You mean instead of paying it as the house is being constructed? That's not a dumb question....I was totally confused about that as well. In the case of our loan, and I imagine most, the interest is paid on the money that the bank is giving the builder as he draws it. I was wondering why my husband was so keen on making sure that the first draws were paid with cash that was left over from the proceed of the sale of our house, before dipping into the loan...now I know. Those interest payments keep getting bigger and bigger each month...I really want my house finished quick!! I also asked why we just couldn't pay the interest at the end with the mortgage, but apparently our loan isn't set up that way. Stinks...and makes me think that building is WAYYY more expensive than buying an already built home. I wish we could have bought the house we are building SPEC! ;) ('Course, then it wouldn't be anything like what we want, so I guess that is the trade-off!)

Posting a reply so it won't remain at the top. Oy...

Jasdip, eggplant is wonderful!! Especially roasted. But most Americans way undercook it. It's done when it looks like snot. Literally. If it's white, it's not cooked and likely bitter. People tell you you have to salt it to draw away the bitter but I can't tell the difference. It's sweet if it's cooked, and bitter and nasty if it isn't. If you don't want to go to the mess of charring it over a fire, you can do it under the broiler. Just wash the whole eggplant, poke it all over with a fork to break the skin and let the steam out (you do not want an exploding eggplant), and put it in a pie plate, under the broiler, until it's all sunken in and charry looking. Turn it at least once (more if there's another side that hasn't been up--depends on size and shape). You can use a casserole dish if you don't have a pie plate (I use Pyrex which is dead easy to clean), but the lower the sides the less you have to turn it. Temperature can be from 375-450 depending on your druthers, but I wouldn't go higher with a big eggplant because the outside will get totally charred before the inside is cooked. You can if they're the skinny ones, but then you have to watch them like a hawk. It could take 45-90 minutes depending on the oven, temperature, and size of eggplant. Once it's done, let it cool enough to touch, then slice open, use a spoon to pull out the heaviest groups of seeds, then just scoop the eggplant out, getting all the roasty brown parts. You can make it into a salad or paste, add tehinah for baba ganouj, or just use it straight. The fire version takes a lot more tending, but gives a smokier flavor, even when it's just your gas burner. Poke all over, and keep turning every couple of minutes before the charred spots go black. As you turn the eggplant, the hot side will cool down and can take another go over the flames. This will result in eggplant spit all over your burner, so not the thing to do right after a big, deep clean. You can also do very skinny Asian eggplants, cut into spears, oiled and seasoned (a citrusy flavor works very well, and garlic, for sure), and roast them like you would any other veg. It's a little tricky getting them good and cooked without drying out though. I use a higher sided baking dish for them. Sometimes, a dry, white outside remains when it's thoroughly cooked inside. They're best when the whole white collapses against the skin, looking flat and overdone. That's when they're just right. Can you tell I love eggplant?

Set-back thermostats may soon be your best friend. Steam/hydronic heat generally doesn't have that "instant gratification" of standing over a forced-air vent in your bathrobe first thing in the morning. Certainly with the older systems, it takes a relatively long time for the radiators to heat up -- but they also take a long time to "cool down" so you end up with different kind of heating experience. The "why" is that you have to heat a large amount of piping and radiators, as well as potentially water/steam before you "feel" the heat, as opposed to just heating a little air and blowing it through the duct. Its not necessarily "slow" (or inefficient) in heating the house in general compared to forced air, but doesn't have those "hot spots" that can be so satisfying. For me, I've generally had older systems and have the "turn on" time about an hour before I wake up and, on work days, it reverts to the "cool daytime" temperature about when I wake up, so that its just starting to cool off when I'm packing to head off for the day. Your own "lead time" will vary depending on the kind of system you have, how much heat it produces per hour ("BTU per hour"), how well insulated your house is, and how much heat you lose from drafts and the like.