Measurement Issues and Lift Malfunctions

Went up around 3:30. Finished priming, but realized the last coke oven on the right didn’t line up exactly the way I had thought with the bricked up window. The window was a little lower, which threw the perspective off a bit. I spent some time trying to figure out how to make it work, then dropped the chalk line down again to get the lines on the primed surface.

I lost about an hour when I called Mum to tell her All That Glitters was having a sale and when she came up we went over. Mum bought some jewelry (she won’t tell me what) and I found a salt & pepper shaker (for my ever-expanding collection) and a pie pan (because one can never have too many.)

I started chalking in some of the design, but ran into some trouble. First, the lift suddenly stopped working. While I was half-way up the building. Just after Mum picked up a pizza. It appeared that the lift was out of power, which was not ridiculous as it hadn’t been charged in two days (Dad had told me yesterday it didn’t need charged -___-) So he plugged it in, but the thing doesn’t work when it’s charging. I had to be handed up some pizza so I could survive. About fifteen minutes later it had enough power to lower.

I'd figured out what to do about the coke oven/window situation, but unfortunately, I realized something was off about the measurement of the wall and the grid I’d drawn on the design. I had thought the high part of the wall on the right was 25 ft high and the lower part 20ft, making the difference 5 ft. But it’s realy 55 inches. I didn’t realize this until George Washington looked like an egg head. I had primed it following that grid, so I’ll need to fix that area. I ran out of pink chalk (I was using blue for the horizontal grid lines and didn’t want to draw the design in the same color) got stuck another time almost at the roof, and then decided to call it a night around 9:00 when it was getting dark. Dad had to keep plugging in the lift when I wasn’t moving so it would charge and I’d have to yell down to unplug it when I needed to move. I told him to charge it even though I won’t be home to work on it until next week. That way it will be fully charged when I get back.

To do: make a list of the colors of paint we'll need so we can place the order.
Hours worked: 5
Total hours to date: 12
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Now playing: Regina Spektor - Folding Chair

Priming Almost Done

I suppose today was the start of my internship at the Mattress Factory. I was told to come in from 10-4 but I ended up leaving around 2 because there was nothing specific I needed to do before the class starts next week. I read over the student’s applications and it looks like it’s going to be an interesting group. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with and being involved with a Factory14 class again.

Got home around 5:00, but it was cloudy and raining off and on. I wanted to go up so I could finish priming, but thought that since I most likely wouldn't need to go to Pittsburgh tomorrow, I could just wait. Then at around 7:30 the sky cleared up and I decided Dad and I could run up and at least get some priming done. We started working and after about a half hour, I noticed a huge storm cloud looming over our heads. We kept working because it looked like it would pass. It did, but we only stayed about twenty more minutes. We got a lot done considering we were only there for about an hour. It started storming on the way home.

Hours worked: 1
Total hours to date: 7
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Now playing: Manu Chao - Rainin in Paradize

Priming

I had planned to start drawing the grid yesterday, but by the time I got home (from breakfast with Lia and Alanna, discount movie shopping, and a stop in Belle Vernon.) It was around 1:00 and very hot. So I could work Sunday morning, I went to 4:30 mass and got to work a little after 5:00.

I got to Perry with Dad around 8:00 Sunday morning, but after about fifteen minutes I realized I needed sunscreen, a chalk line, and a better ruler. I tried using tape to mark off every foot, then switched to just using chalk every 2 feet along the bottom. Then I rode the lift up, measured and made the same marks along the top. I dropped down the chalk line to Dad and it worked pretty well. Starting near the top, I marked off the horizontal grid lines and began the perimeter of the design in chalk while Dad got the primer from home and brought up some lunch.'

Though it was hot, a little before noon the building started to cast a shadow just long enough to cover the area we were working in. There was a comfortable breeze, but when I was almost at the roof I wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea to be up that high. Apparently if the wind speed is over 15 mph it’s not safe, but I think it was around 7.

While I finished marking off the upper right-hand corner, Dad started priming at the bottom left. Then I moved the lift over to the left and continued up from what he’d done, leaving him to get the bottom right. We had to stop at 2:00 so I could get home to shower before work at 3:00.

I was surprised at how quickly we got started. When the lift was delivered on Wednesday, I had said that the earliest possible day we would start priming would be Sunday, and at the time I was counting Saturday as a work day. I actually thought it was unrealistic to plan having the area primed before leaving for Baltimore on June 30th.

Hours worked: 6
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Now playing: Guster - Satellite

Officially the Perryopolis Heritage Mural Project has begun!

After three years of talk, I finally stood in the lot and operated a scissor lift all the way to the roof of the Karolcik theater. I met with the ladies that make up the Mural Project committee on Monday and after going over a Letter of Intent and agreeing the final design was ready, I scheduled the lift delivery for early Wednesday morning.

The lift was delivered yesterday. I had to work at ten, so I wasn't there . I went up in the evening and tried it out. It’s a lot simpler than I imagined. There’s a control box with a joystick and just one switch that can be turned to a scissor lift symbol (to raise and lower the platform), a rabbit (to move the lift forward or backward) and a snail (if you want to move it slower). I got it up against the side of the building (it’s easy to parallel park because you can just look down and see which direction the wheels need to go in) but we need to bring some plywood boards to lay across the gravel because there isn't enough traction. Also the lift won't extend past a certain point because it's not on level ground so we'll have to take care of that as well.

But all in all, we're off to a good start!
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Now playing: Joss Stone - Free Me