The hallway (and the clock).

9/7/19

(Above: The half-floored hallway of Jacobhouse.)

Building Summary: This morning began with a little bit of cattle activity and then by my filling 12 compost bags and bringing them down to the Moo-Magic stand. I next worked on Jacobhouse flooring (got to the bathroom entrance) until about 10:11 AM whereupon I ventured down to the Harbison Farmer’s Market. There, I worked on the market owner/operator’s computer for a few minutes*, got it all working, and then procured a large amount of seafood and produce. The morning was finished of by my preparing lunch and putting away the groceries.

(5:11 Update): Due to strange scheduling today, I didn’t get another chance to work on flooring, but I did get to eat a late lunch with Padre and Brimage. They had been pouring / finishing concrete for the Padre-studio and reefer-workshop all morning, and both appeared hungry when I arrived with the smoked-salmon & farmer’s market salad**. Salad is typically not the most filling affair, but with the sheer quantity of Romaine I included along with the hefty amount of smoked salmon, it made for a refreshing and satiating meal. As for other notable activities, I prepared a ‘grill plate’ for later. It consists of a couple salmon filets for Padre and I and a burger for my brother.

TIL: Today I learned how to cook salmon on the grill. Part of it has to do with method, but the main portion has to do with whether or not the fish filet is skin-on or skin-off. If it is the latter, do not grill it without using some sort of foil sheet. If it is the former, however, all one has to do is baste the grill grates with olive oil gently lay the fish over the flames, and cook it (cover closed) until the internal temperature reaches about 120 F**.

Commentary: Between performing a task that is simple, progressive, and admittedly fun (laying the grip-strip flooring); and weather that has taken a turn for the better, I’ve found this past half week to be the most enjoyable I’ve had in quite some time. To add to this, over the past four days, I’ve done my utmost best to provide myself with at least 1 hour of free time after supper at night. My daily checklist has remained almost wholly the same, yet somehow I have provided that hour. The change? Moving more quickly. I know that seems like a blanket and ambiguous solution, but the other night I was thinking to myself…

I’m usually up for at least 16 hours per day. I wanted 1/16^th of that time for freedom – computer time, reading, playing the piano, etc; and was already almost achieving that wish already. So, I worked a few numbers. How much faster would I have to move in order to provide myself with that extra hour? I know moving faster does not count for activities that last a certain amount of time (I.e. my 1+ hour creative writing time each day), but it does affect many others. Back to the calculation, though; it was simple:

One divided by sixteen is 0.0625… or 6.25%. That method might not be completely correct, I don’t know whether I should be dividing one by fifteen (fifteen being the number of intended working hours) or if I should use the percentage I obtained… But none of that matters. What I discovered was that by moving roughly 6-7% faster, I would acquire the hour I desired.

It has worked thus far.

Final Note: Tomorrow (and possibly later today if there is time), I will continue with the flooring of Jacobhouse.

* His computer was destroyed by lightning in a recent thunderstorm. So, I set up the new one with USB devices (mouse / keyboard), got it connected to the internet, and also plugged his DSL cables in a way that routed them through his surge protector. This all took less than 15 minutes.

** A salad comprised almost solely of ingredients procured at Harbison Farmers Market.

***Always good to stop a little early on the internal temperatures when cooking meat, because it cooks for a few minutes after being pulled of the grill / pan, usually rising another 5-10 degrees.