what did you do today? (2008-2015) (closed)

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simple girl Neat! My homegrown ones did not turn purple or white - they all started out light, light green, then would proceed through variations of light yellow, to orange, and then red if you let them go even longer on the vine. There must be even more variations of gypsy peppers. They are quite tasty - just enough sweetness and wonderful in stir frys or on the grill.

I love to cut the red peppers in half, de seed them and flatten them out, then I used the two flat halves instead of bread when I make sandwiches

[simple girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Throwdownmyaceinthehole I love to cut the red peppers in half, de seed them and flatten them out, then I used the two flat halves instead of bread when I make sandwiches

Nice alternative to lettuce wraps - thanks!

[Tailgate]

rented dry storage for the boat...comes out this week for the winter...

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ls99 The cables make huge difference. Need #2 or better between batteries and inverter, especially over 6 feet. My cabling is #2 and the inverter is only connected 3 feet away. My inverter is el cheapo modified sine wave. Good enough, it will even run the 4' ceiling fan with a slight humming noise. Maybe more capacitor input loads will clean up the square wave a bit. The trick with modified sine inverters is never to connect the ground. They have hot neutrals, and will self destroy if neutral and ground are bonded. A word to the wise. AFIK Pure sine inverters are more DC current hungry than modified sine inverters.

I also used AWG2 cable, and the distance was only 2 feet. Even so, the voltage drop across that beefy cable and various connections/terminals added up to a few tenths of a Volt when running the powerhog microwave. This voltage drop does not include the voltage drop of the batteries themselves of course.

My inverter does not mind that the neutral and ground are tied together, and even has its own GFI. A floating neutral would not work in my motorhome application without some rewiring, as the existing wiring has the neutral and ground bonded at the breaker panel. I have the inverter powering up the entire motorhome, with the exception of the AC of course.

I have not measured its efficiency, which should be lower than that of the simpler design (as the PSW has two switchers running in series, the 1st is a square-wave DC/DC converter to pump up the 12V to more than 170V, and the 2nd switches this voltage to create a sine wave after some LC filtering). However, I was pleased that without a load it drew a minuscule 0.5A.

By the way, some electronics do not like to be run off MSW inverters, and one does not know which is which until he tries. So, I avoided the problem and sprung for the more expensive one.

[rodi]

Took a test in my Italian class. I can now talk about the weather and count above 100, and have another 15 or so verbs under my belt.
I'm hoping I did as well on this test as previous tests - I've improved each test - 96, 97, 99.... I'm hoping for 100% one of these days... but will be happy with anything above 90%.

[ls99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I also used AWG2 cable, and the distance was only 2 feet. Even so, the voltage drop across that beefy cable and various connections/terminals added up to a few tenths of a Volt when running the powerhog microwave. This voltage drop does not include the voltage drop of the batteries themselves of course. My inverter does not mind that the neutral and ground are tied together, and even has its own GFI. A floating neutral would not work in my motorhome application without some rewiring, as the existing wiring has the neutral and ground bonded at the breaker panel. I have the inverter powering up the entire motorhome, with the exception of the AC of course. I have not measured its efficiency, which should be lower than that of the simpler design (as the PSW has two switchers running in series, the 1st is a square-wave DC/DC converter to pump up the 12V to more than 170V, and the 2nd switches this voltage to create a sine wave after some LC filtering). However, I was pleased that without a load it drew a minuscule 0.5A. By the way, some electronics do not like to be run off MSW inverters, and one does not know which is which until he tries. So, I avoided the problem and sprung for the more expensive one.

Another hint for reducing voltage drops: Electrical Junction Grease at all connections, including on the lugs where crimped to cable. Every milliohm eliminated helps at large current flows.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodi Took a test in my Italian class. I can now talk about the weather and count above 100, and have another 15 or so verbs under my belt. I'm hoping I did as well on this test as previous tests - I've improved each test - 96, 97, 99.... I'm hoping for 100% one of these days... but will be happy with anything above 90%.

Molto buono!

Parlo l'italiano un po. Leggo molte parole, ma non posso parlare molto bene.

[freebird5825]

Today was Leaf Roundup Day, Phase 1. I used my John Deere lawn tractor to collect the crisp fallen leaves into small piles, drove back and forth over them, then turned the mower deck outwards and spread the chopped bits all over the lawn.

I do not rake leaves, no way, no how.

However, I sometimes capitalize on others' efforts and pick up a few bags of leaves from the curbside for my garden and compost bin, after darkness falls.
Just call me the Midnight Leaf Snatcher.

Cloudy day here, typical for this season. Sunshine will become a rare treat as winter approaches. I have my pantry and deep freezer well stocked. I feel like a squirrel preparing for hibernation.

[Meadbh]

This morning I had the pleasure of hosting some friends that I got to know via the forum.

This evening I will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with other friends. I love turkey!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

[Gumby]

I celebrated Columbus Day by painting the deck of my big wrap-around porch. I had scraped and washed with TSP yesterday. I first needed to use my leaf blower to blow dry some of it (in the fine cracks between the decking, mostly), then taped off the column bases and front wall, and finally painted. The dry, but cool and overcast day was perfect for the task. It took about 6 hours and a gallon of porch paint, but it looks quite nice now.

Around noon, the carillon at the Methodist Church two blocks away started playing hymns, so I sang along as I worked. I'm sure some of the people walking past were wondering who was the nut with the paintbrush belting out "A mighty fortress is our God . . ."

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh This morning I had the pleasure of hosting some friends that I got to know via the forum. This evening I will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with other friends. I love turkey! Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

You made me google...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(Canada)

Happy Thanksgiving to you !

[rodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Molto buono! Parlo l'italiano un po. Leggo molte parole, ma non posso parlare molto bene.

Parlo l'italiano a la cena e mia famiglia non e' felice. Ma, parlo spesso per la pratica.

My marito parla francese per "revenge". Non parlo francese.

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodi Parlo l'italiano a la cena e mia famiglia non e' felice.

Forse era il cibo.

[daylatedollarshort]

We mostly did chores and house projects today. I am continuing to try to end my learned helplessness regarding things I used to buy for some reason but could have easily made myself. Tonight I made my own salad dressing with oil, vinegar, spices and herbs. It didn't take long and tasted much better than the commercial dressings with corn syrup and who knows what chemical ingredients I used to buy. I put it over a wild rice and steamed veggie salad with a hard boiled egg and papaya slices on the side.

[FIREd]

Good news, I am not a landlord anymore. My last rental is now vacant. The 2.5-year tenants made no major damage to the property, which is a big relief. But, gosh, were they dirty. How disgusting does an oven have to be before you can muster the strength to press the "self clean" button? The bathtub is pretty spectacular too. Anyways, it's probably going to take a little while to clean it all up and get the property ready to sell.

[rodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby Forse era il cibo.

Ok - I had to google translate that. Perhaps you're right, though. LOL

[Ronstar]

Hiked about 6 miles. Took a bunch of photos. Then a weight workout. Played a while with the new Macbook Pro trying to get everything set up. Downloaded a travel photography lecture from National Geographic.

[Sea Kayaker]

Another pretty intense cardio session at the gym... hour and a half of bike/treadmill combo. Below 200 lbs now - was 235 lbs fore I ER'ed.

My knees feel AMAZING... I guess they didn't appreciate hauling around 35 pounds of unnecessary "padding".

Next stop, 190 lbs!

[Bestwifeever]

We went to see "Gone Girl". I had read the book, DH had not. Neither of us were disappointed. Great performances by all and perfect pacing of a good story.

[ChainsBeGone]

Up in the morning with coffee and newspaper.

Hit the gym about 9:30 and stopped by Lowe's on the way home to get advice/supplies on how to patch broken driveway concrete. Since most people were working today, I got a parking spot right near the store entrance and the store itself was almost empty of customers.

After lunch I actually read the directions on how to use Quikrete and watched a You Tube video on concrete repair and I realized I needed a concrete cleaner, so that gave me a good excuse to put off the repair until tomorrow, or until the next time I drive by the home repair store to pick up the concrete cleaner.

Went with DW and DS this evening to a local running club that meets at an Irish pub for a 5K, and took our 7 month-old pup with us. Our pup had fun, so did we, and after the 5K, we sat outside in the outdoor cafe drinking a few Guinness and wheat ale and then decided we'd stay for dinner. Ended up spending several hours at the pub and met and visited with some pleasant folks who shared our table with us.

All in all, a great RE day, just going with the flow.