Jake came over today and we were able to light up the furnace again. We were pretty confident we’d have some good results with our new design. Our last attempt fizzled pretty bad. We shorted out our fan motor and had to quit. It turns out that the fan isn’t powerful enough for our new setup any way. We went back to the vacuum cleaner set to blow.

We used cinder blocks to enclose the coals with a cookie sheet dividing the furnace from the plenum underneath. It got super hot this time. We were actually able to pour some decent ingets. We still have some things to work out but we are moving along.

We poured in to a plaster mold and that seemed to work ok. I think we might need to heat it or something to help the aluminum cool more evenly.

In other news, Kami is at her 2nd to last performance of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” along with my brother Alex and his girlfriend.  I’m going to go see it tomorrow with my friend Tyson and Jake and Carolyn.  I already saw a preview and it was really good so I’m sure it will be good tomorrow in full production.  I think she has a week off and then starts rehearsal for “To Kill a Mockingbird”  That should be good too.

That’s probably the theme of a lot of posts today. I’ll let other that are far more eloquent than me talk about how great our nation is and what a privilege it is to be living here. For the record, I completely agree.

Anyway, I got about at 5:30 to maintain my exercise regimen. I did my pushups and sit-ups then jogged for 4 miles on the treadmill while I watched the Formula 1 Friday 2nd practice from the British Grand Prix. After I had cooled down I took a shower. My ritual is to weigh my self just after the shower so I am consistent. I am happy to say that I am officially under 200 pounds now. I don’t think I have been under for at least 6 or 7 years. It feels really good to see the weight come off. I have to give a ton of credit to SparkPeople.com.  That is where we have been tracking our calorie intake and our exercise.  It has helped so much.  Plus I didn’t have to change what I ate so much as how much.  It all really can be drilled down to simple math.  Maintain a deficit of calories, eat less than you burn.  Anyway, I’ve lost 23 pounds since April.