Found In the Woods

Got some more work done on the network installation at home. Installed some hardware in the cabinet and completed my first cable drop from the Rec. Room in the basement to the cabinet. Feels good to get going. More pics in the gallery.

Lately I’ve been wandering backwards deep into my memories. Most of them revolve around the latter days of my time in Newton, MA, where I grew up. Mom and Dad bought the house on 49 Brookside Ave. within a year of my birth. This was a big, old, beautiful house, sitting in a triangle of land between two quiet streets, one with a nice creek running along side it; the Cheesecake Brook.

Anyway, I don’t know why my memory is being stirred up so deeply, but images I had forgotten are coming back to me. Some not as clearly as I’d like. Some I have a hard time believing even happened. Memories…

• of the 1971 Saab 99 that sat decomissioned in our driveway for the mid-late 1980’s after it suffered too much rust damage from those wonderful Boston winters.
• of snowstorms, quiet and formidable. Winter wonderland. I love the snow and voyaging in it. This is something that to this day I still take joy in. Like sitting chest deep in snow on the banks of the frozen Potomac River being covered slowly with flakes.
• of the things in the yard. The old driveway with divots where the cars were, the hole I dug under it and hid with a large stone
• the cracks in the sidewalk. My tiny hand print in the cement at the end of the front walk, where I remember my Mom asking the city workers if she could have a trowelful to put my handprint in our yard. It is probably still there today.
• the large garden in the back corner which made for excellent hide-and-go-seek hiding places under the enormous hosta leaves.
• of the woods in the back yard, and what went on there.
• of the things I found, and the things I wish I hadn’t.
• of my old friends.

There are many more… yellowed and blurry, disjointed and hazy. Some I’m not even sure if I remember them, or if my imagination is animating an old photo out of one of Mom’s albums. Really, I don’t care. I had a great childhood, full of joy, wonder, disappointment, confusion, sadness, happiness, pride, love and learning. My parents did a great job, and they still do. I hope that I can do some of the same with what I’ve got.

Anyone out there into GeoCaching? I have been poking my head in on this site for a few years now, never really finding the time to get into it. It’s such a neat idea and a great way to get good at using your GPS to track stuff and navigate. GeoCaching, for those of you who are not familar with it, is basically hiding a small weatherproof container and posting coordinates and some instructions for others to find it. A sort of treasure hunt. General etiquette is to take and leave something, and sometimes there’s a theme; like a “Lemony Snicket” route near my neighborhood in MD that recently was posted.

Visit the site and check it out. If anyone is interested in doing this, let me know. I’ve got a GPS unit and I’d be up for it.

Among my favorite shows (Lost, Amazing Race, This Old House, Ask This Old House,…) is what I think might be one of the best on TV right now. Frontline is a “broadcast documentary” show that’s been around since 1983, highlighting gritty, raw, often contreversial topics in a very well informed fashion. This week’s show focused on “Al-Qaeda’s New Front”; an eye-opening expose on origins and driving factors behind the new terrorism. Fascinating looks into figures and ideologies that I had never previously considered. I HIGHLY recommend not just this particular broadcast, but the entire series from Frontline. Here in DC it’s on MPT Channel 22 on Thursday nights at 9pm. Check it out and let me know what you think. If you visit the site, you can watch several of the programs online too!

One project that I’ve got going right now is installing a wired network in my 57 year old house. The network will carry Cable TV, TelCo & Ethernet using COAX and 2 Cat5e lines. I decided against anything more extensive because I just don’t see the scope increasing over the next several years. Cat5e will be plenty for us. We’re not going to do any big media sharing or distribution so it should do.

As for wireless, I don’t particularly love it. I’ve had it for a few years and it’s great for casual use, but the signal disparities are frustrating at times. Then again, I have a 1st generation Apple PowerBook G4 with the crappiest WiFi antennas around. I love it for AirTunes tho. I’ve been working on this for several months on and off and I’m finally getting around to posting some pics. Enjoy, and check back for more.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks has been getting the lines from the attic down to the basement. There are no convenient spots to drop down. I’m investigating going along the wall behind the kitchen which is about a 1/2″ – 3/4″ space.