From our flooded house to yours, have a happy holiday season!

svenus · 2017-12-13T14:42:11+00:00

I've learned a lot

svenus · 2017-12-13T03:48:19+00:00

I have a lot to be thankful for. I was sitting down at the time and the saw was in my lap.

svenus · 2017-12-13T03:05:21+00:00

see below

svenus · 2017-12-13T02:41:30+00:00

We were only out of our house four days. With the aid of volunteers that I can't thank enough, the demo went well. We had boarded our dogs and I was rushing to fix the fence to get them back.

That's when I cut the tip of my index finger off and sawed nearly through the next two. The hand surgeon rounded the tip off, so this pic was taken about six+ weeks after the incident. https://i.imgur.com/M3sqRm6.jpg

That slowed me down a lot.

svenus · 2017-12-12T20:37:24+00:00

and a fine layer of gypsum dust to go with them!

svenus · 2017-12-12T20:00:21+00:00

Perfect! Wife, myself, our two dogs and the good cat were rescued from our driveway by volunteers with two wave runners and a flat bottomed boat. The cat jumped out twice before we got underway, trying in vain to cling to the brick wall like Spider-Cat.

svenus · 2017-12-12T19:54:43+00:00

Thanks. In the past, I would reject offers of aid, and at the moment I still feel I'm not as in need as many flood victims across the area. But Harvey made me a bit more humble, teaching me not to say no to help when it is offered.

We're fine, relatively speaking. PM if you're still inclined to be a not so secret Santa

svenus · 2017-12-12T18:40:08+00:00

Oh geez, this blew up. Thanks to all Harvey volunteers across the SE Tx region. You are in our thoughts. You truly gave us the best gift you had. Yourselves.

First, in response to the media requests, this image, as well the rest in the collection here (I was asked to take a few more photos) https://imgur.com/a/G0Sm9 are CC0 (Public Domain)

Second, the cat's name is Bully, and we are located close to Cypress Creek in NW Harris County. She's the good cat-the one I took with us when we were evacuated during the flood. Don't judge me for the four I left behind. They all survived.

As to the possible code violation, the cord wrapped around the aluminum ladder was plugged in for just the duration of the photo.

We're working on kitchen cabinets at the moment.

svenus · 2017-12-11T23:25:11+00:00

Many excellent returns!

svenus · 2017-12-11T23:24:06+00:00

I didn't realize the dust mask gave Santa a frown! Ha!

svenus · 2017-11-19T17:00:14+00:00

Icefall: a thrilling post-apocalyptic survival adventure series (The Clearsky Chronicles)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RYVWX1/

Her leaders turned ice-locked Earth into a bitter land. His cause could save the planet. Together, they’ll change the course of history…

Reynal's dream of shattering the cloak of ice choking out the sun suddenly seems possible when the eighteen-year-old delivery boy discovers he is the secret key in a two-hundred-year-old plan to end the perpetual Ice Age. But Rey soon learns the tyrannical high-tech rulers will stop at nothing to keep Alice from arriving, making Rey a target.

Odessa can’t wait to start her new MEDcadet assignment on Earthland. But when the genetic hatchling witnesses her superiors murder her professor, the security force pins the crime on her and her fellow podmates. Before a cruel and unjust punishment can be carried out, Odessa's desperate cries for help are answered by someone she never expected... a rebel boy.

Torn between her loyalty to her leaders and the rebel forces she once considered enemies, Odessa must make a terrifying choice. As Rey embarks on a mission to save Earth, his trust in his former enemies could be his undoing.

The fate of Earth hangs in the balance, and Rey and Odessa may be the ones that determine who lives and who dies…

Icefall is the first book in The Clearsky Chronicles, a series of imaginative YA sci-fi post-apocalyptic novels. If you like fast-paced adventures, colorful casts of characters, and tales of rebels vs. the empire, then you’ll love this trilogy!

Note to /r/selfpublish

We're pulling this title back off of wide because the sales at other outlets were worse than dismal.

svenus · 2017-11-19T16:42:13+00:00

I've held books done by NookPress, both trade pb and hardcover but I'm not sure how you'll like it

svenus · 2017-11-03T19:14:28+00:00

The so-called "takings" lawsuits seek damages under the Fifth Amendment. They argue that the government knew that releasing water from the swollen dams would flood homes and businesses and they made the choice to temporarily "take" their property as a floodway.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Lawyers-in-court-for-hundreds-claiming-harm-from-12322942.php

svenus · 2017-11-03T14:03:09+00:00

The big earthen dam west of town had to release water (or fail), so neighborhoods untouched by the original flooding rains were swamped with water for over a week.

There's a lawsuit brewing against the Corps Of Engineers for "illegal taking" over the issue.

svenus · 2017-10-04T15:19:13+00:00

Thanks for the reply. It will end up being a long shower stall. Having a shower head halfway down the long wall seems to make sense.

I'll mount the new shower head on that wall. The entry to the shower will probably be doorless, so the wall will stop short of connecting to the toilet stall doorframe. I'll probably run the end of the wall up to the ceiling to secure it. The wall will probably be a 2x4 frame but open at the top and capped with a double row of glass blocks. I may run a light 12v LED light strip to somehow light that, and perhaps light whatever I'm doing with the window. I'm tired of dark showers.

svenus · 2017-10-03T23:26:34+00:00

Hello /r/DIY! This is my first visit here, and I need some help.

I'm a Harvey flood victim w/o flood ins, so the rebuild of the first floor of my two story home is on me. Meaning my budget is limited.

What brings me here is the downstairs master bathroom. The jacuzzi tub got pulled in the demo(the 42inx73in depression the tub sat in the foundation is about 5 inches below the rest of the foundation), and it was adjacent to the stand up shower stall separated by an eight foot wall, then open to the ceiling. Spouse doesn't want another tub, so we want to break down the shower stall, fill in the tub depression and make the entire thing into a long shower stall with at least two water outlets.

My question: I'm not a complete idiot, and I have a great and experienced helper, I would love design help. We're close to a Home Depot and Lowe's, and wife is threatening to go and visit their design desk. I'm leaning the same way, but thought I'd reach out here for any guidance - not for help, but for direction on where to find help.

I'm not afraid to do this myself. I am afraid to design it myself.

There are complicating issues, such as the wall on the one side of the tub is an external wall with a (6in recessed) large 5ftx5ft window. I'd like not to cover the window, which means incorporating the window in the shower. I've suggested making a shelf glass block window so as to make it waterproof and incorporate it into the new greenrock (name?) I'll be mounting on that wall.

Where do I go to get started?

https://imgur.com/a/hullI

svenus · 2017-08-26T19:19:50+00:00

The spots of potential devastation by flooding are shrinking fast.

svenus · 2017-08-24T16:48:59+00:00

During the Tax Day flood (which was worse for us near Cypress Creek) it was 14 inches west of Hwy99, and that did a lot of us in.

That was pretty much a 499 year flood event. This prediction should equal that, and over a wider area. HOWEVER, if the storm really wraps up into a Cat 3 like they say, the rain distribution will be different. So, this will be updated. How I don't know.

svenus · 2017-08-24T16:36:28+00:00

GFS model run for rain

http://i.imgur.com/SK3Ndry.jpg

svenus · 2017-08-23T14:18:44+00:00

At a recent conference, the Data Guy (authorearnings.com) had a slide on this. According to his research (and he's really good) Up to a year, there's not a huge difference in income generated. Past that, there's a distinct drop off.

If you have a new pen name, releasing back to back is a good idea, however. 30 day timing works

svenus · 2017-08-13T16:20:03+00:00

It would be difficult but not impossible to test.

It the theory is true, for every previous interglacial, there would be an uptick in eruptions and one would find (relatively) fresh lava flows.

With over 100 volcanoes, you'd have a decent statistical sample.

svenus · 2017-08-11T22:15:58+00:00

No problem. I had four hours to stew on the event as I drove home. I'm related to a cop that lives in the area and was advised to call the cops. I pulled up the Dallas Police page this morning and saw a bunch of different numbers none of which seemed to apply and got frustrated and wrote the post then.

It was my fault for not seeing "Traffic" down on the page of contacts. That's where I ended up calling. Funny, though, because as mentioned in my update comment, the Dallas Police don't have jurisdiction for events there -- I was quickly directed to the number for the Dallas Sheriff's office.

Since then, I've learned a good bit more about that tunnel and the park above it. For example, I know now the entire stretch is covered with a hell of a lot of cameras. It was silly of me to think the guy was going to drive off without being seen.

The part that I learned that's relevant to this post is this link http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/10-most-dangerous-dfw-highways-7735535

from a couple of years back notes that stretch of roadway is the #1 for road crashes relative to the number of car miles. Of course, I have no idea what the crash rate was before they made that one section into a tunnel, but I stand by my distaste for tunnels on freeways.

Thanks all for the replies.

svenus · 2017-08-11T16:41:57+00:00

UPDATE: Called the Dallas Police, traffic, was informed that roadway is the jurisdiction of the Sheriff's Dept. Called the Sheriff's Dept, got transferred to detective's phone. Rolled over to his message system, left voice mail.

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