Basement renovation – slow going

Hubby and I tore out the basement last fall after having to investigate a potential electrical problem with our stove. Two electricians’ visits later, we didn’t get any answers so we cut a bunch of holes in the ceiling of the study in the basement which is directly below the kitchen. We found a hidden junction box for the stove and the wiring connections didn’t look safe. We called back one of the electricians to take care of it.

Since we’ve already cut a bunch of holes in the ceiling, the next progression seemed to be a complete demolition. We filled up a 10-yard dumpster and there is still a bunch of crap leftover. Next up was a seismic upgrade and an egress window. The actual work didn’t start until late January after spending weeks figuring out a solution with the contractor for an egress window to go into an existing window opening. It ended up to be a T-shape design – a long fixed window at the top where two little windows used to be and a casement window at the bottom.

New windows

Safeway Club Card return policy – shopper beware

I just had the lamest experience at Safeway tonight. Hubby and I got a bottle of lighter fluid for a new moxa lighter last night. My stomach has been acting up lately and moxa sticks kind of help. When we got home, we found out we need butane fuel, not lighter fluid. Hubby is working late tonight so I decided to take care of the exchange myself. After waiting in line for a long while at Customer Service, a clerk at the self-checkout register offered to help me. I explained what I needed. He tabbed a few buttons on the screen and asked me to scan my Safeway Club Card and provide the extra 50 cents that the butane costs more than the lighter fluid. After he took my money, he said I must use the same Club Card for the exchange. On the night before, hubby used his card for the $3.49 purchase. I couldn’t get a hold of him by phone and the store manager (who was helping someone else at Customer Service a moment ago) wouldn’t budge so I asked for my 50 cents back. The guy was confused. I explained the cost difference and that I paid the self-checkout clerk. Once that’s clear, the manager had to take money from the same register that my money was deposited. After that, I walked up to a self-checkout register and paid for the butane myself WITHOUT using the stupid Club Card. I can’t believe this. The transaction was less than $5 and the manager said they couldn’t make any exception for a few dollars. I am now stuck with a bottle of lighter fluid that I have no use of because the self-checkout clerk had written all over the old receipt. All in all, DO NOT use the Safeway Club Card for purchases that you are not sure you will keep. I think I might just ditch the card altogether. One less thing to carry in my wallet.

Oil furnace backdrafting problem solved

Last winter, we occasionally smelled diesel near the oil furnace in the basement. We first thought there was something wrong with the furnace. We had our furnace guy checked it out twice and a power vac company sucked out all the gunk in the furnace. The problem persisted. We finally got some clues to the cause of the problem from the chimney guy. He checked everything including the furnace flue which looks just fine. He then concluded that the issue might be backdrafting. That seems to make a lot of sense. The diesel smell appeared mostly on Sundays when we cook and do laundry at the same time. The downdraft in the kitchen and the dryer are sucking a lot of air out of the house. While I was looking for a solution, we opened the kitchen window whenever we turned on the downdraft.

By this fall, I felt like we really need to get to the bottom of this. I called a local HVAC company. They sent someone out for an inspection. After explaining the problem, the guy brought in a manometer to measure the air pressure in the house. Here are the results:

• Baseline (all appliances and furnace are off): -1.3 Pa
• Furnace blower: -0.3 Pa
• Bathroom exhaust fan: -0.5 Pa
• Dryer vent: -1.25 Pa
• Downdraft: -3.0 Pa
• Sum of all appliances would depressurize the house past -5.0 Pa.

Creativity Course assignment 9 (finale)

This is part of a series of blog posts in regards to the online class, A Crash Course on Creativity offered by the Venture Lab at Stanford University. Click here to check out the entire series.

After the final team project, there is one last lecture and assignment. The lecture focused on the importance of experimentation and gaining insights from failures. One of the additional resources is this TED video about Tinkering School:

I would have loved to attend such a school. I wish home remodeling is as forgiving. After too many trips to Home Depot and the neighborhood hardware store, I’ve definitely learned a lot from my failures!

Creativity Course assignments 5-8

This is part of a series of blog posts in regards to the online class, A Crash Course on Creativity offered by the Venture Lab at Stanford University. Click here to check out the entire series.

Prior to lecture 5, there was an announcement about a final team project that would last four weeks. The students were given the freedom to form their own teams. Team of one is an option and I decided to do just that. I don’t know anyone in the class. For the last two team projects, I let the Venture Lab software pick the teams for me. That experience was not great. We were given 7 days or less to complete the assignments. I couldn’t get a hold of any teammates until half of the 7 days have passed. Aside from that, we had to work around everyone’s schedule, time zones, etc. It’s just too complicated.

Lecture 5 was a lengthy description of the brainstorming process. It also introduced the concept of a mind map. The assignment was part 1 of the final team project and it was about defining a problem of not getting enough sleep. Almost everyone was focusing on some problems that keep people awake. I interpreted it as coming up with a problem that requires people to stay awake. Here’s what I submitted:

A runner who specializes in ultramarathon finished the Western States Endurance Run within the 30-hour limit last year and earned a bronze belt buckle. He wants to finish the race in 24 hours this year to earn the silver belt buckle. He has the fitness to run 100 miles but his biggest enemy is sleep. What can he do to stay awake?