30 November 2007

How much does a chicken weigh?

There are many people in life that will pose thought provoking questions that range from the mundane to the fantastic. There is a question so obscure, yet so frequently asked that we are left scratching our heads. Because we are professionals do we have an extrasensory knowledge that the average person does not? How do you live up to the sense of urgency with which the question is asked? It seems harmless, an innoculous little question that should have a simple and straight forward answer, so what's the big deal? Um, short of a crystal ball, full house schematics, a weather audit for the spot where the house is, full knowledge of what temp the people in the house want, know how often the doors open and shut, air leaks in windows, etc., a planetary weather control system or at least forecaster... it is impossible to answer.
"How many pellets will I need a day/a month/this year?"
Art's favorite answer when people ask how long a hopper/bag will last is "You can go all summer on one bag!" but the irony is generally lost and the response is a glazed, deer in the headlights, puzzled look.
I usually turn it around and ask, "What will the temperature be on January 18 at 3:00 in the afternoon?" They look at me and say, "That's impossible to answer." I just nod...
We expect it from the average consumer who is probably looking for more detailed information like, "How much heat does this unit put out on high/low?" and "How many pellets does it take to produce said heat?" But yesterday we had a peer in the industry call to ask how many pellets the boiler uses. He's been doing this longer than we have!
So I would like to submit "How many pellets will I use?" to the "Why did the chicken cross the road" hall of fame.

27 November 2007

Need gift ideas?


For the person who has everything.

Want to be in control?


Good old Yankee practicality


Never wonder...
from stupid.com

25 November 2007

Small change


After three very llllooooonnnggg weeks DH finally got a chance to look a the washer last night when he got home from work. My official complaint was that it wasn't spinning (fast) and not draining the water. He unhooked the water and pulled it out of its little cubby then turned it on to see what was going on. Off it ran, spinning like a mad hamster's wheel. Crap. If it wasn't broken at all I would be really ticked! So we put a pair of pants in, hooked the water back up, let if fill a little with water then fast forwarded to the spin cycle. No spinning, no draining. I actually felt a little relieved. Who wants to have made such a fuss of having to go to the laundrymat for so long, only to have nothing wrong?!? But, quickly back to damn, the washer's still broken... After fussing and draining, and prodding by hubby, and tool fetching, button pushing, light holding, and cat herding by me he found the problem. The drain pump was clogged. Our water is so bad and rust riddled I expected a gob of goo the size of a shoe, but alas it was Art's pocket clutter that was the culprit. We pulled out eight years of change, nails, bolts, washers, etc... It feels much better now...