Well, it's been quite a few months since i posted on this blog, as work and other priorities have kept me busy elsewhere.  But, my Home Projects list continues to grow and it will just be a matter of time until I get to them.

Ever since TV went digital, I've been thinking about how to go without cable TV but just didn't make the time to dig into the details.  Granted, I'm getting tired and annoyed with our "basic" cable, which costs us about $63/month, without any HD content.  Given our TV watching tendencies, it is not money we feel good about spending. 

So recently, I started investigating what it would take to go without cable.

For about $90, I got a high quality antenna (ClearStream4 shown here) for over-the-air programming and hooked it up to our coaxial cable previously used for getting the cable TV signal.  We were really pleased to discover that we get quite a few local and network broadcasts that also included international channels that had Spanish, Chinese, and other programing.  And on top of that, some of the channels are in HD!  Not bad for a FREE connection.

There's a smaller version of the antenna but has less range (single infinity shape).  Shown is the double infinity shape.  This one has more range so it improves signal strength.  The days of "static-y" antenna reception are over.  It is as good as cable TV.

This is what the antenna looks like pointed N-NE towards Sutro Tower in San Francisco.

The cable was routed discreetly along the side of the house:

Flash back to a month prior: I switched us out of AT&T DSL Elite (1.5Mbps download, 750kbps upload) to Comcast cable broadband (20+Mbps download, 4Mbps upload)...super fast, and saved us about $10/month in the process!  This was a coordinated first step for cutting our cable TV connection. 

Along with the antenna, I got a set-top box (Roku XDS, for about $100) that wirelessly streams video content via our internet connection.  Through this connection, we can get a very good variety of programming from sources that include Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, Crackle, and many more!  They have dedicated streaming services for almost any type of interest, ranging from anime, cars, food, and sports.  A few of these sources offer free programming, including entire past seasons of select TV shows, and even full length movies, for FREE (Crackle, for example).  Netflix, however, charges $8/month for unlimited on-demand content.  The high speed cable broadband connection is key to smooth content streaming (5Mbps download speed recommended).

The upfront investment of cutting cable TV was about $190, but we will break even after about 3 months and start saving about $55/month in cable TV at that point (and even more if we don't subscribe to Netflix for $8/month)!

This entire effort was pretty darned painless that anyone can do this!  But depending on one's TV watching habits, it's not for everyone.  We get HD content and don't miss cable much at all!  For us, cutting the cord only means we went cordless, and we still get to enjoy our TV when we want to, mostly for FREE!

I called around to get estimates to cut down the last palm tree and dispose of the mess, and the price ranged from $350 to $1100!!  In this economy, how can anyone think that they will find customers with pricing on the high end?  The lowest bid was with the neighborhood Japanese gardener, who has been maintaining a few houses on the block for many years now.  So on Tuesday, they started work.  It took a crew of 2 workers (2 chainsaws going at once), plus the owner and his son 3 full hours to do the job and clean up.  I'm so glad I hired out for this project!  I watched them do some of the work and appreciated that i wasn't wrenching my own back on it.

With the palms chopped almost down to grade, they had to stop about 3" short of chopping all the way down to the ground...the people who planted the palms lined the perimeter with various brick-sized rocks and as the trunks grew over the years, they wrapped around the rocks so much that they literally became part of the trunk!  They gave up on using the chainsaw as the rocks quickly dulled the chains and resorted to an ax at this point! 

Before and after...

From reading online sources, I need to wait for the stump to dry out a bit, then use a liquid stump remover (potassium nitrate) to accelerate the decomposition.  This process takes a few weeks but in the end, the stump becomes soft and spongy and can be taken out with an ax and shovel. 

We don't plan to plant anything in this area so as long as it takes, I'll keep at this until I level the stump!

With a new little one and all the challenges that come with being busy new parents, we still needed to take time to celebrate our special occasions.  I celebrated our 3rd anniversary by taking some time of on Wednesday September 1 to make Sabrina a nice dinner.  After sifting through various cookbooks, I found myself gravitating towards Vietnamese cuisine.

My boss was in cahoots with me on my anniversary by letting me take the day as needed to prepare the meal. Sabrina's parents were also in on the plan by taking care of Elliot as usual, freeing me to make chaos in the kitchen.

I spent the morning and afternoon planning and preparing a list for grocery shopping.  Since we don't make Vietnamese food at home, I had to go get many of the ingredients at the market.  By the time Sabrina came home around 4:30pm, I was already preparing the food.

On the menu was:

1. Appetizer shrimp wrapped sugar cane

2. Green papaya salad with spicy vinegar dressing

3. Vietnamese egg rolls with a fish sauce for dipping

4. Simmered clams

5. Coconut chicken drumsticks

Served over steamed rice.

Sabrina came home with Elliot to a dozen roses in variety colors.  After we spent a moment trading cards, she was quickly whisked away from the kitchen. 

She played with Elliot and fed him as I prepared the food in a frenzy. The vent hood was roaring, the skillets crackling.  And our ample counter space didn't seem quite enough that day.

Here is Sabrina ecstatic (and frightened) of the amount of food I made--there should have been six of us!

I was seriously surprised that we were able to make a good dent in the amount of food we ate!  It was a quiet low-key anniversary gift to Sabrina.  We ate, we talked, we laughed.  I was glad to put a smile on her face to celebrate another wonderful year together.

The meal took about 6 hours to plan, shop for, prepare, and cook, but it turned out well.  Of the five dishes, I was making four of them for the first time.  I'm sure that for someone who cooks regularly, this meal would not have taken so long, but for me it was a labor of love that I also enjoyed.

Now, if only I can cook like this everyday!