Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

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Julius_Van_Der_Beak

Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by Julius_Van_Der_Beak » Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:33 pm

starjots wrote:
Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:29 am
One thing I do from time to time is take pictures of birds. On our way back home we spotted a 'lifer' (i.e., never seen this type of bird before in my life), the yellow headed blackbird. We were driving through Eden, Texas at 35 miles per hour and out of the corner of my eye I see this flock in a tree. Yellow headed blackbirds are the perfect birding bird*, because anyone can identify them out of the corner of their eye driving down the road - they are quite distinctive.

*As opposed to Cooper's Hawk vs Sharp Shinned Hawk or warblers or sparrows or pretty much any other bird except a bald eagle (another great birding bird)(except they don't look like real bald eagles until they're five years old)
Gotta love Icterids. I only know the red-winged blackbird and the (probably Baltimore) oriole.

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Madrigal
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by Madrigal » Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:49 pm

I'm starting Greek lessons next week. Generally out of true interest and also to be annoying.

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HighlyIrregular
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by HighlyIrregular » Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:59 pm

I've been doing odd renovation projects. I'll need a new countertop eventually and I guess I'll consider tile now that I see Nanacat's countertop. I can handle that myself and it looks like an inexpensive option. I'll have to look into whether it's considered a decent countertop material.

Currently I'm running coax through plaster walls through conduit that used to be for the master antenna.

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Ferrus
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by Ferrus » Thu Apr 29, 2021 6:30 pm

Madrigal wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:49 pm
I'm starting Greek lessons next week. Generally out of true interest and also to be annoying.
I seem to remember you studying:

1. Russian
2. Portugese
3. Arabic
4. Italian...

And now Greek?
Ex falso, quodlibet

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Madrigal
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by Madrigal » Thu Apr 29, 2021 6:41 pm

Ferrus wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 6:30 pm
Madrigal wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:49 pm
I'm starting Greek lessons next week. Generally out of true interest and also to be annoying.
I seem to remember you studying:

1. Russian
2. Portugese
3. Arabic
4. Italian...

And now Greek?
I never studied Russian, my twin does. I started Arabic and only went to a few classes (dunno how to say hello by now). I don't plan to ever resume Arabic.

Portuguese I have a reading level understanding of because I worked at TAM airlines 5 years and their stuff was in Portuguese (it's also like Galician which my grandparents spoke). Italian, yeah, I'm completing B1 this semester. French is the only foreign language I have an advanced command of.

So my plan is to finsih Italian while learning Greek, and after I've finished Italian I'll resume Portuguese. I will likely be done with Italian and Portuguese before I even get to intermediate Greek level. Nevermind Ancient Greek which I want to get into after Modern Greek.

I want to want to learn Russian, but I don't want to, if that makes sense. I guess they must pity the fools who cannot read their literature in the original laguage. I think I'll keep a mediterranean profile though. Hopefully I can use this stuff for work, I already use Portuguese for work and hope to use it more, and Italian, in the future.

It is extremely cheap to learn languages in Argentina, imo. I am learning online with Argentine teachers. It's 3x more money in Chile. If you want I can give you my greek teacher's info and we can learn Greek at the same time! :D

Edit: You can have an hour of Greek, individual lessons, every week, for 30 dollars a month.

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SomeInternetBloke
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by SomeInternetBloke » Fri Apr 30, 2021 1:35 am

HighlyIrregular wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:59 pm
I've been doing odd renovation projects. I'll need a new countertop eventually and I guess I'll consider tile now that I see Nanacat's countertop. I can handle that myself and it looks like an inexpensive option. I'll have to look into whether it's considered a decent countertop material.

Currently I'm running coax through plaster walls through conduit that used to be for the master antenna.
Might I inquire what the coax's new use is for?
"My favourite song from one of my favourite albums, Nena asking you to please, please let her be your pirate. So smooth and joyful, I have to listen to it three times if I listen once" - ashi

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HighlyIrregular
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by HighlyIrregular » Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:10 am

SomeInternetBloke wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 1:35 am
Might I inquire what the coax's new use is for?
I cut out and threw away the old master antenna coax (the section for my apartment). The new coax is for cable TV and cable internet, which I don't get any more because I had a dispute with Cablevision, but if I or a future tenant ever wants it, it will look nicer with the cable partially inside the wall instead of being visible. It will take a few days to set the anchors with my Ready Patch. I over-chiseled the hole because I was planning on jig sawing a piece of conduit out but I ended up drilling a hole instead. I'll put a mud ring on the anchors and a one gang surface mount box on the mud ring, and the cable will go into the top of the box, down the conduit, to a jack on the other side of the wall.
mud ring anchors.jpg
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SomeInternetBloke
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by SomeInternetBloke » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:49 am

HighlyIrregular wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:10 am
SomeInternetBloke wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 1:35 am
Might I inquire what the coax's new use is for?
I cut out and threw away the old master antenna coax (the section for my apartment). The new coax is for cable TV and cable internet, which I don't get anymore because I had a dispute with Cablevision, but if I or a future tenant ever wants it, it will look nicer with the cable partially inside the wall instead of being visible. It will take a few days to set the anchors with my Ready Patch. I over-chiseled the hole because I was planning on jigsawing a piece of conduit out but I ended up drilling a hole instead. I'll put a mud ring on the anchors and a one gang surface mount box on the mud ring, and the cable will go into the top of the box, down the conduit, to a jack on the other side of the wall.

mud ring anchors.jpg
There you go again you thoughtful son of a gun.

P.S. just wanted to apologize for my Grammarly app modifying your quote so it's not quite a real quote. We're both pistols in our own way I suppose. *ironically imitates Norm Mac Donald gandering your workmanship* ImageHe would say "Ah yes, I remember construction I once wrote a movie about that starring Adam who gives a horses ass."

(edit) grammarly's a piece of ... that someone poured their blood sweat and tears on the coding room floor into so I take back my dig. :jerk:
"My favourite song from one of my favourite albums, Nena asking you to please, please let her be your pirate. So smooth and joyful, I have to listen to it three times if I listen once" - ashi

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HighlyIrregular
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by HighlyIrregular » Sun May 09, 2021 7:47 am

I'd be doing fake mountain biking like this if I had a mountain bike. Maybe some day. I saw a video of a guy who hit a rock or something on an actual trail, went over the handlebars, and knocked himself unconscious even with a helmet. But indoor trails seem safe. The Worlds Longest Indoor Mountain Bike Trail

This would have been good for the "I want to ride my bicycle" thread.

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starjots
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Re: Watcha doin? - a hobby thread

Post by starjots » Sun May 09, 2021 8:07 am

We are two weeks into a trip up the west coast in our RV. The beauty has been wonderful, but our thoughts turn to home.
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