Why Are Cable Connectors Different in the Burbs?

I’ve lived in the Philadelphia suburbs for just over 21 years, adding to the variety of places I have lived in during my lifetime. I grew up in the city, taking a short detour into a midwestern college town. We once even lived in what was at the time a relatively new development of townhouses, surrounded on one side by farmland and on the other by the construction site of a new interstate highway. I’ve lived in majority black communities and have also been in areas where I could count all of the black families on one hand. As a result I’ve had the opportunity to see how things are handled in different types of living areas. One of those lessons came when we first bought our current house, as we tried to sign up to get cable.

The previous owner was an elderly widower who moved in with his son out of concerns about his health. He had never had cable. So when I called the cable company, they said they needed to send a surveyor out to see if cable was even available in my neighborhood. I mentioned that both of my neighbors had cable, but I guess my word wasn’t good enough. Eventually, the surveyor came out and verified that cable was indeed available and soon the installation was under way.

Back then my neighborhood (in fact the entire region) was served by only one cable company, a company with which I had dealt with for years while living in Philly. To their credit, the installer was on time and did a very good job with the installation. He answered all of my questions and explained what I needed to know about my new cable boxes. He was careful not to damage my house and cleaned up near areas where he had to drill in order to pull the cables from one room to the next.

As he was hooking everything up I noticed that the cables he was using seemed to have heavy duty connectors on their ends. The metal on these connectors seemed thicker, made of heavy duty materials as opposed to the connectors I had grown accustomed to seeing in my apartment in the city. In fact, those city connectors always reminded me of tinfoil, whereas these suburban connectors looked like some sort of thick alloy. They were so different that I just had to ask why.

I’m not sure if the installer was supposed to give an honest answer to my question but he did. His answer, though simple, caught me completely off guard. It seemed that suburban customers got thicker metal connectors on their cables for one very simple reason: they complain more often. So it is true. The squeaky wheel does get the oil. It also gets better materials and better quality cable connectors. Up until that point I had expected a number of things to be different in the burbs vs how they were in the city. How cable is installed in a home was not one of the areas where I expected to see a difference.

So the next time you hear someone complain about how people in the city are often treated differently from those in the suburbs and how rural areas are also treated differently, remember not all cable installations are the same.

How God Blessed Us In August 2020

Well, a puddle around the bottom of our hot water heater was anything but a blessing. Fortunately, what promised to be a headache instead became an opportunity to see how God provides.

I suppose I should have gotten rid of the old hot water heater before it started rusting. The person who installed it wrote the date on its side, so I knew it was already twelve years old. For the first three or four years I was good about draining it to remove all of the sediment that forms at the bottom. But as the years passed I became a little less diligent about maintaining the unit. And then I stopped draining it altogether. So I shouldn't have been surprised at the ring of water forming around the bottom of the unit as it had finally rusted through.

What was surprising was the estimate for replacing the unit. I know I didn't pay that much twelve years ago. The cost of homeownership has definitely gone up in a way that seems somewhat unfair and with all that's going on during this ride we call life, the last thing I wanted was to have to pay for a repair. Fortunately my Provider is always a step or two ahead.

There have been a number of times in my life where I found myself with an unexpected sum of money that wound up being just what we needed for a repair or for some other unexpected event. This time was no different. We had a lump sum sitting in the bank that we were able to set aside for remodeling but somehow we just couldn't get the project going. It was like a little voice kept saying, "It's not the right time," as we kept being redirected away from our chosen path to a much different path.

As a result of not being able to start that project we had exactly what was quoted for the surprise repair, right down to the penny. We paid cash for our new hot water heater. There was no need to borrow nor did we have to dig into savings. The money was there right when we needed it. What was a surprise to us was not a surprise to God and He directed us to the path we needed to be on.

God provided once again. And you know what? I believe He will provide for the remodeling we have planned. He is also ready to step in the next time we need to make repairs. In fact, He has already provided for the long overdue removal of a tree in our backyard. Once again we will be able to pay cash for a big project and I thank God for providing for us this summer.

Now I know that some of you will dismiss this as simply a result of my wife and my hard work and as a result of good money management. That's ok for you to think that and both of those things were involved here to some degree. But I've seen time and time again where what is provided goes beyond the monthly normal and what we could do on our own. I've seen coincidence after coincidence that go beyond expectation. Most of all I've seen God promise and then deliver. I take comfort in knowing that this is what He does for His children.

How is God blessing you today?

My Summer Schedule

Summer officially started last week, though for some the first day of summer was Memorial Day weekend. For me, summer starts on the last day of school each June. It’s at this point in the year when my schedule changes. No longer is my schedule set based on sports and extracurricular events. No longer are my afternoons dictated by how much homework or permission slips come home. During the summer I (almost) get to dictate my own schedule. I say almost because summer is when I go from the homework list to the honey-do list. Not that I’m complaining. I am learning to love doing work on my house.

It’s now time to get to work on tasks such as removing the odd yellow wallpaper and the somewhat dated wood paneling. This summer I hope to get a number of projects completed as I look forward to changing our living space from old to showplace. I’ve got my work cut out for me and I know it will be fun. After all this was part of the charm we saw when we bought the place years ago. It was not at the point of being a handyman special, but it did need some TLC. This summer the house will get some extra attention, both inside and out.

When I last posted about my home improvement mission, I was left with a decision to make. Having found that my drywall was put up backwards I needed to confer with my wife to see how we should handle the situation. Should we replace the drywall? Should we put up wallpaper? Should we mud skim the backside of the drywall and move on? And the decision is…(drum roll)...mud skimming. But first I need to replace some sections of drywall where there is water damage. And before that I need to replace a couch.

Did you know couches can scream out in pain? Okay not really, but ours made a funny noise recently when something hit it in the front right on the part of the frame called the front rail. The wood snapped, making a very strange noise as the springs began to pull back. From that point on the couch began to sag. Of course, being upholstered we could see the break in the front rail. The damage became evident only after our couch began to take on the look of a smile: a somewhat evil, mocking smile.

I thought about fixing it myself but as I researched the matter I realized this couch was not worth saving. Turns out not all couches are made the same. While some are made of furniture grade hardwood, others are made of things like pressboard. I looked and our couch was pressboard and there must have been a flaw in the front rail, the part touched by the top of the back of your calves when you sit down. Replacing the front rail would only make sense if I upgraded the wood but this would leave us with a one piece of hardwood mounted on a frame of pressboard.

So after a lot of research we bought a new couch. This time we went with kiln dried furniture grade hardwood. As I understand kiln drying helps the wood resist the effects of humidity swings, necessary in a climate where humidity can go from comfortable to 100% in less than 24 hours. Hopefully this couch can stand up to daily life in an active household. And without having to put time in on fixing a couch, and now that the search for a new one is over, I can put time into my other projects. Back to work on the drywall issue.

By the way, did I buy a couch or a sofa? Is there a difference? Let me know your thoughts. The folks at apartmenttherapy.com are also sharing their thoughts on the matter.

How God Blessed Me in March and April 2019

Picture courtesy of Pixabay on Pexels.com

In church we have sessions where we ask for testimonies of what God is doing in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This serves as a reminder to us all that God is active and that He blesses His children on a regular basis. I would like to share a testimony of just a few of the ways He blessed me during the months of March and April of this year.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19

I enjoy spending my Sunday afternoons watching sports. Sometimes my son will join me, especially if I am watching NASCAR or football. I don’t really care what sports are on, if there is a competition I am ready and willing to spend my Sunday watching. And so I was none too happy when one Sunday in March, just as my posterior landed on the couch, my wife yelled about a leak under the kitchen sink.

Twelve years ago I installed a new trap under that sink and I guess I did not buy the best materials for the job. The trap corroded allowing my wife to punch a hole through the metal as she was moving something around in the cabinet. While I usually enjoy a trip to the hardware store, this was not what I wanted to do on my Sunday. But duty called and about an hour later I was back home with a new trap.

Now I consider myself somewhat handy when it comes to repairs but it did not take long for me to realize I was in over my head. Not only was the trap in bad shape but the pipes on either end of it began to crumble, leaving me with a much bigger problem. Realizing I would only continue to make matters worse I was forced to do something I really did not want to do: call in a professional.

I admit the estimate for the work was a little higher than I expected but as usual God was a step ahead. We had money set aside  and were able to pay cash for the repair. I thank God that our unexpected repair did not catch Him off guard and we were able to take care of things without any hardship at all. With reminders that so many of us are one unexpected bill away from financial disaster, it was good to get a quick reminder that God provides for His children.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28

Not only did God provide financially, having the plumber come in turned out to be a huge blessing. Through the eyes of a professional I was able to see that our kitchen plumbing is not up to code for a number of reasons. Knowing this changes our approach to the kitchen remodel we hope to start in the next year or two. We now know what needs to be changed. This will help us avoid future headaches. It also means we have an opportunity to make our kitchen more user friendly as the current location of the plumbing would have limited where we could put a new sink. I thank God both for providing for the repair and for the wisdom gained after spending a few minutes talking with our new plumber.

Our plumbing problem was not the only repair God provided for. A small rock hit the windshield of my wife’s car, leaving a good sized crack. That of course means we need a replacement. God has provided and we are in the process of scheduling the repair. Once again, because of God’s provision we will be able to pay cash for our deductible. Soon we will have a shiny new windshield.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

I John 5:14-15

My oldest son is finishing up his freshman year in college. While he is comfortable with the roommates chosen for him by the university, he believes he will be able to better focus on his studies if he has his own room. There are single rooms available in a few of the dorms but room assignments are based on a lottery system. We’ve been praying about this since January, asking God to provide a single room for the next school year. God heard our prayers and delivered. Not only will my son be in a single room next year, he will also have air conditioning. How is that for answered prayer?

Now I would like to hear from my brothers and sisters in Christ. How has God blessed you over the last few months?

And Yes, The Drywall Is Backwards

You never know what surprises are in store for you when you start a remodeling project in your home. In fact I've come to expect something odd or just plain wrong whenever I start a project in my house. So I was not surprised when I found what I thought was another layer of wallpaper under the old yellow paper in my dining room. What was odd was the fact that this second layer seemed to have a very unique, kind of furry, texture and it seemed to be glued into the gypsum inside the drywall. As it turns out this is not wallpaper. It is the surface of what should have been the back side of the drywall. My wife and I got a good laugh out of that one: “Yes honey, the drywall is backwards.”

To be honest I didn’t even know before now that drywall has a front and a back. In fact I scraped paper from the walls of one of our bathrooms and mud skimmed without recognizing that the drywall there is also backwards. I only thought about it while looking at some new drywall left by the contractor who replaced our severely damaged kitchen ceiling. The difference in color between the two sides got me thinking about the walls on home remodeling shows which are not fuzzy.

The new drywall is tan on one side and gray on the other and the gray is what I am use to seeing on television. It is also the side that was visible on the new kitchen ceiling before the contractor started painting. A quick Google search revealed the differences between the two sides. The gray side (the side that should face into the room) is slightly beveled around the edges. This allows the tape on the seems to lie flat with the edge of the board below the level of the board’s face. Because of these beveled edges it is easier to hide the tape and the seem. Plus the gray side has a smoother surface vs. the brown side’s rougher finish. The sort of fuzzy texture tends to show show through when you paint. Based on recent experience I'm guessing the grey side also makes it much easier to take down old wallpaper.

There are other reasons to make sure drywall is hung with the brown side facing the studs. According to Hunker.com greenboard (with a green surface) is designed for use in humid areas such as bathrooms. The special paper coating the front of the board resists moisture, repelling water (and I would assume mold). Turning this side towards the studs defeats the purpose of buying it in the first place. But no matter what room your putting it in, the gray (or green or even blue) side of drywall sounds as if it is a more practical side to have facing into the room. I only wish whoever put the drywall up in my house took this fact into consideration.

So I live in a house where it seems all of the drywall is backwards. This should make removing the old wallpaper in the other rooms a bit of an adventure. In the meantime I have to figure out what to do in my dining room. I can tear out all of the old drywall, which is time consuming but might be best from a visual standpoint. I can put wall paper back up using either decorative or a plain smooth type that I can paint over. That option would still mean mud skimming in order to prepare the wall for the new paper. To be honest, after the look I got from the guy in the big box store while I was looking for my scraper, I think I’ll stay away from wallpaper. I could simply mud skim the walls and then paint over them. That likely is the easiest solution but will it give me the best results?

Time to confer with my better half. I’ll let you know what we decide. Just out of curiosity which one would you do? Leave a comment below and let me know what you would choose.

Scaffolding: Who Knew?

Over the last several days I have watched as a construction crew built scaffolding in front of the building across the street from my job. Before now I thought of scaffolding as something simple to make, like a giant Erector Set suddenly appearing usually blocking the sidewalk right where I want to walk. Now I see so much more. A mixture of metal and wood, a good sized scaffolding takes many work hours to build. This one is almost a block long and about four stories tall, taking its builders more than a week to complete. I suspect it a foolish and dangerous move to rush such a project as those who put it together have the lives of the coming construction crew in their hands. So for the sake of safety, taking the time to build scaffolding right is a very important investment.

Having lived and/or worked in major cities most of my life I had come to take scaffolding for granted. I walk right by rarely taking notice of the project at hand, ignoring the effort it takes to maintain and even improve my urban surroundings. Having recently committed to making major changes to my own humble abode, I have become aware of what others are doing in order to improve upon an old building or even to create something new. Granted my projects only involve the use of an "A" shaped ladder, not a block long section of scaffolding but there is still an investment of time: one I hope pays off with something spectacular.

Home improvement is not the only project taking up a lot of my time. Being a husband and a father takes up time that is measured in years, along with a high level of sacrifice. Writing takes quite a time commitment. On my old blog I tried to take shortcuts which in the long run took me places I did not want to go. I'm guessing you also have a list of things that require a commitment of time in order to achieve your best. (Thank you for investing some of your time in reading this post.)

Like scaffolding those around you may take what you build for granted. You may find it difficult to get anyone to notice but not being noticed is better than being known because a shortcut lead to a huge incident. Put in as much time as you need in order to build your own masterpiece. You never know how many people your work might touch. True you may feel like your work simply blends into the background, like the forgotten but greatly significant scaffolding. Keep building. In the end what you do may impact culture in ways we cannot predict today.

My First Wall Scraper

Are you handy with a hammer or are you all thumbs?

Though I have owned a home for over 18 years I have not taken on very many home improvement projects. This, combined with the fact that my mom did not do well in the area of house upkeep, leaves me in a situation where I have gone back to school. What am I currently learning? I am taking a real life course in how to update a very...very dated home, turning it into something that is both modern and comfortable. My classroom at the moment is our dining room which we hope to split into a dining and sitting area. My first course: learning how to take down wallpaper.

When we first bought the house I freshened up the bedrooms by painting over the old wallpaper. Actually I should say I have painted over where the previous owner painted over the wallpaper. I wanted to do the same in the dining room but water damage from a leaky roof is forcing me to replace the drywall. This is going to leave us with new drywall sitting side by side with old (painted) wallpaper. Not wanting to see the difference in texture between the two I decided it's time to buy a wallpaper scraper.

With two big box hardware stores nearby, I headed into one for my new scraper. I always enjoy buying a new tool and walking around a hardware store is one of life’s great adventures. The only drawback is having to fight the urge to buy something I had not planned on getting. So after gathering a few new ideas I started my search for a wallpaper scraper, which was not where I thought the store would put it. After walking around for several minutes, I finally gave in and let my wife ask for help.

As is often the case, we easily found a sales associate ready and willing to offer advice. So we asked where we could find a wallpaper scraping tool. The associate told us they no longer sell wallpaper. I am not sure why he told me this. I didn't want to put wallpaper up. I wanted to take it down. By the look on his face I could tell he was a bit puzzled as to why anyone would buy a wallpaper scraper. After admitting that he did not know if they carried scrapers, he pointed us to the department a scraper might be in if they did carry them. As it turns out, they did.

While my shopping trip was successful I was left wondering: Why do people so often answer the question that was not asked? While you ponder this, I have a wall to scrape. I will post updates on my progress along with descriptions of my successes and failures as I learn home improvement on the fly. And the next time I need a tool, I suspect I’ll visit one of the local independent hardware stores where I hope to avoid any funny looks or strange answers.