Raising the roof
Written by Dan + Taken by Nicole
Before the walls could go up, the ventilation system had to be lifted as close to the ceiling as possible. We could've paid someone to do it, but that's not the "Chilton" way. So, last Thursday, Dad and I spent an evening raising the roof... or rather, raising the ductwork TO the roof.
Before we started working, I checked to see if the vinyl we had left over from the "OPENING SOON" sign would fit over the windows. Since we're blocking them up, we need something on the back of the windows so it doesn't look tacky from the outside. This is still a work in progress.
Nothing to see here... just a really cool guy (bearded) deftly maneuvering down the side of some scaffolding with a bolt of red vinyl in his hand. HOT!
The first two steps in raising a ventilation system are 1) making sure your level is working (dad - on the left), and 2) rolling up your sleeves (me - on the right).
Next, lift up the ductwork and place it on your head (me) while someone checks to see if it's level (dad). If you're wearing a hat, continually complain that the bead on top of your hat is digging into your skull, but yet do nothing about it.
Step four, stand and wait. Posing - optional. Beard - not optional.
Here's another good shot. Notice how high we are off the ground, yet neither myself or my dad (hidden) are the least bit frightened. Amazing what beer can do.
I'm not sure what's going on here, but it looks like I'm making the international gesture for a blowjob. No. Seriously though... that's exactly what I'm doing.
Here's my dad screwing in a sheet metal screw into the duct. You can tell by his tongue that he's focusing really hard. I guess that's better than making the blowjob gesture though.
Here's what the ducts looked like BEFORE we lifted them up.
Here's what they looked like AFTER we lifted them up. Notice the additional sheet metal screw? That's for safety.
This is one of the screens on the window. Sometime over the last few weeks, the visage of Jabba the Hut has miraculously appeared on the window. Nicole thinks it's a sign of the apocalypse; I think it's a subversive marketing technique perpetrated by George Lucas in preparation for the May release of Revenge of the Sith. Either way, we're selling it on eBay.
This is a toilet air pipe filled with GIANT cockroaches. It's located between the bathrooms. I'm not lying when I say there are at least 2,593 cockroaches in that pipe. Nor am I lying when I say they're about 3 inches long. I am, however, slightly exaggerating when I tell you that right after I snapped this picture, I put my lips over the top of the pipe and sucked them all up into my mouth. They're now living happily in my beard.
