Posts Tagged ‘time’

My first trip to Durham Tech’s main campus

More than enough excitement for the day

Today was the most tiring day in a while. I woke up at 6:35, left around 7:15, and took 25 minutes to get to Durham Tech’s main campus in a drive that just fell short of harrowing at times. The traffic was not any heavier than usual, but what made it so difficult was having to adjust to the changing light conditions at first. Then came the full blazing sun, shining right in my eyes for long stretches of time while I was traveling 55 mph on Highway 147.

I could barely see ahead of me, not to mention the cars coming in from the side, or the lines marking which lane I was in. I had maybe about 1 second of visibility in front of me at any one time while I was facing the sun directly. It’s quite a demand to place on my poorly functioning processors so early in the morning. Needless to say, afterwards I was quite run down. I didn’t regain my energy until 11:30 this morning, well after I had gotten back from Durham Tech and stopped to run a few errands.

Still looking on the bright side

Although I was wiped out by my early morning drive, it has not greatly impacted my excitement at being able to take my Basic Wiring class. I will just have to leave earlier in the morning (about half an hour earlier, I’m thinking) so the sun won’t have risen above the horizon yet. Then I will be one of the first cars on campus, and can claim my parking space right beside the front door. Read more…

New textbook for first class 6 days from now

I’m finding it imperative that I do my blogging at my first sign of quality free time. Tonight I finished my orders at 8:15, and I immediately ran upstairs to my computer. I have to go to bed on time tonight because tomorrow morning I’m making my first dry run of my morning trip to Durham Tech’s main campus. It’s January 4, and class starts bright and early at 8 AM on January 10.

My textbook for Basic Wiring I arrived promptly this morning. It’s Electrical Wiring Residential, 17th Edition by Ray Mullin and Phil Simmons. We ordered it yesterday from Construction Book Express and because they were based in South Carolina, I got my book today! I’ve been carrying it around everywhere so I can get a chance to read it when I find bits of free time. I showed my husband the table of contents so he could see how useful the knowledge was that I would be learning this semester.

The textbook is based on the 2011 National Electrical Code (NEC), which is like the bible for electricians – anything you need to know about proper safety and electrical installation, you can reference it in the NEC by article number.  The textbook has all kinds of useful information like how many conductors can fit in a box, calculating voltage drops, understanding electrical symbols, how to wire all the different rooms in a house, and of course the all-important section on electrical safety, which is absolutely important so I can ensure that I’m physically able (like being alive) so I can keep working with electricity. There’s nothing worse than getting to enjoy one’s work one moment and then pzzzzt… Read more…

The Solar FlexRack

This is an innovative new product designed to drastically cut the installation time for a new solar power system.  Also, instead of having a team of people, only 2-3 people are needed.  The Solar FlexRack works by coming pre-assembled, so that only a minimum of 2 people are needed to unfold and install it.  It’s much like a pre-fabricated house is made at the factory and shipped to the site, offering huge savings on installation time compared to building a house from individual studs.

This is a huge idea; the Solar FlexRack works for ground mounts as well as roof mounts.  It looks as though it’s designed for flat surfaces though; on roofs that are slanted as most residential homes will have, the Solar FlexRack’s angle will be too steep to optimally catch direct sunlight.  However, if you’re a business with a flat roof as most businesses are, this will really be a time and cost-saver.