Flaming Lips are awesome

They put on a similar show to that you would have seen in the seventies, unbelievable. Side by side comparing 70s footage to todays HD screens is pretty amazing.

Lawnmower

I brought home an old reel push mower from my farm at Easter. The lawn mower looks like it is at least 30 years old, but I would guess closer to 50. When I brought it home it didn't work, so I popped off the side coverings, cleaned them out, and sprayed the gears with WD40. Then I loosened some screws and the blades started to turn again!

Unfortunately the blades were not sharp, so I took them to a great place on Catherine street to have it sharpened. They also oiled it up while it was there and it works like brand new! The transformation is amazing, and all it cost was $25 to have it tuned up. Now, if only my grass would grow so I could cut it.

Johnny Farina

Last night I went here for drinks with a friend. I have trouble remembering which wines I like so I will try to keep track of any new ones I have. I had a Catarratto which I had never tried before, it was far too dry for my liking so I probably won't have it again. I followed this with a Riesling, but it was too sweet.

Wedding dress alterations.

I bought my wedding dress at a sample sale and need to get some alterations done. A woman from the store I bought the dress from ball parked the job at $200, but I have since decided I want more work done so it will be expensive. The dress itself wasn't very much so I don't see why the alterations should be. I'm planning to meet with some local seamstresses to see if they can do the work for me. I personally love sewing and wish I could do this myself, but I think I better leave it to someone with a little more experience than me.

I actually sewed a rip in Mike's hockey bag today which I was extremely proud of. I love my sewing machine.

Cleaning tarnished brass.

One of the little projects I have been working on lately is polishing our old house numbers and mailbox. In an attempt to save money I wanted to clean the existing ones and not just go out an buy new ones. So I bought some Brasso about a month ago.

I tried using the brasso and saw little results, but it was still a little chilly outside so I think that might have affected my results. I didn't really like using the brasso because I didn't want to get it on my skin and I used a lot of paper towel.

So I waited a couple of weeks until the temperature got warmer, around 7C, and tried again. This time I just dripped some on the mailbox and left it for a bit. It definitely got the mailbox clean but only in the spots. So I had a somewhat polka dotted-wavy line design on my mailbox, no good.

So feeling like I had failed, I decided today that I would search the internet for some more solutions and came up with this one:

Worked like a charm! I tested out lots of household ingredients today and they all seemed to work, to varying degrees. These included: vinegar, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and Worcestershire. I know some of these sound crazy, but they work! They are all somewhat acidic and that is what you need to remove the oxidation. So put any of those on and leave them for a little bit then come back and scrub off the grimy stuff. I used steel wool which lightly scratched the surface, so you may want to use a less abrasive cloth.

Now my numbers and mailbox look great and I am super proud of them! I think this shows that I am caring for the house and would potentially increase my asking price if I were looking to sell.

My old house.

I bought an old house back in Sept 09 and have been learning so much about house renovations ever since. Everyday comes with new challenges and issues. Once of our latest escapades has involved a plumbing leak that resulted in the removal of the ceiling in our laundry room/hallway on the main floor. Currently we are waiting for new drywall to be installed and it's been about a week. I think the best way to handle situations like this is to be calm and enjoy the unexpected. You can't let things like this stress you out, because you probably already have too much on your plate already.

Also, my New Year's Resolution for 2010 was to provide more feedback on the internet, which I have been trying to do. I feel that if I am always reading other people's reviews before I buy anything, I should contribute and return the favour. It's kind of like downloading, nobody likes leachers. But not everything gives you the option to leave feedback, so I see this blog as a way to help other people out.