Darkoshi

One of the bedrooms is set up fairly well to block outside light to aid in sleeping:

using black-out panels, with regular curtains on top for aesthetics (to block out light coming straight through from the windows)

the curtains/panels are long enough to brush the floor (to block out light coming from underneath)

the curtain rods are the "return rod" type (with 90 degree angles on the ends so that the curtain edges can rest flush against the wall, to block out light coming in from the sides)

magnetic strips attached to sides of windows and sides of curtains (to further block light coming in from the sides)

the curtain rods are attached to the wall several inches above the windows (to block light from top of window)

above the rods, a wooden board is attached to the wall with metal brackets. A piece of black-out fabric (about 1 foot high), covered by curtain fabric, is attached to top of board and hangs down over the top of the curtains, like a valence/cornice box (to further block light from top of window)

It's not perfect. Some light still gets in through the cracks. But when the sun is up, with the curtains drawn and my eyes closed, I notice hardly any difference when I cover my eyes with my hands. So it is good enough.

Now I want to darken the other bedroom too. If possible, I want to improve upon my prior design. Not necessarily in light-blockage, but in ease of use.

I intended the curtains in the 1st room to be easy to open and close, to let in light and air during the day. But now I rarely even open one of the curtains. The curtain rings tend to snag on the curtain rod corners, so that I have to stand on the bed in order to reach the top and open/close the curtain. I tried attaching a wand but it didn't work out well (partly as there are really 2 parallel rods - more detail than I want to get into).

So. Pull-down black-out blinds with side channels might be good in light blockage and ease of use. But I want to be able to leave the window partially open to let in air at night, while still blocking the part of the window that is closed (especially as a street light shines towards the window). The windows in this bedroom slide open to the side, not up/down, so a pull-down blind would be less than ideal.

Black-out window inserts would block light well, but wouldn't allow air in. Plus it would be inconvenient to have to put up and take down the inserts every day, and store them somewhere during the day.

This product uses flexible rods to pin blackout material to the window. Interesting, but more trouble than I'd want to go through every day.

This product uses velcro strips to attach blackout material to the window. Interesting, but more trouble than I'd want to go through every day.

So. My current idea is to use a similar design as the first room in terms of blackout panels covered by curtains. But rather than using a curtain rod and curtain rings, to use a curtain track. That should make it easier to pull the curtains open and shut.

I want to attach the track to the ceiling, to avoid needing the wood board attached with metal brackets (for covering the top). This should also reduce the amount of light getting in from above.

Yet, most tracks are straight. They don't curve at the edges like return rods. So I would use flexible curtain track to be able to curve the ends.

But the track is supposed to be supported every 10 inches or so, while the ceiling joists are further apart. So maybe I'll attach the track to a board (...wait, wasn't I trying to avoid that? Yes, but...), and attach the board to the ceiling joists. That way I can also attach some fabric over the edge of the board as a valence/cornice like in the first room.

Still to consider: should I put up parallel tracks, to also allow hanging sheers?

edited to add:
I wonder if it would work to position the track right against the ceiling edge. Then I wouldn't need a curved track in order to have the blackout panel edges flush against the wall. But then I might need 3 parallel tracks - an inner track for the blackout panel, a center track for sheers, and an outer track for pretty curtains. Although if the sheers are pretty enough, I suppose I could do without curtains. Hmmm.

Hah. I fixed my picker-upper tool again. The one I use for picking up trash along the road by my house.

The first time it broke, it was my fault. Something had irritated me... probably the difficulty of maneuvering an item I had picked up into my garbage bag, along with general annoyance at having to pick up other people's trash*. I tossed the picker-upper away from me in annoyance, and when it hit the ground, it broke apart at the middle joint.

I tried gluing it back together, but even with crazy glue, it never held. Finally I used wood popsicle sticks and chopsticks as splints, along with wire holding them in place. The joint was no longer able to fold for storage, but at least the tool was useable again.

Lately, one of the grabby end pieces kept coming loose and falling off. A few times I was able to find the fallen off piece and reattach it. Yesterday I couldn't find it, and thought that the tool was done for this time.

But this morning I realized all that was needed to replace the missing part was a small rubber suction cup along with a screw and washer to hold it in place. Conveniently, I found just the right size suction cup amongst my stuff; the color nearly matches the original one too. I love it when that happens - when something I've kept in case it might be useful some day, ends up being exactly what I need later on. So I made a hole in the middle of the suction cup, screwed it on, and voila! A working picker-upper tool again.

I'll still buy a new one the next time I see one, for backup. I'm not sure how much longer that joint will hold, especially when picking up heavy things like big glass bottles.

*Yet, picking up trash like that is almost as gratifying as vacuum cleaning, in how easy it is to do, with immediately visible results.

The dryer had been making a squeaky noise while turning for quite some time. This weekend, I finally decided to check it out, before something deteriorated badly enough to break.

I removed the top and back panels of the dryer*, cleaned the rear drum seal, repositioned it a bit, trimmed off some of the felt part of the seal where it was sagging inwards, yadda yadda yadda. (Buying a replacement seal would be expensive, so I wanted to avoid that.) I put it all back together, tested it, and the squeak was gone! I'm not sure how long it will last before squeaking again, but I felt pretty accomplished.

*using the instructions provided in a very helpful service manual which I found online.

I was thinking about much I like this washer and dryer. About how they've given me some trouble, but nothing in the end which I couldn't handle. It's neat being able to take them apart to fix things. I know the special trick for how to get the washer to start by pressing on the right spot on the door. I know how to reset the washer when it starts acting up. I've had to reset it a few times this year, and each time the washer started working right again after doing that.

I was thinking about how neat it is when the washer does its extra-high spin cycle, which sounds sort of like a (quiet) jet engine. Are all front-loaders neat like that? I don't know, but I was thinking that I should take a video of it.

So today I go to wash a load of sheets, and wouldn't you know it. Now the washer is acting up again, badly. Refusing to spin fast, wouldn't you know it. I'm now resetting it for the 4th time today, so hopefully this time will be the winner.

I was thinking about how this washer has a lot of personality. Today it's acting like an employee who's not feeling well. It sat there doing nothing most of the time, instead of washing and spinning like it should. When it did start turning once in a while, it was slow, like it didn't have the energy to do it any faster.

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This morning in bed, I turned to look at the clock and saw "1:15pm". Good, that meant I had gotten a bit over 8 hours sleep. So I got up. About half an hour later, I looked at the clock again, and it was only 12:15pm. This isn't the first time that has happened.

Shows how to easily replace old worn-out elastic on a fitted sheet. Only applicable for sheets where the elastic is loose in a channel (casing), not where the elastic itself is sewn along the edge of the sheet.
Basically, cut free one end of the old elastic, sew that end to one end of the new elastic, then cut free the other end of the old elastic and pull it out. The new elastic gets pulled in at the same time. Then sew off both ends of the new elastic, and repeat on the other end of the sheet.

For the time being, my washer is working again. It might be a fluke, or due to something I did.

Notes below for reference.

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Washer model: Whirlpool 2.9 Cu. Ft. High Efficiency Front Load Washer ENERGY STAR®
Model #LHW0050PQ (more specifically, LHW0050PQ5)
Manufacture date: 2007/04/06
Purchase date: 2007/August
Made in Italy (reputedly by the company "Antonio Merloni") for Whirlpool.

Use & Care guides, Parts Lists, etc.
Repair Manual

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Ever since getting this washer, starting it was tricky. Closing the door and pressing Start often did not suffice. I discovered a method which worked most of the time: give the door one or more small shoves in the upper right-hand quadrant. Sometimes an audible click could be heard when doing this. Then if necessary, press the Start button again.

If this worked, after a few moments, the basket would turn slightly in one direction, stop, and then turn again. Then the machine would pause for an indeterminate amount of time before letting water fill in, and starting the wash. As long as the basket had done its little turn-turn thing, I could generally assume that it had started successfully, and walk away.

The filter is in an awkward position, in the lower right corner of the washer. A shallow pan is required to catch water that drains out when the filter is removed. But that seems to be the case with most front-loaders.

Other than the above, I felt the washer did a good job. It washed fine. It spun the clothes nicely dry. We always sponge-dried the rubber gasket and the detergent drawer after each use, and left the door open so that the inside of the washer would dry out.

We did not have mold problems, nor funky smells, nor problems with the washer moving around. Nor problems with breaking counterweights, nor with smoke coming out the machine, nor flooding. Qiao's relatives have experienced all of those problems with their front-loaders! In comparison, my washer is a gem!

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My washer has 2 round vents on the back side. One is connected to the top of the washer drum. I'm not sure where the other one goes to. None of the diagrams in the Repair Manual, nor in the "Use & Care" guide show these vents.
So I suspect that the original models (PQ0, PQ1, etc.) did not include these vents. They were probably added to the design later on to combat mold issues. With these vents, perhaps when the door is open, air can flow in through the front and out through the back of the machine, making the inside of the washer dry faster. Perhaps this is why I haven't had a mold problem with the washer.

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2012/Nov (~5 years after purchase; 3 months after end of extended warranty) - 1st recorded instance of washer not washing correctly. The load was still wet after the cycle was done. I ran an extra Spin cycle, but even after that, the load was still dripping wet on the bottom. I checked the filter, but only water came out - it wasn't full of lint. I couldn't find any other problem. Eventually I somehow got it to work again.

2014/Jan (6.5 years after purchase) - The LED indicator was stuck on "Spin", and did not progress any further. The washer wasn't doing anything. I turned the power off in order to get the door open. The load was wet on the bottom and dry on top, as if it hadn't been washed or spun at all.
I tried to do a Spin cycle, but it kept making a chugging noise as if trying to drain the water without success. Finally I turned it off, and checked the filter. This time there was a clump of lint in it. I cleaned it out, and restarted a wash cycle. This time it worked.

2014/Feb - LED indicator was stuck on "Spin" again, and when I got the door open, the clothes were still wet. I checked the filter, but there was no lint. I did a Spin cycle. It worked again.

2014/March - The washer did its turn-turn thing, but never started washing. I turned it off and on, opened and shut the door, and restarted it. It sounded like it was starting ok, but then stopped. After a while it made the chugging/draining noise. But it didn't start washing. I turned it off and checked the filter. No blockage. I started a wash again - it let water in but never started turning/washing. I tried several times, but couldn't get it to work. I believe the cycle knob was set to "Regular/Color" the whole time; I didn't try any other cycles.

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There are many reports of other people with this washer model who've had similar problems:

Amazon user reviews
ApplianceGuru.com #1
ApplianceGuru.com #2
ApplianceGuru.com #3
JustAnswer.com
Fixya.com
CNet reviews

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2014/03/16

I did the diagnostic cycle as described in the manual.
On my first attempt, I couldn't enter the diagnostic cycle - the LEDs did not all light up as they were supposed to. On my 2nd attempt, they lit up correctly.
The 1st test (with Cycle button in 6pm position) failed at first - the top LED did not go out. This was because the door was not shut right. After giving the door some shoves, the top LED went out, indicating a successful test.
I turned the cycle knob counterclockwise one position for each subsequent test.
The tests didn't match up exactly with the ones in the manual. (I believe my washer doesn't have a heating element, so that test wouldn't be applicable for my machine.)
For my 2nd Test, the washer filled with water successfully.
For my 3rd Test, the washer basket turned about 15 times in each direction, repeatedly (not matching what the manual indicated). It did this for quite a while, and I wasn't sure it would ever stop on its own. So I turned the knob to the next test. I'm not sure if interupting it like that messed up the remaining tests or not.
For my 4th Test, the washer spinned and drained successfully. When it was done, only the "Wash" LED was on (not matching what the manual indicated).
Turning the knob to the next positions didn't have any further effect.

All this at least proved that the washer was still able to turn and spin, and fill and drain; that no motor was broken.

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I unplugged the machine.
I removed the top cover of the washer, and inspected the inside.
I didn't find any obviously loose connections.
I took out the Wash Selector switch. It looked fine.
I popped the Control Board out to look at its back-side. It looked fine.
I reconnected everything and replaced the cover.

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I tested washing a small load of clothes without detergent.
I turned the cycle knob to "Regular/Color", and the spin knob to "Extra High".
Test failed. The machine filled with water, but it never started turning & washing.
(Ergo unplugging the washer for a while, as suggested by one of the pages I had read, wasn't enough to fix the issue.)

I turned the cycle knob to "Regular/Normal".
The washer started draining, but then continued to make the draining/humming sound a long time.
So I turned the cycle knob to "Stop".
The Start button started blinking.

I opened and closed the door.
I turned the cycle knob to "Rinse", and the spin knob to 9pm position.
This time, it worked! The machine filled with water, washed/turned, and drained, 3 times total.

I added more clothes to the load, and added detergent.
I turned the cycle knob to "Regular/Normal", and the spin knob to "Extra High".
This time also, it worked!

At this point, I wasn't sure if the sporadic problem had resolved itself temporarily, or if only the "Regular/Color" cycle was having a problem.

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Next day.

A post on this page indicates a method to "reset the (control) board".
So I followed the instructions. I unplugged the machine for 5 minutes, then plugged it back in. I pressed and held the On button for 15 seconds.

Then I tested washing a load of clothes on the "Regular/Color" cycle, with spin knob on "Extra High".
It worked!

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To be continued, maybe.

At my new cubicle, one of the overhead lights was glaring in my eyes. My former cubicles had the same problem, and in the past I had been able to block the light by putting up pieces of cardboard in strategic locations.

This time it was more difficult, as the offending light was higher overhead. But I devised a solution. It is a cloth shade, with a cord threaded through on one side, and a wire hanger on the other side, to support it. The side with the wire is only supported on one corner, so it needed something stiff to hold it up. Binder clips and paper clips hold the cord and wire in place. I used a relatively thin white cloth as I didn't want to make my work area darker; I simply wanted to reduce the glare a bit. There are also 2 sheets of dot-matrix printer paper on top of the cloth - that is the darker section.





It's not obvious from the photos, but my cube is still rather a mess. I haven't yet finished putting everything in its place. I plan to go through a bunch of papers and books to see what I no longer need.

These are some other ideas I considered, before deciding to make my own shade. I wanted it to be subtle, not something that could be seen from far away.

Sugru, a self-setting silicone rubber - this stuff sounds useful. I can already think of 2 things I'd use it for. Although maybe I could get some kind of putty or glue at the hardware store for one of those things. I need something that cures at a cool temperature like 40 degrees F, in order to fix a shelf-holder inside a refrigerator, preferably without turning it off.

My laptop computer is running Win7 Home Premium (64 bit).

On 02/22, the Windows Automatic Updates included 2 optional updates - updated drivers for "Microsoft Hardware USB Mouse" and "Microsoft Hardware USB Keyboard". I allowed them to install.

After installing those, each time I booted my computer, I got 2 popup messages from my antivirus program that "Device Driver Software Installation" (system32\newdev.exe) was trying to access the internet. The first several times this happened, I allowed the internet access. But I kept getting the messages. Then I started denying the access, but still kept getting them. I could have created a rule to permanently allow or deny the access, to avoid getting the messages, but I preferred to fix the root problem so that no unnecessary internet access would even be attempted.

The messages persisted even after having installed the Win7 Service Pack 1 update.

Today I determined that if I unplugged my wireless mouse and keyboard cable before rebooting, that prevented the messages. But when I plugged the cable back in, the messages popped up again. So then I knew they were definitely related to the keyboard/mouse drivers. Also, today I started getting new messages in addition to the others (regardless of whether I clicked to Deny or Allow the internet access)... "Driver installation complete. Downloading keyboard configuration software (Microsoft IntelliType Pro)" and another that the installation had completed successfully. However, I then still kept getting the "Device Driver Software Installation" messages.

I was able to correct the problem by rolling back to the previous drivers:

Control Panel - Device Manager - Human Interfacing Devices
- right-clicked** "Microsoft Hardware USB Keyboard", selected Properties, Driver...
The Driver date shown was 12/14/2010 and the version was 8.1.239.0.
Clicked "Roll back driver".
Then it showed Driver date 6/29/2010, version 8.0.219.0.

- did the same for "Microsoft Hardware USB Mouse";
it showed the same driver dates and version numbers.

Now I am no longer getting the messages.


(**) - is there any other term that can be used besides "right-click"? I have my mouse set up as a left-handed mouse, and my "right-click" is actually a left click.
I was thinking "alt-click" might be appropriate, but apparently that means to "left-click" while pressing the ALT button.

The first time I used my new pressure cooker, while trying to wash it like the instructions said, the pressure valve came apart. It was difficult figuring out how to put it back together, so I wrote down notes on how to do it. I'm posting this here in case anyone else has the same problem and does a search.


Fagor "Splendid" Pressure Cooker

If the valve/dial piece comes apart, it reassembles like this:
the grey piece goes over the black stem, with the flat side towards the bottom, and the small and large black tabs at the top aligned into the small and large slots of the grey piece

and then the spring goes over the black stem, inside the grey piece, with the tighter end of the spring towards the bottom, and the end of the spring gets pushed up over the 4 small black tabs sticking out on the bottom of the black stem.

Once the valve is reassembled, it can be placed back into the pressure cooker's lid by aligning the grey slot in the valve with the black tab in the lid's opening, pushing it in and turning it.

In the above, "bottom" refers to the side which is on the bottom when the valve is correctly placed in the pressure cooker's lid, and with the lid on the pot in cooking position.

Forestfen's mouse wasn't working at all. After some investigation, I determined that there was a break in one of the wires in the cord. So then I was able to cut the cord near where I thought the break was, and spliced the wires back together inside the body of the mouse, and now it works again. :)
Might not last long - the spliced wires might come loose; but for now it's good.