus an additional egg and sausage (Lee: I was not brave enough to eat this, picture of another hiker's food)

When he made it to Erwin, I was feeling a lot better, though not great, so we slackpacked for a day. Slackpacking is when you either have your pack sent on ahead or you get a ride up the trail and walk back, with only the water, extra layers, and snacks you should need for however many miles/hours you will be out instead of your whole pack. This is a great system when you want to make a lot of miles in a day or want to take it easy but still get some miles in. I still wasn't feeling as good as I'd hoped, but I really wanted to keep going forward on the Trail.

Slackpacking - we borrowed small packs from the hostel for the day to carry the necessities

We took off the next morning from Uncle Johnny's hostel in Erwin towards the Greasy Creek Friendly, a hostel 16 miles away (after our slackpacking was accounted for). I realized a couple miles into the trek that this was not working and that it was my last day on the Trail for a while, probably for the entire summer. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck, no way was this from low iron, and I was feeling slightly feverish (again). We made it to a road about 4 miles from the hostel when it started to rain and at the rate I was going, there was no way we'd make it to the hostel before dark. We hitched a ride in the back of a pickup and he took us all the way to the hostel, a big help for me. Hitching is a lot easier when there's a female around; no cars stopped for Lee, who went on ahead to the road to look for a ride, but the first car that passed stopped when I was there even though I wasn't trying to catch their attention.

Greasy Creek was packed with hikers (the owner said it was a record), everyone trying to make it to Damascus for the following weekend for Trail Days or at least as far as they could get before finding a ride in. We were on the floor the first night due to the 21 other hikers who got there before us. Greasy Creek Friendly had a TV plus DVD/VHS player and a large selection of videos/DVDs for hikers coming through, so there was entertainment, and hot food was imported from a local restaurant.

Lee considered continuing on with the AT, since he pretty much had his trail legs by then and was easily doing 20 mile days. He decided that while finishing would be great, there was no guarantee he'd finish and since we started together, he wanted us to finish (or not) together, which ended our 2012 Thru-Hike attempt, because even if I felt better in a few weeks the schedule would be shot.

My symptoms were similar to Lyme's Disease, so we went to Johnson City to get tested. The following weekend was Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia, a place where past, present, and future 2000-milers join up and have a parade, a talent show, and a huge marketplace for gear where companies show off next year's models. I was feeling a bit worse, and staying in our tent in a huge field surrounded by the hikers who would be continuing when we wouldn't be just didn't sound like a fun time. We stayed at the hostel for a few days and then rented a car to drive the 14 hours to NH, the cheapest and fastest option for getting home.

Pretty good barbecue in TN to fuel us for the long trip ahead

As it turns out, I didn't have Lyme's, and a few days after getting from New Hampshire to Indiana to start setting up our new house, Lee got quite sick with all the same symptoms that I had and a higher fever.  I think it is safe to say that whatever this is, it is a disease and it is contagious - probably a virus (Lee: whatever this is sucks, and it doesn't go away quickly). My deepest, most sincere apologies to any hikers I may have accidentally infected! On the plus side, we can now set up our house and hopefully get some of the planned renovations in before classes start and things get crazy, even if we're not finishing the Trail due to illness.  We have plenty to do and this will make our fall a LOT easier.

Now we may be AT Section Hikers (walking the Trail over multiple years), or we may try for a Thru-Hike some other year if we have the opportunity to do so. Either way, we had a lot of fun, we learned a lot about extended backpacking (how to pack our stuff, what we actually want/use, what and when to eat for maximum performance, etc.), and we plan to go back again. We will finish it someday, but not this year.  The sorted and organized Flickr set is up, please see that for more pictures.