Weekend project: Showcase

 

The showcase setup took longer than I thought. The little Ikea under-cabinet lights are far more expensive than I thought, and they come in many variations, so that took a few months to finalize. Assembling the Ikea showcase was easy with the 2 of us. What took the longest was snaking all the wires along the wood frames so they are hidden from view, at the same time sticking all the individual control switches along the top back panel so they are within reach if we want to switch off individual lights.

The Christmas tree - the first occupant of the top - got replaced with a Homedics fountain when seasons turned, primarily because genuine Chinese fountains were too elaborate, too heavy and too expensive.

The digital frame is the newest addition - apparently these can now double as little monitors, using the same LCD panels as netbooks, but I'd rather let this be.

Under cabinet lights make a huge difference. Of course, everyone already knows this, but it is definitely more satisfying when I know the number of hours that have gone into setting this up.

Our old house at Willow Avenue

 

Another discovery from the boxes in storage - my first rental in the US after graduation from Rutgers and being kicked out of campus housing. Yashodhan, Satish, Chaitanya, Sripad and I had a fun 3 years at this place.

Blast from the past: Cars

 

 

Found these set of photos in boxes that have been carried around for 10 years now. The Civic was the first car I owned, and giventhe amount of driving we did in the summer of 2000 on this $2000 car, it hit a value/price ratio that's hard to beat. The Audi was a guest for a short 12 months, 4 speeding tickets, and more horsepower than I've seen since.