AsktheBuilder.com Issue #1238 (I think)

June 25, 2023

Dear ,

Are you a brand new subscriber? Well, well, well. I'm so glad you're here!

What's in This Issue

You're about to discover:

• Marketing Manager Bluster Blowup
• Tim Carter at 185 Pounds

Let's get started.

"In reality, they're not after me. They're after you. I'm just in the way."

"Your own government lies as a matter of course, as a matter of policy. The Tuskegee experiments on black men in the 30s, Henrietta Lacks...digital money will disappear."

Rebates

Do you have anything to do with rebates? What I mean is do you work for a company that issues them or processes them?

My question is: Why in the world does it take 6 to 8 weeks to process a rebate in this day and age?

The cynic in me feels companies do this so you forget about them. Not me. I set up calendar alerts for things like this. Look:

 What say you?

NBC-TV in DC

Several days ago I was interviewed by Susan Hogan during a Zoom call. Susan is a seasoned investigative reporter for the NBC-TV affiliate in Washington DC.

She called me one morning about two months ago while I was out on the driveway with Willow the dog. Evidently she and her producer Rick had decided to do an in-depth story on deck collapses.

"I've done hours of research online and it turns out you've got the absolute best information out there. May I ask you some questions?" While Willow played with Sophie the dog next door, I talked for about twenty minutes. She thanked me and that was that.

Fast forward and Susan reached out three weeks ago. "We tried to find some expert locally here in the DC area to put on camera and no one knows the topic like you do. Is it possible we can do an interview with you on Zoom?"

I chuckled reading her email wondering how it could be no one in the DC area knows about treated lumber. Perhaps they're all too busy blackmailing each other!

Susan and Rick said the story should air in late July. Once it does I assume it will be posted to their website. When that happens I'll share it with you. Because they cherrypick phrases, I'm guessing that I'll have maybe less than a minute of exposure on camera based on other interviews I've seen like this. As Kenny Chesney says, "Only time will tell but it ain't talkin'."

The Twelve Types

I wrote a column about four years ago that put Susan's head on a swivel. Look at this photo:

Did you know there are no less than twelve different types of treated lumber? They all have different amounts of chemical protection in them.

You need to make sure you're buying the correct lumber for your project. GO HERE and see if you don't discover something new that may save your life and lots of money too.

Blacktop Patching - What is Best?

Check this out:

What in the world type of patch is that in a blacktop driveway?

How well does that DIY blacktop in a sack work?

If I was going to patch a blacktop driveway, what would I prefer to use?

You can discover all the answers RIGHT HERE.

A Personal Best

This is the second year I've been part of an afternoon summer golf league. Prior to that if I played golf four times a year, that was quite a bit. I'd go years without playing.

Here's a video of my second drive of the season back in mid April. I know, I didn't keep my left arm perfectly straight. This was the second hole at the Loudon Country Club just north of Concord, New Hampshire.

Like most hackers, I had a horrible slice. If you're not a golfer, that means your ball flight looks like a banana starting out straight but then curving to the right.

I had so much fun last summer that I decided to take indoor lessons over the winter. The pro exorcised the slice from my game and replaced it with a fade. A fade is a slight bend to the right, but not so much to cause the ball to find its way out of bounds.

What's odd is that this only happens with my driver. All of my other shots are laser straight, including my 3 wood.

This past Tuesday afternoon I shot my best nine holes of my career. If you're a great golfer, you'll chuckle at my score.

I shot a 45. I just missed playing bogey golf. I've never before played bogey golf. During the round, I got three pars. This means that I did not so well on three other holes.

If you do an autopsy on my game, you'll see below I had five dumb-ass shots. I had two three putts, two weak chips where the ball went only ten feet instead of 25, and a muffed second shot on hole #2.

In other words, I could have had a 40. "Could have" is probably uttered 100,000 times a day by golfers all over the world as they gather around the 19th hole!

Here's my scorecard from this past Tuesday:

I also didn't lose a ball. That's actually quite remarkable on the Lochmere course here in New Hampshire. It's pretty easy to lose balls here.

Currently my partner and I are in 1st place in the league with quite a few teams nipping at our heels.

The Inner Gorge

Have you ever wondered what it looks like to peer down over a cliff looking into the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon? I'm guessing I was about 800, maybe 1000, feet above the water below when I took this photo in September of 1972.

Look closely on the right and left at the muddy river. See those two pedestrian suspension bridges? I crossed the one on the right first, then the next morning the one on the left.

The red arrow points to where I saw two drop-dead gorgeous French girls bathing in their birthday suits in the clear water of the creek coming out of Phantom Ranch Canyon.

Did you discover something new reading in this issue? Perhaps you can reciprocate and purchase a mocha-chip ice cream cone for me.

That's enough for a Sunday morning.

Peace out.

Tim Carter

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

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