The beginning and end of the school year

In the past month since my words have graced this blog, I brought the basement project to an abrupt end and shifted gears immediately to get ready for the new school year.

The school year began with a mixed bag of optimism and trepidation on my part - optimistic about the new crop of students, a promising group of new colleagues, the introduction of Google Apps, and new curricula to implement; trepidation about a new school schedule, an end to staff meetings, and of course the looming contract negotiations.

I had 9 days of classes.  Enough to learn (most) of the kids names, introduce my subject matter, and get some of the classroom procedures in order.  In chemistry, I managed to complete 1 lab and start another.

We had 2 union meetings over this time, and the news from my union delegate was dire - hope for a settlement, but be realistic and plan on a strike.  I had been hearing for the past year about the strike possibility, and it was clear that both sides had hardened their positions in preparation for this moment.  The media and the city kept putting out hopeful comments, making it seem like a deal was possible.  However, earnest and productive negotiations began so late that a deal was not gonna happen.

With a long way yet to go, the negotiators emerged on Sunday night with news that school was officially cancelled.  (Why they had to wait until 10pm on Sunday, I have no idea.  It kept us all waiting longer than necessary)  I was officially on strike.

Back several years ago, when I was out of school and new to CPS, I had great reservations about the union.  Colleagues spoke poorly of the union and its leadership, and I saw the organization as bloated and wasteful. I was happy for all the benefits I received as a result of the work of the union in the past, but wondered, "what have they done for me lately?"

Today, I certainly do not feel that way.  So why the change?

Part of it is me.  I am a little older, and thinking more now about this career and my future.  I have more confidence today to say that I am in teaching for the long haul, and if so it makes financial sense to stay in CPS (lower pay than the suburbs but great retirement benefits).  Naturally, I have more at stake in this contract negotiation than a recent college grad would.

The other factor is a change in the union.  I work with an excellent group of teachers who care about the school and their profession.  There is a new union leadership that better reflects the feelings of the city's teachers.  We have a new common enemy in Rahm Emanuel.  We have been told time and time again that we are not working hard enough, that we are greedy, that we are the problem.  Our delegate described the union of a few years ago as a "dying beast, on its last breath."  But today, thousands of teachers are marching at locations across the city, showing solidarity against attempts to fundamentally change public education in our city.

So today, I am proud to be a part of the CTU, and to have voted to strike.  I do not profess to have all the answers, nor will I defend the union on all of its stances.  I do believe that the union provides counter-balance against the tide of misguided reform.  I do support the cause of labor unions and upholding the rights of workers, and hope that our fight will galvanize other teacher unions to fight against the privatization of education.

That being said, I hope even more to be back to work on Wednesday.

-alan

Basement update: home stretch

It is Monday night, and I now have less than 1 week of summer vacation left.  I return to work on the 20th, and have students starting the 27th.  [I have received the draft schedule and have finished one of my syllabi - things are moving on the school front.  But that is for another post]

After a healthy break from house work while in Michigan, it is time to wrap up the big tasks for this project.  Tonight I finished a good chunk of the leftover painting - the stairway, and touch-ups.  The closet doors still need paint, and touch-ups of the trim.

That leaves one big job - the ceiling.  I didn't want to sheetrock the ceiling because I want to be able to more easily access ductwork, electrical wiring, etc.  Also, hanging it on the ceiling is a bear.  Instead we bought some attractive beadboard panels that I will cut to fit.  I hope it turns out well.

We also picked up two more items for the basement today:

My dad's old chair returns to to family, after being in long-term foster care with my cousin.  It outgrew his tastes, so he offered it back to me.  It is not much to look at after all these years, but it is still comfy.  I can already feel my butt enjoying its contours come football season.

Also I ordered a dorm fridge to use in the basement.  I will put drinks in there, to free up space in our small kitchen fridge - with all the visitors, we need every inch for foodstuffs.

-alan

Summer break in Michigan

After a fun-filled summer of Millers in Chicago, it was time to get to Michigan and see the Allmens before summer ended.  We are at the tail end of our time here, so it is time to get the spotlight off the house and back on the kid.

Andrew has learned how to smile on command.  It is big, and cheesy, and reminiscently Allmen-like. 

He showed it off for the first time at the Swiss picnic - an annual get together and celebration of all things Swiss.  Think brats, kitschy t-shirts, a recorded message from the Swiss president, lots of Swiss flags, and live accordion music.  Good times.   

 

Plenty of Allmens were there - a variety of the extended family in the area.  Only Mom was there from the immediate family, though.  I guess the rest aren't cool enough to party with the Swiss.

 

 

 On Monday we took a trip to a splash park.  Andrew had lots of fun playing, just as he does in the sprinklers at home. 

He needed coaxing at times, but once he got familiar with a particular spigot he would go back again and again and again.  

The funniest part was how he would grab at the water as it squirted, but never be able to grasp them.  So he would use his sign language to beg for help.  What did he want us to do?

On Tuesday we traveled with Sharon, Jenny, and Danielle to the zoo. It has been a number of years since I was last there, but many of the sights are the same as when I was a kid. 

 Mom said a whole album could be filled with family pictures at Rackham Fountain.

Tapping into his inner predator, Andrew was drawn toward any medium-to-large animal in motion.  He could care less about the sitting camels or the sleeping tigers.  But the otters?  All over it.  Penguins?  Facinated.  Macaques?  Chased them around, squealing.

The zebras fell somewhere in the middle.  They have a unique look and fun-sounding name, so that helped them to get some ahhh's from him.
    

The giraffes came up real close, drawing all of our attention.  They were anticipating feeding time, so it was good timing on our part.  

Our last stop was the arctic exhibit. While the polar bears were not around, we lingered anyway because the AC was a welcome break from the hot sun.

We ended the day with a trip to downtown Royal Oak for bubble tea.  Rachel actually wanted an Asian fruit smoothie, but Joy Yee's-style boba just has not come to metro Detroit yet.  However, it was good nough to spur Jenny and Sharon to go with us to load up on supplies to make their own milk tea at home.

Today we rested and I did some odd jobs for Mom.  Phil and Karen are staying the night, because tomorrow morning they will go to the airport for a vacation in Hawaii.  I am pretty sure I could get by on Phil's ID, so I have to figure out how to switch with him so that I can spend 2 weeks in paradise.

-alan

Summer recap, the first 7 weeks

First off, happy anniversary to us!  I postponed our celebration of 7 years for a few days while we worked on the project (see below!).  So this past Friday we went out to Tre Kronor for a Swedish dinner out on their back patio.  It was a lovely dinner and evening, mostly for the company I had but also because the bulk of the work had been finished...

So what have I been doing all summer?  Not watching TV and filling out crosswords, I will tell you...  I finished the upstairs bath shortly after Dave and Sarah moved in at the end of June.  It turned out very well - no pictures right now, but I will try to get on that.  Once it was done, I started on the basement the very next day.

To remind you, the basement started out with concrete floors, and a combination concrete/brick wall.  The windows were glass block, and the ceiling was exposed.

Starting the first week of July, I began work downstairs.  After living in the heat box of the upstairs bath, it was welcome to spend time in the cool lower floor. 

I removed the glass block (with a sledgehammer!) to reveal surprisingly large window bays for a basement.  We had ordered sliding vinyl windows to replace the block, to help the room feel less closed-off.  It was an all afternoon and evening affair to get them installed, as I did not have the hammer drill that I needed to quickly fasten the wood bucks to the masonry opening.  Instead, I relied on a lot of muscle and a lot of drill bits.  Despite a hint of pessimism from visiting relatives, we got both windows in place by 11:30 that evening.  Though we are in a drought, we did have a few good rains and I am fairly confident they are waterproof.

The subfloor consists of Dricore tiles - squares of plywood lifted off the floor by plastic cleats.  I saw it on HGTV, and Home Depot sells it....that was enough for me.

 

Once the floor was in, I installed sheets of XPS foam to the exterior walls.  The foam insulates and acts as a water vapor.  Current research seems to have discounted the use of plastic sheets as a vapor barrier, as moisture accumulates between the exterior wall and the plastic.  But if the foam adheres directly to the wall, then there is no chance of condensation behind it.  While closed-cell spray foam is better, this was the cost effective alternative.

Next was the satisfying process of framing the walls.  We had a big delivery of lumber and drywall dropped off via enormous forklift.  Then I was able to use a donated mitre saw and borrowed framing nailer to make quick work of the process - other than navigating some peculiarities of our basement.  They corners were not perfectly square, and one wall was certainly not plum, but it was a good effort for a first-timer.  The best part?  I did not shoot myself with a giant framing nail.

Drywall also happened relatively quickly, as I had a lot of hands to help finish the work.  The nerdiest moment came when rise-over-run was measured and used to calculate the slope of the diagonal in the stairway.  The result was a piece of drywall with a PERFECT angle.

What followed was a furious 3-4 days of taping, mudding, sanding, and painting.  Becca had arrived, turning our living room into a messy college dorm room.  The chaotic state of the house necessitated fast-forwarding the process to provide additional living space.  It was terrible: hard, sweaty work that extending until 2, 3, 4am over the course of that week.  But the big push allowed us to get carpet ordered and walls painted.

The day of the carpet installation, we were working to finish painting and clean the remnants of sanding.  Unfortunately the guys showed up 2-3 hours early, forcing us to hastily clear the room and shop vac the floor. 

But hours later, the carpet was in.  And on Saturday, we cleaned from floor to ceiling and moved some furniture down.  So we still have a dorm room in the house, but at least it has moved out of sight!

The basement construction was a bear; long days eating away all the fun I would like to have over the summer.  I certainly regretted taking on such a big project in such a small time frame.  But with Rachel being pregnant again, I am sure that I will come to appreciate this space more and more as the year progresses.  Many thanks to Eric, Tom, Jake, Andy, Dan, Christine, Sarah, Dave, Stephen, Becca, and Rachel for their helping hands.  Without each of you there would certainly not be a finished(ish) basement under my feet right now.

So this project is not yet done, but major operations are complete.  What is left is manageable - trim, touch-ups, painting the doors, etc.  Oh, and the ceiling is still unfinished....but decisions about that are still being made.

For the rest of summer, we will enjoy the last few days with Rachel's brother and sister before they head off to Texas.  Then we will spend some time in Michigan with my family.  Finally back in Chicago for a week or so until I am back to work.  Well, at least until there is a teacher strike.  But hopefully not.

-alan

Project update, Day 8 (and videos)

It has been a week and a half since starting the bathroom, and the once-overwhelming task of gutting a bathroom is now coming under control.  Since my last update, I have been spending my time working on the mechanicals - the new circuits are complete, with additional lighting and outlets.  New supply lines have been run upstairs so that there will be adequate water pressure (I hope).  Yesterday I started on the shower/bath hookups, which I should be able to finish up today.  The big hold-up has been the new waste line that I have to run for the new bath.  The plan is to run the line down to the basement, parallel to the current stack.  Logistically this works out but there is limited space in the floor to plumb the trap and connections to new venting.  Rachel suggested that we use up some of the space above the drop ceiling in the main bath.  I will investigate this today, and hopefully install those drains.

Andrew has been getting very quick lately.  His walking skills have progressed considerably, so he is able to walk from room to room.  This has led to increased mischief, such as yesterday when Rachel was cooking and discovered that he had left his toys and quietly found his way to the toilet.  Yuck.  Thus begins 2+ years of chasing him around.

But he is still very cute and fun to play with.  Here a couple of recent videos.

Back to work!

-alan

Summer projects: Day 4

It is easy for my mind to get lost in these big projects.  There are a thousand little things to get done, and a few big things... and my thoughts can easily stray as I think of the other things I need to be doing.  I do not think that I am dreaming about construction yet, but I am sure that will come soon.

In the attic bath, I have nearly completed the electrical work.  I had to additional circuits, because all the current load would be too high for people living full time upstairs.  Now there should be plenty of juice to handle the A/C, computers, lights, hair dryers, etc.

The more difficult part is adding additional lighting.  I had to learn how to install recessed lighting, since the ceiling is so low and lighting woefully inadequate.  The bathroom lighting is set up, but I need to work a little more on the rest of the attic.  The bathroom fan is installed, and the necessary holes have been cut in preparation for new waste lines for the bath.

Speaking of, we do not yet have the fixtures - bathtub, shower head, vanity, toilet, faucet....but we should be able to fill that in during the next week between visits to second-hand warehouses and the big box stores.

It has not been all work; last night Rachel and I went downtown to watch a Chinese dance performance.  I received some free tickets from my school's Chinese teacher (via a student who did not want them!).  While I am not the biggest dance aficionado, the price was right and we are more cultured as a result.

And today we went to Wrigley to watch the Tigers beat up on the Cubs.  I think there were as many Tigers fans there as Cubs fans - and certainly there were more Tigers fans in the upper deck.  It was Andrew's first baseball game, and overall it was a successful trip.  He was an angel all the way through the 7th inning stretch...and he was tolerable after that.  Pictures to come.

-alan

Summer begins: Bathroom reno, Day 1 - Demo

Summer is here!

With all the time we have to spend together, whatever will our family do?

Don't stress Andrew, summer will be fun.  You probably do not remember much from last summer, but I will be home a lot more often, the weather is warm, and we will go out and do fun things :)

Last week Rachel gave me a nasty sinus infection (nice birthday present, right??) so I was knocked out for most of the last week of school.  Thankfully, most of my work was already done so I was able to sleepwalk right into summer.

Today was my first weekday off from school, and it felt pretty sweet.  No alarm (other than Andrew), a leisurely breakfast, time to Skype with Mom, a few hours of work upstairs/outside, and a walk around the block before hitting up the neighborhood ice cream social.  Ahhhh...this is the life.

But there is work to be done...

2 big projects for the summer: upstairs bath renovation, and the basement renovation.  The upstairs bath is the priority, because Sarah and Dave will be moving in at the end of the month.  It started out looking like this:

Nothing pretty, but nothing hideous.  Problem is, there is no shower/bath.  And there will be upwards of 7 people in this house at various times in the coming months, so 1 shower will not do. 

First things first: see how this place is put together. 

Much better!  The framing is solid, thankfully, and no sign of mold.  The fixtures we not worth keeping, and the drywall was nailed instead of screwed, so there were enough ugly nail pops to convince me to start over.

What's the next step?  Good question... unfortunately, I do not have as good a plan in place for the bath as I do for the basement.  I need to work hard tonight to design this place, so that I make the necessary purchases and starting piecing it back together.  The clock is ticking!

-alan