Capricon 44 (February 2024)

We attended Capricon last weekend, building a box fort (again!), hanging out with friends, and attending and/or participating in various panels. I’ve written about Capricon multiple times over the years, as it’s by far my favorite science fiction convention. Smaller conventions – say under a couple thousand people – give you plenty of opportunity to connect with your friends and random encounters with other people, including making new friends.

I’ve mentioned the parties a lot the last couple years, since we started running The Box Fort party at Capricon. While those fill my late night hours (and my nights are definitely later than normal when I’m at conventions), there are a lot of options during the day as well. There are panels on a wide variety of geeky subjects, including a writer’s track for existing and aspiring authors. There’s a gaming room with an extensive library – it was open Thursday evening, then re-opened Friday morning and stayed open until Sunday afternoon. The filk track had both a variety of scheduled events and open jam times.

There were several shopping opportunities between the dealer’s hall, art show (I sold some crocheted items), and author signings that were located just outside the dealer’s hall. Any art show items that receive three or more bids end up at the art auction; this year that included a good selection of board games from our friend Marinda’s collection, donated to support the convention’s designated charity for the year.

Alas, at least one event on the calendar was cancelled because of the weather. The annual “Snow Goons!” (a tribute to Calvin & Hobbes) outing relies on actual snow; last weekend was surprisingly warm. Regardless, a convention like this is a great opportunity to let your geek flag fly, with whatever fandoms you’re inclined to include on that flag.

Step one: a new roof

As I recently mentioned, a hailstorm last spring did considerable damage to our house. By the time I wrote that post, I had signed paperwork with [company name removed] to handle the work and provided them with a chunk of insurance money. (The insurance process involves providing part of the money in advance, and some only when they receive receipts proving that you actually did the repairs and spent the money you’re asking for above the initial payment.) The first step in the work – after the decision-making and signatures, of course – is the roof replacement.

Then it snowed, a fairly significant amount over the course of a week – we reached the 9-inch mark on the snow gauge in the front lawn. And then the temperature dropped, including a couple days where the wind chill was around negative thirty. Needless to say, those weather conditions are not conducive to working on a roof.

Removing the old roof
The layers under the new shingles on our roof
Adding the new shingles to our roof
The new roof in all its glory

This week, after most of the snow had melted, the construction company reached out to schedule our installation day. Since our neighbor just had their roof replaced last month – by the same company, for the same hailstorm reason – I had a fairly good idea what the process would be like. The day before installation, they dropped off supplies onto our driveway in two waves: the first delivery was the shingles, and the second an assortment of other large items in their packaging. Early on the morning of, a trailer was backed into the driveway to serve as a dumpster, and around 7am, the team arrived to begin work.

Except for a brief lunch break, they worked all day, moving any obstacles (like the composter and solar path lights), laying tarp around the edges of the house to catch refuse flung from the roof, then tearing off the old roof before taking new roofing supplies up. (The entire process was loud, Zuko hid most of the day.) They had a fancy ladder with a lift attached to raise the heavy supplies to the roof. They finished as it was getting dark, so the photo of the finished roof is from the next (quite sunny) day.

Step two, I believe, will be the siding.

Warm cuddles on cold mornings

Early morning is my ideal workout time, but I’ve been having trouble getting out of bed most days, largely because one or more cats are still on the bed. They used to make getting up easier – as soon as I was awake, the cats would run around the room demanding breakfast. That has changed in the last couple years, particularly with Arwen who likes curling up just under the covers, resting on my arm. And she’s staying there even after I wake up.

It’s not just her though. Diane is usually by my waist at that point, sometimes still curled up with June, and Zuko is usually by my feet. The other morning, after I woke up and was reading news updates, Diane got out of bed, walked to the other end of the house to deposit a hairball… and then came back to bed! (It wasn’t on the bed or on carpet, so I’m not complaining.) Even June, our most prolific meal howler, on occasion climbs back onto the bed instead. Not for long, mind you, but she does.

My crack-of-dawn workouts are suffering as a result, but damn, they’re cute.

Take the week off, says Zuko

Zuko peeking out of a paper grocery bag

It’s been a week here. You’d think I’d get ahead on the blog with a three-day weekend, but it was painfully cold all weekend (wind chills down to the negative thirties Fahrenheit) and there was a lot to do, including taking June and Diane to their annual checkups. So enjoy a cute photo of Zuko.

Roofing and gutters and siding, oh my.

While we were traveling in England in April, a major hailstorm struck our neighborhood. Our neighbor took photos of hail next to a golf ball for size comparison. Though we missed the storm, I knew what would follow… stormchasers, the collection of construction and roofing companies knocking on the door (usually during work) or leaving flyers offering a free inspection, looking to claim insurance money for the repairs after every wind- or hailstorm. Some of them are recognizable names, some aren’t… and most of them are pushy. I turned them all down, even though I have a dent on my car’s roof showing that it was a significant storm.

That is, until our neighbor had their roof inspected and discovered he needed a replacement roof. Yikes. And they have trees protecting some of their roof; ours is exposed. Knowing he’s diligent about such things, I still researched the company he was working with and discovered overall good reviews and an excellent rating with the Better Business Bureau. (Assuming everything goes well, I will share the name of the company in a later post.) I reached out to the company and scheduled an inspection.

Dents from hail on my beige siding marked with light green chalk

Oh boy… yes, there was damage. This is our siding – marked up with chalk during the follow-up inspection with the claims adjuster from our insurance company. Each chalk mark is highlighting an indent on the siding.

Dents from hail on metal roof vent marked with yellow chalk

And then there’s the roof. I didn’t get good photos of the chalk mark all over the roof – the insurance found hail damage everywhere except over the garage (the side leaning away from the storm’s direction). This photo is one of the vents – soft metal sticking out of the roof, now with multiple dents on it. In between the roof and siding, of course, are the gutters, which were one of the first upgrades when we bought the house. They’re harder to photograph, even when marked up with chalk.

And, last but certainly not least, the garage door. That was fairly new – the old one allowed light and air through underneath, so we had a new one installed in 2021. The new one was a massive improvement both on insulation and privacy – the old door had windows about chest height, allowing anyone passing by to see into the garage. The replacement door has higher windows, still allowing light in, but only allowing tall people right by the house to peer inside. I’m a bit a sad that we have to replace it, but the claims adjuster pointed out that if we don’t, any damage to it by a future storm would probably not be covered. I am grateful for having selected a reputable insurance company (Allstate, if you’re wondering) and for how seamlessly the construction company seems to work with them. Outside photos – probably some before and after shots – will appear in a separate post once the work is in progress or done.

Well, shit… or medical procedures for the aging.

As I age, my doctor has begun throwing about terms like colonoscopy and shingles vaccine. The colonoscopy discussion started a couple years ago, before the recommended age for them was lowered, and we agreed I’d do take home tests until I hit the half century mark. The take home alternates to colonoscopies have, I’m sure, more formal names, but are commonly referred to as “shit kits.” I would, my doctor informed me, be sending a sample bowel movement to a laboratory. It’s only getting more detailed from here, so feel free to quit and come back next week for less stinky content.

I was surprised at how small the package was the first time I brought one of the kits home. As it turns out, that particular kit style only wants a small sample… but across multiple days. They provided some sturdy paper to place under yourself (held in place by the toilet seat), wooden sticks to scrape off a sample, and three foldable sample cards which get folded back to closed after you let the sample dry. Ewww, right? An important note is that you need to write your personal information and date on the outside of each card, preferably before adding the sample. Once all three samples have been collected and dried, you drop them into the provided plastic envelope, seal it, slap a stamp on it, and put it with the outgoing mail.

An open box with an open plastic bag inside containing a couple sealed containers with liquid, a sealed empty container, and a toilet seat insert.

This year’s kit is fancier, a bit closer to what I originally expected – and the test results are supposed to be good for three years. It’s shipped from the testing company and the same box is used to return the sample. There’s a zipped bag inside the box, along with a toilet seat insert, a sealed container for the sample (that fits into the seat insert), a test tube with some liquid in it, and another container with liquid that will be added to the sample. Plus two instruction books: the big one, which includes step-by-step instructions with illustrations (in English & Spanish) and the little one that tells you how to ship the kit back.

The basic process is similar to the previous years: poop, catch it, package it up. Despite the bigger packaging, it’s actually simpler because it’s a single day’s sample and it gets sealed up immediately instead of dried. The little test tube has a stick that comes out and gets a small sample before the other container of liquid gets poured into the main container, and the instructions are clear as to the order everything needs to happen in. Once re-bundled, the company provides a link to schedule the package pick-up, so you don’t even need to leave your house.

If you’re approaching an appropriate age, consider asking your doctor about a take home kit to check for colon cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there’s been an increase in colon cancer rates, particularly in younger adults, so every opportunity you have for early detection is a good idea.

Learn your house’s normal

“Merry Christmas!” said the pipe under my sink. “I’m all rusty and don’t feel like holding water in anymore. Were you planning to clean the kitchen floor on Christmas Day?”

Pipe under my kitchen sink clearly showing some rust.

So, yeah, that happened. I had just finished washing dishes after making eggnog pancakes and a side of bacon for Christmas morning when I realized I could still hear water running, other than the cats’ water fountain in the room. I doublechecked that I hadn’t somehow started the dishwasher, then opened the cabinet doors to look under the sink. That resulted in water spurting at a diagonal across the room while I scrambled to pull things out from under the sink – in addition to obvious thinks like the dishwasher soap (which really shouldn’t get wet until you’re ready to use it!), our collection of Ziploc bags in their now-slightly soggy boxes were under there.

Then I tried turning every valve I found under the sink, hoping one of them would actually affect the water pressure. No luck. I wrapped a rag around the leak, preventing it from leaving the cabinet at least, and looked behind the pipe, just in case. I vaguely remembered one of the workers over the summer – I think the one who replaced our water softener – showing me the water shut-off for the entire house. That worked… except I didn’t realize it because there was still water in the pipes that needed to be drained. It took a couple emergency runs from family members before I realized the draining part. The photo above was taken at a point when the water was off and drained. The actual fix took a professional about 30 minutes the next day.

But “my pipe rusted through and leaked” isn’t the title of this post. I noticed the problem as soon as it started because I know what the normal house sounds are. Right now, I can hear the cats’ fountain, the hum from the vents, and the sounds of the furnace running in the garage (it’s just through the wall I’m facing). Two weeks ago, when a light switch broke, I knew that switching off the breaker that affected part of that switch (it’s a weird kitchen & garage switch) would turn off all of the kitchen lights, even though the kitchen is on two different breakers and some of the lights are on the other side of the room. That’s part of our house’s “normal.”

It’s similar to identifying a problem with your car because it doesn’t sound or feel right… normal is what you’re used to, and it can help you identify problems before they become worse. Particularly with a house, it will take a bit of time to identify what counts as normal, but it’s worth learning. If I hadn’t noticed the problem as soon as it happened, I would have been dealing with a lot more water where it didn’t belong. For those times when something isn’t normal, it’s useful to have information handy for companies that handle plumbing, appliance, and electrical problems, and a general handyman, so you’re ready for any issue that arises.

Enjoyable Advent Calendars

An enjoyable aspect as we approach Christmas – whether you celebrate the holiday or not – is the proliferation of Advent Calendars that are available. Over the years, we’ve had pop-up penguins from Lovepop, a homemade musical calendar, and somewhere (in the attic?) we have a Santa that gradually drops down the chimney as the month progresses. There are multiple Lego Advent Calendars available, catering to a variety of fandoms, including the Marvel one in our living room. There’s the fun of a daily surprise that comes with the commercial Advent Calendars, knowing the theme with the thrill of each day being a little different. If you want to see some great reactions to daily surprises, check out this Instagram account; he’s opening three calendars every day.

Several years ago, I learned of the existence of a “whiskey Advent calendar.” But there was a catch… it was available from a shop in the United Kingdom, and the shipping to the United States was half again the price of the calendar. (If I remember right, the calendar was $200 and shipping $100.) I wrote it off as beyond what I wanted to spend. A fabulous co-worker made me a whiskey basket that year with a sipping glass and a handful of whiskey miniatures curated from a personal collection. Marinda and I discussed the possibility of purchasing a large number of mini-bottles and creating our own whiskey Advent calendar for our local whiskey-loving friends. But life happened, and we never got around to it.

A couple years ago, I learned that Flaviar.com had launched a Whiskey Advent Calendar within the United States. I hesitated initially – I think my timing was bad the first year, discovering it existed a little too late. Last year, I asked my mother to buy it for me, and due to the supply chain issues, it arrived a few days into December (they were quite apologetic about that), and it took me until February to finish it.

This year, Flaviar shipped the calendar super early – I think I received mine in October – and I’ve been making an effort to open each day in December and try my new whiskey. To keep myself on track, I’ve been posting to TikTok each day as I try them. And delightfully, most of the included whiskeys are new to me. Like Pokémon, I know I can’t catch (or try) every one out there, but I can certainly put in a good effort.

Washing dishes

Washing dishes is a chore many of us bemoan, while also taking for granted our access to a dishwasher. That’s all fine and dandy until your dishwasher decides to extend its services to cleaning the floor by leaking out the bottom. It is, of course, possible to wash all dishes by hand, but then I’d just have wasted space under the counter where the dishwasher is supposed to be. And to be honest, there are days when that extra energy needs to be expended elsewhere. (We never leave dishes sitting, as the cats would insist on helping us with the cleaning process.)

The open dishwasher with the top two racks (there's a silverware rack!) partially pulled out, with Arwen, a white and black cat, looking in.

The most important thing about replacing an appliance is making sure you match – or at least, don’t exceed – the dimensions where it needs to go. It took me a little while of looking through the dishwasher listings to realize that a listing for 24 inches wide is apparently referencing the door width; the inset part (which is what I measured first) is of necessity slightly smaller than that. That realization made shopping so much easier, I was trying to figure out why ours was a non-standard size.

You may recall that last year, we had to replace the refrigerator (for similar reasons: that freezer leaked onto the floor). When selecting a new dishwasher, I decided it would make sense to match the brand and color, as they’re placed opposite to each other in the kitchen. Like with the fridge, I opted to put my Costco membership to good use, knowing they offer high quality products with reliable delivery and haul-away of the old appliances. And without the supply chain issues that frustrated the country last year, the delivery was about a week after I placed the order.