So, I was hooking up the laundry machines myself, mostly because I felt guilty that DH and DB were doing all the heavy lifting (including saiud laundry machines.) OK, no problem. I had to go to Home Depot to get a "pigtail" for the dryer. (That is the electric cord. They come seperate and there are a few different types. The new house's outlet doesn't match the old.) I was slightly worried that I had still not gotten the right kind. I was worried I would get it all screwed to the back of the dryer and then have to take it off because it didn't fit the outlet.
I got the brilliant idea to check the fit before I attached the pigtail to the dryer. I neglected to hold to loose end and make sure the connectors didn't touch anything (including each other.) I plugged in the loose pigtail and PWAP! there were sparks, smoke, a bright light, and the smoke detector started sqawking.
Obviously, something went wrong. I removed the battery from the smoke detector, cleaned up the scorched connectors, and tended the burn on my arm (spark attack.) I attached the pigtail and tried again. The plug fit (yay) but the dryer didn't come on. It was 11pm, so I decided I had lost my chance to do any laundry that night. I said "Forget this!" and went to bed.
I was afraid the PWAP! had fried the new pigtail. It would be $20 to replace (after tax.) But, another possibility was that I had tripped a breaker. I checked it out the next morning and it was indeed just a matter of flipping the breaker back on.
I got both machines hooked up (after another trip to Home Depot for a washer, a strap wrench, and a screw clamp) and have started to make headway into the nearly a week's worth of laundry that is patiently waiting to be cleaned.
There is a nasty looking mark on my arm, but it doesn't hurt any more if I don't touch it.
Progress
Sunday, August 14, 2011
What I learned this week
1. August is HOT. Do not move in August if you can at all avoid it.
2. Even if you are just moving across town, rent a truck. The cost of gas for (many) multiple SUV loads will be more than the cost of the rental. Plus, it should cut down on the time spent moving.
3. We have too much stuff. Even after culling a LOT of junk, we still have too much stuff. Moving into a smaller house has made that abundantly clear.
4. Loving husbands are worth their weight in gold.
5. Electricity is a dangerous beast. Modern society has tried to tame and enslave it, but it will bite if you aren't careful.
6. The cable company and the phone company are not my friends.
7. U-haul makes and sells very good boxes.
8. Being able to do your own laundry is a blessing.
9. I can hook up a washer and dryer all by myself, provided I have big strong men to get them from one house to the other.
10. Do not sit on the end of a trailer that is not hooked up to anything (even if you are just 10 years old)
11. I cannot remember what relaxing feels like.
2. Even if you are just moving across town, rent a truck. The cost of gas for (many) multiple SUV loads will be more than the cost of the rental. Plus, it should cut down on the time spent moving.
3. We have too much stuff. Even after culling a LOT of junk, we still have too much stuff. Moving into a smaller house has made that abundantly clear.
4. Loving husbands are worth their weight in gold.
5. Electricity is a dangerous beast. Modern society has tried to tame and enslave it, but it will bite if you aren't careful.
6. The cable company and the phone company are not my friends.
7. U-haul makes and sells very good boxes.
8. Being able to do your own laundry is a blessing.
9. I can hook up a washer and dryer all by myself, provided I have big strong men to get them from one house to the other.
10. Do not sit on the end of a trailer that is not hooked up to anything (even if you are just 10 years old)
11. I cannot remember what relaxing feels like.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Moving On
We did find a house we like. I got a supply of boxes. This week we pack and next week we should be moving. I can't wait.
And that is all I want to say about that.
Public schools in our area get back to their lessons at the end of this week. Since our home school is changing locations in the near future, we are putting off the official lessons until things have settled. Until then we will have sporadic review lessons and the sorts of lessons that can be taught a few minutes at a time, or while doing other things.
dd13 has expressed interest in art, drawing and animation in particular. She also wants to study Japanese. Which means I get to study Japanese. We have been creeping along slowly for a few weeks and both of us are enjoying it. Later in the school year we will take a field trip to a sushi restaurant, or try some easier Japanese recipes here at home. Since I am thousands of miles out of my comfort zone, it will be an adventure. I don't even know HOW to eat sushi.
dd12 says she doesn't have any idea what foreign language she wants to study. So, I devised a combo language/world geography social studies curriculum. We'll pop around the globe, studying countries and cultures, as well as a sampling of the language. Then, next year she can choose which she like and we will focus on that.
dd11 is still focusing on general subjects. I actually haven't finished planning out everything she will be doing. Of course, she gets to tag along on our popping around the globe. She says she wants to study Greek, which is within my experience. Our place is going to look like some sort of weird encryption camp with all the difference alphabets. If, after the sample year, dd12 decides to study Russian, or Hindi (among others) it will get even better.
Here is a picture for you to enjoy - dd13 (when she was dd1) and her uncle.
(She is the one who is upside down.)
And that is all I want to say about that.
Public schools in our area get back to their lessons at the end of this week. Since our home school is changing locations in the near future, we are putting off the official lessons until things have settled. Until then we will have sporadic review lessons and the sorts of lessons that can be taught a few minutes at a time, or while doing other things.
dd13 has expressed interest in art, drawing and animation in particular. She also wants to study Japanese. Which means I get to study Japanese. We have been creeping along slowly for a few weeks and both of us are enjoying it. Later in the school year we will take a field trip to a sushi restaurant, or try some easier Japanese recipes here at home. Since I am thousands of miles out of my comfort zone, it will be an adventure. I don't even know HOW to eat sushi.
dd12 says she doesn't have any idea what foreign language she wants to study. So, I devised a combo language/world geography social studies curriculum. We'll pop around the globe, studying countries and cultures, as well as a sampling of the language. Then, next year she can choose which she like and we will focus on that.
dd11 is still focusing on general subjects. I actually haven't finished planning out everything she will be doing. Of course, she gets to tag along on our popping around the globe. She says she wants to study Greek, which is within my experience. Our place is going to look like some sort of weird encryption camp with all the difference alphabets. If, after the sample year, dd12 decides to study Russian, or Hindi (among others) it will get even better.
Here is a picture for you to enjoy - dd13 (when she was dd1) and her uncle.
(She is the one who is upside down.)
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