The Electrical Worked Flunked Inspection

Thanks to three screws that were not installed properly (something that could have taken fifteen minutes to fix), there was no sign off on the electrical work at the house on Tuesday.  The electrician has to schedule another inspection and we have to pay for another inspector to come to the house to inspect the electrical work in a couple of weeks.

More Recycled Ironwork

In case you didn't guess by now, my father is a retired iron worker and sculptor of metal.  So, there will be a lot iron at the house. The original internal stairs were falling down, and the obvious choice to replace them was iron. These metal railings are made from iron scraps from my father's old workshop. 

A Mailbox and a Question of Apartment Numbers

We installed a mailbox on the brown wall near the stoop, so I have been thinking of what to name each apartment.   My first thought was that they should be Apartments 1, 2, and 3, with the numbers going from lower to higher floors.  Apartments A, B, and C seem somehow wrong, especially since some forms ask for apartment numbers.  Perhaps I could be more creative with the numbers, though.  Living in Apartment 0 might be cool.  Or maybe a fraction, like Apartment 1/2.  A large number, like Apartment 1,000,000 would be interesting, too. Apartment pi might attract a math geek for a tenant. Apartment 13 would weed out the superstitious,  and Apartment 666 might appeal to the satanist renter.  A negative number,  like Apartment -2 might have some appeal. The three apartments could be -1, 0, and 1.  Square roots, too, but I am not sure if many address programs recognize such an apartment number.  There are endless possibilities.   If you have an idea for a number combination, drop me a line!

The Great Green Flush

Three WaterSense toilets were installed at the house this week. The box they came in said that they would consume 60% less water than the usual toilet and be cleaner, too.  These toilets were made by American Standard, as reputable an old company as any, and they cost about $135 each, which is very reasonable for a toilet.  When I flushed one, the water powerfully flowed down the drain in a quick amount of time.   I didn't perceive a noticeable difference in the amount of water used, either.   Can this country of conspicuous consumption, i.e., waste, have produced something that actually preserves valuable natural resources, works well, and is reasonably priced, too?  If so, a toilet might just have restored some of my faith in this nation!