September 8, 2016, 1:25 PM
The Westwood Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA
The toiletries situation was shelved for tomorrow’s errands. As far as Benjamin was concerned, there were bigger fish to fry.
“Okay,” said Washu as she followed Ben around with tablet. “So these cabinets to either side of the sink are going to get knocked out, and then the space filled in with a dishwasher on one side and a laundry machine on the other... That’s not gonna leave much room for storage.
Benjamin shrugged. “Sasami might like storing her utensils on a rack anyhow. And she’ll probably prefer to store her knives in a block, too. Other than that, I don’t think you guys are gonna have a lot of tableware.”
“True,” agreed Washu. “But if you ever get tenants who are not used to kicking it Japanese style...”
Ben sighed. “We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it. For now, we’re just gonna do the units that we’ll need for the time being.”
Washu nodded. “Right. You mentioned wanting a trash compactor?”
“Yeah, we can fit one between the oven and the refrigerator.”
“You don’t think we’ll be generating that much waste, do you?”
“I would hope that you guys would use it for recyclables. We don’t presort here in San Antonio. They do that at the recycling center. Although we do have a composting program, but I’ll have to get in touch with the city to arrange for that.”
“No trash incinerators?”
“Nah. Never have. Too much concern over the aquifer getting contaminated.”
“That easily?”
“It’s a Karst formation.”
“Ahhhh. Hardly an aquifer at all, then.”
“Well, except for the fact that it’s probably one of the world’s largest natural biofilters.”
Washu blinked. “No kidding? I’ll have to look into that. Stuff like that is really is a natural treasure.”
“Yeah, and people around here know it. Anyhow, let’s move on to the REALLY big project.”
“Right. The bathrooms. Everyone was pretty dismayed about the toilet, lavatory, and bath tub all sharing the same space.”
“Yeah, can’t really blame them, so let’s see... I’m sure you’ll want to replace the HVAC system with something more efficient.”
Washu nodded. “Them being gas-fired for heat is fine, but the efficiency really leaves something to be desired. Especially the cooling system.”
“So what do you have in mind?”
“A four-zone system covering the kitchen and dining area, living area, and bedrooms. For the cooling we’ll use a solar-fired evaporative system. And the heating we can put the natural gas to use by firing a central boiler for the individual units. Speaking of boilers, while the central boiler system for the hot water sounds nice, it takes forever for it to get there. What say you to an on-demand system in each unit?”
“Fine by me. I actually prefer those. And natural gas is practically cheap as dirt around here. So, let’s have two per unit - one for the bathroom and one for the kitchen.”
Washu nodded as she made more notes. “Got it. Now, back to the HVAC, I suspect you want to move it?”
“Yeah, into where the current corner of the living room is, adjacent to the bath tub’s current location. That way we can tuck the on-demand water heater in there as well.”
“Good. How about the toilet and lavatory?”
“Okay... Let’s move all that out of there and just have that space be exclusively for the bathing area. And that I’d like to rework with actual Japanese style fixtures. As for where the toilet goes... let’s make an alcove right here on the other side of the wall between the bathroom and the current living room wall. And another one right next to that with the vanity. We can put a pocket door in there that’ll isolate the toilet room from the lavatory, and we can have a little changing room just behind the lavatory that leads into the bathroom.”
“Hmmm. Looks like that’s going to reduce the living area from an eight tatami space to a six tatami. Not bad, still, especially when each bedroom is eight tatamis and the dining area is almost six-and-a-half tatamis... It’s definitely not home, but this is practically palatial by the standards of Tokyo living.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I think Tenchi is still having an existential crisis over what the hell he’s gonna do with all that space, but I think that’ll be fixed by reordering the bathrooms in the one-bedroom units.”
Washu nodded at that. “Indeed. Little bit less room to work with in those smaller units. Let’s go plan that out now.”
Time passes. Things settled in.
The new laundromat machines came in, all bright and shiny. Once they were all installed, Benjamin took the old units to the nearby Habitat for Humanity - a sort of thrift store for home improvement.
The apartments were steadily remodeled, one a day, using carpentry drones Washu pulled out of her lab. Though it less ‘carpentry’ and more ‘matter rearrangement’. Washu didn’t mind as it meant that the personal bathrooms were in a much more acceptable configuration.
And then there was the issue of the ‘public’ bath.
Benjamin had some clever ideas there. He had the manager’s office in the middle of the complex reworked. Originally, it never existed when the complex was first built and the Manager’s Office had been a small office space above the laundromat. Ben went and restored that space to its original function while letting the small building in the center of the complex be repurposed as an entryway to the new baths.
Ryoko couldn’t make her floating onsen because of our proximity to the Air Force Base. So instead, she had to settle for a dimensional pocket instead. And, on top of that, Benjamin stipulated that there would be completely separate bathing areas for males and females. But he did make a concession for a third ‘Family Bathing’ area - but only if there was a sign clearly posted that no one had any right to complain about the mixed gender nature of that area.
That said, Ben had Washu-chan lay out some... Interesting penalties for violations of polite etiquette or tricking someone into going in the wrong bathing area.
There was only one other thing that they had to do...
September 14, 2016, 10:55 AM
The Westwood Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA
“Okay guys," said Benjamin in the ad-hoc classroom they'd made of one of the unmodified two-bedroom units, "let’s get started with an overview of what we’ll be doing here today.”
“But I thought we already knew,” said Ayeka.
“Well, we’re gonna go over it in detail. In other words, we’re reviewing the course syllabus.”
“Oh! I see then. Please, let’s carry on.”
“Thank you. So, in brief, we’re going to be covering the subjects that you guys won’t make passing grades on for the GED examination. Primarily, that is the Social Studies section of the test. As such, we’re going to cover the history of Earth as well as the history of the USA - just the major events. Mind you, the test itself will supply the relevant informational materials so you can better answer the questions that go with it. This will course will only serve to familiarize you enough with our history so you’re less likely to be confused by a question on the test.
“We’re also gonna gloss over mathematics, science, reading comprehension, and writing a short essay. As I’m certain that all of you can handle those subjects, this will all just serve to make sure you know what to expect on the examination.
“And really, don’t sweat it. The GED is a lot easier than you might be thinking. I literally aced the whole thing when I had to take it cold-turkey during my time at US Navy Recruit Training. You guys just need a bit of help and a preview of what’s to come, and you’ll be able to ace it, too.
“Okay, enough about the generalities. Let’s get down into the gnitty-gritty.”
It should probably surprise no one that everyone aced the GED examination. As Benjamin had said, it really isn't that hard of a test. The only other issue was dealing with Sasami's guardianship. Ryoko and Noike's papers had them as being 20 and 22, respectively. Washu's had her age at 25. ("Really? You had to go for the Christmas Cake joke?" "Why not? It's a hilarious jab at my appearance!") Tenchi and Ayeka were both 17 - not technically adults, but easily dealt with by emancipation paperwork. The only tricky spot was Sasami. Being at the tender age of ten, she HAD to have someone as a legal guardian. But that was simply handled by assigning that role to Noike.
Soon enough, everyone had ID cards, passports with the proper visas, and all the other bureaucratic sundries needed to get by without being noticed by the government.
There had been only minor hiccups with acclimation - while America was very different from Japan, it was still close enough in time. The only major difference was how information technology had progressed lately, and Tenchi had to get used to the idea that we did a lot of things using the Internet.
With everything nice and tidy, Benjamin only wondered who was going to show up next.
The Westwood Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA
The toiletries situation was shelved for tomorrow’s errands. As far as Benjamin was concerned, there were bigger fish to fry.
“Okay,” said Washu as she followed Ben around with tablet. “So these cabinets to either side of the sink are going to get knocked out, and then the space filled in with a dishwasher on one side and a laundry machine on the other... That’s not gonna leave much room for storage.
Benjamin shrugged. “Sasami might like storing her utensils on a rack anyhow. And she’ll probably prefer to store her knives in a block, too. Other than that, I don’t think you guys are gonna have a lot of tableware.”
“True,” agreed Washu. “But if you ever get tenants who are not used to kicking it Japanese style...”
Ben sighed. “We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it. For now, we’re just gonna do the units that we’ll need for the time being.”
Washu nodded. “Right. You mentioned wanting a trash compactor?”
“Yeah, we can fit one between the oven and the refrigerator.”
“You don’t think we’ll be generating that much waste, do you?”
“I would hope that you guys would use it for recyclables. We don’t presort here in San Antonio. They do that at the recycling center. Although we do have a composting program, but I’ll have to get in touch with the city to arrange for that.”
“No trash incinerators?”
“Nah. Never have. Too much concern over the aquifer getting contaminated.”
“That easily?”
“It’s a Karst formation.”
“Ahhhh. Hardly an aquifer at all, then.”
“Well, except for the fact that it’s probably one of the world’s largest natural biofilters.”
Washu blinked. “No kidding? I’ll have to look into that. Stuff like that is really is a natural treasure.”
“Yeah, and people around here know it. Anyhow, let’s move on to the REALLY big project.”
“Right. The bathrooms. Everyone was pretty dismayed about the toilet, lavatory, and bath tub all sharing the same space.”
“Yeah, can’t really blame them, so let’s see... I’m sure you’ll want to replace the HVAC system with something more efficient.”
Washu nodded. “Them being gas-fired for heat is fine, but the efficiency really leaves something to be desired. Especially the cooling system.”
“So what do you have in mind?”
“A four-zone system covering the kitchen and dining area, living area, and bedrooms. For the cooling we’ll use a solar-fired evaporative system. And the heating we can put the natural gas to use by firing a central boiler for the individual units. Speaking of boilers, while the central boiler system for the hot water sounds nice, it takes forever for it to get there. What say you to an on-demand system in each unit?”
“Fine by me. I actually prefer those. And natural gas is practically cheap as dirt around here. So, let’s have two per unit - one for the bathroom and one for the kitchen.”
Washu nodded as she made more notes. “Got it. Now, back to the HVAC, I suspect you want to move it?”
“Yeah, into where the current corner of the living room is, adjacent to the bath tub’s current location. That way we can tuck the on-demand water heater in there as well.”
“Good. How about the toilet and lavatory?”
“Okay... Let’s move all that out of there and just have that space be exclusively for the bathing area. And that I’d like to rework with actual Japanese style fixtures. As for where the toilet goes... let’s make an alcove right here on the other side of the wall between the bathroom and the current living room wall. And another one right next to that with the vanity. We can put a pocket door in there that’ll isolate the toilet room from the lavatory, and we can have a little changing room just behind the lavatory that leads into the bathroom.”
“Hmmm. Looks like that’s going to reduce the living area from an eight tatami space to a six tatami. Not bad, still, especially when each bedroom is eight tatamis and the dining area is almost six-and-a-half tatamis... It’s definitely not home, but this is practically palatial by the standards of Tokyo living.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I think Tenchi is still having an existential crisis over what the hell he’s gonna do with all that space, but I think that’ll be fixed by reordering the bathrooms in the one-bedroom units.”
Washu nodded at that. “Indeed. Little bit less room to work with in those smaller units. Let’s go plan that out now.”
Time passes. Things settled in.
The new laundromat machines came in, all bright and shiny. Once they were all installed, Benjamin took the old units to the nearby Habitat for Humanity - a sort of thrift store for home improvement.
The apartments were steadily remodeled, one a day, using carpentry drones Washu pulled out of her lab. Though it less ‘carpentry’ and more ‘matter rearrangement’. Washu didn’t mind as it meant that the personal bathrooms were in a much more acceptable configuration.
And then there was the issue of the ‘public’ bath.
Benjamin had some clever ideas there. He had the manager’s office in the middle of the complex reworked. Originally, it never existed when the complex was first built and the Manager’s Office had been a small office space above the laundromat. Ben went and restored that space to its original function while letting the small building in the center of the complex be repurposed as an entryway to the new baths.
Ryoko couldn’t make her floating onsen because of our proximity to the Air Force Base. So instead, she had to settle for a dimensional pocket instead. And, on top of that, Benjamin stipulated that there would be completely separate bathing areas for males and females. But he did make a concession for a third ‘Family Bathing’ area - but only if there was a sign clearly posted that no one had any right to complain about the mixed gender nature of that area.
That said, Ben had Washu-chan lay out some... Interesting penalties for violations of polite etiquette or tricking someone into going in the wrong bathing area.
There was only one other thing that they had to do...
September 14, 2016, 10:55 AM
The Westwood Apartments
San Antonio, TX, USA
“Okay guys," said Benjamin in the ad-hoc classroom they'd made of one of the unmodified two-bedroom units, "let’s get started with an overview of what we’ll be doing here today.”
“But I thought we already knew,” said Ayeka.
“Well, we’re gonna go over it in detail. In other words, we’re reviewing the course syllabus.”
“Oh! I see then. Please, let’s carry on.”
“Thank you. So, in brief, we’re going to be covering the subjects that you guys won’t make passing grades on for the GED examination. Primarily, that is the Social Studies section of the test. As such, we’re going to cover the history of Earth as well as the history of the USA - just the major events. Mind you, the test itself will supply the relevant informational materials so you can better answer the questions that go with it. This will course will only serve to familiarize you enough with our history so you’re less likely to be confused by a question on the test.
“We’re also gonna gloss over mathematics, science, reading comprehension, and writing a short essay. As I’m certain that all of you can handle those subjects, this will all just serve to make sure you know what to expect on the examination.
“And really, don’t sweat it. The GED is a lot easier than you might be thinking. I literally aced the whole thing when I had to take it cold-turkey during my time at US Navy Recruit Training. You guys just need a bit of help and a preview of what’s to come, and you’ll be able to ace it, too.
“Okay, enough about the generalities. Let’s get down into the gnitty-gritty.”
It should probably surprise no one that everyone aced the GED examination. As Benjamin had said, it really isn't that hard of a test. The only other issue was dealing with Sasami's guardianship. Ryoko and Noike's papers had them as being 20 and 22, respectively. Washu's had her age at 25. ("Really? You had to go for the Christmas Cake joke?" "Why not? It's a hilarious jab at my appearance!") Tenchi and Ayeka were both 17 - not technically adults, but easily dealt with by emancipation paperwork. The only tricky spot was Sasami. Being at the tender age of ten, she HAD to have someone as a legal guardian. But that was simply handled by assigning that role to Noike.
Soon enough, everyone had ID cards, passports with the proper visas, and all the other bureaucratic sundries needed to get by without being noticed by the government.
There had been only minor hiccups with acclimation - while America was very different from Japan, it was still close enough in time. The only major difference was how information technology had progressed lately, and Tenchi had to get used to the idea that we did a lot of things using the Internet.
With everything nice and tidy, Benjamin only wondered who was going to show up next.