Well, I'm annoyed. That pretty much sums it up. If you're on OldTownHome.com and are reading this post, there's a good chance you're annoyed too, primarily at the slower than a tortoise speed (or lack thereof) of this website. You see, we're having Internet issues. Or more specifically, Internet speed and packet loss issues.
If you'll recall about a month ago I mentioned the wires, wires, everywhere and how we ultimately needed to do some work to make our Internet connection better. We're signed up for 27 Mbps / 7 Mbps business service with our local provider, but we've been seeing fairly slow upload speeds and moderate to significant packet loss. This equates to this website running very slowly, since we host in a very DIY fashion.
We had hoped having our provider replace the drop from the tap on the pole to our house would help alleviate the issues we were seeing, but the new wire seemed to be doing little to boost the quality of connection. In fact, I feel like it has kept getting worse.
I called them last week to get a tech back out to the house, as it seemed our cable modem was starting to experience a fair amount of packet loss and signal issues. They gave us the good old, "Oh yeah, this modem is really old, that's probably the root cause of this." I didn't buy the excuse, but it's part of the "variable elimination" process of establishing the primary issue with the connection.
I'm not sure you're aware of how tech troubleshooting works, but as a software developer and having lived the life of a network admin, let me give you a little insight into the mindset of most tech people. I've learned this over the years and strive to "not be that guy." The following is the basic undertone of any given conversation.
Continue Reading Full Post
They say size matters, but when it comes to rain shower heads, is there such a thing as too big? As Alex and I think ahead to the final hardware details on our master bathroom renovation, we've begun exploring the fixture, hardware, accessory, and finish options that will make the space truly function for us.
It's hard to choose just one thing in particular that I'm most looking forward to about the space, but in the top five has to be a functional and generously sized, luxurious glass shower (complete with tile that doesn't make me want to vomit and grout not filled with mold). I mean really, who in the 1980s really thought this was a good idea to inflict our home with the various tile selections we've had to endure?
But I digress. As we work through our future bathroom layout, utilizing the sophisticated space planning tool of a paper napkin and crude sketch, it has become clear that the shower will be generous (about four feet wide and just under six feet long, complete with an in-shower bench to use up some of the awkward space formed by the chimney jut out on that wall.
With a shower so spacious shower head placement comes into play. We want to ensure that regardless of where one is in the shower, they'll be adequately covered with water. For instance, no one will use the bench if it means you sit shivering and cold, because the main shower head on the opposite wall can't reach you.
Continue Reading Full Post
Today's Around Old Town subject houses are a collection of three very similar historic homes along Old Town's Columbus Street that were built between 1885 and 1890.
Right in the center of town, I've heard these homes referred to as "Three Queens for Three Sisters." As legend has it, a wealthy merchant in Alexandria had three daughters. As a gift to his daughters and their future husbands, he decided to build three nearly identical Queen Anne Victorian home's on land he owned. His thought was simple, give his three girls similar homes so they won't fight, but give each home their own slightly distinct look, because each girl is an individual. Most importantly, keep them all close to home, so he could keep an eye on their husbands.
Today each retains many of the original details that make the homes stand out in my mind as very unique finds in Old Town. from the detailed ornamentation on the roof lines, to the crown detail masonry just below, each home is intricate and highly detailed.
Continue Reading Full Post
So here we are, nearing summer nearly eight years after I unceremoniously removed our aluminum triple track windows, seven years after I expected to have new windows built, and over a year since I declared my own personal ultimatum for building said windows, a deadline that I ultimately blew in a major way. But hey, we've got a pile of western red cedar 4/4 boards boards in the basement just begging to be turned into a bunch of storm windows. I can't deny them their destiny.
The next step in our process was to draw up some good plans and get to building these long overdue windows. I went through several drafts of "plans," each one a slight evolution on the prior, and before I cut the first piece of wood I put together a concept drawing of what the various size and shapes of the windows will be.
As I mentioned in the last post on the subject, I want to treat this as a frame that will be mounted in place, and then create a series of glass or screen panels that can be changed out as the seasons dictate. The drawing I made reflects this approach. Although I would have liked to have a bit more material at all of the critical points of the window to support the panels, I didn't want to overdo it and make the storms so large that their profile would obscure the view from inside of the house. Once I had all of the significant measurements according to my plans, and all of the height and width measurements of the first window, I got to work building the frame.
The first step was to rip the lengths of cedar to the sizes I needed. The cedar I ordered came in 4" and 6" widths. I carefully calculated the best way to rip the boards to minimize waste given their size, and the size of the pieces I'd need for the project.
Continue Reading Full Post
Besides doing our own projects and renovations, we love watching the work of other area undertakings unfold around us. Since moving to Old Town Alexandria in 2003, we've been observers to a progression of sorts, watching as the various storefronts, buildings, houses, and areas in and around the city have transformed before our very eyes.
Looking back, we wish we would have taken so many more "before" photos over the years. In the time prior to our blogging days we weren't quite as concerned with documenting the change. Now our keen eyes and convenience of always having a decent camera handy (thanks to smart phones) have allowed us to capture the various changes in our neighborhood as they happen.
Recently we had the enjoyment of watching as a neighborhood landmark we were concerned might ultimately be lost was thankfully resurrected over the course of several months of diligent effort.
When we look back on our move to the DC area in 2000, we fondly remember driving down King Street as we discovered Alexandria for the first time. Old Town is such a different place from the suburban landscape where we grew up while living in Ohio, and we were in awe at the quaint and friendly streets that would eventually be our home. One building, in particular, stood out to us as a true welcome sign for the area. With its large block letter marquee looking out over the city's main strip of King Street, the Old Town Theater initiated us and informed us of exactly where we had landed.
Though the theater was closed when we moved to Old Town, the marquee and building remained as a reminder of the various small towns the DC metro area ultimately sprang from. When the theater was purchased in 2003, with the intention to return it to a functional movie theater, Wendy and I were both extremely excited. It's long been a dream of mine to live within walking distance of a small local movie theater. My friends who lived in Oberlin, Ohio, nearby my hometown, had all experienced this when we were kids on our various trips to the historic Apollo Theater.
Continue Reading Full Post
