Build it, Surprise, Cold Running
Friday night I finally decided to dig into my Creality Ender 2 3D printer kit. I already own three 3D printers but none of them were a kit, where you are assembling most components yourself. I was both excited and apprehensive about the project.
As far as kits go, the Ender 2 is on the easier end of the spectrum but even so I had a lot of challenges to overcome, most due to just my unfamiliarity with the process. This was not helped by the woefully inadequate instructions which consisted of seven pictures. I supplemented with a couple videos I saw on YouTube to help me through.
I did have some conventional problems like a stripped out screw that I had to drill out and replace and some binding of the Z axis screw. I managed to address these problems and complete the build. I actually did not complete everything on Friday night, I burned another hour or so Saturday morning until I had the printer actually spitting out it’s first object. I gave myself a nice virtual pat on the back for being able to turn a box of parts into something functional at the end.
I was going to run Saturday morning but I decided to postpone it till Sunday because my lower body was still very sore from Wednesday dead lifts and it was still very cold, with temps in the lower 40’s once again. I instead opted to stay home and headed outside to do the must do’s around the yard. Jeans and a sweatshirt were required apparel.
Cindy and I took Elsa for a mid-morning ride to Rural King and Home Depot. I picked up some mulch to finish off the two landscaped areas I neglected to refresh several weeks ago. I also got my second load of 15 bags of topsoil in as many weeks to dump in the back of the chicken coop. My hope is that if I keep dumping dirt back there slowly over the winter, when wet season arrives I will have a ground level in some spots that is a few inches higher, hopefully giving the hens a little more dry ground this summer.
Katie’s birthday was Friday but Cindy was doing a surprise party for her on Saturday. She rented a spot in a make your own pottery store. Not only did Cindy invite her side of the family but also her ex-husband and his family who live on the east coast. Katie was blown away that so many people showed up to celebrate her birthday. I only showed up for the last 30 minutes or so since I didn’t really care to make an art project. It was nice to be able to finally meet Katie’s extended family which includes two brothers and a little sister.
After dinner we went to Outback for dinner. The theme of the experience was sloooow. They were slow to seat us, slow to take our order and slow to serve our food. Despite this everyone had a fun time with lots of laughs and smiles passed around the table. My $50 Outback gift card I received for my birthday came in handy when it came time to settle up. I do like the 22 ounce draft beers at Outback, I must say.
Sunday morning, despite it still being quite cold I got my 13 laps in around the track. I wore shorts but did decide to sport a long sleeve t-shirt to give me at least a little protection against the cold air. It took around a mile of running until my internal heater had cranked up enough for me to not feel frozen solid. Even when I finished my last lap I didn’t have a drop of sweat on me.
It was too cold to ride in the morning so we spent most of the morning indoors working on stuff. We went out for a coffee run and then stopped at Michael’s so Cindy could grab more supplies for her Cameo crafting, something she is really enjoying. Elsa and I went into the pet store next door briefly to kill some time. We did several laps around the store as Elsa nervously examined her surroundings. She is funny to observe as she hops back and forth between scared and excited and then back again.
We didn’t get out on the wheels until mid-afternoon once it warmed up and when we did it was only briefly around the school parking lot. Cindy was still a bit cold and tweaked her knee a bit. Plus we both had things we wanted to futz around with back at home.
Sunday evening we watched my latest Netflix rental, Baywatch. The movie was unapologetically silly and it’s R rating meant there was some very adult humor and visuals. That being said, it was funny, making both Cindy and I laugh out loud throughout the flick. As long as you aren’t a prude, it’s a solid B level rental all day long.
I am taking this upcoming Friday off to give me ANOTHER four day week. The best news is it will also be a four day long weekend as our office closes for MLK day on Monday. I hope to accomplish several things during those four days highlighted by my first ever attempt at changing the front brake pads on a Prius.