I had one done recently due to breaking a filling while eating a Jolly Rancher. The whole thing took maybe 2 hours.

The shot of novocaine to numb my jaw was the only pain, and even that wasn’t bad because the dentist used topical numbing before that. It was no different than getting a cavity filled.

My dentist has a cnc machine (CEREC) in the office to make the crown, so I didn’t need a temporary cap. Waiting for that to be milled was the longest part.

I had a bruise on my gums for a couple days from the shot and the retainer clamp, but it wasn’t even bad enough to stop me from eating.

If you’re getting water inside, Jchannel is probably the least of your concerns. Something isn’t sealed correctly. Unfortunately, if you have water getting in, you have water in your wall. Even if you seal the window, you could end up with a mold issue.

If it was me, I’d pull the window, ensure all flashing and housewrap is in place, the reseat the window in a thick bead of silicone. Assuming the window is still in good shape. Otherwise, a new window is needed. Once the window is in place, trim, jchannel, and siding would be put back.

Once the window is properly installed, I’d focus on the inside. Pull the trim and drywall around the window, letting it air out for a day then coat the inside sheeting with mold killing primer. New insulation would be added before new drywall is put in. Then mud, sand, paint, and reinstall the trim.

It’s a decent amount of work, but not insurmountable. My concern is, if it was installed incorrectly, chances are, your other windows were too. I’m not trying to be doom and gloom here, just trying to forewarn you. It’s something to keep an eye on.

All of this is assuming the problem isn’t something like a window left open or something like that.

Before I start, I want to be clear, this process works for me. It isn’t for everyone, so take it with a grain of salt.

Outlining is personal. Everyone does it different. Some writers architect the full story, some outline the plot, while others discovery write everything. Personally, I get decision paralysis when I attempt to outline everything and when I attempt to discovery write everything.

When I start an outline, I tend to be detailed with setting and plot. I flush out my world and know roughly where I want the story to go. Characters are left fairly open. I create just enough of each character to get into their head. That way, I can take the characters, plop them into the setting and situation of the plot, and see what happenes. Discovery writing characters works for me, but only if I know where they are and what they should do.

Step 1: Sticky Notes… Starting out, I tend to brainstorm on sticky notes. There is something about writing ideas manually that helps me see things better than typing them. Typically, I have a vauge idea or two to start with, and not much more. I’ll write it on a sticky note and stick it to my desk. Then write something else - whatever comes to mind. I keep going until some ideas start to grow. It could be a character trait, plot point, setting, whatever. I’ll rearrange them to see what, if any, ideas make sense together. I’ll cross things out, throw some away, pull them from the trash, rewrite them, etc. Just an idea board type activity. Sometimes I will leave them on my deak for weeks. By the time I’m done with them, they are usually sad remnants of sticky notes.

Step 2a: Outline in Word… Word worked for me for a while. I created a template in Word that helps me straighten things out. It has custom headers that fill the Navigation panel, giving me sections. Default Word has this, I’ve just customized the look to something more pleasant to me. The problem is exactly what you said, things get lost. It grows fast and by the time I’m done with a full outline, it’s a little much.

Step 2b: Outline in OneNote… For the most part, I have transitioned to OneNote for the majority of my outlines. I created an always expanding template. It has tabs for things like Characters, Plot, Locations, Religion, Economy, Government, Magic, Weapons, Science, etc. I copy my template and start a new Notebook for each story I write. What I’m writing determines which tabs I keep. For example, if I am writing fantasy, I typically wont include the Science tab. Each tab has a page template that is automatically used when adding a new page. My character template, for example, has a table for physical traits, motivations, character arc, internal secrets, etc. I try to put down enough so I feel like I understand the person. Going overboard is easy, but I try to keep to to just what is needed.

Step 3: Scenes… Once I have a good understanding of the story, I start figuring out what scenes I need. These are typically one or two sentences and can help with plot, character development, or just something random and awesome. “A lazy pet cat that wakes up just in time to scratch the eyes out of an intruder.” I throw it in. Then, rearrange. Scenes never seem to come to me in an order that make sense. I’ll prune and expand, but by the time I’m done, I know the story.

Step 4: Fill in the blanks… I go one scene at a time, not necessarily in order, and fill them in. For example, Mr. Whiskers scratches Billy the Kid. Maggy sat straight up in her bed. The door banged agaist the cabin wall. Her eyes fought to stay closed as she forced them open. She couldn’t make out the silhouette in the door. The moonless night was no help. “You owe me money,” a gruff voice said. “Oh shit,” thought Maggie. She knew that voice. If Billy came to collect, she knew he would collect - one way or another. Billy took a step into the room. His boot was muffled by a thick layer of dust. Before he took a second step, a hissing filled the room. Mr. Whiskers sprung from the end of the bed. He landed on Billy’s face and started scratching the man like he was a mouse caught in the cupboard. And so on.

Step 5: Edit it together… Once you have I have all of the scenes, i stitch them together and edit it so it flows. This is where I add transitions and such. By the end, there is a completed story. It isn’t perfect. There might be some fillers, but it is about 95% done.

Step 6: Rewrite it all… I bring up a blank Word document, set it to 14pt Times New Roman, double spaced, and rewrite literally everything. I have my last draft and this one open side by side. Since I’m reading the story as I’m writing it, I notice thinga I missed or phrases I don’t like.

Again, this isn’t for everyone. It is a process that works for me.

I think I get where you are coming from here, though I question the certainty in it. There is too much nuance to humanity to never trust or always ignore.

If you never anticipate good in others, you must be very lonely - never trusting, always defensive, waiting for the next attack. We all have different levels of trust shaped by our own experiences. Personally, I try to anticipate good until a person proves otherwise. I’d rather be disappointed occasionally than miss a possible connection to someone because I never anticipated goodness.

As far as receiving advice, take it from anyone and everyone. We constantly do this, even if we don’t notice. We take in the world around us. We decided if it was good, bad, or somewhere in between. If I see someone hit their thumb with a hammer, I learn not to hold the nail in the way way did. It’s non-verbal, yet in its own way, is advice. Verbal advice works similarly. Take it in, listen to it, accept or reject it. Ether way, it is part of you. You will adapt it to your own view. If someone says that jumping of a bridge is the best thing ever, you can ignore them or you can do it. Ignoring them shapes a picture of that person as irresponsible or dangerous while shaping you to be more conscious and risk-averse. Doing it shapes that person in your mind as someone to listen to in order to do something fun. I suppose what I’m getting at is a simple question, can you really ignore advice?

I’m probably just thinking more into it than you intended.

Good luck to you. Post the results when you finish. I’m sure more than just me would like to see it

Shellac is not the same as oil based. Oil based is made from, well, oil. Shelllac is made by crushing the shells of the lac bug. It is an insect that is cultivated specifically for the purpose. Shellac is typically used as a final coat for protection. Shellac primer is basically that mixed with a white pigment. It is great for sealing. Fairly pricy though.

I will echo the Bondo route that others suggested. The big box hardware stores sell quart cans of general purpose Bondo in the paint aisle.

Cut out the vaneer over the bad area with a razor blade or box cutter.

Sand with 80 or 120 grit to remove any loose bits of the board. The particle board will crumble a little, but it will be fine. Just dont go overboard. Vacuum it to remove most dust.

Using a flexible putty knife, get one to two globs of Bondo on a clean piece of cardboard. Don’t do too much as you will have about 5 minutes of working time once the hardener is added. Follow the instructions on how much hardener to add, you wont need much. Fold the hardener into the Bondo with the putty knife until it is a uniform color.

Spread the bondo over the area you cut out. Try to get it smooth, but dont overwork it. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Using 60 or 80 grit paper, sand it as it starts to dry. If it is gumming up the paper, it is still too wet to sand, give it another minute or two and try again. You are shaping it with this step. If you let it completely dry, it is hard as a rock and more difficult to sand.

Once it is in a good shape, switch to the next step up for sanding and repeat (60 to 80 to 120 to 180 to 220). Do not skip gits or you will just make work for yourself. You can probably stop at 180, but since it is next to vaneer, i’d go to 220. Again, if it is gumming the paper, wait a few minutes. Once you are at 220, use it to sand the entire cabinet to rough up the surface and accept primer better.

Once sanded, wipe the entire cabinet down with a tac cloth. I also recommend wiping the cabinets with a wax and greese remover so everything will stick better.

Now it is time for primer and paint. For a smooth finish, use a good quality foam mini-roller and foam brush for tighter areas.

Prime the cabinet using any water-based primer; killz is pretty good. They make an oil based that would be better, but will smell up your whole house, so I don’t recommend it unless you have excellent ventilation.

Lightly sand the peimer once it is fully dried with 220. If any spot is too light, do a second coat. Wipe up the dust.

Paint with an alkyd paint. Do at least 2 coats.

Not necessary, but if you want extra protection, you could use a foam brush (not a roller here) and do 3 to 4 coats of a water-based polyurethane on top of the paint. It might be overkill for what you want though.

This might seem like a lot, but you will have a great finish when done. Also, fair warning, Bondo has a strong smell. Open a window.

There isn’t enough in the picture to be 100% certain. In no particular order, these are the three things that I would check first:

1. The cable could be too short on that side
2. The track could be slightly too high on that side
3. The floor is angled and has a natural gap

My misunderstanding. I thought you meant from the heater to the floor.

To fix the gap you were talking about, you could do some acrylic caulking. You could do high heat silicone if you were worried about the heat, but the acrylic should be fine. Check the tube for the allowed heat range. The silicone will do vetter against the expansion and contraction, but you’d never be able to paint it. The acrylic would be paintable. But had a high chance of cracking.

You need the gap. Baseboard heaters work by heating the air around it, causing it to rise. This rising air is replaced by the cool air being displaced. By having a gap under the heater, the cool air has a place to go and be heated. This causes a draft that allows the full room to be heated, not just the area around the baseboards. In essence, the gap allows the heater to be more efficient.

If you insist on covering it, use a sheet of decorative metal that is at least partially open to allow airflow through it. Even that will reduce efficiency, but it wont be as bad as blocking it.

I played a ton of 3d movie maker back in the day. I’m with you; I wish there were games like that today. It might be a niche, but you can’t tell me there isn’t a market for it.

Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

-Samuel Beckett