2011 | Jamie Thingelstad

Jun 8, 2011 ∞

Tyler figured out how to climb into this area of Mazie’s art table. He thought it was a lot of fun, until he couldn’t figure out how to get out.

Smiling baby sitting inside the lower shelf of a wooden art table, gripping the horizontal bars like jail cell bars, legs stretched out in front.

Jun 7, 2011 ∞

Remodel Project Starts

This week we started the remodeling project on our house. I plan on taking photos of the process. It’s a decent sized project. We are lowering the floor in the basement, putting in two egress windows, installing a new furnace and air conditioning unit and adding a mud room to the back of the house. It’ll be just a little under four months. They start demolishing the floor in the basement this week.

Here is what it looks like now.

Wooden backyard deck outside French doors with partial fence, garden shrubs, and wooden post footings along the edge

Wooden deck at the back of a beige house with French doors, a single door with a small roof overhang, and large windows

Staircase leading down to a basement with gray painted steps, white balusters, wood handrails, and a yellow-lit concrete floor below.

Narrow basement staircase with gray painted steps white balusters and a wood handrail leading up to an open door

Unfinished basement with painted concrete floor, gray block walls, support columns, a furnace unit, and small hopper windows near the ceiling.

Unfinished basement with painted concrete floor, white support columns, exposed ceiling joists, ductwork, and a furnace in the utility area.

Unfinished basement with painted concrete floor, support columns, a furnace, water heater, and a blue cat litter box on a green rug

Empty unfinished basement with painted concrete block walls, gray floor, support columns, exposed ceiling joists, and a small window.

Square hole jackhammered in a concrete basement floor near a corner wall, exposing dirt and gravel beneath

Unfinished basement with painted gray concrete floor, support columns, utility sink, water heater, and stairs leading up

Jun 7, 2011 ∞

Hot Dashboards

It was really hot today. It seems that the thing to do today was to take a picture of your car dashboard to prove it! This is what I saw on Facebook just now.

Car dashboard showing tachometer at about 1500 RPM, outside temperature display reading 103 degrees Fahrenheit, and temperature gauge near H.

Car dashboard display showing odometer reading of 27014 miles and outside temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Car dashboard display showing odometer at 71721 miles and outside temperature reading of 103 degrees Fahrenheit, speedometer at 0 MPH.

It was really hot.

Jun 7, 2011 ∞

Congrats to Jim on First Marathon!

Runners and spectators at the finish line of the Minneapolis Marathon and Half Marathon on a sunny day

This weekend my friend Jim ran the Minneapolis Marathon. This was his first one and he looked great, even at the end!

Jun 7, 2011 ∞

Our remodel meant that a pretty sizable Azalea bush in our yard had to go. My Mom couldn’t stand to see it get discarded so she came over in 100 °F heat and we dug it up to go live at her house. She’s a true tree hugger!

Two people loading a large dug-up azalea bush into the bed of a blue pickup truck parked on a residential street.

Jun 4, 2011 ∞

Outdoor Burner

Here is a scenario. You are doing a brisket on your Big Green Egg. It’s a weekend, and the meat will be smoking on the grill pretty much all day (and possibly all night). You aren’t going to serve just any barbecue sauce with it, you make your own. This requires you to simmer the sauce for hours. The longer the better. The brisket, and you, are outside having a nice day probably with a good beer. Where is your sauce? Inside on the stove? Total buzzkill. This is where you need an outdoor burner.

When I got my Double Big Green Egg table I knew I wanted to do a full meal outside, from prep all the way to eating. While I love my grills, there are some things that you need a burner for. Last year I picked up one of these Max Burton Pro Chef 1800 units from Kitchen Window and it’s worked out great.

Burton Pro Chef 1800 portable induction cooktop with digital display showing 464 and touch controls on stainless steel base

Why get this unit?

This is a commercial unit and it is built well. I feel comfortable with moving it in and out of storage and not needing to be overly gentle with it. (Note, it is only outside when in use. Otherwise it’s stored inside.)
The unit is very easy to clean. The cook surface is a flat glass plate that just wipes down. The touch sensitive control surface is easily wiped down as well. When grilling my hands get dirty and this unit gets dirty.
I wanted a burner I could dial into a temperature, and this one can do that. If simmering a sauce I want to just punch in a temp and not think about it. Easy.

I’ve been really happy with it for everything from cooking pancakes for a brunch on the grill to simmering sauces or boiling some water for carrots. The only job I found it challenged by was boiling a huge kettle of water to cook corn in. It just didn’t have enough power to deal with 3 gallons of water. But really, the corn should be grilled anyway.

Jun 2, 2011 ∞

Inside Job

Movie poster showing a man in a suit standing atop a massive pile of cash money, with critic quotes and festival laurels surrounding him

I finally got a chance to watch Inside Job tonight. Wow. Very good documentary on the financial collapse. For those that have read a bit about the issue the recap of CDO’s and Swaps will be redundant, but it’s not much. The skewering of the ratings agencies and the economic profession is pointed.

Jun 1, 2011 ∞

Wonder if Eddie Vedder’s next album will be “Recorder Songs”. Maybe “Kazoo Songs” instead.

May 31, 2011 ∞

Set up a Square account in preparation to accept credit cards for upcoming garage sale.

May 31, 2011 ∞

My daughter is alternating between an absolute angel and a demon with sharpened horns and fangs. Trick is figuring out which, when.