The weather is warm and I can resume my walks/running near my neighborhood in Rio Rancho. I came across this grafiti “Free Adam” and “Fuck the pigs”. Who is Adam why does he need to be freed?
Who Is Adam?
Partial Fireplace Deconstruction
My house was built in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s. I don’t know because it was a foreclosure and the bank didn’t really give a shit, they just wanted to sell it. It is easy to tell the era due to the rest of the houses in the neighborhood and the style of the house.
The fireplace is one of those dated artifacts that is not to my liking. It consists of a false brick veneer with a brick hearth that sticks out from the wall about a foot.
If the original designer of the house had put in some storage under the hearth or made it somewhat more useful, it might have been worth keeping. Otherwise the hearth just takes up too much space and I wanted to take it out before I re-did the floors in the living room.
I surrounded the area around the fireplace with sheet plastic that I attached to the ceiling with tape and push pins. I smashed the hearth brickwork with a sledge hammer and a pry bar. Under the brick veneer I found dirt and brick fill, no hidden treasure of gold and rubies.
There is still a layer of brick attached to the block fireplace that I was not able to remove. Like many of the projects at my house this is a mult-stage project. When I get ready to hire someone to do the drywall throughout the house, I will remove the remainder of the bricks and have drywall installed where the brick is now.
I was somewhat worried about completing this project as it was not undoable, but I am happy with the extra space I have in the living room and the fireplace is still functional.
Also see the Toolmonger post.
Updated: Bear Found In Rio Rancho, Near My House
There was a 200lbs bear in Rio Rancho this morning. The bear was initially spotted right near my house then was chased into a tree a few blocks from my house. There was quite the circus around the neighborhood with all the police, fire and ever single news van in the state.
KRQE has a report and video from this morning. I don’t know what happened to the bear but I’m sure Game and Fish knocked it out and took it away.
Update: The link to KRQE seems to be doing something weird. You can watch the original breaking news on YouTube. KRQE has a follow-up about the incident with a video on YouTube. They don’t know where the bear came from but it will be going to the Zuni mountains.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/ma5RVZZ99SM&hl=en&fs=1&hd=1&border=1
My New House
Wow, things happen quickly. I didn’t write about this last week because I really didn’t expect it to go through. I made an offer on a house, about $10K under listed price. This house was a repo and needs some work (not as bad as the others I’ve seen thought). It was a multiple offer situation and I though for sure I wouldn’t come close since people have been paying list price.
I was surprised when I was informed early this week that I had the high offer, but they wanted to get another $5k out of me. No way was I giving them any more, I though my current offer was generous. To make a long story short, I signed the contracts yesterday. It’s mine!
This house is located in the same neighborhood that the other house I made an offer was on. It’s on a 1/2 acre, a nice rectangular 1/2 acre with easy access to be the back yard on both side. The interior needs carpet, paint and is a little dated (was built in the late 70s as far as I can tell), but other than that it’s not in that bad of shape. It also has city water and sewer. Many of the house in this area of Rio Rancho were built before there were hooks and have septic systems or wells. I lucked out there as well.
Over all I’m happy with this purchase so far, I got a deal and it has the basic configuration I was looking for. I have some big plans to add on and will be writing about them here.
Follow Up to Dog Attack
Here’s a follow up to the dog attack that happened near my house and showed up on national TV.
A police report concerning the dog that apparently bit off a man’s genitals says that the man may have been using force against the animal. Rudolfo Ramirez, 25, might have been trying to forcibly open the pit bull’s mouth. The report also said Ramirez was wandering the neighborhood in only in boxer shorts. … “As soon as he hit the dog, the dog yelped and the guy got up,” Chacon remembers. “He was still alive but his inner thighs, genitalia, and lower stomach was all ripped away.” … The dog at the focus of the story remains at an animal shelter, as the search for its owner continues.
There was a point in which we thought the guy was sexually assaulting the dog.
Doesn't Fit In 