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Do it Yourself!

Busy busy gumdrops.

In a moment of lucid stupidity, I demolished a fireplace and a chimney in my house. (I actually had to dismantle the mantle, which was the most appropriate use of that word I've ever encountered) Anyway, if you're tempted to do the same, a little foresight will reward you. For starters, if you demolish something that runs from below floor level to above the roofline, you end up with a hole in your ceiling and a hole in your floor. Aha! It's true.

Anyway, I've spent the last few days away from the office busily replacing walls, floorboards, ceilings etc. Lots of fun. And man, I may be the most untalented handyman in the galaxy, but it's still fun. My approach to handyman work is much like my approach to programming - a series of small hacks: Hey - that thing doesn't quite fit... um, what if I wedge this lump of chewing gum and straw in that hole... hey that seems to sit right.. okay, looks good - glue the whole thing together, shove the remaining screws (that were supposed to go somewhere) under the couch, and hey presto! all done...

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to install a skylight, which may involve me climbing into the ceiling cavity armed with my 19 dollar angle grinder. Curious, If not downright dangerous...

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