September 2010
15 posts
The building of a bar
I am not the best blogger it would seem. Apparently, yesterday came an went without me noticing. Oops.
First, I would like to salute my general. The general manager who has taken over is really quite good at his job.
The Star Bar is a mess right now. It seems to go through phases. Two days ago, when things were moved into the kitchen, the bar looked like a bar. For that brief second it felt...
August 2010
25 posts
The building of a bar
Today I hung more lights.
This is getting old, even for me… but not really.
It is getting old talking about hanging lights. But every time I ha g a light, I get off the ladder, put a bulb in and turn them on. Not only do I feel like I accomplished something, I feel like I am one step closer to a complete bar. Oh, and I really, really, like the way they look.
Also, my booths are done....
The building of a bar
I hung lights today. Go figure.
That said, I finished one room with the lighting. Neon. Five fixtures. Three bar lights. And a center light.
Also, the booths were installed. Not only do the buttons look great, they are perfect. I am pleased. Very pleased. By this time tomorrow, my couch will be done. It is an expensive couch, but it is also 23’ feet from edge to edge and that...
The building of a bar
I tried. I really did. I tried to write this blog. Last night, I fell asleep with my head on the keyboard (and by keyboard, I mean phone as I haven’t actually used a computer to write this at all). The night before I got home at 3:30am.
My tank was empty.
I interviewed people for the first time in a long time. It is exhausting to be honest and make honest conversation, the same honest...
The build of a bar
Well. Hell. I had to shit-can my general contractor today. I have now officially switched horses mid-stream. Instead of calling this the building of a bar, I should call this the over-use of idioms.
This had been in the works for awhile now, and truth be told, it should have happened awhile ago… not the renaming of the blog.
My contractor couldn’t hit a deadline. He didn’t...
The Building of a Bar
Yet another full dumpster of crap removed. I would venture that several tons of trash and/or items which are no longer needed have been removed from this space. That doesn’t factor in the removal of the old hood or kitchen floor.
At present time, I am trying to figure out my juke box. This is not an easy task. The user manual was written before the days of technical writers. In all...
The building of ra bar
Okay, now close your eyes and come with me on a little journey. Hmm. You probably didn’t get past “eyes” if you did what I said. Scratch that.
Let’s just pretend that it is still Sunday. I am writing in this blog on Sunday as I will be putting another post up later tonight.
On Saturday I drove to Seattle to get some bar stools. The stools themselves are nothing...
The building of a bar
So not only do the buttons work, they look great.
Chairs, chairs, and more chairs. Hopefully, without putting the ricksha before the ricksha runner, I have gotten rid of all of the chairs from the bar that was. They, the chairs and stools, will hopefully find a happy resting place in a more deserving establishment.
In return, the Bridgetown Star Bar, will get the bar stools it deserves.
I...
The building of a bar
Today was a bit of waste overall. It was poor planning on my part.
Today was bakery day. I was going to go to bakery after bakery sampling buns and rolls for my menu. Then I was going to find out more about wholesale prices and options.
Turns out, a lot of the bakeries in this town are full-up on their wholesale customers. Also, it turns out that calling these bakeries first saved me a lot of...
The building of a bar
I did not forget about writing my dear diary yesterday, I just found that I didn’t have the time.
At my house, when I was going to cook myself dinner, I smelled the unpleasant odor of wires melting. Shortly thereafter there was three consecutive blue flashes and pops that came from behind the range.
No more cooking for me for now.
I spent a lot of time in traffic yesterday....
The building of a bar
I would like to take this time to thank the Nissin company. Salt. Flavoring. Noodles. Hot water. Hail the almighty Ramen. Chief Ramen. Master Ramen. Top Ramen.
I have eaten this delectable dish two times in one week for the first time since my sophomore year in college… and I am pretty sure that even then, I put mushrooms in my bowl at least one of those times.
How things have changed....
The building of a bar
It’s just me and bloggy mcgee.
It’s not that I didn’t want to write; that is the furthest thing from my mind. It is that I really didn’t have time to write.
My painters didn’t show up. I am not paying them, so I can’t complain, and it was a family emergency which takes precedence regardless, it just altered my plans somewhat.
Last night, about an hour was...
The building of a bar
Okay, minus the hood installation… Which will be a messy, messy job, my kitchen is done.
Tomorrow, my tile will be set and coated and I will move everything back into the kitchen. I will also get all of the lighting ready to hang.
Sunday I will paint again, but this time without a million things in my way.
Monday my hood comes down. My electrician starts hanging lights. Plumbing goes...
The building of a bar
Nothing says dedication like pulling out somebody else’s toilet.
I could never be a plumber. It is not that I mind water, rust, sludge or even the crap of another (though, admittedly, the latter does rate pretty high up there in why I couldn’t be a plumber). The main reason I couldn’t be a plumber is because nothing in the history of plumbing has ever been right. Plastic is...
The building of a bar
“As we go up, we go down.”
Thanks Bob Pollard.
Today I met my landlord. He came in to check out the hood saga.
Turns out, he has a hood from another building that he would sell me for cheap. I will still have to pay for the ducting.
Then I find that the hood may not work.
But then I find that the installation of a new hood and new ducting will come in much, much less than the...
The building of a bar
I will keep today’s blog simple and short.
The tile in the kitchen went in today. It is funny at how big of an impact that has on, well, my sanity.
Things, it seems, have a way of costing more and taking longer than expected in this project. But if you
have read this you know that.
The record is broken.
The horse is beat to death.
The grass is greener on the other side.
Every...
The building of a bar
Today brings to mind one Walter Fielding jr. Walter Fielding jr. is played by Tom Hanks in the glory days of Tom Hanks… post ‘Bosom Buddies,’ pre ‘Turner and Hooch.’ Walter Fielding jr. would be the protagonist of the movie ‘the Money Pit.’ This piece of cinematic history also features Shelley Long, best known for her work in Cheers. But I digress.
Back...
The building of a bar
Well, I bought a new toilet yesterday. I also bought a new wax ring.
It doesn’t get anymore exciting than that. Okay, maybe when I install the toilet, it will get a little more exciting… but not much.
I did buy what think will be the lights for the sconces, as well as for above the bar. They are very non-descript, which is what I was looking for because the other lights will steal...
The building of a bar
I find that the hardest thing about writing this blog is that I have days, like yesterday, where I have nothing to report.
Yesterday I bought some dishes from a place changing ownership. I filled out paperwork for a loan. I sent a frustrated email to my contractor. And for the grand finale, I faxed off 103 pages to the loan officer.
I guess the exciting news in yesterday’s events is that...
The building of a bar
My self-indulging dropping of words onto a screen nearly escaped me today. Just as I was drifting off to sleep I started to, as I usually do, think about what I accomplished today and what I need to accomplish tomorrow.
Something was missing.
And that is when I realized my documentation of these events were not put on record.
And so, at 3:30am I am now putting down the events as I see them....
The building of a bar
I have to say that the frustration is mounting a little bit.
Right now, I have a bar that is filled with a million things to do and I can’t do anything until the kitchen is finished. They have not even started tiling yet. It has been two and a half days since any work whatsoever was done by my contractor or his crew.
Signing on to this, I was under the impression that the work was going...
The building of a bar
What can I say that I haven’t said already?
My back hurts today. I am pretty sure I haven’t thrown that one out there. I am, apparently, not in painting shape.
The bar look good. I really like the colors I have chosen and I am liking the feel of the place.
I loaded the juke box with good music. It is still nowhere near full, and there are many duplicates, but each an every CD on...
The building of a bar
We finished painting today. And by finished, I mean we ran out of paint. The walls were thirsty, which I hope is a good sign.
We went through five gallons of Siren, one gallon of Casa de Oro, and one gallon of Remaining Embers. We also went through a lot of black and a quart of some color with the word “cat” in it, which I realized at the end of using it that this paint with the...
The building of a bar
It is now 11pm, I have just ordered pizza and today has kicked my ass.
I should not talk about the day in the past tense. We are in the middle of painting. Per usual, demo has taken up most of my day thus far. I had to destroy a five by fifteen foot mirror that was framed, screwed, nailed and glued to the wall. There were over 200 screws.
First I had to break the glass. I, admittedly, did not...
The building of a bar
Yesterday was not about me nor was it about the bar. It was about somebody else.
It was her birthday and the day was about her.
Today we paint and there will be an update to follow.
Star Bar, week four
