Archive for September, 2009

The Grandeur of a Hotel Room

Deb and I watched Disney’s Earth last night on the big screen (i.e., downstairs).  We wanted to see it in the theater, but for some reason, didn’t.  Nevertheless, this was the kind of film for which I built a home theater.  Majestic, and filled with grandeur, it covers all seven continents, displaying the struggles and beauty of nature.

I’m sure this wasn’t the filmmakers’ intentions, but we couldn’t help but be awestruck at how the whole planet–every creature, plant and rock–shouts out “I was made!”  And made well, for our enjoyment and stewardship.

The stars of the show are the animals.  Polar bears, humpback whales, penguins, cheetahs and various birds are all shown doing what they have been doing for thousands of years: struggling to survive (not always successfully), swimming, jumping, courting and, at times, playing.  There were some scenes that were hilarious, and some that were heart-wrenching.

Through most of my Christian walk, I’ve tried to remove myself from the natural world.  It seemed dirty and un-spiritual.  I believed that God would re-do everything anyway, so why bother?  In the past year, I’ve reversed that view.  God made us to be apart of creation.  Ruling it, yes, but still apart of it.  By gaining an appreciation of it, I hope to better anticipate the New Earth to come.

For instance, highlighted several times last night was the act of hunting.  Predators stalked, chased and killed.  (Note to parents: No bloodshed was shown.  It’s a very kid-friendly film in that regard.  The one time an animal was shown eating another animal was when a great white shark was shown swallowing a seal whole, in slow motion.)  This is just the way this world is.  However, that’s not how it’s going to be.  In Isaiah, while describing the New Earth, the Lord says “‘The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox…They will neither harm nor destroy all on my holy mountain,’ says the Lord. It sounds ridiculous, because it is so different from what we’re living with now.  Yet, the idea that all of creation will be able to stop struggling is a comforting one.  I can’t help but think of the Warner Brothers cartoons with Sam and Ralph, the coyote and sheepdog.  During the workday, they would be mortal enemies.  As soon as the whistle blew announcing the end of the workday, they could walk off and enjoy their real life together, living in peace.

All the beauty that we witnessed last night, ultimately is just a temporary resting point on the path to our true home.  We watched a documentary about the majesty and grandeur of a hotel room.

The other thought that came to mind was: Cosmic accident, my eye.

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Extreme Makeover, Basement Edition, pt. 4 (House Projects)

I’ll be taking a break from the basement makeover project, at least for a while.  I didn’t post about it, but last week I finished goal #3 (the speaker pedestals).  These were not a design revolution, but just something that I decided I wanted, but wasn’t going to pay the prices I was seeing in stores.  Two pieces of plywood, separated by a 4-foot post did the trick.  I drilled holes in the plywood bases and platforms for speaker wires to snake through, and stapled the wires to the backs to help keep them hidden.  At some point, I’ll paint them black to give them aesthetic boost.  Let’s be honest; they could use all the help they can get.

(Check back later for pictures)

I had some friends over last night for a guys’ movie night.  After enjoying a few Loony Tunes cartoons, we watched a number titled Outlander.  For what it was, we were happy: a mindless action movie.  How much complaining is justified about a movie that is essentially vikings vs. aliens?

I’ve decided to add one more phase to the project, for the time being.  I would like to hook up our Wii to the projector, but I don’t want the sensor bar to be stuck in the middle of the room.  Alternately, I didn’t want to pay $20 for a wireless one.

After doing a little bit of research, I figured out the Wii’s sensor bar is merely a couple of infra-red lamps that allow the Wii’s controllers to determine their position and direction.  Some people have even been able to substitute candles for the sensor bar.  With a quick search on instructables.com, I found the basic plans to make my own sensor bar.  The whole thing consists of two IR lamps, an on/off switch, a AA battery pack, and an LED lamp to show whether it’s turned on or off.  I’m going to do my best to incorporate this into the screen without ruining any of my existing work (I wish that I had thought of this when I built it.

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Extreme Makeover, Basement Edition, pt. 3 (House Projects)

This was the day I had been planning for: screen-building day.  I had my materials (I thought), I had my tools (I thought), and I was going to knock this one out in about four hours (I thought).

First, the dimensions.  The plans I was following were for a true movie proportion screen (2.35:1).  I altered them for a more common 16:9 format.  Of the three 1×4 8′ boards with which I had to work, I left two of them at 8′, then cut the remaining one into two 42″ lengths.  This gave me a screen that was approximately 96″x52″, or about a 109″ diagonal screen.  When I dug out my sanding block for the vertical boards, I realized that it had rotted too much to be useful.  I’ve resigned myself that I can expect at least one trip to the local Home Depot in the middle of any project.

This is the width--Eight feet of video goodness, coming up.

This is the width--Eight feet of video goodness, coming up.

Yes, this was my work bench.  Don't laugh, please.

Yes, this was my work bench. Don't laugh, please.

While I was buying sandpaper there, I paused to look at the hanging apparatus.  I had purchased a couple of 100 lb. “Ooks” hooks, having had great success with them in the past.  I knew that there was no way that this thing was going to be anywhere close to that weight, but Ooks are cheap enough to wildly overcompensate.  But, I still wasn’t sure how I should hook the Ooks to the frame.  I saw a complete Ook heavy object hanging kit that seemed to fit the bill.

Also, a good friend had agreed to loan me his staple gun for the project…but I decided that I couldn’t wait, so I picked one of those up as well.  Another axiom: every successful project should involve buying at least one new tool.  Otherwise, our economy would crumb-…never mind.

Back at house, I sanded both of the 8′ boards down to the same length and put them aside.  Next, I took a 2′x2′ piece of plywood, and cut it diagonally both ways, forming four triangles.  These were going to be the corner braces that would hold the frame together.  After sanding the braces, I laid an 8′ and a 42″ board down at a right angle on the garage floor, and placed one of the braces over the corner, at 1/2 an inch from the edges.  I then marked off places to put screws in at 1 1/2-inch intervals down and across.  After marking all the places where I would put screws in, I laid all the braces down and drilled holes in all four braces at once.

It seems a bit much, but believe in "measure 10 times, drill once".

It seems a bit much, but believe in "measure 10 times, drill once".

Next, it was time to move everything to the basement and assemble the pieces. I assembled the frame using 1-1/8″ wood screws.  I had decided earlier that it would be best to figure out how and where to hang the thing before I attach the screen material.  Looking at the Ook kit I purchased earlier, it was more complicated that what I had intended, primarily because there were no directions included inside the box.  There were a couple of screw-on hanging loops, which is what I was really after.  Those plus the 100-lb hooks I had already purchased were perfect together.  I attached one of the hanging loops (surely there is an actual term for these things; if so, someone please leave it in a comment) and nailed in an Ook to test it out.  On attempt #1, I realized that I had attached the loop too high on the frame, and the Ook was peeking out over the top of the frame.  I reattached the loop farther down on the frame, and that worked perfectly.  I C-clamped a level to the frame, and hung the other side.  Perfect!

It was much easier to to a "dress rehearsal" without the fabric.

It was much easier to to a "dress rehearsal" without the fabric.

Finally, I layed out the blackout material across the floor, white side down.  After being rolled up, there were now verticle fold lines all across the fabric.  If anyone decides to do this project, I would recommend using a large tube to roll fabric around.  However, in the end, it really didn’t matter, because it was stretched to the point where the folds weren’t visible.

I used my shiny new staple gun to attach the screen to the frame, gently pulling the fabric taut as I went.  The only tricky part was the corners, because I had to carefully fold the cloth so that there were no wrinkles on the other side.  Otherwise, it was surprisingly easy to work with, and in a few minutes I had my screen hung.

I'm rather proud of my corners.

I'm rather proud of my corners.

The only other recommendation I would make would be to perhaps glue the cloth to the frame before stapling.  I ended up with some wrinkles at the bottom; gluing may have avoided that.

The finished product

The finished product

Finally, I hung the finished product, and tested it, as well as the video extension cord.  I held my breath when I turned everything on.  I’m happy to say that there were no sparks, no smoke, just a huge grin on my face.

Success!

Success!

Yes, those are folding chairs holding the speakers on either side of the screen.  That will never do…

Playlist:

John Adams – Shaker Loops: A Final Shaking / Gustav Holst – Fugal Concerto: While making breakfast, I contemplated the act of creation, and how our joy in creating brings God’s joy.  There is a certain holiness in creating for our own pleasure and the pleasure of others, echoing God’s pleasure in creating the universe for His pleasure and ours, too.  These pieces were on at the time, and I don’t know if it sparked my thoughts or not; I just made a mental note to look up the titles.

Bluegrass Saturday Mornings: The local jazz station, KBEM, plays bluegrass music every Saturday morning.  I have fond memories of working around the house, with Ian running around, listening to this.  It’s been at least a year or two since I’ve worked outside with this music playing in the background.  Regardless of your opinion of bluegrass music, it felt good.

Vigilantes of Love-Live at the 40-Watt: This is a great rock album to work to, and Bill Malonee writes some wonderfully poignant lyrics.

Jars of Clay-Redemption Songs: I picked this one up only recently.  I love what they have done to some marvelous hymns.  We used their arrangement of “I’ll Fly Away” for Ian’s memorial service.

Bebo Norman-Between the Dreaming and the Coming True

City on a Hill: Sing Alleluia

Next Step: The speaker stands

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Extreme Makeover, Basement Edition, pt. 2 (House Projects, Graces and Mercies)

Yesterday, for the most part, I took the day off from the project, because I wanted to spend it with Deb.  We went to the Nicolin Mansion in Jordan, MN, and we can’t recommend it highly enough.  If you are looking for a relaxing getaway in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, this would be the place to go (www.nicolinmansion.com).

The only project-related activity I did yesterday was ironing the screen material.  For the screen itself, I’m using curtain blackout material.  It’s an opaque fabric that’s sewn behind curtains to keep the sun from shining through.  It’s very white, and should I decide to paint the thing later to have better color balance and reflectivity, I believe that it will hold paint nicely.  When I bought the stuff (9 yards from a 54-inch bolt), I wasn’t paying enough attention and I allowed the clerk to fold the cloth up instead of rolling it into a tube.  By the time I got home from work, there were creases down the width and length of it.

I covered the area I was ironing with a towel, and moved the iron slooooowly down the creases.  It worked for the most part, but they were difficult to get out.  I had to make multiple passes with the iron.  If you decide to try this on your own, be very careful during this step; I got a few tiny scorch marks on the fabric.  I found out after the fact that I should have had the ironing board underneath (I had the fabric laying on the floor to prevent more creases and to make things easier).  When I attach the screen, I don’t plan on stretching it taught over the frame, but just enough to take care of any remaining creases.  (I’ll post pictures of the fabric later this weekend).

One thing I forgot to mention from the last project-related post was the playlist.  As certain songs keep running through my head or popping up on whatever music source is handy, I thought I would keep track of them, especially if there was any significance.  So far:

  • Barking at the Moon by Jenny Lewis: This is from the Bolt soundtrack.  Bolt was a standard cute, CGI-animated movie about a little dog trying to get back home.  It was also one of the last movies that I saw with Ian at the theater.  My mother got to go with us (a rare treat), and we all enjoyed it very much.  Ian especially loved the character named Rhino who was (of course) a hamster.  This is a catchy little country tune about the importance of “your home”.  Not only does it remind me of an enjoyable time with my son and mother, but it also reminds me of my eternal home, and how Ian is already there.
  • Everything Sad is Coming Untrue (Part 1) by Jason Gray: Save yourself the trouble and buy the whole album. Actually, buy two copies, because you will probably want to share it with someone.  Deb and I first heard Jason in late July, when he played at a conference we attended.  If you have been following either Deb’s blog or the caring bridge, you might notice that Deb has been quoting his lyrics and liner notes quite a bit.  Jason is a breath of fresh air in Christian music.  For the past 15 years or so, I’ve been so focused on the “business” of Christian music (and turned off by some of the practices) that I lost sight of the fact that there are artists who are still in it as a ministry. Jason is one of those artists.

    This song is a reference to the Lord of the Rings books (I don’t think the line is in the movies), when Samwise Gamgee is astounded that all of the tragedies that he thought had occurred are not true: he and Bilbo survived, Gandalf is alive (and in a more glorified state), all of his friends are alive and the evil force that had threatened the land is now gone forever.  The idea that, someday, all of the bad things in this world are going to be “undone” is both fascinating and heartbreaking.

    I find it fascinating, in that at any time I can look around and see dozens of things that will not exist in the new Heaven and new Earth.  No more cigarette butts lying on the ground.  No more air pollution warnings.  No more lost relationships.  No more doctors saying “there’s nothing else that can be done.”  Actually, no more doctors.  If you think about it, according to the Bible, we will have glorified bodies that will be perfect, with no more sickness or death.  Ergo, no more doctors.  At least, that’s what I believe here and now.  When we are standing in Heaven (and, if you are not sure that you will be there, call me as soon as possible), feel free to either commend me on my theological insight, or point out that I really missed the mark.  Then again, I think that we will both have better things to do.

    I also find the idea of everything sad becoming untrue a bit heartbreaking, because it hasn’t happened yet.  Every so often, I pray to God that “I’m ready, whenever you are.”  Immediately, I feel God reminding me that He’s waiting on me (see Romans 10:14).

Next: Building the frame!

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Pushing Back the Clock (Tom)

I just got driver’s license renewed.  I passed the eye exam without my glasses.

Take that, 39!

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Extreme Makeover, Basement Edition, pt. 1 (House Projects)

Sometimes, God gives me a deep and wonderful spiritual insight.  When this occurs, I love to write a post about it to share with everyone, hoping that someone will be blessed and have a closer walk with Christ.

This isn’t one of those posts.

I’m starting a series that will chronicle my attempt to create the Henderson Cinema/Arcade/Presentation Center.  The goal is to utilize our basement so that it can be an enjoyable space for watching movies and playing games, as well as watching video presentations for small groups.  One condition of this is that I want to make as few modifications to the walls and ceiling of the basement as possible.  Given my track record for home improvements, that ‘s best for everyone involved.  Another is that the projector will be easily moveable, so that we can use it elsewhere.

The first stage of this project involves three tasks:

  • Build a screen.  This will be a wall-mounted 16:9 screen, probably 7.5′ x 4.5′.
  • Build speaker stands.  I’ve got a 2.1 sound system, which will be fine until I’m ready to install a surround-sound system.  However, I need some way to elevate the two bookshelf speakers I will be using.
  • Create an extension cord for the projector.  I want the video sources off to the side of the room, but the projector will need to be centered in front of the screen.  This will require a 15-pin extension cord for the video signal.  I would like the cable to be about 20 feet long.

One more condition: I want to do this with as little expense as possible, within reason.

This could very well be a comedy of errors, considering that:

  • I never took shop in high school.  Let’s just say that working with wood is always a fresh journey for me.
  • The number of power tools I own can be counted on one hand.

However, I have some advantages:

  • I have all five fingers on that hand used to count power tools, unlike this guy:
  • I have the Internet. I have found two or three plans for the screen, and one for the extension cord.  The speaker pedestals will be something I dreamed up.
  • Room.  We’re not using the basement for anything else (except storage), so I have a lot of flexibility in projector placement.  I hope to take this:
    The future site of the Henderson Cineplex.

    The future site of the Henderson Cineplex.

    and turn it into…something else.

The Adventure Begins…

I started with the last item first, for some reason.  I think it was a confidence-building thing.

As I said, I want to locate the video sources at least ten feet away from the project, and have some extra length for maneuvering.  I found steps here to use a Cat5 cable to make a VGA cable.  I have a 100-foot Cat5 cable that I haven’t been using, so I sacrificed about 20 feet of it for the sake of the cause.  After slicing off the ends of the cable, I was left with this:

Man, that's a lot of wires.

Man, that's a lot of wires.

Following the diagrams in the above link I soldered the colored wires into their appropriate sockets on the 15-pin connectors.  I deviated from the plans a bit; instead of using two male connectors, I used a male & female connector, essentially making an extension cable.  The reason for this is that I plan on having two video sources: my XBox 360 and a PC.  The XBox 360 will be for games and DVDs; the PC will be for other streaming media.  I’ll switch between the two using a KVM switch.

The soldering proved to less tricky that I imagined.  For the past 15 years or so, I would occasionally see a project that involved soldering, and I would get the itch to make something.  In high school, I made a guitar amplifier for a physics project, and loved the experience.  My last experience with soldering involved putting a larger speaker into a different amplifier.  Let’s just say that the end result included smoke, and a ruined amp.

After purchasing the necessary components from Radio Shack, I set to work soldering wires to connectors.  The first three or so took much longer than I expected.  Like a lot of small motor skill activities, it takes a little while to find the right pattern.  Using a C-clamp to hold the VGA connector helped dramatically, and I remembered that it’s easier to melt the solder into the wire, then melt it again to the connection.  A little while later, I behold my creation:

It's ugly, but it works...honest.

It's ugly, but it works...honest.

I tested the cable using an old computer and monitor, and was astounded that it worked.  I then added the hoods for the finishing touch:

20+ feet of VGA goodness

20+ feet of VGA goodness

Next up: Building the screen!

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A Reminder From Ella (Graces and Mercies)

We still update our CaringBridge site from time to time, typically with thoughts and memories about Ian.  The most recent post was a story written by one of Ian’s friends, Ella.  In her fertile imagination, she pictures Ian meeting some friendly mice in Heaven.  Something she wrote in her story jumped out at me today:

There was a boy named Ian well there used to be a boy named Ian I know… He is in Heaven.  Now is where the real story of Ian begins.

(I added the bolding.)

Every so often, Deb and I have to look into each other’s eyes and remind ourselves that our story isn’t over, and neither is Ian’s.  Sometimes, it feels like we have suffered a dramatic ending, and the only thing left to do is to spend our remaining years picking up the pieces.  It can seem to be a wretched, drawn-out denouement after our worst nightmare.

I think that Ella nailed it, though.  For all the time that we spent with Ian and focused on him, his story didn’t really start until February 19, 2009, the moment he stepped into eternity.  And, for all that Deb and I worry about, sweat over and rejoice for, our story hasn’t begun yet…not really.

I like the way C.S. Lewis described it at the end of The Last Battle, the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia, when the Pevenses are ushered into Aslan’s country:

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion, but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.  And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.  But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.  All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page; now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

It’s not just that the best is yet to come; our time with our Lord, and with Ian, hasn’t even really begun yet.

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