Sweat Equity Project: Wall-Mounting the Bedroom TV
Several weeks ago, Brent spent the week in Orlando for job-related training. Brent is awesome at home improvement, and I just got a 19" flat screen LCD TV that needed to be mounted. In addition, our master bedroom was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint and a splash of color.
I got most of the room painted prior to Brent's arrival. What remained was buying a mounting bracket and moving the cable and power outlet to directly behind the mount point. To spare you the details, let's just say this turned into a multi-hour three night project. However, we are extremely happy with the results and very grateful for all Brent's guidance. Thanks Brent!
Before (with project details)
After (that's better)
Continue reading Comments (2) May.26.2008.
Really Enjoying First Watch for Breakfast
Tory and I are really enjoying Saturday mornings at First Watch. We went there this morning for breakfast. The food is good, and the prices are reasonable. First Watch reminds me of Market Street Cafe, however First Watch focuses exclusively on breakfast, brunch, and lunch. They close around 2:30 which is pretty amazing for a business to pass on that incremental dinner crowd potential revenue. So you can bet they get breakfast and lunch right.Continue reading Comments (0) May.24.2008.
Fw: What a black columnist has to say about Obama
Yesterday I received an email forward from a relative that was politically charged. The subject of the email was, “Fw: What a black columnist has to say about Obama.” The intriguing aspect of that subject line was that the columnist himself tried to down play race while informing his readers about the “most liberal” Senator [Obama] in the Senate. Likewise, Ken Blackwell the black columnist and Republican candidate for Governor of Ohio in 2006, thinks it is imperative that Obama not be our next President.
In fact, we simply can’t afford morally or economically another conservative like President Bush. Morally, our self-described pro-life President has done nothing to lower the abortion rate. Citizens should remember that it was a Democrat, President Clinton, who signed the Defense of Marriage Act.
I think we are more likely to see a “liberal” president offer up ideas to lower the abortion rate. I say that because the abortion issue is going to take some compassion for others (spending money for my conservative friends). Senator Obama said in November, “Forty percent of working women do not have a single paid sick day. More and more women are denied jobs or promotions because they've got kids at home. As the son of a single mother, that is not the America that I believe in. I'll be a President who stands up for working parents. We'll require employers to provide seven paid sick days each year.” This idea from Senator Obama is just a little step that could help when women feel trapped in making hasty decisions about the future.
Continue reading Comments (1) Apr.11.2008.
Solar Facts for When I’m Ready
Last year we bought our first single-family home. This purchase finally removes all of the excuses for not making my home more environmentally friendly. As a result, I did some research on adding a net-metered solar system on the house. The capital requirements are somewhat staggering which means no net-metered solar system for us soon.
Observations
- The Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida estimates that a 1KW solar system will generate 1,350 kWh per year with 3.5 hours of sun per day. So, a 5 KW system will generate about 18.5 kWh per day (conservatively).
- For comparison, my 2,100 sq ft home averages about 37.2 kWh per day.
- Installing a solar hot water heater is equivalent to installing a 2 KW system. An 80 gallon ceramic solar powered hot water heater will only lose about 1 degree of temperature every 3 days.
- The term net-metered simply means the system is connected to the power grid. This results in credits to your power bill. However, the system does not include batteries and does not provide power during utility outages.
Continue reading Comments (0) Apr.09.2008.