I'm now on hour 16 sans power. Thunderstorm knocked it out for a few square miles. Got a $250 generator to save about $400 of food in the fridge and run fans for my 7 week old. Only thing left to do is sit in the dark and drink wine until the computer battery runs out or I pass out. (Beer fridge and main fridge can't run at once -- generator fail)
They draw a ton of amps... I'm guessing the 3000mAh battery is for the USB charging port for the phone. No way it'll drive a blender. I had to put a 1000 watt inverter on a deep cycle marine battery to power the blender in my Jeep, and even then it could use some more grunt to get through the really big jobs.
It's the coolest. Dude needed $50K and the pledges are at $6 million. Impressive. That video is great: Sha Na Na was the iTunes selection, and he said "if you want to use your iPhone after 2 pm." Heh. Well, yes. Yes I do.
Re: Bare costume You know Rush, sometimes I wonder what you Google to even find that stuff. I'm sure it's more than just "boobs".
I've got an iPhone battery with that spec... and every battery operated, piece-of-shit blender I've seen has a minimum of 4500 mAh. And those are the cheap-ass ones that fall apart after a single weekend. At 3k mAh, it's an either/or scenario... and one of those scenarios blows chunks instead of purees. So yeah, I'm betting the blender is going to suck ass. Either the blender will have no power, or it'll only last a drink or two. Personally, I'd have a little side-caddy for a deep-cycle marine battery... blend some serious drinks all fucking day.
Or get one of these: When I was touring with the record company, we needed our blender drinks. Started off with the cheesy battery operated ones, but they were disposable after a single use practically. We then went with one of these hand-cranked jobs, and I'll be damned if they didn't work out really, really well. We ended up going through 3-4 of them in a tour, but they were used hard.
Greater "common man" advice has never been written. If you don't have a deep-cycle marine battery get at least one, now. And an inverter. You never buy an umbrella until it rains, and like I learned today you never splurge for a badass generator until you're without electricity for 24 hours. I have two deep-cycle marine batteries, an inverter that can handle anything I'll ever need, a trickle charger and a solar charger. That's kind of splurging, but honestly, every person NEEDS a backup power source. Generators require gas and oil and all that which isn't always convenient; just get a battery or better yet a few of them, an inverter, and live the high life while the rest of your neighborhood is wondering what to do with their spoiling food. They're also great for spotlight hog hunting. And making margaritas by the lake.
Being on call means that I'm drinking sparkling water instead of beer. Surprising placebo effect, though. Having discovered the ability to make paella on my barbecue, I've determined summer is way better than winter. I spent some time in an outrageously hot place last fall and all I could ever think of doing was going cross country skiing. Fuck, this is better than skiing.
FOREST FIRE UPDATE, for those of you not sick of the pics yet. Wind shifted yet again, but stayed within the retardant and burn perimeter, so even though the flames got bigger and more intense, it was just going over the path it had already been on, consuming wood it missed the first time through. Lots more smoke, but no need for big tankers... only the little AT-208's and a ton of helicopters. Meanwhile I'm sitting here with nothing really to do but take pics, so, here are a few of them: (And if it wasn't obvious by now, I could watch aircraft fight a fire for days and not get bored) Spoiler
I want to set something on fire. I got my mail, and there's an application in there for...wait for it...an AARP membership. I fucking turn 42 next week. Not 62. Fucking cockgobblers.
I feel left out. I'm 44 and have yet to get a membership application. Next Saturday my sister invited me to her house for a knife demonstration. She has a pool and there will be alcohol. I'm either taking/making Sangria or Margaritas. Decisions decisions. Maybe I'll do both. I think there will be lots of ladies there. And one dude. Well, two if you count the guy doing the demonstration. But she referred to him as "the neighborhood kid." Hmmm....
I love Rottweilers. They're beautiful dogs. It's a shame that every single fucking Rottweiler owner I've met has an IQ of approximately 65 and has no idea how to train a dog. Fuck. I am currently drinking some random IPA I picked up from the store. It's meh. I keep hoping for something good, but nothing I've had so far in Oregon has beaten Sierra Nevada. I still like the variety, though.
Re: Bare costume Me?! You've seen the stuff Black Jesus posts, right? All I did was Google "tumblr boobs are the greatest" and then scroll down a bit. I mean, I like boobs, but the guy that scours the interwebs for those REALLY likes boobs.
You clearly have less ADHD than me. If I lived where you are, I'd be right there cutting down trees, digging trenches, propane-torch burning ground shrubs to create a fire line. Yes, it may or may not be illegal depending on a few things. Yes, it may or may not result in me getting arrested (for a short, if any, jail time). No, those fires probably would not threaten my house regardless. Yes, it would be highly dangerous if I didn't know what I was doing around fire (and with fire, as with anything in nature, who really "knows what they're doing"?). But damnit, that looks like fun.
It's a rental, and the landlord is already being a dick. I have renters insurance. Let it burn, motherfucker. At least the kids wouldn't be able to play on my lawn any more.