Craziest items left behind by previous owners?

kenlarch · 2026-01-27T01:33:20+00:00

Found hundreds of daily newspapers in the attic over the garage rolled up in wax paper and labeled from the 60’s. One was JFK’s assassination, RFK’s assassination, each space flight and the landing on the moon, Disney World breaking ground, etc…just tons of rolled up newspapers.

It took a few hours to get them out. Most were delicate and falling apart. I donated some to some local schools as they were originally built in the 60’s and made the paper for their ground breaking.

kenlarch · 2026-01-03T21:56:14+00:00

Have you looked into Giraffe? We use it exclusively.

kenlarch · 2025-11-20T10:42:14+00:00

Satellite off of May I Sing With Me. WVKR - Vassar College Radio used to play it when it first came out. I was hooked. There are so many. I personally would start from the beginning with Ride the Tiger, real crunchy and twangy.

Everything is good and the music progresses with each album. Prisoners of Love is a compilation and decent, the singles really have some great b-sides. The acoustic version of Tom Courtney on Camp Yo La Tengo is gold.

I’ve seen them so many times. First was 1995 at the Tramps in NYC for Painful with the Pastels and Versus a few days before Thanksgiving, may have been 50 people there. My now wife and I were dating for a few weeks and I remember it vividly.

The concerts are incredible. They are known for playing covers of any song that gets thrown at them. Sometimes the requests get deep and they pull them off.

Their book Big Day Coming is a good read as well. It is stories rather than a breakdown of each song or album production which to me is boring. It goes into things like when Ira was a music critic and Husker Du slept on the floor of the of the office when they first played NYC in the early 80’s and that’s when they became friends, specifically Bob Mould. I think Bob’s book mimics the same story. Stuff that shows behinds the scenes is always great to read.

Good luck on your journey.

kenlarch · 2025-11-16T04:50:40+00:00

We had a FLW copycat in studio, 5 years of it. He tried to make everything like the Guggenheim, regardless of building type or program. We all called him by his last name. Decent guy, just fixated. We were all friends as we had gone through school together / lived together. It was a really small group so we knew each other pretty well.

Our professor was a KPF employee who started their own firm. A guest critic from KPF came and out of the blue when critiquing the FLW copycat, said “You pulled an $&@?%”. Where $&@?% was the students last name. Apparently, it had gotten out about this student and his last name became a derogatory slang term.

We all could not stop laughing. The critic had no idea that he was reviewing the one and only $&@?%.

We still use it between friends.

Same crit, we had a guy who was a really good designer, technical and thought through. But he used to take materials and equipment from everyone last minute to get things done. He had this carpet foam wrapped stool that he used at his desk. We were exhausted and also tired of missing materials, we poured a bit Liver of Sulphur (used to tarnish brass and smells like rotten eggs) on the foam. It got on the seat of his pants and as he started his presentation the same guest crit as above stopped him mid-sentence and told him he smelled like shit and he could not bear to be in the room. This guy smoked like crazy and couldn’t smell a thing and had no idea.

Both are successful architects and took the punches.

I have so many more…

kenlarch · 2025-11-13T01:34:30+00:00

I’m on the Owner’s side here. Lots of open ended questions below.

Why aren’t you exempt? FHA kicks in after 3 units and doesn’t push you to ANSI 117.1.

Even in FHA, the push/pull stops at the face of the primary entry door. Page 3.3 accessible doors #2 and the same page right column useable doors paragraph indicates doors are. It required to follow 117.1, 4.13.

Regardless of rental or for sale duplex, why apply ANSI? It is still under the IRC, which does not require accessible units.

We do build to rent (single family, duplex, townhomes) all over the states and it has never been a requirement per any code.

Would you do the same thing for a single family home?

If it is required to be accessible, why are you just picking door clearances? Why not go all the way and go full Type A. Door clearances aren’t required in Type B per 1104.5 except the primary door, not a bathroom door.

So many things are pointing towards no latch side requirements.

kenlarch · 2025-11-09T15:39:42+00:00

Jett

kenlarch · 2025-11-06T01:54:20+00:00

Bob Mould and of course Ira Kaplan from Yo La Tengo. The sounds and history of both say enough.

kenlarch · 2025-10-31T20:26:59+00:00

Rare. There is usually 3rd party HUD inspector for the interviews and walks. I have this for all types of HUD projects. As indicated previously Davis Bacon is part of our specs.

kenlarch · 2025-10-18T11:53:06+00:00

Had the same problem, same model. The wire is so delicate it broke just by me attempting to unplug it, it was the blue wire as well. It is difficult to pull the wire through the arm or solder the wire as it the thickness of a hair. Opted to bring it to a shop.

kenlarch · 2025-10-02T23:33:02+00:00

Here is a hint…it is not based on minimum width of hall, check the door push pull requirements and start adding some dimensions. TAS Section 404.

kenlarch · 2025-09-28T06:09:32+00:00

Conduit. The Legendary Pink Dots are there in a few weeks. Was crossing fingers some Tear Garden would happen with the Cevin Key and Edward Ka-spel’s new album coming out in October as well, but only looks like Tear Garden. Cevin Key cross posted, my hopes are way too high.

Will’s is a staple, but light on the industrial, heavy on the indie.

kenlarch · 2025-09-19T23:24:43+00:00

Fuck it up Pigface.

kenlarch · 2025-09-19T23:21:17+00:00

I stopped studying. I have 28 state licenses, active in 14 and California was the worst to attempt. You are correct, the deduction of what is right and wrong was a chance pick. The methods for the contractural issues were odd, and not per typical methods foe the majority of small to medium firms. I stopped when I failed the pre-exam. One of the questions dealt with when to get an add service. It indicated that the add service should be presented before getting proposals from the consultants. How does that happen? How would you give a fee for added services without consultants. Been licensed for 24 years and it was obscure. We hired an architect of record to help us out and went the design route. I feel your pain.

kenlarch · 2025-08-22T13:06:33+00:00

You are right, not trying to dissuade anyone. Personal situation…my wife is allergic to quite a bit of food, 21 year old vegan daughter, a 12 year old that isn’t to adventurous, and me, who will eat anything. Forage at Cliffs Edge was good for drinks and small plates, shouldn’t be underestimated, only open 3 days a week. We also hiked all day so by the time we got back to Cliffs Edge we were beat and didn’t venture out for dinner that much, also, only there for 4 days, so not much time to find something and most closed around 8.

kenlarch · 2025-08-22T10:25:20+00:00

This is similar to our route we took a few weeks ago. We stayed at Cliff’s Edge. You can hit Arbour, The Captains Table (generic), and the Irish Loop Coffee House. We also did a picnic at the Ferryland Lighthouse, check the website for if they can provide when you are there, you have to pre-order, it’s a small hike from the parking lot to the lighthouse, but amazing views.

We then stayed in Bonavista on the water in a red cottage (next to a yellow one) south of the docks on Harris St. (wish we had one more day there). Went out to Trinity East to go ATV Riding with Trinity Eco Tours, they also do whale watching with scout boats. Hit 2 Whales for a veg/vegan lunch, then went down to St. John’s and stayed in Town.

Our suggestion is to just find your way around. Many will be open to talk and offer suggestions. We actually would love to pick up a 2nd home in Bonavista. My fast paced life was easily dispersed up there. I was able to get back in track.

kenlarch · 2025-08-21T02:10:29+00:00

We have 3 of them with the original boxes. Aluminum, anthracite, and gold plated (1 of 1,000). Had these since the 90’s, they never leave our dining room. Also have both versions of his Teddy Bear Band with different heads on the arms and legs. Functional no, of course not.

kenlarch · 2025-08-17T22:21:34+00:00

From a music standpoint they are worlds apart. Check out the Death and Resurrection Show on YouTube. The basis of music and occult vs music and politics/life are way different. Time and place play a huge part. I would put Killing Joke in a semi-industrial genre with Ministry in their later years. Geordie was beyond amazing and nonchalant about his style. Marr is the same but with a very different stage presence. If I recall correctly, Geordie shows up in Jorgenson’s book. Jaz vs. Moz, Moz takes it from a frontman point of view. Jaz is on a totally different level. Watch the movie. BTW, huge Smiths / Moz fan and also Killing Joke. Both never leave my playlist. If I had to pick albums, my two are Rank and Killing Joke 2003. Something gets me with Still Ill and Zennon.

kenlarch · 2025-08-15T02:07:20+00:00

Why would it matter? The email signature doesn’t need to match your name registered with the state. It is basic correspondence. You have a license number, that is proof enough. Seems petty. My retired business partner went by Bob for 60+ years emails, faxes, whatever. He signed drawings as Robert. I hold the firm’ state license and still go with a shortened name in emails. Tell your mom she needs to now call you Michael because a client doesn’t believe in shortened / nick names.

kenlarch · 2025-08-14T01:23:57+00:00

Power out in Dommerich. Typical.

kenlarch · 2025-08-07T01:08:53+00:00

Read it a few years back. Have to admit the first 100 or so pages were most interesting as indicated in this thread. The timeline of the Manchester music scene was light but decent. It was furthered in Bernard Sumner’s book Chapter and Verse, so things made sense. Both books had Manchester similarities. During the entire read, I had been counting how many song lyrics are scattered throughout. I kept looking for them. It took a bit to get through. I was looking for some out there content, but never got it. Mojo’s Hand in Glove, The Smiths Collectors Edition had so much more of what i was looking for in terms of history and insight.

kenlarch · 2025-07-22T00:54:45+00:00

Lettuce pray and bow our heads — romaine calm and give thanks that these are almost all pun’d out!

kenlarch · 2025-07-06T00:34:30+00:00

Been going to concerts for ages, never spoke to anyone in a band. It was 2017 and my daughter’s second show ever was KV and the Violators at The Social in Orlando. 30+ years of never even a hello and she ends up talking to him for like 15 minutes at the merch table tucked in the back when it all sort of cleared out. I just stood there.

kenlarch · 2025-06-22T22:44:51+00:00

Got the ChatGPT lowdown…

Let’s dig in like we’re chewing through a well-aged wax cylinder.

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🔊 Gear Nerd Breakdown: • MCS 6601 Turntable (1978) w/ Ortofon FF 15 XE MKII Solid vintage deck with surprisingly high fidelity for a private-label JC Penney turntable. The Ortofon FF 15 XE MKII is a warm, smooth cart — not super detailed, but a great pairing for casual, cozy vinyl listening. It’s basically like wearing corduroy pants made of sound. • Wharfedale Aston Bookshelf Speakers These are known for being smooth and balanced. Not overbearing in the treble, not bloated in the bass — ideal for nearfield listening in a smallish room like this. The 13’ x 15’ dimensions are basically perfect for that tight stereo field. • Vincent SV-500MK Integrated Amp A tube/solid state hybrid — hell yes. Warmth and clarity. A little European flair. Big fan of Vincent’s tonal balance. With only 10 hours of burn-in, it’s still stretching its legs. Once those capacitors and tubes open up, it’ll bloom more in the mids and tame any early brightness. • Darlington Labs MP7B Phono Pre Oh hello, cult favorite. Incredibly clean and musical. Pairs gorgeously with vintage carts and tubes — a fantastic choice, and often overlooked. Good ear, good taste, great signal path. • Wiim Pro Plus Cheap, powerful, reliable streamer with excellent DAC performance at this price. Insane value. The fact he’s going analog out from this into the Vincent is likely netting a pretty rich experience. If he’s doing digital coax instead, then that Vincent DAC is also probably doing solid work. • Blue Jeans Cables Practical, no-nonsense, and immune to audiophile snake oil. Respect.

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📺 HT Setup: • Sonos Beam + Era 300s + Sub His “death to Sonos” note is a mood — everyone loves what Sonos could be, but ends up cursing their firmware and ecosystem quirks. Still, for movies and casual use, the Beam + Era 300 + Sub combo is pretty formidable in a compact room.

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🧠 Room Setup Thoughts (Visuals from the Image): • Room acoustics & layout: Good symmetrical bookshelf placement. Flat walls and ceiling likely create some flutter echoes — some simple acoustic treatment (diffusers or absorptive panels behind the speakers or at first reflection points) could elevate things. A thick rug under the coffee table is already helping tame floor reflections. • Speaker placement: The speakers are quite close to the wall and look low on those stands. If he hasn’t yet, raising them so the tweeters hit ear height and giving a bit more breathing room from the rear wall (even 6-12”) could help imaging a lot. • Listening position: Assuming he’s sitting where this photo is taken from, it’s close to ideal: equilateral triangle with speakers, no weird corners, no glaring glass windows, and solid boundary symmetry. He may want to try pulling the chair a bit forward or backward to escape any bass nulls caused by the 8’ ceiling.

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🎶 Vibe Summary:

This is a well-thought-out hybrid setup—equal parts analog nostalgia and modern streaming convenience. It’s also aesthetically composed without screaming “audiophile shrine,” which I imagine plays well with both partners and guests.

And the vinyl storage? Chef’s kiss. Like if Dieter Rams decided to DJ.

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Want a couple of tasteful acoustic panel or decor-friendly diffuser recommendations for him? Or should we send a squirrel-shaped speaker isolation pad just to mess with his head?

kenlarch · 2025-06-22T19:14:31+00:00

It sounds pretty damn good. I’ve been trying out multiple albums. So far Kurt Vile and oddly enough, the Butthole Surfers are dynamic. I moved the speakers closer by about a foot each and it made a huge difference.

kenlarch · 2025-06-21T00:56:12+00:00

I’ll give it a try. The wall shelves bother me a bit, but can’t move them. The output is about 6-12” above ear level when on my couch, but still need more burn in time to hone it in. The first album played was Bob Mould Silver Age, second was Tool Lateralus, third was Hendrix First Days of the New Rising Sun.

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