Category: Projects (Page 1 of 43)

I got a new projector for my classroom at the beginning of the school year, but it did not have a digital keystone adjuster, and the picture was wonky, so I got a new one. I was glad to get a new one, because the speaker on the old one was so quiet.

The new projector has a digital keystone! Yay! And the picture is WAY brighter! Yay! But the speaker is still so, so quiet. Ugh.

I have been trying for weeks and weeks to solve the problem. The projector has RCA inputs on the back (those old red, white, and yellow ports), but they seem to be only decorative. I’ve been using an HDMI cable to connect he projector. An internet search said that you can get a device that splits the sound off, so that the video continues to be HDMI, but the audio is RCA. Perfect! I could get an external speaker.

Many purchases and returns of cables and speakers later, I have finally gotten things set up. Woo hoo! I’m using a TV sound bar as my speaker. It is GREAT for movies on the computer, but my DVD player is still so quiet. Shoot. Or maybe it’s “The Ten Commandments” that’s so quiet. I tried playing it from Amazon, and it was still quiet. Dang.

Here is the setup:

And here is the amazing little box that splits the sound off:

Yesterday was my first morning back to exercising with Cristina, my trainer. She had been out of town when I first got back.

I decided not to go to school. I have some planning to do before I can work in the garden bed any more, and I wasn’t in the mood to do any classroom stuff.

I had some coffee and read a little. It was a pleasant morning. After being lazy for a while, I decided to start on a Project – I was going to get the kitchen cabinet trim ready for staining. I want it to be a darker color than it is now, and there’s a product that is stain and polyurethane in one. The wood just needs a little prep first.

I washed it with naphtha, then sanded it with 220 sandpaper, then wiped it with mineral spirits. It really cleaned it up. But it took me a while to get going. And I think the fumes got to me because I didn’t open the window. I only got four cabinets done. Wah-wahhhh…. (that’s supposed to be a sad trombone noise)

I ordered a new kitchen faucet a long time ago. Huh. I just looked it up. It was only five weeks ago. That was less time than I thought.

Anyway, yesterday I installed it. Woo hoo! I was productive!

I had no major snags during the process. In fact, I think I did a super-good job. It’s really solid and everything is in good order. Yay!

Here’s the before and after:

The new faucet aligns perfectly with the drain. Nice! Also, it doesn’t constantly drip.

The faucet came with the spray-thingy. I never ever use those. In fact, since I’ve moved into this condo, I have never used the spray-thingy even once. But there’s a hole in the sink there, so I put the new spray-thingy in place. And there it will sit unused.

I finished the air conditioner installation yesterday afternoon. I can’t believe it! I thought it would take me much longer to get around to it. The actual work didn’t take very long of course. I always build things up in my mind like they’re going to be so difficult, and it really only takes a short time. Stupid Brad.

Here’s the before and after:

But what I’m most excited about in regard to yesterday’s accomplishment is that after I was done, I did not keep the jumble of perfectly good pieces of foam that may or may not have a use sometime in the future. I got rid of it. I’m so proud of me!

My bedside lamp shorted out a little while ago. I had a replacement, but it seemed a shame to throw away the old lamp, so I got a new switch for it.

I’ve never replaced a switch like this, but I figured I could go with my dad’s old method of doing things: put the new one on like the old one was.

It’s actually a pretty simple arrangement. The switch interrupts the “hot” wire. The other wire isn’t even involved.

It worked! Now if I can just figure out how to clean all those glass pieces without just rubbing each one individually. They’ve gotten dusty over time.