Red Echo

March 15, 2008

Adam, Janet, and I met at the Blue Star for a very late breakfast, then rambled over to the Rocket Factory to have a look around and see what sort of work was in front of us. We were pleased to find that the landlord had followed through on his promise to replace the roof, and there was no sign of any recent leakage. We ran some errands, got some supplies, and then set to work. I rigged up a stereo system, using John M.’s old PA speakers; we consolidated and packed away the contents of four palettes, which opened up a lot of floor space; Adam donned respirator and mask, and cleaned up the mold on the ceiling; and then we set up a basic workbench. After that it was time for beer and sandwiches over at the Hale’s brewery.

There is a lot of work to do, but I feel more positive about the space now than I did back in December. The landlord has agreed to do something about the crumbly part of the concrete floor, and we have mapped out a substantial but finite list of construction projects that will create a solid work environment. The building looks smaller than our old Georgetown shop, which was 400 square feet, but I measured the new place today and it actually comes out to 500 square feet. I guess it is an illusion caused by the lower ceiling.

There is a Bad Things show over at the Sunset tonight, but I was out late last night and worked hard today, so I think I will take it easy. There are a few sewing projects I’ve been wanting to work on – I still have three more frogs to sew onto my white vest, and I’d like to convert a few of my shirts to use cuff links.