Yesterday evening we played badminton in the pool for several hours, then watched Animatrix - not bad the 2nd time around. Animatrix is nine short animated films that are either prequel to or run parallel to the Matrix Reloaded. The first one is the best - animation on par with the Final Fantasy movie, if not better. The next two fill in the history of the planet, and exactly what happened to result in the 'current' world. Number four explains where that hero-worshipping kid comes from - the one in Zion that is always wanting to hang with Neo, join his crew, etc. Five is a very well done 'life in the world as it really is' short. Six I disliked intensely - really crappy animation, over the top style, silly story. Athletes can sense the matrix and 'wake themselves up'. Sure they can. NEXT! Seven is a great one - several kids find a glitch in the matrix, a haunted house where they have superpowers. Eight is in the style of the old black and white detective stories, and involves Trinity - not bad. Nine is just depresssing. Good story, well done, but depressing just the same.

This leads us to TODAY. Went to home depot, bought a 10' long 4" wide corrugated black drainpipe. Got home, dug a ditch. Sounds easy, but this involved moving a bush, removing a few dozen paving bricks, carefully moving the 2" sand base - keeping as much as possible, then moving the 4" gravel base below that. Ugh. Only then did I get to real clay dirt, which also needed moving. This was just under the sidewalk... Past the sidewalk is a multi-level gravel/landscaping fabric/gravel/fabric/gravel/clay with BIG rocks area. So - after digging before, under, and past the sidewalk, I threaded the pipe under and through the plastic guides for the sidewalk and the long long nails that secure the guides, and then filled it all back in. Once done, I stood back and admired my handiwork, and Patty had the words of wisdom "The Sidewalk Seems To Be A Little Sunken".

Sure enough, there was like a 1" depression, and while the bricks lined up nicely and made a smooth transition, the center was indeed too low. *sigh*

Pull up the bricks, added some more dirt (I know I should have used sand, but I was all out). Leveled it off and fit the bricks one by one until they were almost even across the ditch area, then tapped them all into place. So - it is in, looks OK, but I need another 10' section because the ending is not where I wanted the water to go. With one more section I can dig out from under the end piece and have the new end be exactly where it needs to be, along the fence and not ending in the middle of the gravelly patch.

I'm done for today - exhausted and blistered fingers - sunburnt a bit, and just overall ready to relax. Later!