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« VOTE! | Main | Gonads and Strife »

March 04, 2002

Cities in Dust

I am so damn handy. Today, I replaced a messed up sensor light which hangs on my garage. Turned the power off and everything. Then I replaced a fixture in the kitchen, and turned my sights on this area under the kitchen window where nothing will grow.

I "planted" 30 pounds of black river stones over the dirt, until I can think of something better to put there.

I was so damn handy around the house, I told my wife to turn on the porno music, because I was comin' inside, "to get a drink".

Well, it's all true except that last part. I wasn't coming in for a drink! Oh yeah! Yeah baby! Woo!!

Wait. Wait.

That's not true, either. I came in for a sandwich, and then we went back to Home Despot for more hardware and stuff.

See, the thing is, we've lived in our house for 2 years, and we haven't taken care of any of the things we said we'd take care of when we moved in: the lawn still looks like shit, the ugly wood paneling is still on the walls in the living room and family room, and the ugly brass lamp hangs over the dining room table.

But all of that is about to change. Thanks to the sense of empowerment we got today when I hung that damn light fixture, all by my self, in my big-boy pants, Anne and I have made...A List(tm).

That's right, folks, A List(tm). On this list is everything we want to do to our house, how much it will cost, and when we're going to work it out.

Next on the list? Rent a roto-tiller, tear up the ugly-ass lawn, rake out the lumps, dig trenches, install sprinklers, and lay down sod.

Sounds expensive, doesn't it? It's not. We can do the whole thing for about 50 cents a square foot, total. Because we're doing it ourselves, we'll be saving literally thousands of dollars (which we don't have, anyway...but I'm hiring Arthur Andersen as my new accountant...I'm an overnight millionaire!)

Once that is done, we will focus our attention on the ugly 1970s-homemade-porn-backdrop-style wood paneling which is currently offending all standards of good taste by hanging in not 1, but 3 rooms in our house.

There's a rumor that I'm going to have Gallery up and running very, very soon, as well...so that means lots of before and after pictures of our rooms...and pictures of my handyman butt crack.

Posted by wil at March 4, 2002 06:32 PM
Comments

"big boy pants"

hee...that makes me laugh so.

Posted by: Gen at March 4, 2002 06:38 PM

OMG! It's Wil, the Refrigerator Repairman! :) Way to go, amigo. Lists (TM) are the only way to go.

Posted by: colin at March 4, 2002 06:40 PM

Wil, you should really get out more.Way to excited over chores.

Posted by: Cline at March 4, 2002 06:40 PM

Last time I put on *my* Big Boy Pants, it cost me a couple hundred dollars and a great deal of dignity. Note to self: tiling floors while mildly inebriated is a Bad Idea (TM).


~ j.

Posted by: jbarn at March 4, 2002 06:41 PM

Yeah, tear down that nasty paneling... then you can put up some crushed red velvet wallpaper. :P

I wouldn't go posting the buttcrack pics tho, you might get a few people hot...

Good luck on the home improvement.

Posted by: AMStrange at March 4, 2002 06:43 PM

Dude, If I call you, can you come fix these dorms? They blow ass.

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Posted by: JenniferInLubbock at March 4, 2002 06:47 PM

Wood panelling is hella ugly.... it was the first thing we removed when we moved in here over a decade ago.... the second thing we did was re-paint over the shit apple green walls that filled 95% of the house.... God.... the 70's had some fucked up interior designers.

Posted by: KarinAoi at March 4, 2002 06:48 PM

I'm jealous of being able to tackle this stuf in farken Feb!
In Colo, we're finally warming up from a couple days high temps of 10. That's in Farenheit too.
Well, I'll just have to strap on the skis instead.

Posted by: Ika at March 4, 2002 06:48 PM

1) when Wil rights funny stuff, I'm reminded of Dave Barry

2) Does wil even know how to use a rottotiller?

Posted by: ESpark at March 4, 2002 06:49 PM

Yay! The gallery! Let's have a party.

Hey! I have wood paneling on my house...

Posted by: Aura Borealis at March 4, 2002 06:49 PM

My mom was talking about renting a rototiller just today. Wow. What a coincidence. Maybe we have psychic connections. Maybe not. O.o What?

Posted by: Aura Borealis at March 4, 2002 06:51 PM

ESpark... I think a better question is has Wil even SEEN a rototiller.... and if he has seen one... how likely is he to run himself... or poor Ferris over with it.

Posted by: KarinAoi at March 4, 2002 06:52 PM

I wish we owned a house. We move too much. Dammit, I wish we could settle down.

Oh man, I'm starting to sound cranky.

More caffeine, NOW.

Posted by: Courtney at March 4, 2002 06:52 PM

And I thought my wife was the only one who ever referred to it as "Home Despot."

Posted by: Ritachu at March 4, 2002 06:53 PM

what's a rototiller?

Posted by: JenniferInLubbock at March 4, 2002 06:53 PM

He He He you said Crack!!!

Way to go- you do that handyman thing!At least your doing stuff around your house, my hubby uses his job as an excuse to not help- well most of the time, he does try sometimes

Posted by: Andie G. at March 4, 2002 06:54 PM

and after you take down your nasty a. wood paneling, my address is....

Posted by: pavegirl at March 4, 2002 06:56 PM

Did Wil just say he was hung like a garage?? or am I not reading it right.

ROFLMAO

Posted by: Cherish at March 4, 2002 06:58 PM

I've got one of those lists. It's one of those lists where the more things you cross off the list, the longer it gets.

Posted by: Evan Olson at March 4, 2002 07:05 PM

You could always call up the folks at TLC and ask to be on "Trading Spaces." Then they could re-do your house for you... in *cough* wonderfully tacky bold colours and plywood fixtures. Just hide your ceiling fans....

And speaking of rototillers... last year I was working in this office in downtown Indianapolis, and I was in the copier room making a fax, and I looked in the corner, and there it was... a rototiller. And it had dirt on it.

Two things came to mind at that point... Who would need a rototiller in the middle of downtown Indianapolis, and why is it in the copier room?

Weirder yet, was that no one in the entire office could explain just why there was a rototiller in the copier room...

It's probably still there.

Posted by: kendoka at March 4, 2002 07:05 PM

LOL kendoka, I was gonna mention Trading Spaces but ya beat me to it! Would be funny if he got Hilde... he'd wind up with puke green vinyl walls and hay on the floor...

Posted by: Thumper at March 4, 2002 07:12 PM

kendoka...word on the ceiling fan thing.

Posted by: Gen at March 4, 2002 07:14 PM

I've never seen anyone with such a...THING against ceiling fans before! She always takes them down and replaces them with some tacky home-made light fixture... even when the homeowners say, "Leave the ceiling fan alone." But she doesn't. AURGH! Just leave the goshdarned ceiling fan alone! It was probably there for a reason!!! (;

(This is what happens when one winds up home sick for a whole week....)

Posted by: kendoka at March 4, 2002 07:21 PM

Wood paneling. I'm still in denial about my experience.

And good call on the Dave Barry comparison.

Posted by: jerhanner at March 4, 2002 07:22 PM

wow! i cant wait for the gallery! i got all excited the other day when there was a link to the pic of the bird feeder! i clicked it, saw it, and got way too happy! then i clicked the gallery link, and it didnt work, and i was mightily dissappointed (does anyone else have NO idea how to spell that? i never do)
so yeah...im excited for that, except for the handyman butt crack...thats never sexy...not even on you wil!
anyway
must be going, as the thought of seeing that posted on the internet for the world to see and mock is making me ill, and i need to rest my head!
oh well...i love you anyway wil!
colleen~

Posted by: colleen at March 4, 2002 07:24 PM

Ohhhhhh.... kendoka... sick or not you gotta watch TS on March 9. The home owners from the one that will air then are *pissed.*

Posted by: Thumper at March 4, 2002 07:35 PM

how do you know this kendoka?

Posted by: Cherish at March 4, 2002 07:44 PM

++++++++++++++++++

Ok, lets not be dissing the wood paneling. That covers one wall in my living room. And the other 3 walls are light green.

Next I suppose you all will be making fun of the blue SHAG carpet in my bedroom and guest room.

Well I guess I should next get me some of that indoor plumbing and electricity but at least not until they pave the road to my house.


Which paragraph am I lieing about?

Posted by: Keith in Montana at March 4, 2002 07:45 PM

DAH! I mean, how do you know this Thumper!!!

*geesh*

Posted by: Cherish at March 4, 2002 07:46 PM

Wil,

This is too funny!

One, the fact that you and Anne are working on your "List" tm... I am an obcessive list-maker, and I drive my husband nuts. We've painted our entire house, put in new carpet, built shelves - all the good stuff. We're not nearly done, but the place is looking pretty sharp. I have a pretty good selection of power tools, and I'm not afraid to use them!

Two, guess what the next contest on worth1000 is? Take somebody famous, and put them in a "day job." Well, before I read your post tonight, I had dinked around with a few ideas, then decided to go back to my own unglamorous roots. I had a painting company in college. Paid the bills, but it was hard work. So, my next entry on worth will be...... Wil Wheaton as a House Painter! (It's 10:44 PM on the East Coast, and the contest doesn't start til tomorrow, so you'll have to wait to see how you look in white overalls, with blue and yellow paint smudges on your face!)

I probably won't win. But, if you need any "Harry Homemaker" hints on painting, let me know. I'm a semi-pro!

(Oh, glad you turned the power off before you did your electrical work. We lose a lot of newbies that way.)

Corky

Posted by: Corky at March 4, 2002 07:50 PM

What are you going to do with Jimmy Hoffa's body when you find it?

John McGregor

Posted by: John McGregor at March 4, 2002 07:54 PM

"Ohhhhhh.... kendoka... sick or not you gotta watch TS on March 9. The home owners from the one that will air then are *pissed.*"

Alas! I'll have to catch that one on the re-runs... I'll be in ENGLAND, working off my jet-lag. (;

"how do you know this kendoka?"

How do I know what? The ceiling fan thing? Because in the eight episodes I watched (I was home sick for a week, mind you...) she took down every ceiling fan she encountered... even when this one couple said, "We really don't want anything done with the ceiling fan. We like it." But she messed with it anyway... and BROKE it!!

What did I say? Leave the ceiling fans ALONE!!! (;

Posted by: kendoka at March 4, 2002 08:00 PM

Didn't you know? Hoffa is hangin out with Kennedy and Elvis...

oh, and Tupac.

It's all VERY hush-hush.

Posted by: AMStrange at March 4, 2002 08:01 PM

See, Star Trek did give you some good training.. :)

Posted by: DrArkaneX at March 4, 2002 08:05 PM

the thought of tv's wil wheaton being allowed near gasoline powered lawn tools is downright frightening.

Posted by: jbay at March 4, 2002 08:12 PM

My husband and I (well my husband anyway) did the same thing to our backyard. It took him two days to rototill it. He borrowed his friends, so that didn't cost any money. All we had to pay for was the sod. 300 bucks later, we had a pretty damn nice looking yard. Make it into a guy party (alchohol of course) and you can have a new yard in a weekend. That is, of course, as long as you wait until your done to start drinking. Otherwise, it might take you a month. Good luck!

Posted by: Robin at March 4, 2002 08:15 PM

oh yeah, tv's wil wheaton, a rototiller, AND alcohol

I'll sleep much better now, thank you

Posted by: jbay at March 4, 2002 08:21 PM

Wil, after you're done, wanna come over and paint our house? The previous owners painted it so that it looks like an easter egg exploded inside it, I kid you not.

But at least we don't have wood paneling to deal with!

Posted by: Toonces at March 4, 2002 08:33 PM

Crack kills.

Posted by: Kman at March 4, 2002 08:33 PM

the nice thing about having the wood paneling in the house is you can re-enact those Calvin Klein ads, shoot some polaroids, and sell them on ebay.

Posted by: jbay at March 4, 2002 08:43 PM

I'm not worried about the rototilling. It's the potential use of hand held power tools that has me concerned.

Posted by: Fred Fowler at March 4, 2002 08:44 PM

If you dont fix that gallery soon, I will put a curse on you, and you will forever be haunted by homosexual space hampsters, and a dead otter named Bill.

Posted by: Malone at March 4, 2002 08:47 PM

I'm trying not to think about interior decorating, anymore...

They're doing renovations in my building... and didn't tell us they'd be doing it until after we'd all signed our contracts. (Fricking residence hall directors... they have no respect for graduate students, either.)

They're doing demolition work, ripping out all of the pipes, doing a complete HVAC, replacing the roof, and ripping out tons of asbestos.

You'd think we'd at least get a discount or a gas mask or something... d:

Posted by: kendoka at March 4, 2002 08:47 PM

Wil, Wil, Wil....

You're about to take that first step on the slippery slope of "fixin' things up." Trust me on this Wil -- you *will* find yourself at odd hours wandering through Home Despot, slobbering over 3/4-inch wood screws and debating the strengths and weaknesses of different brands of dry wall with Anne... and getting into a heated discussion with the Nail Aisle service person over the relative merits of different kind of brads.

I can't wait to hear about your adventures in the unfinished shelving aisle and the kitchen redesign center! :)

When we lived in Denver we practically knew all the tile aisle specialists' names and their food preferences by heart we went there so often!

I envy you young Wheaton -- setting forth on your earliest missions of Home Improvement. Spudspeed and damn the rototillers!

Seriously -- welcome to the Home Despot fraternity. You're no longer a casual visitor...

Posted by: SpaceWriter at March 4, 2002 09:01 PM

First of all...

Home Despot?

hahahahaha

And second...two porn references in one post? Does the wife need to start putting salt petre in your dinner?

:D

Posted by: Kakaze at March 4, 2002 09:19 PM

speaking of the house, what happened to the mice or did I miss that episode of WWDN?

Posted by: Jodilyn at March 4, 2002 09:22 PM

Does assembling furniture count as being "damn handy"? I've put together a bookcase and a futon in the last day, all with minimal use of four-letter words and NO BUTTCRACK "INCIDENTS". I'm particularly proud of that as you can tell. So, the bookcase has books on it and the futon has a cat on it, just as we figured would happen.

I've been in a Home Despot exactly once. That was enough. Of course, I have an apartment, not a house, so I may be biased. Owners tend to hate unauthorized home improvements!

Posted by: John the transplanted nebraskan at March 4, 2002 09:23 PM

IF you ever complete the list, you did better than anybody else, but won't. It's a never ending job. Good luck anyway.

Posted by: Tony at March 4, 2002 09:26 PM

IF you ever complete the list, you did better than anybody else, but won't. It's a never ending job. Good luck anyway.

Posted by: Tony at March 4, 2002 09:26 PM

IF you ever complete the list, you did better than anybody else, but won't. It's a never ending job. Good luck anyway.

Posted by: Tony at March 4, 2002 09:26 PM

I was chuckling along the entry until my work weary eyes pounced on this;
"...and pictures of my handyman butt crack."
Then I woke my family up with my manic laughing.
Damn you boy!

As for renovations...I've painted 4 rooms in my house- a fireplace (mom thought grey was too dull-the stone fireplace had to be white..) and pulled up carpet in 3 rooms- one being a wood floor underneath..

all that work and it's not even mine....

thanks mom.

Good luck Wil

Posted by: MissKittyFantastico at March 4, 2002 09:32 PM

Bravo, Wil you've got a "list", now get busy. hehe
My Dad used to make lists for us kids to do, of
course these were things he would never do
himself but, if we were there they would have to
be done. Hrmph Don't get me started about wood
paneling for I live in a Mobile Home, shhhh
don't say the T-word hehe, everywhere I turn
there it is staring back at me. For your sanity,
I hope that you watch a lot of Hometime(tm) or
Bob Vila is a personal friend, if not you may
very well find yourself saying, "Am I Crazy?"
Good luck in your journey to home improvement
enlightenment.

Posted by: Bleu at March 4, 2002 09:40 PM

Mmmmmmm, Wil Wheaton ass-crack.

Posted by: KJB at March 4, 2002 10:11 PM

Dude...
If you're SO inclined to get THIS excited over hourse work...
Wanna come to my place and wash my windows, do my dishes, and clean my appartment?
*LOL*
~Kaylin

Posted by: Kaylin at March 4, 2002 11:02 PM

Just you wait until she's got you refinishing furniture..... My wife and I just refinished a dresser (painted bright glossy fire-engine red with gold handles), a matching mirror to hang above it, shelving for the kitchen, a 50s canning table for the kitchen, repainted a breadbox... you get the gist -- I was looking forward to a relaxing week off; Instead, I went through the seven circles of home renovation hell.

And to put the icing on teh cake, last week she mentioned something about refinishing the hardwood floors.

Yeesh.

Posted by: Darren at March 4, 2002 11:03 PM

Wil Wheaton does Bob Villa - That should be interesting. Could do without the handyman butt crack though.

Have fun Wil! But watch out, it's addicting. Before you know it, you're spending your money on new toys in the form of way-cool tools!! :)

Posted by: Brock at March 4, 2002 11:12 PM

Wil, for the love of the gods, please tell me you put some kind of plastic down or something before you put the rocks down!!!

I spent most of last weekend at my best-friend's house helping her and her hubby hoe and rake up rocks that the people who lived there before them put in their flowerbeds. They didn't put any lining down, so as it rained, and the ground got soft, all the little rocks sunk into the ground....

I don't even want to tell you how long we spent digging those damned rocks outta the ground.

Suffice to say, after many hours, many absolutely horrible rock puns, and a lot of cursing, we finally gave up and left all the little rocks in the dirt.

So please tell me you put lining down. Or you, too will learn the Curse.

But I'll give you all our bad rock puns too.

Posted by: Kethryvis at March 4, 2002 11:24 PM

I'd get up at the crack of dawn to see Wil Wheaton's butt crack . . . or Wesley Crusher's for that matter (He always seemed like a nice boy to me). Believe me, your gay following extends well beyond extra-terrestrial rodentia.;)

Posted by: Bob at March 4, 2002 11:41 PM


everytime I read the word rototiller, for some reason, my brain registers Rotwieler(sp?), you know, the dog? so I had to reread this section...it seems just as strange.

"I looked in the corner, and there it was... a rotwieler. And it had dirt on it.

Two things came to mind at that point... Who would need a rotwieler in the middle of downtown Indianapolis, and why is it in the copier room?

Weirder yet, was that no one in the entire office could explain just why there was a rotwieler in the copier room...
"

maybe it's just me. and the fact that it's 3am...and the fact that i'm crazy like a fox.
oh well.

Posted by: Draxenn at March 4, 2002 11:57 PM

whatever happened to the au naturale look? anyone? i happen to like yards that look like you've just walked into the woods. just keep the pathway cleared and the weeds out. 'nuff said.

Posted by: wargoddess at March 4, 2002 11:58 PM

The gallary may be up soon?!
*Reals back in shock*
Thats it! My day just peaked!
I had better go and explain that to my boss and ask if I can go home and lie down in a darkend room for a while until the excitment wears off. *Grin*
Now all we need is the rumoured return of Spongebob Veag$ Pants and my whole week is made!

Posted by: Pete at March 5, 2002 01:05 AM

Wil,
I thought up this great idea tonight while I was thinking. You and the guy who played Corkey in Life Goes On.. in a brand new pilot. This is the thing, you two are partners in a police force, and you solve wacky crimes. At the end of each episode, "corkey" says.. "book em' wil" Then you, wil, turn and look into the camera, and wink!
Isn't it a stroke of genius on my part? I thought so.. Lemme know what you think *wink wink*

Posted by: dm at March 5, 2002 01:15 AM

Wil,
Are you sure you're not talking about my house? My house is exactly the same, wood panneling in three rooms, bad garden, not to mention the green carpet and orange, psycadellic wallpaper!! It's like I'm stuck in a time warp! Wooow you're spinning me out!

Regards, Sanna.

Posted by: Susanna at March 5, 2002 01:44 AM

About the Montreal Gazette thing; is this really just Wil Wheaton as Sally Field getting her Oscar? "You like me? You really like me?"

Course we do big fella. That's why keep coming back here.

Posted by: Tim Spence at March 5, 2002 03:13 AM

Hey Wil, I've been in my house just under 2 years (I'm the only grad student I know who owns her own house)and am still working on the fix 'em ups. The previous owner did NOTHING good for that house for 25 years, so you can imagine the ickiness I had to deal with when I moved in.

A word of advice (or two or three) - Unless you know what's behind that wood paneling, don't tear it out. It's ugly and nasty and dark, but what's behind it could cost you thousands of $$$. You can freshen it up much more cheaply if you just paint it (be sure to clean the walls and prime the first with Kilz).

As for the yard, you can cut down on lawn space by building lots of flower beds. Ponds and fountains are actually pretty inexpensive to put together and maintain. My other favorite is to use big flat stones laid out in a loose mosaic - it looks pretty, doesn't get muddy and best of all - less mowing!

You really only need enough lawn for Ferris to use and then some more lawn for the boys to play on. Other than that, lawns are pretty useless - flowerbeds!!! The best way to go.

Ok, I'm going to stop Martha Stewart-ing (AAAAGHH - Martha attack!) and leave you alone.
Good luck with your list, I'm still working on mine.

Posted by: Bronwyn at March 5, 2002 05:00 AM

Cities in Dust-what a great tune! Now it'll be rummaging through my head all day.

And *grunt* power tools. More power! Ar ar aaaarr! (/Tim Allen)

I have sworn off Home Despot unless I absolutely have to go there. I prefer my neighboorhood Damman Hardware which actually has manageable aisles, and I can find something in less than 2 hours.

Besides my home projects usually go like this:

1. Buy stuff
2. Get organized
3. Start work
4. Realize I don't have correct tool
5. Go back to store and buy more tools
6. Restart job
7. Realize part doesn't fit
8. Go back to store to exchange part
9. Restart job
10. Realize tool I bought in step 5 isn't right
11. Go back to store to exchange tool.
12. Repeat from Step 3 until frustration sets in.

So a speedy trip is imperative for me to keep the time involved with steps 1,5,8 and 11 to a minimum.

Good luck on your projects!

Posted by: olafandy jon at March 5, 2002 05:35 AM

i, too, know the glory and the shame of The List.

we moved into this place a year ago, and we had to seal the basement floor so we could install carpet, put light fixtures in, and because the electrician was some sort of ring-tailed-moron-lemur, we had to put shims behing each and every light and electric socket before we could put plates on.

just make sure that, when you do this, that the electrician hasn't stripped the insulation off of some of the wires, because electrocution is Not A Good Idea.

Our to do list is:

1) Finish the light fixtures
2) Put up shelving in the laundry room
3) Dry wall the holes in the ceiling in the laundry room that were made to fix the A/C
4) Paint
5) Figure out how to get a 125 gallon fish tank in the basement (okay, that's my thing, i admit).

But man, once you actually *see* it coming together, domestic bliss is pretty damned cool.

Posted by: Andrew Cone at March 5, 2002 05:53 AM

HEY!!!!! I work for Andersen!!!!!!

Watch it bub!
Derek

Posted by: Derek Supranowicz at March 5, 2002 05:57 AM

Now I know you're cool! I thought my husband and I were the only one's that called it Home Despot. You rock.

Posted by: Anne at March 5, 2002 06:19 AM

Wil,

Do Take before and after pictures. You'll be sorry of you don't. I live in what must have been nearly the ugliest house in Canada (well, ok, Ontario maybe), and my husband has done so much good work on it. We haven't taken ANY before & after pics and it pisses me off. I need to buy a digital camera damnit.

Posted by: fenaray at March 5, 2002 06:21 AM

Welcome to the wonderful world of home improvement! Spending all your money at the D'PO (I call it the PO, because it will make you po), watching HGTV all the time, taking before and after pictures. You'll love it, save $$, and get that warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction with a job well done.

Posted by: lursxt at March 5, 2002 06:38 AM

You think wood paneling is bad? You should see the "powder" blue kitchen in my place! Ugh! The last tennant must have been color blind and the paint dept at Wall World (Wal*Mart to the rest of America) saw him/her coming and saw a chance to unload some crap for inventory. Yuck!

But.. Good luck Mr. "Fixit" Wheaton!

Posted by: MobbyG at March 5, 2002 07:57 AM

When I moved into my new apartment, three years ago, I remembered to take the before, during and after pictures, and I'm glad of it.

Except of course when I realize that I still cannot take some of the 'afters'.

Don't forget to take the 'after' pictures from a somewhat larger distance: you'll have the physical 2D evidence that before (painting/removing panelling/whatever) the rooms looked a lot smaller.

Posted by: tjeu at March 5, 2002 08:03 AM

Wood panneling? *cringes* My mom has that in her kitchen. No matter how hard I try to convince her she will not take it down!

There will be warnings before the butt crack pictures, yes? There's just something about 'but' 'crack' and 'handyman' in the same sentance that is rather repulsive :D

Posted by: jamiee at March 5, 2002 08:25 AM

Handy with sensors? Hmmm...Maybe all those years of playing Wes paid off?

Posted by: Duchess at March 5, 2002 08:46 AM

I'm afraid the but-crack is a pre-requisite if you're doing any sort of manual labor jammiee....'course...in all my time in construction, I dun think I ever exhibited mines..

hey Wil, you really need to get yourself a heavy leather tool-belt to get that proper feel and look to the handyman but-crack...aotherwise it just looks like your wearing panta that are to big for you... yup yup yup.

Posted by: James at March 5, 2002 08:55 AM

Hey Wil,

Yes we have "honey do lists" at our house. "Honey can you do this? and "Honey can you do this...." get the picture. There's always a house improvement project going on. Last year when we bought our house the first thing we did was change out all the light fixtures after we painted the inside. They were cheap gold looking ones. Think of hotel motel stuff. ewwww!!!
Then our back yard looked like a hay field, weeds and what grass where 4 ft. high. We plowed it under. For a while it was nothing but dirt.

I think my hubby gets some kinda of rush going to Home Depot. He can stand in front of a wall of nails, screws, bolts, paint whatever and he zones out. Like a kid in a toy store I guess. Power tools, are the worst. Must be some kinda of guy thing. Oh yeah, always takes at least 3 or 4 times going to hardware store to get everything he needs. So the day is shot before we can even get started. But it is nice to be able to say hey we did this all by our lonesome and guess what it all works! So have fun and laugh alot, it helps.

Posted by: brice at March 5, 2002 09:06 AM

Wil,
It is time to devulge your secret identity. We all know that you are Bicycle Repairman! Don't lie. We won't tell a soul...

Posted by: Thespar at March 5, 2002 09:07 AM

Call me crazy, but I love Home Depot. I think they should have a Bar and celebrate happy hour on Friday night...

Posted by: Sharon at March 5, 2002 09:08 AM

That would definitly help while you had to wait in line. Happy Hour ! yipppeee

Posted by: brice at March 5, 2002 09:15 AM

Well all I have to say is THAT picture would
be a fantastic way to "reopen" the Gallery..
Oh please Uncle Willy!

OH ..here in GA we call it "Home Desperate"

lol..miss ya'all

Posted by: redcat/blueblanket at March 5, 2002 09:50 AM

I would give damn near anything for the "handyman" photos. In fact, I have a Sears Premier card with a sky high limit...wanna work out a trade, Uncle Willy? (wink wink)

Posted by: DarthVerso at March 5, 2002 09:50 AM

...And can I just say that The 'Po (which has turned my house into a Home Away From Home Depot) really needs something like a bar or a booth out front that sells more than those freakin Costco hot dogs? I mean, if I'm at The Po, I probably need a stiff drink. Good call, Sharon!

Posted by: DarthVerso at March 5, 2002 09:53 AM

Now I am having a idenity crisis..SEE ITS REALLY
CONTAGIOUS..Spuddy started it and NOW I don't
even know my name and I've been coming here for six friggin months...blah blah..*** See post
above** for some reason this site forgot my
info and then I forgot my name!!!!!!!!!!!!***

Posted by: blue cat/redblanket at March 5, 2002 09:57 AM

Now I am having a idenity crisis..SEE ITS REALLY
CONTAGIOUS..Spuddy started it and NOW I don't
even know my name and I've been coming here for six friggin months...blah blah..*** See post
above** for some reason this site forgot my
info and then I forgot my name!!!!!!!!!!!!***

Posted by: blue cat/redblanket at March 5, 2002 09:58 AM

Brice,

It's not just a guy thing -- I have been known to disappear into the bowels of Home Despot for hours at a time, contemplating the amazing numbers of products they have.

Our best coup at the local HD was the riding lawnmower gambit. We needed one (our house sits on a half-acre of flora that takes all day to mow with a push mower) and so we went up to HD and sat on every one of those little tractor guys. Then we saw one that looked more like a golf cart without the little awning. It was marked down because the box was missing, but it was the most fuel efficient and quiet of the bunch. So, we bought it and THEY BOXED IT UP FOR US and put it on a pallet and loaded it into our van using a forklift. It just barely fit.

When we got back here to the hacienda, we then had to figure out how to get it out of the van (not having a forklift handy). More than once I said to my husband, "Where's transporter technology when you need it?"

:)

(Can you imagine going to HD in 100 years and buying a transporter "kit"... )

Posted by: SpaceWriter at March 5, 2002 10:52 AM

for crying out loud, Wil, alt+0153! It's amazing™!

Posted by: Andy at March 5, 2002 10:56 AM

After you get the tilling done, you can come sand my beat up hardwood floors.

Paneling can be painted to look less offensive. They hung it in my house to cover holes in the plaster walls. The painted panelling looks much better than the holey plaster.

Posted by: Gette at March 5, 2002 11:03 AM

I am one of the lucky ones in my apartment complex. The buildings are 30 years old. My unit and 3 others surrounding it were destroyed by a fire 4 years ago (way before my time there). The old ones have paneling in the living room area and dark brown cabinets in the kitchen.

Check this shit out - I DO NOT have paneling, have bright white cupboards in my small kitchen and, are ya ready, MIRRORED CLOSETS in my bedroom. Floor to ceiling, almost an entire wall full of mirrors. Yeah, baby.

Vickie

Posted by: sarcastic cheese (the poster formerly known as noworriesmon) at March 5, 2002 11:15 AM

>>DAH! I mean, how do you know this Thumper!!!

RE: the TS thing (since it's ike WAAAY up there in the comments)... The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article about the couples in the March 9 Trading Spaces. Without giving too much away for those who wanna watch it, it took the one set of homeowners 5 adults and 17 hours to undo the damage done by one of the designers... ;)

Posted by: Thumper at March 5, 2002 11:43 AM

Oh, I can't wait for that episode.

I watched one, and I can't remember the designer's name, but she's kinda a hippie (longer blonde hair), but she put frickin MOSS on these people's bedroom walls. REAL MOSS! What goes thru these designers heads when they come up with ideas like that.

March 9, huh? I'm so there. Can't wait to see what they did.

Posted by: sarcastic cheese (the poster formerly known as noworriesmon) at March 5, 2002 12:02 PM

I always wanted to see a TS episode where one couple gets so pissed off by what happened that they haul off and kick the living crap out of the other couple. :) Maybe I'll get to see it on March 9th!

Or I could watch WWF, I suppose...

Posted by: olafandy jon at March 5, 2002 01:03 PM

Although some chicks might like it, if I even see one hint of a buttcrack here, I'm gonna go kick your ass so hard that your pants will never dare crack again.

That's not a threat, it's a promise.

Posted by: Jun at March 5, 2002 01:12 PM

Wil,
I'm glad you got all this inspiration for house improvements. I get that way alot. Problem is keeping the drive going. You could have your own "Tool Time" program on PBS. I think it would fly.....

Posted by: Bo at March 5, 2002 01:43 PM

Teehee, my house has that ugly paneling too. I think it's the funniest thing that I have ever seen.

Posted by: Heidi at March 5, 2002 01:45 PM

does everyone watch TS?

i swear to god, hilde isn't even allowed in my neighborhood, let alone my house.

Posted by: bobo at March 5, 2002 03:40 PM

RE: UGLY PANELING
Don't try to rip it out - it can be a MAJOR headache (particularly if it is glued on, as is often true in addition to the nails), or if the underlying surface is not "paint ready" (it likely is not). What I did in my last house (as suggested by a magazine at Home Depot) is pait the paneling. It is easy to do as long as you first wipe it with a "deglosser" (basicly like a paint thinner, in the same area of home depot), then apply primer and paint. It looks quite nice and modern (and it really brightens up the room if you go with a nice light color). We did a huge room in a weekend, no problem.

Ah, I doubt you read down to the 100th comment anyway.

Posted by: theda at March 5, 2002 04:42 PM

"Wil Wheaton does Bob Villa - That should be interesting. "

HEY- some people are trying to eat here...
Jeez... YECH...

Posted by: dake at March 5, 2002 05:25 PM

Butt crack. NO NO NO. Please mate. No matter how nice your arse (thats how we spell ass, here in chilly England) may be. Butt crack is a big NO!!! Too many years of scarring left by seeing my Dads builders bum, and his disapointing DIY

Posted by: lobbieob at March 5, 2002 05:43 PM

Sounds like a new shirt - WWBC, Wil Wheaton's Butt Crack.

"Big-boy pants" made me laugh so hard my hubby actually got out of bed and came in here to see what I was laughing at!

Posted by: JenX at March 5, 2002 06:18 PM

Sprinklers? Sod? Nooooo.
A lawn is so not cool.
A heavily watered lawn in a state that is partly desert is just... wrong wrong wrong.

Natural ground cover.
That's what you want.

As in "things that grow, without you having to create an artificial environment for them".

Posted by: Richard at March 5, 2002 06:45 PM

Umm, I kinda like my wood paneling. Well, the one wall in the living room anyway. The stuff in the bedroom is too dark. We're currently argu-, umm, discussing which colors we want.

Posted by: T'Sai Amanda at March 5, 2002 06:55 PM

Yeah, JenX...LOL WWBC...it's an orangy, pinkish tan shirt with a black line up the back side

ROFLMAO

Posted by: Cherish at March 5, 2002 07:56 PM

My wife's great at making lists of things that "we" can do. Mostly "we" means "me" chasing a three year old who's trying to "help" me spackle.

Posted by: Mark at March 6, 2002 05:08 AM

Cities In Dust is THE best Sousxie (sp?) and the Banshees song EVER! One of my 50 favorite songs ever. Just gives me chills everytime I hear it.

Posted by: Christian at March 6, 2002 09:03 AM

Music is always nice...Do you go for that "kid Rock-bad ass" approach or "sade-this is no ordinary love" for that special moment.

Posted by: ze-mag at March 6, 2002 09:08 AM

Mmmmmm, buttcrack.

Posted by: Fimpster at March 6, 2002 10:40 AM

Completely by coincidence, I was paging through a People magazine from last month and found the interview with Wil, and there, in the background of one of the photos, is what has to be THE HEINOUS PANELING!!!!! I was shocked and terrified. I didn't think they could show that sort of stuff in a G rated magazine. Took a good stiff drink to compose myself. Jeez

Posted by: Gette at March 6, 2002 11:39 AM

Hahahahaha! You are a boner, Wil Weaton! THAT RULES!

Posted by: CuntDracula at March 6, 2002 08:54 PM

That kind wood paneling you describe looks really retro, and to me connotes an old feeling of familiarity in a middle american house that is hard it not impossible to find anywhere else. But that's my opinion.

And what's this I read on the other messages about ceiling fans, aren't your ceilings a little low for that?

Posted by: Neumann at March 6, 2002 09:33 PM

I've never posted to one of these things before, however I was inspired to write to say that I'd love to see the before-and-after pictures of the house, (I'm doing the exact same thing in my house right now...), however, let's avoid those handyman butt crack snapshots, shall we? I'll post occasionally, I suppose, but I'm more of a 'voyeur' when it comes to these things. 'Heh...heh..hehe, I like to watch.' Oh! I just ordered the WFS t-shirt today, it's hilarious! Take care.

Posted by: Cameron at March 7, 2002 01:30 PM

Not to be a wet blanket, but my spousal equivalent has rototilled our back yard TWICE since we moved in three years ago and we still don't have a lawn. We are so damn lazy. We're afraid to pull up the nasty-ass shag carpet in the back room for fear we'll never get around to laying tile, and will live with the cracked lino and cement floor underneath indefinitely. Good luck with *your* projects.

Posted by: inarticulate at March 10, 2002 04:25 PM
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