We actually had the gas guy come to give us an estimate, and it turns out they can do the whole install themselves. We’ll get a bigger Rinnai heater, we can get it done quickly (our gas company is really, really great), they’ll take the old tank and piping, and it will cost us slightly less than the other guy. I just found out that NH is going to offer a $300 rebate on tankless heaters though, so we’re going to wait until that program starts (March/April), because it won’t be retroactive.

Overall, the whole project is going to cost us more than we originally thought, but between the state rebate and the federal credit, we’re going to get back 40%. Sweet.

I still wish I had known about that box though!! It sounds like all these years of crazy electric bills could have been easily avoided!

I you are still having problems with the plumber, call an electrician. You want to get a “Little Gray Box” (seriously, actual product name) from Home Depot. The box is a glorified timer for hot water heaters. We have one here, set to have hot water in morning for an hour or two and hot water in the evening for laundry & dishes. The timer can be over ridden at anytime you need hot water off schedule. My folks save a butt load of money on the electric bill with the box. Why heat the hot water all night, or all day? Most hot water tanks only take 10 minutes to heat back up, and even when off, there is luke warm water in the tank for basic hand washing.

Since you dry out in winter, have you tried living someplace that isn’t so cold? I know you can’t just get up and go, more of asking about your history.

I find the air dries out more in the winter due to the forced hot air heating systems most people have. Do you have a humidifier or mister?

As for your blood work results, does that show if you are lacking in something, or just the basic CBC? I get to read all my Dana Farber blood results on-line, but haven’t a clue what they mean.

Oh, and my docs were happy I gained weight for my last appointment. Wouldn’t you like that reaction?

Anyway, I know exactly how you feel about “the question.” For months I answered the question saying I just wanted to find any job outside of teaching; now here I am with a degree and I’ve just moved into a different teaching job. Still, it’s a huge relief to have finished it. Even though a college education often feels like nothing more than jumping through hoops, it all seems worth it when you’ve finally received that paper.

Long story: It should have been simple, but it turns out that the part model was discontinued, and the replacement was not in any way similar to the original. The box contained only the part and some brown packing paper, we couldn’t find ANYTHING online, and customer service told us to hire an electrician. It took a few days and some networking, but we eventually got in touch with a master electrician who was able to tell us that it doesn’t matter which wire connects to which contact.

Go for it!

I’m not so sure about the book’s spiritual spin, but I know that almost everything we’ve ‘put out’ has come back to us. (and that was before ‘t)he secret’ we were just living our lives