Solar update

We had one panel go out, possibly due to a poor installation job. All of the panels were tilted in slightly, which allowed a buildup of dirt and dust as water evaporated. The one panel that went was causing the inverter fuses to blow. After rewiring, fixing the physical installation, and replacing the Sharp panel all is peachy again! We're getting around 13 kWh per day of solar energy. Thanks to Giddens Electric of Burbank for the fine work getting things running again.

Need a door hanger

The lever and deadbolt have arrived! However, I can't get in touch with our trusty old door hanging crew, Angel and Oscar, so we need to find someone to hang the door.

Stuttgart lever and deadbolt ordered

We are getting closer to finally installing our beloved front door! I ordered the lever and deadbolt from Knobs-etc. for a pretty incredible price.

Speaking of good deals, I noticed that our door, the "Burbank" is 40% off right now at Crestview Doors.

Solar is back

We got some new electricians in to look over our system -- it blew two fuses after my last attempt at that fix, so something else was up. Either a faulty inverter or faulty wiring. They pulled up all the wiring, tested each panel, reinstalled them at a better angle than the original, rewired everything, fired it up and we all crossed fingers. It's been three days and everything is working great!

Modern birdhouse project

I love this project -- a DIY Mid-century modern birdhouse done up in Baltic birch.
Read more here.

Fuse

This fuse is blown. It's the fuse that is now preventing my solar power inverter from turning any of that ample California sun into electricity.

Steel chef's table

I just purchased a steel table from a co-worker and I think I'm in love with it. It's a stainless steel chef's table from John Boos & Co. It's 40x24x40 48x24x40. I think I'm going to use it as a standing computer desk. Or for food prep. Or for just gazing at.
Right now I'm using it as a workbench for some projects, which is a horrible idea, as a conductive surface isn't the smartest thing to have when dealing with electronics. As soon as I build a new wood workbench in the garage all of my projects are moving out there. Then I can put this beauty to better use.

Media Rack

This is the Project Precita media rack. Wow. I'm trying hard not to run out to Norton Sales and buy a bunch of old NASA control panels to mount on the wall in our living room.

Fuselage

I'm going to post photos from the Telstar Logistics home remodel over the next few days. I'm in love with everything they've done.

Flush trim

This is the flush trim on our door. Its beauty makes me weep. All hail David and Christiane at Crestview Doors.

The door has arrived

Hurray! Here it is, waiting to be unpacked and ogled.

Mom! Dad! The Google Spy Van's here!!

I just noticed during my Google Map fest that we now have Street View. This means that the All-Seeing Google Van drove down our block merrily snapping photos of everything. Weird!

Current satellite photo

This one, from the much hipper Google, is up-to-date. You can see the solar panels doing their darnedest to save the planet.