Devolution passed!

March 10, 2010 · Posted in Real life sort of stuff, Stuff · Comment 

It’s over. Devolution passed. Now Stormont has control over all of it’s own affairs, and the terrorists can go home.

For those of you out there that don’t know, ever since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, they have been trying to transfer power from London to Belfast in a process know as devolution.

The main issues have been:

1. The dismantling of the paramilitary (terrorist) groups in Northern Ireland.
2. The removal of the British Army and it’s bases.
3. Establishment of Power Sharing between the main political parties.
4. The devolution of policing and other services.

There are more issues than that, but those are the main ones.

The paramilitaries have disarmed (mostly).

The army are gone.

Power sharing is here.

And as linked above, the police are devolving.

There’s no point fighting any more on the part of the terrorists. All you’ll be doing is killing other Northerners. You can plant bombs, shoot cops, whatever it is you want to do… but there’s no point.

You’re not fighting for Britain or Ireland any more.

All you’re doing is blowing up your own people. Which is fairness, is what you’ve been doing this whole time.

It’s over. There are years of healing to go yet. I give it two generations before no one gives a shit any more.

It’s over lads. It’s over.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Beard Update

March 9, 2010 · Posted in Facial Hair · Comment 

Still growing strong. I’ll make it the year yet.

Share/Save/Bookmark

The Mad Industrialist Part 4

March 6, 2010 · Posted in Engineering · Comment 

Today was an awful day. It was long, hot, and difficult.
What’s worse, I could not get into the swing of welding at all. Laying down loose welds, full of holes, spatter everywhere…

Got many many sparks inside the helmet, got a spark right down my back. That hurt. Caught weld flare twice. That sucks more than anything.

Did I not enjoy today?
Don’t get me wrong, I love welding. But when you can’t get into a rhythm on it, it can be a punishing mistress.

Click through for more pictures.
Read more

Share/Save/Bookmark

The Mad Industrialist Part 3

February 27, 2010 · Posted in Engineering · Comment 

Back to work.

This week we were doing multiple layers of weld on single joints. The top weld in the picture is a single weld, the bottom joint has one weld on top of the other, and there’s a third one to come.

Check out more pictures after the jump.
Read more

Share/Save/Bookmark

Today, I’m just like everyone else

February 20, 2010 · Posted in Engineering · Comment 

No Mad Industrialist today. One inch of snow and they called the whole thing off. I’d say all of us lads on the course would have made it. We love our welding, and I’d say we’re all pissed that we didn’t get to go in today.

Here’s an old snow picture. Like it’s a consolation.
I hate snow, it keeps screwing me

Share/Save/Bookmark

New Glasses

February 18, 2010 · Posted in Facial Hair · 1 Comment 

Remember when I said I loved getting eye tests?

Here are the glasses I picked. Large, thick, and metal. I love em. And my vision is now in HD.

Share/Save/Bookmark

The First Beard Update

February 16, 2010 · Posted in Facial Hair · 2 Comments 

So, I’ve decided to grow a Lincoln beard for as long as I possibly can. If I manage to get to the end of the year, I’ll shave it on January First of 2011. Planning on updating once a week.

Also…

Kimberlee is not that into Valentine’s Day.

Share/Save/Bookmark

The Mad Industrialist Part 2

February 13, 2010 · Posted in Engineering · Comment 

Week two of my welding course and today is the first day that we joined two pieces of metal together with both tack welds and fillet welds.

The line where the top plate joins the middle plate has been tack welded. One tack welds something so the pieces of work do not shift during the heavier welding.

The bottom and middle plate are permanently attached (thanks to me) with a fillet weld. The trick is to weld slowly. I love welding, I really do.

More next week. And a close up picture after the jump.
Read more

Share/Save/Bookmark

Today I became…

February 6, 2010 · Posted in Engineering, Real life sort of stuff · Comment 

The Mad Welder!

IMG_1944

This here’s my booth. After the jump the first pictures of my first welds.
Read more

Share/Save/Bookmark

First Hair Cut Of The Year

February 6, 2010 · Posted in Facial Hair · 2 Comments 

Before…

IMG_1938

Check out the jump for the…
Read more

Share/Save/Bookmark

The Mad Carpenter’s Top Ten Pictures

February 5, 2010 · Posted in 365 project, photography · Comment 

So at the end of this year… Year nine I guess since we reset everything. As is the tradition with television and the internet it’s time to make a top ten. So since I haven’t completed ten projects this year (I’m aware that I am not a very productive carpenter) I’m going to pick my ten favourite pictures of this year. As is usual, we shall start at number ten.

10:
january-second

The second picture of the year, and my tenth favourite because it is a perfect picture. It makes me look good.

More after the jump.
Read more

Share/Save/Bookmark

All right; enough is enough

February 5, 2010 · Posted in Real life sort of stuff · 1 Comment 

It’s never going to be perfect, and I’m not going to be properly ready to blog for another few weeks, but nuts to it, let’s get this damn show on the road.

Today I went into town to do something that I always look forward to. Every time it rolls around I’m more than happy to get it done, even if it’s difficult to pay for.

I’m talking of course, about an eye test. I love getting my eyes test, and sleep deprivation not withstanding, I had a blast. I know this all sounds really dorky, but I genuinely enjoy it. I didn’t go to my usual guy, which is kind of annoying because my usual guy has an unusually soothing voice, but I digress…

As is par for the course these days the hardest part was trying to get what I wanted for a price I could afford. With some finagling, a gentle nudge of a 25% discount [supposedly only for the over 60's], and a mid sized thwack from my medical card I was able to get a very nice pair of glasses, with decent lenses for 80 euros. Not bad at all.

They’ll be available for collection on the 18th of this month, so I’ll try and get a picture up around then.

Other than that I paid the rent and got a haircut. The before and after pictures for the haircut I will post somewhere in the next few days if I can manage it.

Tomorrow is the second day of my welding course, and the first day we actually start welding. I’ll try to remember to bring the camera.

I am working on getting character bios for some of the characters of the fictional Irish city: Castlefinn City.
The first [and hopefully more] of these will be posted soon along with an illustration of each character drawn by Frank.

Nonsense to waiting, and enough hanging about. Let’s blog this shit.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Further Bad News

January 26, 2010 · Posted in Table Polishing · Comment 

I am currently down a laptop.
It simply will not accept the power cable, so it’s knackered. Kev carried the ram over to an old toshiba carcass, and the hard drive so all my information is still with me. But all of this is putting a serious crimp on my ability to post, and do the things that I want with this blog.

All of these things suck. If anyone wants to help me out head to the Donations page, located at the link below. Or the link above that says “Donations”.

http://www.themadcarpenter.com/donations/

I’ve got it all worked out though, and it’s probably possible to get back online, with a new machine, in about a month, if I save as much as I can.

With a little help I could probably have it in two weeks. I’m not one to ask people for money, but this is a serious interruption to the mad carpenter service.

Any and all donations will be greatly received.

Share/Save/Bookmark

An Update From The Silence

January 12, 2010 · Posted in Table Polishing · 3 Comments 

I know, I know….I’ve promised big things and I have yet to deliver anything. But I am working on it.

Doing a project with Frank, drawing up plans for other things.

What I’m mainly here to tell you is that I’m not doing a second 365 project this year. Though I’m thinking about not shaving for a year. We’ll see.

Also, I’m sick, so updates may or may not be shortly forthcoming. I’ll update when I can. Thanks again to everyone who followed my through to this decade.

Share/Save/Bookmark

January First Two Thousand and Ten

January 1, 2010 · Posted in 365 project, Table Polishing · Comment 

IMG_1896

I’m not saying that I’m doing another 365 project, but I’d like to keep myself covered. Top ten of last year shall be online in a few days.

Share/Save/Bookmark

New Year’s Eve

December 31, 2009 · Posted in 365 project · Comment 

And so, it is upon us. The end of days.

Adam came down and we had a New Year’s blow out.

IMG_1893

I formatted the memory card in my camera, so as to remove all pictures from last year. In fairness, they’re all saved on the laptop, so I’ll still have them. Symbolic really.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Wednesday

December 30, 2009 · Posted in 365 project · Comment 

IMG_1890

Tomorrow… I may put up the top ten 365 pictures of this year. It may be in January. I don’t know. But tomorrow Adam is coming over, so we’ll be drinking for the last time this year.

It’s been a hell of a year. See you all tomorrow. If not then, I’ll see you all on the other side.

Happy trails to you and yours.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Tuesday

December 29, 2009 · Posted in 365 project · Comment 

IMG_1888

Share/Save/Bookmark

Monday

December 28, 2009 · Posted in 365 project · Comment 

IMG_1887

Share/Save/Bookmark

Sunday

December 27, 2009 · Posted in 365 project · Comment 

IMG_1886

The snow has frozen, everything is ice. Cold weather has stopped being fun.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Next Page »

pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}