Walt's Corner

We tried our hand at painting our house and love the result. Every house in our neighborhood (some would argue the city) starts off as some sort of dirty tan, brown, or beige. Appropriate for the area I suppose, and we lived with it for 14 years now since the house was built. It was time to do some repair to the stucco. Pieces ripped off by the lawn mower’s wheels. Cracks from the sun. A couple months ago, we decided we’d paint, but we also didn’t want to paint in 11oº weather. We learned and gathered our materials and waited for the right time and temperatures.

After reviewing different spray painters I decided on the Avanti Paint, Primer & Stain Sprayer from Harbor Freight and bought an additional 50-foot spray hose so I wouldn’t be moving it more than one time per side. Through some magical coupon and event timing I ended up getting the sprayer for around $140 – a substantial savings from the regular $250 regular/$199 cyclic sales. Through the years a sprayer definitely would have come in handy. I see future yearly uses with it as a stain/sealer sprayer for our cedar fence boards. You literally spend more time taping off what you don’t want painted than you do spraying paint.

We spent last weekend repairing the walls. Filled in the small cracks with caulking. Repaired the spots where small chunks of stucco fell out. Sealed new stucco. This past weekend we shot the paint. We chose Valspar Sparkling Sage (flat) for the main color and complemented it with Mother of Pearl for the pullouts and trim. Having painted our porch/patio after we added it to the house, I can tell you what a game changer using a sprayer is. It cuts off literal hours from your job. I believe our total cost was $1300 for all sprayer/parts/supplies and a weekend of labor.

Cooked my first of 20 pounds of Honduras La Peña Denilson Madrid Pacas from Sweet Maria’s Coffee. These are the type of notes I take for the first few roasts of a new origin providing me a good idea of where I’m at later for reference while I cook. Establishes a baseline.

My roaster is a Behmor AB 2000+. Also, the first time I’ve roasted over a pound. Usually divide up my pounds and discard the remaining miniscule overweight grams. This time I decided to absorb the overweight into my standard 20 bags of 453 grams, bringing the total weight of each bag to about 465 grams (2 of the 20 bags had 464 grams). If using more than a pound would have unwanted results I would have lightened the cooks back down to 453 grams.

Also note you will not see the same results on another Behmor as exact voltage, ambient temperature, and individual component variables within the unit affects the end result. I know the temps reported are not scientific, but I use them for my own reference. For those unfamiliar with the Behmor temperatures, A is the exhaust and B is the wall of the chamber. Not bean temperatures.

Pre-cook weight: 465 grams (1 Pound setting).

Profile: P1, which sets the cook time to 18 minutes.

Cook time remaining at 1st crack: 2 minuets, 7 seconds.

Reset the cook clock at this time, which takes the time back up to 3 minutes, 10 seconds remaining.

1st Crack Temps a/b: 331/270.

At 15 seconds left to the cook I decided to add 15 more seconds to the cook and then let the clock run out and begin the 12 minute cooling cycle. This ends up being my perfect cook, putting the beans just beginning to enter 2nd crack.

Cooling temps at the time batch enters cooling cycle: a/b: 345/285.

Although the heat has been terminated and the cooling cycle has begun, temperatures within the chamber continue to rise a bit before actually cooling. The peak temps during cooling cycle a/b: 347/307.

After-cook weight: 389 grams.

All in all, this was a smooth first roast and I’m happy with the results, especially given the added weight. Sadly, I won’t be tasting this particular batch until next week.

Yeah, so I did a thang. I upgraded both iPhones and iPad to 17. To be honest, the only difference I see right off the bat is the plus (+) button to the left of my keyboard input to select photos or camera, or this new thing called stickers. Whatever the fuck that is. Stickers must be all that stupid shit I see polluting my various timelines. FATS.

I do like the new Earth Detail wallpaper. Shows where I’m at on my wake screen on this big island Earth in relation to where the sun shines. Or doesn’t. In case I forget where I am. Thanks Apple. Might come in handy if I’m ever turned into a vampire. Get a visual of just how much time/space I have before those devastating sun rays start to boil my skin.

That new Standby thing might be cool. If I charged my iPhone by plugging into the port and balancing it standing on its side. Who the fuck does that? Mine lays down flat. On a wireless charger. Every night.

Something something about locking in private browsing mode or something. I quickly continued through those screens the first time I opened Safari. At least none of my normal usage so far has broke. In my nuts shell, everything still works, so… yay

ABC 7, KOAT, in Albuquerque reports on a vile racist rant that went viral on the tic tocs. Just goes to show how this type of shit happens on a regular basis. Daily, I’m sure. I can recall being with some hispanic friends in the early 90s in southern Georgia and being witness to some fool mouthing off similarly. What’s different about today is the proliferation of video recorders in the hands of common folk in the form of cell phones.

Money quote is the update in their article. Someone claiming to be the lady (a non-deserving title to be sure) in question, who said there was a “misunderstanding of context.” Sure lady. The correct context would put it all in a different light, you poor example of what a good person should be.

On another note, dissimilarly, with the proliferation of cameras in everyones’ hands there has not been an uptick in proof of alien videos.

You head of the Georgia mom who is accused of plotting to kill her husband while in the Bahamas?

Couple thoughts. For starters, the court let her out on bond, but she must stay in the Bahamas. Well fuck. That’s the worst punishment they could think of? I kid. I kid. I know. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

Speaking of proven guilty, defense lawyer’s main strategy is to say the only proof they have is a text message and that won’t cut it. And if they win? Goddamn. Wouldn’t that be the most awkward flight home? I’d ask for a seat by the emergency door with parachute in hand. And some no-doze. I ain’t going to sleep with a wife that wanted to kill me nearby.