Category: Projects (Page 1 of 10)

Normandy Physics Mural

April 28, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

When I started teaching at Normandy in 1995, I was coming off of an engineering career that was mentally challenging because every project was unique and exhausting because of the long hours on site and extensive travel.

I was enthusiastic. Normandy was a great school for me because nobody was paying attention. I could do whatever I wanted, and I wanted to do so many things. I didn’t care about the time, money or effort, if something seemed like a good idea, then we did it. The mural was a good idea.
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My connection to Chernobyl.

April 26, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Today is the 40^th anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster. Today, people know about the disaster, with many becoming familiar from the excellent miniseries Chernobyl. It has an IMDB score of 9.2 and is worth watching on HBO Max.

At the time, it was the radioactive fallout over Scandinavia that got my attention. Ten years later, I had a student who had been there.

Sparky is the real victim.

April 22, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

I have been painting molding and trim in the solarium. Over time, it gets nicked up and scratched, so it’s a nice, limited project. Sparky doesn’t like it because I can’t stop to play. When I am sitting on the floor to get the low stuff, Sparky isn’t welcome to help. I have to send him away.

Now that the work is done, Sparky is happy to go outside and goof around. It’s so nice out, I’m tempted to get a beer and go back outside.

Sparky is no help with patio furniture.

April 13, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

I wouldn’t post on a furniture assembly project, but Sparky was adorably disruptive.

Dogs can sense human moods through a combination of superior scent detection, keen observation of body language, and vocal tone recognition.

Sparky is wise in the ways of man. He sees that I am moving around and concentrating. No food is involved. Sparky squirmed in between me and the chair, and tried to look innocent, like he just happened to be standing there for no reason.

Time to paint.

April 10, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

After Mom had her cataract surgery, she looked around her house and complained about how filthy it was. Nobody said, “No shit, that’s why we sneak in to clean the place whenever you are gone for the day.” We were hopeful that her better vision might usher in a new era of modern cleanliness.

We forgot that people have a remarkable ability to adapt and overlook, if that’s what it takes to not have to change or do anything.

Mom would have liked Rusty and his rustic bathroom habits.¹ After Rusty moved out, the empty-the-room deep clean allowed me to notice the nicks and scratches that had accumulated on the door thresholds and trim. My new project is patching and painting.

Sparky is in open rebellion.

April 8, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

For the third night in a row, Sparky has slept on the couch.

Last night, I scattered throw pillows to make the couch seem impossibly high to a furry piglet with too much junk in the trunk. The house rule is that Sparky can come up onto the couch when invited and there is a bedsheet or blanket. I removed the bedsheet and wadded it up on the back of the couch.

He is clearly insubordinate.

Microsoft now wants to be better.

March 21, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Microsoft says it is fixing Windows 11, but users have heard this before

Instead of bragging about shiny new features or pushing more AI into everything, the company [Microsoft] is basically saying, “we hear you,” and trying to clean up the mess that Windows 11 has become in some areas.

Too late.

My computer is fine.

March 16, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Turns out my eldritch nephew is a fancy boy. When he was loading Linux on my computers, he was disappointed in the age of my computers. My situation is better and worse than he knows.

The whisk I always wanted.

March 7, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

I like my strawberries with cream. Nobody sells anything good for whipping cream, so I invented this thing.

Somebody lives in the lighthouse at Mentor Headlands State Park

February 8, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Buying, renovating and living in an unusual structure, has always interested in me. I never committed to a project like this, so it’s impressive that this woman just did it.

I’d expect that there are tons of restrictions and regulations, and she confirms that in the video. She has to walk a half-mile to bring anything she needs. Since she has no utilities, she needs a lot. Since it’s part of a state park, she may not be allowed to use a quad to go over land or a boat to ferry supplies.

Since historic preservation is involved, she may not be permitted to hang a shit load of solar panels on the south side. She leases the land from the government, so in 25 years, she could be screwed.