Blog of Josh Hall

“Make decisions despite other people, not to spite other people.”

Necessity breeds creativity.  That is what happened here.  When we moved into this house, the lamppost never worked.  I couldn’t figure it out.  I also had a dislike for the original lamppost that was there since it didn’t have a switch to turn it on or off and it didn’t have an outlet at its base.  Once the lamppost head fell off and became a precarious eye sore, I tore it out.

Then, the LUG got ~6,000 red 2×4 bricks.  After the novelty of having that many wore off, the reality of storing them in a 50 gallon bin, long term, set in.  I needed a new lamp and I needed to NOT have these taking up space forever.  Inspiration was born.

There are about 3,600 2×4 bricks in it.  The head on it now replaced the first version which was more square and only had 4 windows on each side.  It looked small and did not emit enough light.  I have another lid that I may end up putting on it in the spring.  It stands a little over 6 feet tall.  The access door on the bottom hides the power outlet.

I built it over the span of 6 months or so.  I did end up using Methylethylkeytone (MEK) to fuse all the pieces together in 4 sections.  I applied with a paint brush on the inner studs of each brick, so when I pressed them together, it wouldn’t spill out the front.  There was some talk about needing to put some UV protecting coating on it to, but I have yet to do that.

There is some additional “landscaping” in mind once it gets warmer, but I wanted to put this out there now while I was thinking about it.

It does this funky frost thing on the studs too –

 

“God can turn your mess into a message, your test into a testimony, He can turn you from being a victim into a victor, and He can give you great triumph from your trials. He can turn your scars into stars and your pain into a pulpit” – unknown

Today is Wednesday, October 16th, 2012.  Last night, I had a dream where I was riding in this new train system.  It was massive.  There were 3 or 4 cars and each car was about 50 feet wide.  It moved at high speeds on a single narrow track that was easily installed all over a city and even ran over the top of the arch of a blue bridge.  For some unknown engineering reason, after reaching the apex of the bridge, it was necessary then for the train to go into a downward loop.  It was a full 360.

I was in the last train, and everyone in my car watched the first car enter the loop, and as it came up out of the loop, it jumped track.  We all knew we would subsequently crash, but we didn’t know how or when.  We braced ourselves as we went into the loop.  At the lowest point of the loop, we derailed at just the right angle and speed to simply slide safely on land.  The weight from the other cars though, which were partially in the water, slowly dragged our car into the water too.  As me and my fellow passengers dissengaged our child carseat like safety belts, I saw other people begin to submerge in the water while still fastened in.  I jumped in and saved 1 black man before he went under water.  I helped get him to someone on land to make sure he was OK.  I dove back in to get a mexican woman, who had begun to take in water.  As I brought her on to land, I pushed on her chest and she spat up water and began to breathe normally.  As I yelled to others to get organized so we can save as many people as possible, I looked into the water and saw a toddler still fastened and sinking to about a 30 foot depth under water.  I dove for her, unfastened her belt, and brought her to the surface.  Again, I simply pushed on her chest and she spat up water, as simply as squeezing out water from a balloon, and she began breathing again.

I’m not sure there was much of a transition, but the next thing I remember seeing was President Barack Obama on the TV talking about the great tragedy that occurred the previous day, September 15th 2015 at 8:37 PM.

I woke up knowing I had to remember that date.  I drifted in and out of sleep state with the urgency to remember that date.  Finally, I broke from the struggle long enough to grab my iphone and send an email to myself with that date.

So tell me, future self, have any plans for a train ride soon?

Do you just throw your old batteries out in the trash?  How about light bulbs?  There are a lot of things we’re not supposed to throw away because they’re bad for the environment if they end up in a landfill.  Do you care enough to take this on with the lack of direction and government organization?

Maddie watched Juliette and I from the couch.  I had thrown Maddie there as she had a laughing fit from the G-force that only her daddy can induce.  I noticed her, peeking over the cushions, and thought how grown up she has become.  She’s such a ponderer.  Just like her dad.  Juliette and I horsed around on the floor, making her voice sound choppy as I vibrated her belly with my foot.  Maddie watched on in admiration.  Alas, I had to head back to work, and as I cleaned up some dishes on the counter in a final attempt to keep house, I heard Maddie burst into tears.  Something happened.  What?  No one saw a thing happen to that laughing bundle as she maintained her red-faced perch on the back of the couch.  The sitter swooped – I analyzed.  The only culprit that made sense was an accidental attack of the firm couch edge to her mouth.  As Maddie reached out for Daddy from the sitter’s embrace, I asked her if it was her lips that hurt her.  She confirmed.  As I asked her if I could kiss it and make it all better, I don’t think she even let me finish my sentence before she was wide mouthed and coming in for some love.  Still feverishly crying, she pounced on the opportunity to find relieve from the pain.  She sought me.  With my own lips coated in her crimson now, I held her even closer.  I love you so much, Madeline Jane.  More than words on the internet will ever express.  Pain is life, sadness too, but where you find strife, I’ll be there for you.