Carbon Monoxide!?

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Weird. The smoke alarm went off, not incredibly odd when I am using the fireplace, but it wasn't the smoke detector. It was the CO alarm. I was totally surprised. It had never gone off as long as I have had one, over many many years. Yep, after resetting it a few times. It was getting a reading over 200 ppm CO. When I took it downstairs I got a reading near 300 ppm. I started getting light headed at this point. After thinking maybe the furnace heat exchanger failed and puzzling around a bit I figured out what happened. As part of the huge winter storm that recently covered almost half of the US, we lost our electricity. So, being well prepared, I rolled out the generator and started doing what I normally do. The generator (although it was completely outside) was creating CO to get in the house. Using the fireplace draft (and possibly other leaks) the whole house created a vacuum around the seal of the basement garage door. After the CO got into the house the forced air heat...
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I am back in Atlanta, Duluth actually. The way airline security is setup at ATL it is a pain coming back from overseas. You have to go through security of some kind three times. So, with Atlanta being my final destination after returning from overseas I have to get searched. What I mean is that when I arrive home I have to go through security just like I was getting on a domestic flight. I had to surrender a water I purchased in the secure area at Heathrow airport before I could leave the Atlanta airport. It is not so much the surrendering the already-checked water, it is the glare you get from the Homeland Security bots. Nobody likes the glare. The situation exists largely because of the pre-homeland security layout of ATL. It is uncomfortable coming "home" and having to get security-searched (In addition to customs) just to leave the airport.

I stayed in an old manor house in England. It was nice and quite reasonable for someplace less than 30 minutes from Heathrow. It is a great stopping off place before heading back to the US. (Taplow House) The garden (assuredly albeit not in its heyday) is worth it.

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