It was one year ago today that I took my moribund 4-year-old Web site, and turned it into this blog.
Category: Life with Pratts
No Buddy From Netflix
On a whim I checked the free Video On Demand offerings on FiOS TV, and spotted a movie with the description “Norwegian comedy” so, what the heck, I pressed OK. The movie is a serio-comic romance from 2003, called Buddy. Carol and I really enjoyed it.
Netflix has both the DVD and the option to play Buddy online, but sitting together in front of the computer isn’t an option, and getting video from the computer to the TV is an annoying and unreliable process. Fortunately, getting TV to the computer is much easier, so here’s a 3-minute scene from Buddy, as played on FiOS TV V-O-D.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/SEP07/Buddy.flv 400 300]
Watching Plasma
Look what arrived today from my dad for my birthday, which is coming up soon. A very cool plasma globe! Eric says he’s always wanted to have one of these, so we’re going to share it. It responds to touch and, when the audio switch is set, sound. Thanks, Dad!
Pratt Porch Project – Day 14
The insulation is in and the blue board is going up.
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Pratt Porch Project – Days 12, 13
Day 12 was exclusively more shingling on the outside. I won’t post pictures of that until it’s done. Day 13 had another unplanned improvement. The sliding glass door has been replaced. We did it for a variety of reasons. First, it was 30 years old and we knew it would need replacing eventually. It would be more expensive and much more difficult to do it later. And although we thought it was working all right, occasionally it got off its track, and it never operated completely smoothly in the nine years we’ve lived here. Once it had been removed it was obvious that one of the wheels was broken.
Click to enlarge
I’ve included a picture of the new living room window that’s nine inches narrower than the original. Some of the wallpaper had to be removed to get it ready for the finish work, and the next thing we knew the decision was made to remove ALL of the wallpaper! So I stripped the wall, took down the custom drapes that came with the house, and pulled out all of the mounting hardware. I’ll strip the rest of the living room, wash off the glue, and paint it whatever color Carol wants.
Purgatory Chasm Charm
Yesterday, we hiked the poor man’s Grand Canyon, Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, Massachusetts. That sure looks like me in that picture, but as far as I know it isn’t. I grabbed it from here. But I own a green cap, gray t-shirt, and green shorts just like those. Weird.
Purgatory Chasm is a fun and free excursion. But be careful! It can be dangerous. Stay on the blue trail and you’ll be through it, and back along the rim, in less than an hour.