Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Trying to get some work done

I have spent most of the day trying to work on four Royal desk top machines. Two KMG and two KMM typewriters. But my workshop is once again in a state of complete disarray as I am building a new workbench. My old one was too small and the work surface was just a little too low. So I was again working on my dining room table up stairs. I don't like working upstairs as what should be a 15 minute job can stretch out into four hours. You see when I am working upstairs, I am often set upon by a pair of unruly little gremlins. To the right you will see a photo of these creatures in a rare quiet moment.
I had not been working for five minutes when they attacked. One distracted me while the other stole my screwdrivers. I no sooner retrieved that when the other somehow got his hands on the ribbon spool and strung red and black ribbon from one end of the room to the other. Fortunately it was completely dry. The female seemed to especially like chewing on the main feed roller for the KMG I was working on. It seems she is getting a new molar in. I was able to distract her with a red and yellow rubber dog bone. The male seems docile enough for the most part, but is very fond of metal bits, preferably chrome or nickel plated parts that he happens to find rolling around loose. That is why I now have a magnetized bowl to put them in.
The male is too trusting of his sister and does not watch her close enough. A while back I was working on another machine upstairs and had the platen removed so I could replace the feed rollers. I reached down to get the platen and it was not there. I looked up to find that the female was wielding it in her little hands like a club as she stealthily approached her brother. I cannot say for sure that she intended to do him in, but I think that one has an evil streak to her.
I was eventually able to get all for of the machines fully functional despite the gremlins. One of the KMMs has a sticking carriage return arm but will leave that for tomorrow. I may move operations out into the garage, weather permitting. There is no heat out there, but there are also no gremlins.
On a side note, my computer demonstrated tonight why I prefer typewriters. As I was trying to save this entry my computer decided to inexplicably close the window, losing all my work. I much prefer working with the little gremlins I can see, rather than the invisible ones that seem to live in my computer.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Here I am, against my better judgement.

After years of watching simply everyone get a blog (and I mean everyone, there are dogs out there with their own blogs now) I have decided to start my own.

I have been told on numerous occasions that I have an attitude problem, but mostly those have been people who claimed to have authority over me (parents, teachers, employers, etc). I guess that is why I am self employed. I got fed up with working for idiots and/or crooks. I have a low tolerance for stupidity. I am also not good at kissing ass.

I have a tendency to be drawn to what other people would consider archaic or obsolete technology. Record players, tube type radios and typewriters. I love typewriters. Repairing and restoring them is a hobby of mine. I do most of my writing on them too. I could throw my typewriter down the stairs and then set it on fire and it will not have lost my work. With a computer? A minor fluctuation of household current or a hidden bug downloaded from the internet and "poof" months of work could be gone. I love old cars too, but don't have the budget to collect them. I have had in the past a vintage BMW, a 1968 Rambler wagon, a 1973 Ford LTD and a couple of vintage IHC trucks.

I will probably talk a lot on those subjects and others. Things you will rarely hear me talking about here are the latest celebrity gossip or tabloid crap. I may occasionally talk politics or religion. If that offends anyone, well just don't read it. Being a proud father of twins, I will probably talk about them alot too.