_Barracks Roster as of April 1st, 2023:_
Hello, all. My apologies for the roster being a few days late - I had actually logged the data early Saturday morning, with the intent to post it some time during the day. But little did I know that our kitchen remodeling would involve a substantial rework of our house wiring.
Let me start from the beginning: My cousin and I share a house; I have the upstairs level, which has a complete setup of bedroom, living room, bathroom, office, small kitchenette and a nice little porch overlooking the back yard. Downstairs is a bit bigger, with a real kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom, and even a small guest room that she uses for her dog (an old German Shepard with hip issues and going blind from cataracts). A few months ago, around the holidays, she attended a home show and put her name in to "possibly win a complete free kitchen makeover" (it was a promo for a new cabinet company). We forgot all about it - until she was notified by certified mail that she won!
We went to their showroom, and they explained that the free deal included new cabinets top and bottom, installed, with new counter tops. It also included any trim or molding to finish the edges. We met with a designer, who came to the house to inspect the current kitchen, talk about options and colors and wood patterns, and then suggested changing around the layout of the sink, stove and fridge to make it more efficient. A week later we get a call that all of the information was worked up in their CAD system, and we could go to the showroom, put on VR goggles, and get a virtual walkthrough.
It was so accurate that you really felt you were there. My cousin loved it, and said she this is what she wanted. She went to sign off on the order, and this "free" kitchen was now $1,500 - because she had selected "upscale" cabinets.. Well, still, who could beat a new kitchen for $1,500 - so she went for it. The salesperson did mention in passing that the costs for any plumbing or electrical work was not included - and this price did not include demolition or removal of any cabinets.. "Maybe another $2,000 for all that, but it depends on the job and the sub contractor".
The contractor comes in, examines the kitchen and the plans and says "oh, you're moving the oven and the sink, you'll need a plumber for that. Oh, and the new location for the fridge needs a new circuit, so you'll need an electrician." Then he asked 'How's doing the demo and prep work"? "We though you were", we said "Oh, I can - but that is extra".
At this point my cousin just wants it done, and in her mind if she could get a new kitchen for $7K or so, it still was a deal. So she signed up for the demo, they came to tear it all down last week - and uncovered all sorts of unsafe and illegal wiring and plumbing issues. The electrician had to split 3 circuits, add in 4 more, and run all new wiring everywhere. As luck would have it, my office and bedroom were on two circuits that needed work, so they were up and down all weekend.
Fast forward to today - the electric is all straightened out, the kitchen was demo'd down to the bare walls, and our floor now needs replacing because of all the cutting. So, now we need to add sheet rock and spackling and a new floor to the project.
Between what we've spent so far, and what we estimate still needs to be spent, this "free" kitchen is heading towards $14,000!!!! Now, don't get me wrong, it's going to be really nice when its done, with all new everything, but little did we know that "free" would be so far from it.
BTW, there was no misrepresentation on the cabinet maker's part - the contract clearly stated what was and wasn't covered. They also stated that by law they could not give estimates for their contractors work - we would need to work with them directly and agree to their cost. What we didn't know then was that once you open up an old house, you discover that 50 years ago building standards were way lower, and if you gave the inspector a few beers and $20, he'd sign off on a train wreck. We opened up a can of worms, and once we started, we were committed.
Tonight, it's quiet again, and I'm catching up on all my online work. My cousin comes upstairs once in a while to use my kitchenette, but she's no bother. We hope to be done in 4-6 weeks, but at least for now, the electric is stable and safe, and I can get back to work.
TL,DR: There is NO SUCH THING AS A FREE KITCHEN!!!
Now back to Barrack's business:
Welcome to Spring - finally, longer days, warmer weather, and plants and trees start to show green again! As I get older, the colder weather becomes more troublesome, but I'm not moving - I like it here, and I'll take the good with the bad.
March was a great month - congrats to our two newest Brig. Generals, @EchoTense01 and @Freaks-heart. Well done and well deserved! *SALUTES*
Our illustrious EGSC @Guthrie still votes like there's no tomorrow, but @Tox, @Pingu and @Freaks-heart have picked up the pace. Between the four of them, they account for OVER 75% of the total BP points for the month. Impressive numbers, but it's okay to take a break and go outside once in a while.
Thank you all for all your support and hard work - I hope you have a wonderful April, and as always, it is an honor and a privilege to serve with you all. *SALUTES*
_Milestones:_
@AnalPenguinFarming - 5K blams
@byteslinger - 200K saves, 227K total B/P
@freaks-heart - 17K saves, 20K total B/P
@Guthrie - 121K saves, 149K total B/P
@Pingu - 49K saves, 62K total B/P
@tox - 31K saves, 35K total B/P
_Promotions:_
@EchoTense01 - Brig. General
@freaks-heart - Brig. General
_The Roster:_
No. B/P / Gain / Average / Level / Change / Username / Rank
01) 227,968 | 1,543 | 49.77 | A | +014.13 | @byteslinger Sup. Commander
02) 149,122 | 2,602 | 83.94 | A | +015.59 | @Guthrie Sup. Commander
03) 90,406 | 0,002 | 00.06 | D | +000.00 | @GameJunkie Sup. Commander
04) 78,328 | 0,188 | 06.06 | C | +006.21 | @Exedor Sup. Commander
05) 70,664 | 0,093 | 03.00 | D | -071.90 | @Little-Rena Sup. Commander
06) 68,341 | 0,023 | 00.74 | D | +009.52 | @Jolly Sup. Commander
07) 62,245 | 1,810 | 58.39 | A | +215.88 | @Pingu Sup. Commander
08) 49,478 | 0,010 | 00.32 | D | -009.09 | @Asandir Sup. Commander
09) 46,414 | 0,058 | 01.87 | D | +190.00 | @Big-Boss Sup. Commander
10) 43,765 | 0,179 | 05.77 | C | +062.73 | @Fro Sup. Commander
11) 35,412 | 2,500 | 80.65 | A | +026.20 | @tox Sup. Commander
12) 31,833 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | -100.00 | @Lizzardis Sup. Commander
13) 29,781 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | @Decky Commander
14) 28,328 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | -100.00 | @ZomAlien Commander
15) 24,436 | 0,032 | 01.03 | D | +700.00 | @Jackho General
16) 20,857 | 0,537 | 17.32 | C | +085.17 | @AnalPenguinFarming Brig. General
17) 20,655 | 2,381 | 76.81 | A | +204.09 | @freaks-heart Brig. General +2
18) 19,678 | 0,191 | 06.16 | C | -033.45 | @EchoTense01 Brig. General -1
19) 18,729 | 0,038 | 01.23 | D | +153.33 | @ZJ Colonel -1
20) 5,844 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | @ADR3-N Sergeant
21) 4,674 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | @solitonmedic Corporal
22) 4,216 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | @dovod Corporal
23) 3,820 | 0,094 | 03.03 | D | +129.27 | @Anonymous-Frog Pvt. First Class
24) 1,865 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | -100.00 | @TheRoboTrickster Police Lieutenant
_Top 5 Gainers:_
@Guthrie - 2,602 (21.19% of total)
@tox - 2,500 (20.36% of total)
@freaks-heart - 2,381 (19.39% of total)
@Pingu - 1,810 (14.74% of total)
@byteslinger - 1,543 (12.56% of total)
Top 5 users accounted for 88.23% of B/P points (10,836 total)
_Top gainers, repeat appearances:_
@byteslinger (159)
@Guthrie (70)
@Big-Boss (65)
@GameJunkie (50)
@Asandir (50)
@Pingu (47)
@Exedor (37)
@Jackho (25)
@ZomAlien (24) * 2 Years *
@Decky (16)
@Lizzardis (15)
@Jolly (13)
@Little-Rena (12) * 1 Year *
@ZJ (8)
@Fro (7)
@freaks-heart (6)
@EchoTense01 (6)
@tox (6)
@AnalPenguinFarming (5)
Total gain for month: 12,281 (17 Active Members)
That's 409.37 per day, or 24.08 per day per active member.
