Pillsbury + 1 year:

[Just Old Al]

She paused for a moment. "Well, I do have an interview here for that position we've been... yes, that one... Sure thing, I'll call you back when I'm done. Say hello to Kath."
.
.
"I see that. Well," Constance put the folder down on the desk. "The job would be at the old number 2 plant, and would require a background check; AHI does some contract work with the US Government at that facility..."

WHAT? Whaddya mean "That one?" I haven't blown up anything for at least a week.....and the last security survived the incident....OK, it'll take some time for her hair and eyebrows to grow back, but really....

[jwhouk]

"She quit the next day, Al," Buck said patiently.

[Dave]

Da fuse be lit!!!

Fuses are not required . . . this is a hypergolic mix.

--FreeFlier

[dexter]Careful with that metallic Mag...

*FWOOSH*

...nesium.[/dexter]

I have a feeling our esteemed crew of authors are playing around with an even more "interesting" hyperbolic mix... chlorine trifluoride reacting with butanethiol.

[Dave]

What they hadn't realized was that the phosphorous had started to seep into the ground water underneath their estate. Emereauld and Safyr had not noticed it, as they had visited the estate during the fall and winter months; but had they returned in springtime, the unmistakable scent of poisoned land would have filled their senses.

At that point, it might have been enough warning that they could have done something - but there was no mistaking it: the very land under their feet was starting to erode.

Jacob was waiting on seismic confirmation, but one of his own crew - his foundation specialist - told him bluntly that the entire structure would need to be replaced, and new fill brought in, lest whatever was built on it crumble as well.

Now that's an effect of phosphorus eutrophication I've never heard of... I would have thought that excess phosphate in groundwater would have bound stably to the soil structure quite quickly and not become a problem. Has this actually been happening?

If so... ugh. Makes manure piles and feedlots even less fun as next-door neighbors!

[GlytchMeister]

I have a feeling our esteemed crew of authors are playing around with an even more "interesting" hyperbolic mix... chlorine trifluoride reacting with butanethiol.

You have no idea... Glytch is playing with the laws of physics again. The authors are currently having a discussion on how it will effect the story.

[jwhouk]

---
Jacob was poring over the old plans and blueprints for the home in his trailer when Maurice popped in.

"Jake, Jake," he said, shaking off some dust and slipping on his milk-bottle thick glasses. "I think I found a solution to our problem."

"Tell me it doesn't involve using Lanthian technology like that one weirdo is suggesting," Jacob growled at his foundations specialist.

"No, no, it's all good - we just need to dig down further!"

"What?"

"Underneath - deeper than ya'd think for a home? There's bedrock. We'd be able to pump out the water table under the north wing, maybe turn it into a pump station, like we did with that one place up in Minnetonka..."

"Wait - you said there is actually bedrock down there, below the water table?"

"Well, yeah - that phosphorous stuff was hard to dig through, but I found one huge chunk that was blocking the water, and as a hunch I dug down a couple of feet. Bedrock, solid enough we could re-build the Capella Tower on here if we wanted."

Jacob had his first smile of the day.

"Call Al and Buck. I think I know what we can do now..."

---

"So, excavate the place down to the bedrock, pump the water out and seal around the foundations, then rebuild in situ - to stronger specifications?" Buck asked.

Jacob nodded.

"The plus is, the basement would now have multiple uses - and I think you all might love the concept." Jacob hit the light screen in his trailer and brought up the schematics.

"Oh, MY... is that a full-length lap pool?" Daisy asked. Jacob nodded.

"And a private theater - and a geothermal heating plant?" Buck asked.

"Not just heating, but it would also provided cooling during the summer as well. And you'd actually have additional storage space down here - maybe for an on site workshop?" Jacob directed that towards Al.

The three looked at it, then at Jacob.

"I believe," Buck said with a smile, "this would be where Bender would say, 'SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!'"

[DinkyInky]

Horse stance. Dig deep. Grow roots.

[Just Old Al]

Daisy looked up sharply, like something had just occurred to her.

"Al."

"Yes, dear?"

"Let me make this perfectly clear. If, and I repeat IF, I allow you to install a workshop in the basement area, this is to be for FRONT SHOP work only. No Lanthian artifacts, no large-bore weapons, no explosive devices improvised or commercial, and certainly nothing that goes bump in the night. Am I understood?"

"Now, really, dear, you wound me -"

"AM I UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes, dear."

Buck and Jacob turned away - both seemed to be having trouble breathing.

[Dave]

"AM I UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes, dear."

And Al must never, ever say the words "Push the button, Max!"

[DinkyInky]

Hey Al, if you annoy Miss Daisy, watch out for that tree!

[Warrl]

Old Alexander House was another story. The damage that had happened with the floor collapse had been simple, and easy to fix – or so the first contractor they’d brought in had assured them.

The second, brought in when the first packed up and stopped returning their calls – said that it was a problem, but he could handle it, never fear.

The third brought in told them the whole wing had to come down and it was impossible to fix without tearing down the entire house with it. He left the premises rapidly when Al questioned his competence, ancestry and identity of his parents as he’d obviously been hatched out under a rock.

...

By this time, it was time to call in the cavalry, or more specifically, the werewolf.

...

“If we start tomorrow…seven weeks.” Kronwulf stated this calmly, but with a twinkle in his eye. he knew what the old couple wanted for an answer, and hopefully he'd given it to them.

Two voices simultaneously said "Do it."

Ah, question... if you know a reliable fast competent contractor that you don't have to hide your secrets from, wouldn't you call him FIRST??????

... and I will not back a smooth resolution at any odds!

A while back in another forum, someone said that Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics have problems. I pointed out in response that most of the stories are about those problems; that if there weren't problems, we wouldn't have the stories - and without the stories, we wouldn't have the Three Laws.

In other words, a smooth resolution is rarely a story, let along a rollicking good story.

[jwhouk]

---
The best part of the new plan was that it meant minimal intrusion into the daily life of the Alexanders. Since EC had built the North Wing to be accessible through two portions of the house, it was easily sectioned off from the main building. The plastic sheets over wood framing minimized the dust from the construction, and sound dampers were erected in places where the noise needed abatement.

There was one interesting find in the teardown of north wing, however. One of Jacob's diggers had uncovered inside one of the joists a set of odd-colored planking, that appeared to have something painted on them under a coat of grime. The planks were taken out to the livery, and given a light wash-down.

Buck had come home for his lunch hour, having been notified that there had been a find in the basement. As he pulled into the grand circle in front of the main house, he saw the workers standing around the planking, putting the last piece together on the lawn.

"It was Jerry who saw it first," Jacob explained as Buck got out of his Bentley. "I know a bit about the history of the construction of the house from what Al gave me, and..."

Buck stopped him, looking down at the planking that was laying on the grass to dry.

The paint was faded, and there were distinct marks where the boards had been cut to fit the floorplan, but the words "QUEEN CITY BELLE" were clearly visible.

He gave Jacob a side hug. "I think I know a couple of people who are going to really want to see this..."

[jwhouk]

...Why, yes, if you were paying attention at all you would have KNOWN that Ebbie Calvin used part of his ship to build the house.

[Sgt. Howard]

...Why, yes, if you were paying attention at all you would have KNOWN that Ebbie Calvin used part of his ship to build the house.

And the triple expansion engines are in the old shop hooked to the overhead shafts

[Sgt. Howard]

Meanwhile, back at the range...
"Why is he afraid of Annie? In fact, why is ANYBODY afraid of Annie?" Jet pondered.
"Damned if I know- now, this little puppy will serve you very well in my estimation- Double-action trigger, meaning you can carry with one in the chamber and hammer down, but draw and shoot without cocking. It fires .40 Smith, so you have plenty of knock-down but not near as much recoil. The sights are very friendly, the total package is small and light and you carry 17 rounds per magazine,"
"This is the one made in Czechoslovakia?"
"Yes it is- now here is the ammo- go ahead and load it, just like I showed you,"
Round after round went into the magazine until it could hold no more- then both Jet and Greg put on their hearing protection, Jet slapped the magazine into the CZ P-06, jacked the slide and pointed downrange.
"See if you can hit that one target in lane 4- go for center of the mass,"
The first bark of the pistol startled her- then the second, and the third- she could actually see where she was hitting, so she lined up on an unused zeroing block and produced a pattern about 8" in diameter with the rest of the magazine, most of the 'wild flyers' occurring towards the end.
"You were holding it to 3 inches right up to your last eight shots- got a little sloppy there but even so that is not bad for a first try on a given weapon,"
"This is the first time I've fired anything since I was seventeen- my Grandpa taught me with an old Colt 'Police Positive' in .38 special,"
"Fair enough- now let's try something a little more potent. This is MY personal piece, a Springfield Armory 1911 re-issue... identical to what was issued in WWII. Seven rounds to the mag... go ahead and load it... "
She didn't care for the recoil on that one- she hated the feel of the Glocks she handled ("too boxy"), the Browning High Power didn't feel right (and she wasn't impressed with 9mm), none of the revolvers caught her fancy and anything in .380 or .32 was out of the question.

It became the CZ or nothing. Now came the matter of concealment...

[Just Old Al]

Ah, question... if you know a reliable fast competent contractor that you don't have to hide your secrets from, wouldn't you call him FIRST??????

Because his primary business is facilities prep and not construction per se. The other contractor (the first one) was the one that the family had done business with for years - not anymore. Bringing in JK was down to a call out to the family with a "We're SCREWED!!" call at which point JK was suggested. Also, they ain't cheap.

[FreeFlier]

"AM I UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes, dear."

And Al must never, ever say the words "Push the button, Max!"

Nor "For Science!"

. . .

Excuse me, I must flrr now.

--FreeFlier

[Hansontoons]

And Al must never, ever say the words "Push the button, Max!"

Good ol' Professor Fate!

[Just Old Al]

And Al must never, ever say the words "Push the button, Max!"

Good ol' Professor Fate!

You mean you haven't noticed that Greg looks ever-so-much like Peter Falk?

"MAAAAAAAAAAAXXXX!"

"Yes, Perfesser...coming Perfesser...."

Al's next personal project is duplicating the Hannibal 8.

[Hansontoons]

And Al must never, ever say the words "Push the button, Max!"

Good ol' Professor Fate!

You mean you haven't noticed that Greg looks ever-so-much like Peter Falk?

"MAAAAAAAAAAAXXXX!"

"Yes, Perfesser...coming Perfesser...."

Al's next personal project is duplicating the Hannibal 8.

Hmmmm, perhaps if I squint.....

And the Hannibal 8?!? Sweet!