C Note(s)

Entry 8, Day 348. Almost my anniversary for my move-in date here to #BastionofBayne - I'm excited and disappointed simultaneously. The first time I did my walk-through with my realtor, Julie, that my gut was telling I should buy this property. I still feel that excitement almost a year later. After I purchased the house, and walked in as the homeowner on 7/7/16, I was inspired! I'm adulting now! I'm a grip disappointed because even after all the sweat equity I've put in over the past year, there still yet so much more I want to accomplish. There were a few initial items I wanted to take care of aside from the usual forwarding of my address, etc. Name this address as a check-in on Facebook Select a motif for the entire house Create a mantra The reason for the check-in on FB is I've done this previously so why break precedence? The reason for the motif for the house is simple: It's the vision statement, like a corporation. If you have a motif,...

Entry 7, Day 225 . Been more than a few days since work has continued at #BastionofBayne - due to working at the warehouse and split days off. However, I'm fast discovering that I'm needing to decide what work is necessary and simply just finishing touches that would be nice (if at all). Also I'm learning that the downstairs will be (is) the most difficult to tackle. Once I'm able to start work on the upstairs it will seem like a cake-walk! So I'll just keep digging on the downstairs until it's at a point of stability. 'los; out #FunctionalNOWPrettyLATER #sweatequity #BastionofBayne #elbowgrease #homeTLC #keepdigging

Entry 6, Day 211 . My mantra for the house, which I've titled Bastion of Bayne, was a damn good idea. Functional Now, Pretty Later I knew if I had a slogan, a motto, a mantra, a statement, like that, I would have an objective that would drive all of my decisions on home improvement. In my experience if I have the power of that, then I'll be alright. I also decided that I wanted to document my progress with writing, photography, and videography since I like benchmarks of success. I created a sub-journal within C Note(s) as Bastion of Bayne Journal for the writing aspect. On my YouTube Channel, I created a playlist for videos (and photography) of Bastion of Bayne. I digress . A few weeks ago I was able to truthfully say all the items that should be working are now working. In my previous entry, I lied when I stated that Phase I - Functional Now was complete! You see, the GFI's in the kitchen would wired incorrectly so all the outlets on the same circuit as tho...

Entry 5, Day 54 . Monster day of productivity yesterday!! In fact, two victories to close out Phase I - Functional NOW, Pretty LATER. The initial pantry area was plumbed and wired as the laundry room (see previous Entry 3 for details) Here is a picture summary of the preparation of the area to be converted into back into a pantry ... After my self-assessment, and brief discussion with the general contractor that got this place up to financing standards for Washington State, I felt confident in moving forward with my plan to relocate the washer and dryer aka laundry center into the garage. For several reasons 1) reclaim a pantry for dry goods 2) in the unlikely event of equipment failure the water and/or other fluids or whatnot will be contained to the garage, and/or running down the driveway instead of the hardwood floor that's taken a beating anyways. 3) the noise can be mitigated better out in the garage than inside a closet. I talked to the MM Comfort Sy...

Entry 4, Day 44 .  I crept downstairs early this morning so I could indulge in a guilty pleasure of mine... Review the mess that my party was left behind. The kitchen The dining area The living room Plus the Seahawks pop up, Watershed banner, and Mike's table outside. We said goodbye to the final guest much earlier than I wanted but it is what it is. This was always a sign of an epic party! We didn't have everything functional but as I predicted; it didn't matter. They wanted to see the house and more importantly my happiness. I was so grateful for the show of support and participation.  My sincere hope it was a great primer for future parties at B.o.B. I'm confident it was. I learned so much from party prep, and then certain functionality and layout. I'll know what to do better next time. Speaking of which, until next time ... #BastionofBayne #notmoveinready #elbowgrease #sweatequity #homeTLC #keepdigging

They say freedom isn't free, that there's always a cost. I couldn't agree more. Several years ago, I was freed from a prison I didn't know I was in or could see. You can't spell freedom without freed. 8 years ago on 4th of July weekend, I visited my friends in Phoenix. They invited me down after hearing news of my impending divorce. Since my pity party had lasted months up to this point, I accepted their offer, if only to escape the situation for awhile. Prior to my trip, I designed a tattoo, and had it put on. In retrospect, I honestly believe I've always had this tattoo underneath my skin and on my soul and it simply hadn't manifested itself, yet. Keyword: yet. Up until this point, again, there was no catalyst. It wasn't freed. Well after my wife had dropped a bomb on me mid-March, that all changed. So with my design, and $100 aka C Note, I drove to the nearest tattoo parlor. I explained to the artist, that I didn't want a tattoo until I had so...

Scars usually have a story, don’t they? Some good, some bad, some happy accidents, and some heart-breaking stories. If you’re ever spent any time around me, invariably, I’ll utter the words, “Keep digging.” The following is the origin story of my scar on my left calf and my tattoo that's above it. It was a summer day of my senior year in high school in 1994. I was having a blast with my new mountain bike in the summer sun. Up until I was miles away from my home. I jumped the bike off the sidewalk and in a downhill direction. As I landed, the plastic pedals shattered, and my legs jarred the asphalt hard as my groin slammed into the bracing bar. As I grappled for control of my bike, I crashed hard into a faded mustard yellow Ford Pinto. Without a helmet or any other protective gear, I blacked out on impact. When I was conscious again, I startled myself again with questions I couldn’t possibly answer.   What happened? How long was I out? What am I gonna do now? Af...

For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: "It might have been!" - Bret Harte Funny thing is this is a parody of the Maud Miller  (1856) poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier! At any rate, I designed a plan, executed it perfectly, and still had unplanned results which some were welcomed and others not so much. What was the plan? From The Hunt for Red October (1990): I'm not saying I'm Russian, but I usually don't act without a plan. Ask anyone who knows me. Since I decided to not take a self-guided photography tour of  Central Washington, and the Palouse area specifically, my time away from the office would need to be optimized if I wanted to feel relaxed. I changed gears to make it a productive staycation. The past days I've spent focused on organizing, and packing my crib. Yes, it's only a one bedroom apartment but it wasn't fully moved in therefore some aspects of it were a hot-damn mess. As of yesterday afternoon, ...

UGH. I did myself the disservice of looking at the mirror I was naked. Nobody needs to see that, let alone me. In the morning. Before coffee (BC) Cher and I jokingly said that any events or decisions before coffee / caffeine most likely will be nullified. I had 3 epiphanies on our trip; all after one cup of java joy. We also reference B.C. as Before Cher / Before Carlos, meaning the time before we met each other and found love.  I digress.  As I was admiring (more criticizing) what I saw, I wanted to set out to change that. I’ve attempted several times already. Each time ended with frustration and disappointment. I reviewed each attempt with a lessons-learned-what’s-my-takeaway. You see, I’ve done this before. I wanted big guns, and broad shoulders – check and check. Now I want a flat stomach as I’ve had before so I know it’s possible. Talking with my love, Cher, we agreed we needed a goal, an arbitrary point in time, a bookend to the effort. While I agree with th...