Deck the Halls

Sol 470:

Uh... hello everyone. I'm... uhh... still here. Haven't changed too much, the rover is still running and potatoes are growing. I'm hoping that those are gonna be alright. We made it to the new hab, got new roommates, that sort of thing. Anyway, uh... I'm gonna end this recording now. See ya.

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Hello again, I apologize that I've been completely off the grid. My connection module (part of brain that says "write email") malfunctioned, so I had to fix that. I finished up my research project, presented my poster, and wrote a paper on it. That paper will be receiving a few edits soon, since I didn't even add a references section because I forgot and ran out of time.

I moved all my stuff to my new apartment, which is... cozy. Jacob Hiatt and I will be living in close proximity for the next year, and I am excited. It will be fun. I live right across the street from campus so I can hopefully make it to 9 AM class on time. Hackathon prep continues—I'm still finding companies and we're about to reach out to students and invite them to compete. Riveting. I am not ready to start school.

We went to Colorado! Gotta develop that film. It was very fun and we got to see some cool areas. The via ferrata was kinda crazy, we were a hundred feet in the air just clipped into some wires and crawling around like spiders on a web. The scariest part was the 70-foot jump we had to do. Walk the plank, freefall 15 feet, land like nothing happened.

I have a functional, high speaker system. I fixed some foam with a kit I bought online and ripped out Sony proprietary electronics from a subwoofer, wired in an amplifier, and got it to make noise. Pretty sweet. It took me way too long and I thought I broke it, but it's working now and music will never sound the same.

I have two more things to share for now: one is something I am currently doing, and one is something I wish I was doing.

My mom is a lawyer, which means everything is a contract. So, when I mentioned I was planning to drive to Colorado, I had to sign up for a generational list of tasks in the spirit of indentured servitude as a suitable offering to excuse my use of the motor vehicle. One of these tasks was fixing our deck.

Our deck was sagging in the center. This caused it to become watertight, and the winter and spring precipitation escalated the problem. A couple of years ago, I crawled under the deck and used a jack to add some support beams, which worked for the short term. Then the rest of the deck sagged, and the part I'd fixed became a hill and started to separate. Not a good look. We figured the deck was rotting underneath the synthetic boards. The planned fix? Pull up all the synthetic stuff, demolish the deck underneath, rebuild it, then put the TREX boards back on top.

You'll never guess who is halfway done with this project. I spend several days prying up boards, removing screws, and ripping apart lumber. The entire deck was rotted. Not just part of it, but the whole entire thing. Some boards had literally disintegrated. I was surprised it was still standing. Also, whoever made that deck was really dumb, because they decided that securing it by screwing it into the stucco on the back of the house was the best way to keep it stable. Stupid ahh. I pulled the screws out with my hands.

Now all that's left is to rebuild a deck! How hard can that be?

Alright, now for thing two. I have been scouring Facebook Marketplace for one thing. An item so legendary, you don't even know what it is (probably). It comes in many colors, is of curious (German) workmanship, and transports its owner into the future, as well as down the street. Got it yet? Nice! You're right, it's a BMW E30, specifically a 325i. This is my entry-level dream car. You can work on them easily, swap engines, parts are available... it's everything a beginner could want. Plus, they look sleek as hell (sorry, Mom). I can see myself driving one. It's one of the only cars I could actually picture myself driving. I love that you can upgrade little things in them until they feel how you want. The hard part is that other people like them too, and I don't know what I'm doing. I'd love to just buy a working one and upgrade it, but I'm not rich. Getting into cars with little money means that old cars are the only option. You don't just like old cars cause they're classy, you like them out of necessity. This has been my fixation over the last week and a half. You will see me succeed.

Anyway, that's probably all I've got for now. I'll write a little bit more regularly now that I have a (terrible) schedule again.

Bye for now,

Will