2 Freaking Weeks Until Hallowe'en - Fence Part 2

So, it's not like I've never built anything in my life. I took shop class in Jr. High. I built my raised beds. I've built stuff, ok?

I was clearly unprepared for this build. 

Oh, how I want to say that I threw this together like a boss. But alas, that was not to be. 

If you're ever interested in copying my fence, which is encouraged, I will highlight the items you should not do, for emphasis. Here's what I actually did.

1. I marked every 6 inches on the furring strips.
2. I sorted the 45 strips into 3 sets of 15.
3. I drilled a 3/4 inch hole at every mark. Every 6 inches. On 15 strips - 180 holes. Just in case you were not aware, math means that a 3/4 inch pipe will not fit into a 3/4 inch hole.
4. I tested the PVC to make sure it would go through the holes. It didn't.
5. I went back to Home Depot and got a 7/8th inch drill bit and opened up all of the holes. 
6. I tested to make sure that the PVC would go through. It did. Tightly. 
7. I thought, "Perfect!".
8. I strapped together two of the strips and used the first strip as a jig for the second strip.
9. I added a third strip, zip tied all of these together and numbered each set. Then, I drilled 7/8th inch holes in every other hole. This would be my top bar.
10. I started spray painting the PVC, because my wrists were sore from the drill.
11. My lovely husband (thank you!) cut all of the 10' PVC into 5 1/2 and 4 1/2 foot poles.
12. I then sanded all of the strips with the help of a friend (Chris, thank you!!!).
13. A friend (Troy, thank you!!!) heated the finials and added them to the tops of the 5 1/2 foot poles.
14. We started to put the PVC into the holes. It was too tight. WAY too tight.
15. A friend (Lydia, thank you!!!) and I dremeled out EVERY SINGLE HOLE. Just in case you're counting, 30 strips with 16 holes each and 15 strips with 8 holes each = 600 holes. Could I have been any less efficient? Don't think so.
16. Then another friend (Derek, thank you!!!) and I drilled out screw holes on the sides of the strips so that the whole thing would stay together.
17. I got the wrong screws (hex head) despite spending 20 minutes in the screw aisle and had to send Derek (see above) to the store to get new screws.
18. Two other friends (Erin and Justin - oddly enough my newest and my oldest friends - Thank you!!!) and one husband (thank you!) started putting them together. Finally.



They were such pretty holes, at first. 2 strips zip tied

19. I used all of the spray paint in Home Depot to repaint the poles (because they were completely scraped off due to dragging them through the holes) and the strips.

I now have 15 - 8 foot sections of fencing that are going up tomorrow. 

This is the pre-painted photo. You'll have to wait (AGAIN) for the fully painted photos.

This easily could have been a 12 step, rather than an 18 step process. Like a boss.

Brain Swag

I love business travel.  I know, some of you think I'm crazy, but I usually get an all expenses paid trip to some weird place and I get to learn shit.  Learning shit is my favorite thing to do. If I was in Playboy and I had to list my turn-ons, one of them would be learning shit.  OK, maybe not shit, maybe learning stuff.

Anyway, in my free time at my work conferences, if there is any, I get to lay on a bed that isn't mine that gets made every day, walk around a city that is new to me, pick up conference swag and drink all the Starbucks I can stomach.  It's a good thing.

I also happen to be pretty social most of the time (though I don't like big crowds) and I like finding out about other people (more learning). On my last business trip I learned all about new FDA guidelines (booooring) and about the work one woman is doing at Walter Reed with injured soldiers doing Tai Chi (totally fascinating). As far as physical swag goes, I picked up a carabiner or two and possibly a sippy bottle.

I can only imagine what going to one of the fancy bloggy conferences might be like. All these fascinating women like the Pioneer Woman and the Bloggess talking about their successes and failures. People with smaller followings like the Skepchicks and Tula from Whorange talking about their expertise. People chatting up other people in the hallways and exchanging handmade business cards.  Picking up swag from companies like Google and Blogger and Wordpress and Better Homes and Gardens... But really, the brain swag is always more interesting than a stupid stress ball. I love learning something new. I love coming home inspired and ready to write. Ready to make changes.  Even in my boring ethics meetings I come away fired up for ethical research and really, who does that?

Photo courtesy of formerly phread

Someday I'd like to attend a BlogHer or an Evo conference.  Perhaps if I keep writing, and you all keep reading, I'll get to go someday. It's already on my bucket list.