anyone surprised?
Last weekend when my family was all here, the A/C unit in the house wasn’t performing up to it’s usual level, and the inside of the house got pretty warm. So, we called an A/C repair place.
The repairman came out right away, and discovered that there was ice built up on the unit outside, and he couldn’t diagnose the system while it was iced up. So we had to shut it off completely overnight, and wait for him to return the next morning. Imagine what it’s like to sleep in a house in Central Texas in the summertime with no air conditioning…
Anyway, when he returned the next morning, he determined that there was a leak in the coil, and that it would have to be replaced. The coil was under warranty, but the labor cost to replace it was roughly $1400. He offered a second option of upgrading the coil and plenum to a different brand of hardware for $2300. Well, with that kind of price tag, Nhut decided we needed a second opinion, and we decided to call the company that had originally installed the unit. In the meantime, since the ice had melted, we were able to turn the A/C back on again, and the house returned to a more comfortable temperature.
When the Big-Tex repairman came out, the system appeared to be operating normally, and hadn’t re-iced up outside, so we weren’t sure what he was going to find. Since we live in a one-story house, with an upstairs bonus room, the builder had installed a single A/C unit, with a mini zone control to create two zones; one downstairs, and one for the bonus room upstairs. As it turns out, the original mini zone control was underpowered, and as a result, wasn’t operating correctly. In addition, it didn’t have a temperature sensor in it that would have prevented the external freeze-up. The Big-Tex repairman replaced the zone control with a unit that has an integrated temperature sensor, and the right power transformer at no cost, since he determined the original installation was faulty. He also determined that the freon level was still good, and that there was no refrigerant leak.
Well, so now Nhut is going back to the first repair company to complain about their diagnosis and apparent attempt to bilk us out of a bunch of cash. We’ll see how that goes…
Watch this video. It was produced for Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors tour this summer, and it’s a pretty amazing testament to one of most heartbreaking problems in our country today.
NY Assembly Votes to Provide Equal Access to Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
Albany, New York—June 19, 2007—Today, the New York State Assembly passed a bill to allow same-sex couples equal access to marriage by a bipartisan vote of 85 to 61.
Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell (D-Manhattan), the bill’s prime sponsor, and the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights advocacy organization, worked with the LGBT community and Assemblymembers especially in the weeks following Governor Spitzer’s introduction of the bill (A.8590) to obtain the support necessary that resulted in today’s first-ever floor vote.
“The Assembly has demonstrated once again that it is the leader on civil rights and providing equality for our community where it didn’t exist before in New York,” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle. “We thank Governor Spitzer for his leadership in introducing this bill into the Legislature, Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell for his hard work building support in the Assembly, and the diverse and bipartisan group of Assembly allies from Buffalo to Westchester, from Harlem to Long Island, and from Ithaca to Saratoga who all spoke strongly to say that New Yorkers want marriage equality for all families.”
I got a Blackberry Pearl last week after trying out the Cingular 8525 for a couple weeks, and deciding it was just too bulky. So, I installed a couple of applications on it to extend it’s functionality like google maps and google talk, as well as beyond411. I figured I should be able to install Yahoo Messenger, since they have this banner on their web site: Yahoo! Messenger for BlackBerry® Smartphones Our best mobile messenger experience. Except for the fine print at the bottom of the page: Yahoo! Messenger is currently not available for AT&T (Cingular) users.
So, I figured I’d bug Qi, since he works at Yahoo, and he pointed me to this page which describes the how and why of enabling a Cingular BlackBerry device to run Yahoo messenger. Anyway, when I got time later on in the day, I walked through the instructions and installed Yahoo messenger and the Y!M service book (BBFS2). Seems to work just fine now…
No gay marriage vote for Massachusetts
By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
BOSTON – Massachusetts lawmakers blocked a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday that would have let voters decide whether to ban gay marriage in the only state that allows it.
“In Massachusetts today, the freedom to marry is secure,” said a victorious Gov. Deval Patrick, who had lobbied lawmakers up until the final hours Thursday to kill the measure.
The narrow vote was a blow to efforts to reverse the historic court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. More than 8,500 gay couples have married there since it became legal in May 2004.
As the tally was announced, the halls of the Statehouse erupted in applause. The proposal, which sought to change the state’s Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, needed 50 votes to advance to the 2008 statewide ballot. It got 45, with 151 lawmakers opposed.
Marriage is not a threat to marriage.
We’re sitting around watching TV, and suddenly the dogs are growling and barking outside… which means they’ve cornered something. A raccoon in the pool this time. I call for the dogs to come in the house, so the raccoon can get out of the pool, and away, and Nhut runs for the camera! It’s always an adventure. 
Pictures in the gallery.
The 2007 Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) Pride Parade, UNITED FOR DIVERSITY “Deep In The Heart Of Texas” is being held on Saturday, June 2, 2007 at 8:00 PM.
In 2001, the Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) decided to produce and sponsor a local pride parade with the express purpose of promoting a positive image of pride, joy, unity and diversity in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community in the capital city, and the greater Austin and GLBT community as a whole.
The first AGLCC Pride Parade Committee was formed in 2002. The inexperience of the Committee notwithstanding, it worked hard while learning the process. It was also supported and assisted by the more experienced Pride Committees within Texas. Through teamwork and dedication, sponsors and participants came forward. The first AGLCC Pride Parade walked up Congress and through the Warehouse District in June 2002 with an estimated 450 participants and 20,000 spectators. Since the first year, the parade has now grown to over 1,200 participants and an estimated 40,000 spectators. This year promises to be even grander than the last!
AGLCC Pride Parade Yahoo Group
