Review - Sound Machine

I'm a light sleeper and for as long as I can remember I've slept with a fan running in the room. Without it the sound of the sheets shifting is enough to keep me up longer than I care for. Then once I fall asleep a pop of the duct work is all it takes to bring me back to consciousness.

Fans are fine but they are the last thing you want if you are already cold or the air is very dry. They move around dust (could be an indicator of my housekeeping skills?) and eventually the motor burns up or the fan falls over and needs replaced.

A few years ago I bought this gem, Dohm-DS Dual Speed Sound Conditioner. A small simple portable sound machine where you can change the speed and pitch of the device to create an ideal/consistent sound. I prefer the slower setting of the 2 speeds since the faster one is a little too loud for my liking. I noticed there is a single speed model but it only has the faster speed.

It technically is still a fan but a very small one that moves very little air since it's mostly enclosed. This thing has worked for me so well I'm ordering one for my daughter. She currently has a digital sound machine but an accidental push of the wrong button sends us running into her room at midnight when the alarm goes off.

The beauty of this device is that it does one thing, it's a white noise device and a good one at that. 

Yard Tool Review: Black & Decker 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Hedge Trimmer

Just as my electric hedge trimmer finished slicing through yet another 100' extension cord I knew it was time to bite the bullet and try cordless. As I began my search for a good battery powered trimmer I made a list of a few criteria that were important to me.

Criteria:

1. Power - I'm not exactly hacking my way through uncharted jungles but I do expect my tools to handle any home project that I throw at it.

2. Lightweight - The benefit of being a cordless tool is being able to take it anywhere. If that's the case it better be easy to carry and use.

3. Lithium-Ion battery - I chose Lithium-ion since it could retain its charge 5x longer than Nicd versions and weighed over 1 pound less than the Nicd ones!

4. Interchangeable - Product must belong to a line offering other tools to add to my collection. eg. weed trimmer, blower, chainsaw, etc.

Review:

I decided the Black and Decker 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Hedge Trimmer "Hedgehog" met all of my criteria and did so for the best value.

My first and toughest challenge that I put it through was a 6' high x 5' deep x 83' long hedge along the side of my yard. The Hedgehog handled it like a dream. Most of the shrubs have branches about 3/8" thick and the trimmer never hesitated as it sliced its way through them.

The lightweight body was well balanced along the upper handle and the oversized lever to keep it engaged was easy to keep pressed even when hitting the more awkward one handed angles.

Also by going with Black & Decker's Lithium-Ion line I shaved off over 1 pound from the competitors models.  5.4 pounds with battery installed!

So far I am very glad to have gone cordless and wonder why I didn't make the move earlier.

What's in the Box:

LHT120 22-inch cordless hedge trimmer
20-volt battery
20-volt smart battery charger

Wine

Over the past few years I've developed a liking for wine so when my friend mentioned making his own wine it didn't take long for me to join him. For my first batch I went cheap and simple. I dropped $35 for the equipment and $4 for some unpasteurized apple cider. If the batch (1 gallon / 5 bottles) didn't go well I'm only out $4 and will try again. My friend went with a 6 gallon (30 bottle) batch.

Making your own wine (not from a box kit) is a little overwhelming so I decided to be a little less scientific as a test to see if I could just wing it. I figured if I could take the science out and bring in some "art" it would make it more fun in the future. The result was drinkable wine but it fell far short from the apple cider wine my friend made (which was by the books). 

 

For my second batch I went with blueberries, handpicked by me and my wife. I approached it more scientifically this time but found a new challenge. As the crushed blueberries broke down in my primary bucket they released more sugar than I had anticipated. I lost control of the sugar levels a couple times and had to restart the yeast and make changes to try to equalize it. In the end I'm guessing the levels rose again and killed off the yeast stopping the fermentation process. A couple months after bottling I took a taste. Tasted like juice with zero alcohol. 

I thought I'd take some time off from wine for a while. My friend continued to start a couple batches, one blackberry and one Washington Riesling (box kit). When he decided to quit his job, home and hike the Appalachian trail in 2011 I swept in to save his 6 gallons of Washington Riesling before he dumped it. After bottling, aging and sampling it I realized I wasn't about to throw in the towel just yet.

I always enjoy seeing the wine final color.

A single batch (approx $2.60/bottle to make)

I labeled this batch for my friend's bachelor party.

Well after a break I've decided to start a batch of White Zinfandel (box kit). So far so good. I'm going by the books being extra careful about everything. It's bottled and in a month or so I'll sample one of the 30 bottles. I've also decided to start labeling and holding onto a few bottles to begin a collection rather than polishing off one batch and starting another. We'll see where that takes me.

End of another Chapter

This post marks the conclusion of another chapter of my life and the beginning of another. After five years it is time for me to move on and upgrade my home. As it pertains to the content of this blog my first house was a blank canvas for me to apply my creativity. As a result of all the projects my construction experience grew quickly as I entered many new realms. I look forward to what my second house will bring.

If someone I hadn't seen for a while approached me and asked what I had been up to the past 5 years I probably would have replied, "not much". I would have been very wrong.

As I was walking out of my old house the other day I took one last look around to admire the work I had done. But instead of noting the results of my hard work I was flooded with other thoughts. Thoughts made up of countless events that have unfolded in my life over the past 5 years. All while I lived here on Courtwood Drive.

Here is a list of things that took place in my life while at my new house. 5 years ago I wouldn't have been able so say 99.9% of these.

Life:
Made many great friends, shared great moments with old friends, became an uncle to two amazing nephews, learned to wake board, wake surf, sail, play volleyball, excelled at my job, saw an ocean and bought a new car.

Construction:
Ran wiring, installed receptacles, upgraded all lighting fixtures and switches in house, installed a fan in the laundry closet, designed and built 2 light fixtures, modified piping for both shower head runs, installed a new vanity, reset a toilet with a new wax ring, cleaned out some blocked supply lines, even installed a new kitchen sink, installed flooring: tile, sheet vinyl, carpet, wood laminate, designed/built a yarn cabinet, built custom book shelves, built a karaoke station, made a 9'-9" computer desk, learned to cut and install crown moulding, patched many walls, built a potting shed for me Mum, helped my dad build a screened in porch, retiled the main shower, built a workshop in the garage, built a 12'x30' screened in porch, installed new dryer vent to outside of house through attic, built a raised garden and trellis system and bought power tools!

Arts:
Learned to paint with water color, learned to knit, learned to play guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, took up photography, wrote some songs / poetry, read many books, took up screen printing



But above all else I fell in love with an amazing woman!!!




So yea, it's been a busy time in the past 5 years after all. I look forward to all the surprises and life lessons that I will encounter in the next 5.

I will of course continue to report on my new house projects. I had about a dozen or so ideas on my list before I even got the keys!

The Art of Staying in Debt

Yup... I paid off my car a few months ago and being 10 years old it is still a fine automobile. Probably can make it another 6-8 years (100,000 miles) without any problems. That's generaly how Honda automobiles roll.



The only issues I've ever had with it where replacing the breaks and getting regular oil changes. Doesn't get much easier than that, does it? Well good ol Honda extended their emissions control warranty to 15 years which meant my 1997 Accord was covered for another 5 years! As part of this extension they said my vehicle now qualifies for a free emissions check up and any parts related to emissions would be replaced free of charge. Free?!? If that's the hook then what is the catch? Well as it turns out nothing. They replaced my emissions control and such as well as my spark plugs, wires, distributor, rotor, oil and filter! The only down side was I had to wait for an hour and half or so... no prob I'm on vacation! Well I thought I'd take a stroll through the Honda lot while I waited, just for something to do. That's when I saw this goofy little cube of a vehicle. The Element. But funny thing with new goofy things. They grow on you over time. Well it took only 2 minutes of looking into it before I was won over. This was THE car/suv for me.



Yea, one day later after the holidays had come and gone I went back and took advantage of the holiday interest rate special they were providing. I had to act quickly before the conservative Gregory D woke up and dismissed this purchase. Though spontaneous fun loving Gregory D was ready to pounce with all sorts of logical points of argument if the need arose.



This thing is amazing! As if the design and functionality were thought of for me alone. The car itself is a bit wider but a lot shorter than my Accord was which makes it easy to fit inside my garage, parallel park and drive around. But even with its small footprint this thing has a ton of room for passengers and cargo. I can't figure out how they did it but I think it has something to do with quantum mechancis. It's not as peppy as my ol car but for a small suv it can get up to 26 mpg or so which to me is amazing.



Here you can see the clam-shell doors on both sides of the vehicle which open up to gain access to the back seats which are very very roomy. All fabric and flooring is stain/waterproof and is easy to clean.


The back seats can also recline at various levels and when all the seats recline you have a bed! Or once reclined you can take the back seats and swing them up against the sides for that imprompto move. The back has a huge skylight that can open or be removed entirely. The suspension and stance makes it drive more like a car than a top heavy SUV. It also has amazing saftey features that are setting the bar for all small SUV's.

Other fun little features include XM Radio/ Ipod ready/ soundsystem with 260watts of power including a subwoofer up front. Cool layout of dash and console with some groovy blue lights. Spare tire cover in back can be removed and doubles as a table top. And did I mention I love the way it looks? Yea so there you have it.