Good point on communication. It is something with which I struggle. KSWL, Annie and GW, interesting thoughts. I think too many times history/ liberal arts and other "soft" social science majors do not market themselves properly. They have employable skills. I would argue desirable skills. Many jobs need young talent that can research, analyze data and communicate findings succinctly. Yet many of my classmates in my majors did not try to find internships in business, despite having strong statistical analysis and research skills. Many neglected internships all together and focused on summer jobs that paid the bills. I found despite my sociology/poli sci background i had my pick of decent paying summer internships and jobs after graduation. Then again I made sure future employers understood that I had transferable skills. However, I was lost and perhaps fell into the trap which kswl and GW mentioned. So I decided to stay in academia and pursue phd. I did well, but as mentioned previously it didn't feel like the perfect fit for me. Upsetting my family and my faculty advisors, i quit and switched to nursing. I love my career now. I am once again in graduate school pursuing a doctorate, but this time I have no doubts. I think It is imperative that we are able to pinpoint our transferable skills and package ourselves into a promotable brand. I think everyone can benefit from some form of sales job at a young age. Such a job can help one gather informational in a conversation then target the "sale" of oneself to the employer based on the information gained.

I got a Whirlpool 33 inch wide bottom load freezer /fridge at my new build about 2 months ago. My GC plugged it in immediately, since it was horrendously hot and he wanted to keep some cool water available (and his diabetes meds safely chilled). I was up there earlier today and the item has now been moved to its permanent location. It has been running for two months, and yes, I said, go run it.... even though it is not remotely containing enough items (and nothing at all in the freezer compartment) -- when I was there today it was so silent I had to open both doors to see that it was actually chilling and freezing in the respective compartments. I was at my build for about 2 hours and when it kicked "on" -- no apparent sounds! (Oh, yes, now that it is properly situated, I'm bringing up a bunch of frozen goods next visit so it can do its thing energy-efficiently -- and so I can defrost and shut down my stand-alone freezer I have back here at my original home... )

Alright, got some more quotes and we've pretty much made our decision. Here's the rundown: ORIGINAL QUOTES: -Wallside Windows (local manufacturer & installer with a solid reputation): $9,000, *double* pane -Berkshire Elite from Window Universe: $10,000, triple pane, steel reinforced sashes (which I feel is probably necessary given what I've seen on here about Berkshire Elites). -Sunrise "Premium Vinyl" (Sun Home Improvement, a local, highly rated contractor): $14,000, *double* pane -Sunrise "Premium Vinyl" (Sun Home Improvement): $17,000, triple pane, FiberCore reinforced NEW QUOTES: -Sunrise "Pure Core Platinum" (Pure Energy Windows, a local, highly rated dealer): $11,600, triple pane, foam insulated frames, but no special reinforcement. -Soft-Lite Pro Series (Pro Bros, a local, highly rated contractor): $13,700, triple pane, standard pro series reinforcement. -Soft-Lite Nirvana from Zen Windows: $17,000, triple pane... blah blah blah, too expensive. VERDICT: We signed up for the Sunrise "Pure Core Platinum" from Pure Energy at $11,600 (though I have 3 days to back out if I need to... but I'd rather not). This seems like a good price point for a good window that'll still hold up if we stay longer than our 5-8 year expectation. Highly rated dealer/installer, 50 year fully transferrable warranty (including accidental breakage), and after their initial in-person "pretend" first offer of $13,500, they brought it down to $11,600, which is where I wanted to end up. My final question is: Is it imperative that I go back to them asking for reinforcements of some sort? Sunrise does have something called "FiberCore" reinforcements in some of their other lines. I think the "Pure Core Platinum" is proprietary to Pure Energy, so I'm having a harder time finding exact details that allow me to compare it to others, though they tout themselves on having iUPVC vinyl that is supposedly stronger than other vinyl windows. I asked the salesman about FiberCore early on and he said their version doesn't have it, but that they have this stronger type of vinyl. Not sure what to make of that. I'll be going right by their showroom tomorrow so I could stop in and ask some more questions and get my hands on their samples again. Anything I should check out while I'm there? Thanks!

We just had all the Soft-Lite windows installed and I love how easy they are to open, and they definitely keep the heat out during our Kansas summer. But we are having an issue with closing the windows. It seems that the top sash drops a bit when the window is open, so when we close the window the latch isn't matching exactly for easy closure/locking. We have to raise the top sash a bit to get the latch to match with the lock in order to close and lock the window. That doesn't seem normal, shouldn't the upper sash stay in place, unless I physically lower it for cleaning? I've got a call into the installation company. We actually have to have two sashes be replaced on the kitchen window as the installer said it was too difficult to unlock the windows and open them, so I'm thinking there might be something not right with the other windows that are not able to be closed easier. Thanks for insight.