What's the Real Payoff?

I read an article today that said Al Gore has completed renovations on his Tennessee home. The improvements are designed to make his home more energy efficient by adding florescent or LED lighting, solar panels and geothermal energy.

You may remember that Gore was previously criticized for preaching about global warming while having a highly inefficient house. I really don't know when the renovation started, so I'm not going to say whether or not the upgrades were motivated by this criticism. I am going to question the payoff though.

The article claims that his house is about 11% more efficient than it was before. On the surface, this is saying that it will take about ten years for the increased efficiency to pay for itself. But there's a little more to it than this...

There is the energy cost to manufacture, transport and install these upgrades. The lighting is probably a no-brainer, because the old bulbs are low-cost commodity items, and there's no real cost differentiation. But I'm not so sure about the solar stuff and especially the geothermal stuff. Specifically I'm picturing all of the contractors' vehicles, and the construction vehicles digging up the dirt and so forth. I wonder how many gallons of fuel that costs, and how much that increases the payoff time. I'm not trying to bash on Gore's decision... just curious.

Ice Storm

You probably heard about the ice storm that hit the Midwest earlier this week. Lots of downed trees, loss of power, etc. But there's always beauty with nature's fury. Witness this picture.

Drumdial Drum Tuner

Banging away on the older daughter's drum set has been a lot of fun, but I quickly realized that I didn't have it properly tuned. This makes sense because I had never tuned a drum set before. I had one lesson on drum tuning about 25 years go and I remembered the lesson, but it's not realistic to expect myself to tune a drum set like a pro the first time around. But I'm digressing...

After doing a little research, I ran across the Drumdial Drum tuner. I bought it, took it home and tuned up the set. I'm happy to report that my amateurish by-ear attempt wasn't bad, but man... that drum set sounds 1000% better after using the tuner, and it's just as easy as the manufacturer makes it out to be.

What's this all mean in English? It means that I heartily, fully and enthusiastically endorse this product.

But Wait, It Gets Even Better

You saw my last post about the Big Ozzlet's new bedroom. Check out the bling to accompany it...

I'd love to say this is because I'm an awesome dad, but the reality is that this is all Mrs. Ozzy's doing. She's the one who deserves the props.

One Project Down...

... many to go. Yesterday, I finally finished painting Big Kid's room, and got her bed assembled. The bedroom that once belonged to the wife and me now officially belongs to the kid. Now that I've accomplished this, I need to convert her old room into a guest room, and I need to finish converting part of our laundry room into a walk-in closet/storage room. One project down, many to go.

Oh yeah, if you're interested, I did a quick before and after video. Check it out.

You Asked!

"I'm going to take a shower," he announced to the Mrs.

"I was going to do that, but I'll wait," she replied.

Hearing her response, he gave her 'the look,' to which she answered "Oh. I'll be down in a minute."

He warmed up the shower and jumped in, waiting for her arrival. He washed her long blond locks, making sure to not miss a single hair. They hugged, snuggled and giggled... their bodies slippery from the soap, shampoo and conditioner.

"A preview of coming attractions," he said, grinning as he rinsed her warm, wet body.

They grinned and stepped out of the shower, knowing what would be coming later.

Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock, !

"You've got the robe, answer the door," she said with a slightly sadistic grin.

Damn, I'm not even dry, he thought, answering the door.

"Why was the door locked?" asked Big Kid, stepping into the house.

"Sometimes there's a reason I lock the door, kid."

"Ewwww! You two were sexing it up, weren't you!?!"

"Not quite," I replied, returning to the bathroom.

She was in and out in two minutes.

Long Winter Nap

Even if you don't live in my neck of the woods, you probably heard about the cool ice storm we had yesterday. It grounded planes, slowed traffic and interrupted our electricity; all in all it wasn't that bad though. Heck, I went out in the storm so I could go to work and pick up a gift for the kids that I'd been hiding there. But then again, I own a 4X4, so I tend to have fun this time of year... going to the parking lots and doing donuts and so forth. Oh sorry... I'm digressing.

As I mentioned a bit ago, we lost electricity for a while, starting sometime between 7:00 and 7:30 PM. I had run out of coffee, and missed my usual gallon of caffeine, so I was already tired but also wanted to spend time with my sweetie. When the power went out, I interpreted that as God's way of telling me it was bedtime. I looked in Mrs. Ozzy's general direction (I wasn't totally sure where she was because it was pitch black in the house) and said that we should snuggle to preserve heat. We were in bed by 7:30 and I was fast asleep soon after. I ended up sleeping for about 12 hours. Man, I love long sleeps in the winter, and when I woke up this morning, I had my coffee and went to work around the house... painting my kid's room, shoveling the driveway... cooking chili for dinner... and it's not even noon yet.