Hmmm...you are so smart! I'll check into that, although I'll still be left with the $130 question: "Do I really need to spend the money?" But it will open up options.
Today the Fed Ex guy is bringing me a new single waffle - waffle iron. He will also have an ulrasonic cleaner for hubby's new contact lens and my new blood pressure monitor .. it's going to be like Christmas !
So when I ordered those O2 absorbers, I also got an attachment for my blowtorch: It's akin to the torch used in a kitchen for creme brulee, except it's meant to put a sear/crust on meats (beef, chicken, lamb, veal) that have been cooked sous vide. The idea is to use this alone, or in conjunction with a hot cast iron skillet. You want to put the sear to it quickly so you don't further cook the meat. Sear/crust imparts flavor. This is called the Maillard Reaction. It applies to many foods (baked foods such as breads and cookies, toasted marshmallows, etc.) This is one of the less-expensive ones (under $20) but was still highly rated. Amazon sells a professional model at around $80 that looks like a shower head, so the flame gets more dispersed so you sear a larger area faster, but I'm not that obsessed with it. In fact, my cast iron skillet does a reasonable job, but this gives me another good excuse to play with fire inside my house.
I got my Amazon monthly Subscribe and Save order, and the usually surly look from my postal carrier. Also bought some new sheepskin inserts for my husband's Uggs moccasin slippers, some new leggings for me, and a kit to repair a squeaky subfloor without removing carpet. My exercise room upstairs has developed an annoying squeak when I'm enthusiastic. (Which isn't that often, frankly. ) And if anyone is curious about that, Tom from This Old House will demonstrate. (4 minute video)
That was an interesting video. I love that kind of stuff. I gotta think you cannot test to find the joist with a standard drill bit because the carpet will get all raveled around it. I happened to be watching one of those shows where the guy was repairing a stippled ceiling. He tinted/thinned a bit of DAP Spackle with ceiling paint, and sponged it onto the bare spot. Well, fast-forward some number of years to when I moved into this place, and I replaced a ceiling fixture that has been stippled around and I was left with a bare spot I need to fill in. That trick worked like magic!
I asked my husband why not use one of those "stud finder" things and he said he'd try that but the carpet plus pad might make it difficult to use. We have berber carpet upstairs and a snag could cause a big unraveling event, so we'll see what happens.
I have yet to buy a stud finder that worked very well. Perhaps the framing in my walls is weird. I suspect the secret to that tiny bit is to pull the carpet aside so you're right on the backing...but then there are the screws. And there is no pile to your carpet. "Find an inconspicuous spot..."
LOL I sure do ! I also remember all the catalogs my poor mail carrier had to deliver ! I still get a couple but nothing like before the internet.
Truly!!! Toys R Us, Service Merchandise, Bell's catalog, Sears, Monkey Wards, and literally tons of others. Two required bathroom reading materials: -Reader's Digest -Spencer's Gifts