another day, another floor

2010.03.02
today a lot of work got done.
- A and L moved the hose so it is much better concealed.
- L and T got a shovel and a big sheet of metal from a construction site
- A and L cleaned the major junk from the top floor
- T got hardware for the knitting of the room
- P and M got the gas lamp working so now we have a lot of light
- (Ma)cieira pumped up the pressure on the hydrant and hosed down the top floor. the excess water soaked the concrete and went through the cable holes to the third floor, which ended up making some commotion with A and L. thanks to this, though, windows and the floor are mostly clean now. due to the excess pressure and bad sealing, the small leaks became big leaks and the hydrant threads are damaged now. so we might have to replace the hydrant, and we're back to filling up containers with water
- we all met up (A, T, L, P, M, S, O, J and Ma) and chatted a bit about what went on. language is starting to be an issue since A and L don't understand enough Portuguese. subjects were mainly how to get the basics going discussed in my previous post. i took the solar panel i had to the place and we discussed the green water filter. P has experience in previous squats in getting it done, so we can get it done quick and dirty on the bottom floor, and once i move my plastics and wood probably on the roof too.
we also discussed our plans and everyone seems excited about making it a proper cultural squat. P and M ran one at some point, but the people that were with them sold it out when they weren't around, so they are a bit more careful with making big plans about squatting now. overall, all 8 of us get along great, and it seems we have a high "i want to work" percentage.
the only emotional issues now seem to be between P and Ma, but i think it will pass at some point. Ma is worried about how we are all going to live together there, but i told him it that i wanted it.
- S is really excited about setting up the studio on the ground floor and also has a bunch of stuff to bring from his friend's house like couches and paintings
- P is going to work on the bottom floor as soon as possible, since we got the metal sheets to close it up
- Ma is planning on fixing up the bathroom on the 3rd floor, and getting a toilet, shower and sink there. we all agreed, and it would be great to get something like that going. so we asked everyone to look for toilets and other bathroom equipment around the place so we can start setting it up. Ma has told me that the sewage appears to be working and only needs unclogging (with water), and since we have water, it's just a small step until we have it working anyway.
- a friend of S, O, P and M showed up and helped. apparently she's doing photography for some assignment, so she also helped out with the cleaning
- T got some more food for the house, and M offered dinner.
- we all discussed the possibility of someone moving in, but we all agreed that it was too soon and 8 is a big enough number to get something going. so, for now, we are all agreeing on not bringing anyone else in.
- people seem to agree with my proposal of having animals down at the little metal house. hopefully some goats too. so me and M are in charge of finding some animals. main things would be egg laying chickens and a female goat for milk. since goats only lactate when pregnant, probably a buck will be necessary too
- the dogs are quiet, but territorial, and one isn't housebroken yet. we decided to make a big room for P, M and their dogs with wood doors, so there are less issues with the fabric, and the rainbow rooms will be built from there onwards
- no neighbor issues at all to report, i guess it was just occasional
- a dude sleeps there every night inside a city hall truck. no issues with us though.
no specific plans for tomorrow. P, M and O are surveying the area, T is sewing the fabric for the rooms, but no more plans besides that.

personally, i have worked out all my issues and i'm happy and just hoping to move in as soon as possible. the main issue is i can't get any days off this week, sucks.

godspeed starstuff ☆★☆☆★★★☆☆☆☆☆