Morton Fox's journal

My router, a Linksys WRT54GC, is getting a little outdated and I was interested in getting a newer model that can run the DD-WRT firmware. It's something I'd wanted to do for a while and reading this Coding Horror blog entry reminded me about it. CompUSA has a special on the E2000 this week, so while I was out today to get a few things, I made a stop there to check it out. As always, I used one of the internet terminals in CompUSA to read Amazon reviews. As I've mentioned before, CompUSA's providing access to Amazon is a double-edged sword, not because it's cheaper at Amazon but because customer reviews often reveal product flaws. It appears that this router has potential overheating problems. It's a low-profile device with insufficient air circulation. My WRT54GC, on the other hand, is positioned vertically, like a book standing on its edge, so that was never a problem. So the search continues.

The last few days were rainy, so I stayed home except for supply runs and breakfast coupon usage. I took the opportunity to work on a fursuit that I recently acquired inexpensively. No Name the Otter was built for someone taller (but not that much wider) than I so the arms and legs are a little long. One big plus: the head is roomy enough for me to wear glasses inside, which is useful. On Sunday, I made some measurements and hemmed the arms and legs to more appropriate lengths. It was pretty simple: fold, pin, and sew. It took pretty much all night because I was handstitching but the end result doesn't look as messy as I thought it would.

That wasn't not the only problem though. I noticed that the fursuit feet are indoor-only (felt and fur soles) and probably won't survive much wear. So on Monday, I made fursuit sandals. I got the anti-fatigue flooring from Lowe's and the nylon straps and buckles from Jo-Ann Fabrics, and got to work that evening. This too took all night until 4:30am because I was unpracticed. Knowing what I know now, there are definitely some things I would do differently or in a different order. Anyway, he should be ready. I'll do a few more wear tests at home to check for problems and see if there's a chance to debut him soon.

And finally, all the rain from the last few days is helping the grass seed patches. The first patch, which germinated mid-September, now looks much thicker. The second patch, which was slow in germinating, did spring up at last. So they join the other half-dozen or so species of grass in the backyard land grab. Personally, I'm rooting for the grass species that looks like tufts of hair, the biggest clump of which is growing out from under the heating oil tank. Not sure exactly what type it is, so I'll call it hair fescue.

The seed for today's shopping excursion was planted a few days ago when I wondered if there was a better tool for weeding. I figured there had to be long-arm weeders out there so one wouldn't have to bend over to pull weeds. It was a rainy day today so I couldn't actually do any yardwork outside, so I might as well look for this gadget.

Lowe's has the Fiskars Uproot Weeder. As I usually do, I checked Amazon reviews on my cell phone in the store before deciding on the purchase. It got a lot of 4 and 5-star reviews but a number of reviews pointed out that the plastic parts on this tool are prone to breakage. I'm guessing this weeder would not survive my yard because the soil is variable in hardness and there are some buried stumps and roots.

Then I went to Home Depot and saw that they have the Hound Dog Weed Hound. This weeder is all metal and got some good reviews at Amazon, but again, a few reviews stated that this tool broke after a few uses. So there is still no ideal tool for the job, or at least not at local stores.

So I gave up on the long-arm weeder search and went to TGI Friday's. I had a crispy green bean fries appetizer using a coupon that strangely was valid only today. They were having a "Christmas in July" party in the bar area with decorations and a Santa Claus. Bizarre.

Saturday night, I went to Newark Airport to pick up my parents. They're visiting for a while and helping me to pack up, clean up, and move. The airport was annoying as usual. I thought my parents were late but they actually got the wrong directions to passenger pickup so they were waiting on the wrong level for a while. Apparently, there is another level for airport taxis that I can't get to. On Sunday, we did a lot of packing. It's going a lot faster with 3 people working on it. Continued packing on Monday and then loaded essential stuff into the car and drove out to Delaware.

On Tuesday, we did a lot of shopping. I had a 10% off moving special coupon from Lowe's so we got a lot from there, including a washing machine and a vacuum cleaner. The latter was sorely needed because of construction dust in the carpet and it was on sale and with the extra 10% off, it was a deal. We noticed later at Best Buy that this model was what the store itself used even though they don't sell it. Makes ya think. Also went to Walmart for some bathroom and room fixtures and checked out an Asian grocery in Wilmington. The latter was a bit of a disappointment because they didn't have soy milk. We'll have to go to Philadelphia Chinatown at some point.

On Tuesday night, we put up the curtains. Privacy at last! It's a bit of a hack though because we used tension rods instead of proper curtain rods. The reason is I don't have a working drill to make holes and put in screws. In fact, all the hooks and hangers I've put up so far were no-tool installations. We'll see how long those last.