Danman1 - most things you power with a generator have 2 power requirements. 1 is running load, the other is starting load. I run a fridge, an air-conditioner, some lights, and a few fans. Occasionally we run a TV or radio and a computer for news and information pertinent after a major disaster (hurricane). Depending on what you choose to run, in practice you will realize it is likely not possible to draw 100% power all the time. The air-conditioner draws 1,500 watts running, but draws 2,400 when the compressor cycles ON. The fridge draws 850 running and 2,475 when starting. So here I am running the AC and the load is 1,500 watts I have a few lights on using 200 watts, and the TV is on drawing 150 watts. I have on 4 fans circulating the air in the rooms I am cooling keeping the temperature even using an additional 400 total watts. This is 2,250watts and easily handled by the generator. Suddenly the fridge turns on. This draws an additonal 2,475 watts during starting. I am now drawing 4,725 watts and that is below the 5,000 rated and 6,250 surge rating so I am good. I could turn on a few more lights, maybe turn on the radio too. But the point is the maximum I can really run has to be the start-up surges + what is running and this must not exceed the nameplate max surge. Since there is a very real possibility of the AC and the Fridge cycling together occasionally I need to make sure I am subtracting the total surge that would produce from the surge rating of the generator. That leaves me with 1,375 watts to power "non surge loads" such as lights and the radio etc. So If I max out the non surge loads and the AC and Fridge are running at their running loads I am using 3,725 watts. I also have the overhead surge for when and if the AC and the fridge cycle together. If you run exclusively non-surge loads (like all incandescant light bulbs) then I could run (50) 100-watt lights, or 50 miles of electric fencing. But it is impossible to run my generator at FULL LOAD continually given what I choose to run. The only exception to that is when we turn off the fridge and the AC, and run the water heater 4,500 watts along with the bath and shower lights, and the humidity fan. It draws a total of 4,750 watts but the water heater only heats for 20-30 minutes then it cycles off when the water reaches temp again. (Yes it is very noticable listening to the generator when the 4,500 watt load ceases and I am only drawing 250 now for a fan and a few lights.) If I had the water heater on drawing 4,500 watts, and I left the fridge breaker on, that would be 5,350 watts and not good for the generator, but what would be worse is the fridge being off, but the breaker on, and the hot water heater drawing 4,500 watts... suddenly the fridge tries to start. I say tries, because that would need 6,975 watts The max surge rating is 6,250. I do not want to try this and find out, but I think there may be a bright flash from the generator, and then everything plugged in would shut off. Everyones needs differ. I use my genset for emergency power during likely a widespread long term power outage. Fuel use is a factor so I do not load my generator up to the max running load less the surge requirements because it DOES require more fuel to operate at 3,500 running watts than it does at 2,475 running watts. How can we know this is true? Well, simply it requires more energy input to get more energy output. As to my using say a 5hp generator instead of a 10hp unit.. the 5hp unit may handle all the running loads, but it does not handle the surge requirement of the fridge and AC cycling, so it was ruled out. Hey, I would love a 5hp generator that could handle the surge loads AND run for 24 hours on 5-gallons. Nobody offers one though. If you find one, please post it here. Until then I am stuck with the larger engine running at part power normally, with the balance there for the starting loads that happen on and off.

Wow that's a new one for me.......boil some pasta in an aluminum pot containing fluoridated tap water and risk Alzheimer's!! The theory being that 1 ppm fluoride (sodium) in fluoridated drinking water will somehow convert into a dangerous level of aluminum fluoride at cooking temperatures, and the nearly insoluble aluminum fluoride thus formed will somehow make its way into the brain.....talk about a scientific stretch!!!!! I guess if we used this same scientific reasoning we could deduce that boiling fluoridated water in our aluminum pans will eventually build up a non-stick fluoropolymer Teflon-like layer (polytetrafluoroethylene). Hummmmm....wonder if I should apply for a grant to conduct that study? Contrary to what the alarmist in our society believe, aluminum is quiet safe to use.....and its documented safety is based on many years of empirical data and studies by a whole host of professionals (industrial hygienist, toxicologist, Doctors, metallurgist, chemists, etc). It would have been banned years ago were it a real problem. The whole world drinks soft drinks and beer in aluminum cans. Beer and soft drinks contain carbonic acid which can attack aluminum just like acidic tomato sauce. Club aluminum is a cast aluminum product like Magnalite. Because it is cast formed rather than roll formed, it tends to conduct heat all the way up the side of the pot similar to a cast iron vessel. Because of this property they make good dutch ovens or roasters. I find that these pots/pans cook quite well. The cast aluminum pans that I have, however, do not have the non-stick coating so I can't comment on their qualities. Dan

I like them. If they are for a place the receiver enjoys, they can be just as thoughtful as a perfectly selected gift. I love to just get out of the house for a couple hours to myself and spend it browsing Barnes & Noble with a latte from Starbucks. But I'd drop $30 just to get a little me time. So when someone gives me the gift cards to those places, they have given a gift of "me time." I think of them while I'm there, and I'm very thankful they did that for me. My mom sent me one for Christmas to JCPenney so I could pick some new clothes for the new job. She can't be here to shop with me, and if she chose them they might not fit, I need to try them on. What I needed was to do a little shopping, and she sent me shopping trip. Very thoughtful. I gave gift cards to a couple who help me out a lot with kids' activity transportation. I could spend hours picking a gift to show my appreciation. But I spent 10 minutes stopping by a restaurant and movie theatre for gift cards so they can spend few hours together. I bought them a date night, and threw in child care from me. Dinner, movie and babysitter add up, but what couple doesn't need that? So I don't think they are thoughtless at all. Of course they can be. If someone sent DH one to Starbucks he would give it to me. So that just shows no knowledge of what he likes at all. It's not the card or the gift, both can be selected well or badly.

Concerning gift cards, be sure to check to see if they have an expiration date (many of them actually do!). If you have a daily-reminder wall calendar, mark the expiration dates down. I'd put a note on, say, 6 months in advance and other sporadic dates saying "You have a $50 Borders card to use up!" so that they remind you that you've got them tucked away and need to redeem them. There's nothing worse than realizing too late that you've lost out on $50 of shopping power. For all those store "preferred customer cards," here's what I do. Most of them I put on a keyring. For cards I use frequently that didn't offer a keyring version, I punch a hole in the corner (away from the bar code or swipey strip). In my purse, I also carry a small rectangular zip pouch that I carry coupons, receipts, paint chips, etc. in, and I tuck in most of the other cards I have and the Bed Bath & Beyond 20%-off coupons (I never shop there without one!). Sometimes I'm tempted to just leave that pouch in the glove compartment (as long as none of those receipts have my full credit card number on them!), so it's there if I need it. Always happens that if I leave the pouch at home, that'll be the time that I need something in it.