It all started about nine months ago, when my wife and I decided it would be a good idea to modernize our home. It took a lot of talking about because neither of us genuinely wanted to take the job on as we both have active business lives. However, one Sunday afternoon, I took the bull by the horns and started to strip the paper off the walls and the ceiling in the kitchen. My wife soon joined in.
It took us a month to finish it, because we only had Saturday afternoons and Sunday, but we found that we enjoyed the physical work, we both have desk jobs, and we really enjoyed working and planning together. It was a new but pleasing experience for us.
So, on the day we finished, we prepared a special meal and laid the table by the book. After the meal, we sat down to watch a film on TV. But neither of us had been able to do that for a month and we both felt restless. My wife said something like: ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have another project to do?’ and I reckon we both had the same idea at the same time.
The spare bedroom! Well, our kids had families of their own now, so we actually had three spare bedrooms. We decided to turn one of them into a home theater. Neither of us particularly liked watching TV, but we both liked films which are normally ruined by too much advertising.
We went up to the smallest room, but it was too small so, like Goldilocks we went to the next, but ended up in the biggest room, so that we could entertain friends or family too. Neither of knew what to do next about the home movie centre, but we knew that we could clear the room out and measure it, which is what we did. All the furniture went into the garage until the charity shop could take it away and we went to the computer to get assistance.
There was tons of advice on websites and in articles and we soon felt confident enough to take the venture on. We transferred the dimensions of the room in scale onto a sheet of paper and drew in where the screen would go and where we would be sitting. The distance left between us and the screen would be about 15 feet.
We had read that the best viewing distance is between three times and five times the diameter of the screen, so we could choose a screen between sixty inches and 36 inches. Being in our fifties, we though we would make it easier on our eyes and opted for a forty-eight inch plasma screen.
We ordered that from the Internet. We had also read that the Xbox was a good double as a DVD player and we knew that our grandson was always on about one, so that was next. We were a bit stuck with the speakers, but my brother could help me on that one. We had about a week before our equipment would arrive, so we determined to redecorate in the evenings.
Once complete, we installed all our equipment with my brother’s help and we were off. At first we used a couple of sun loungers as seating, but we fairly soon got two delightfully comfortable reclining chairs and two couches for visitors. We may upgrade those later and put in dimmable lighting too, but for now we are very pleased with our home movie system and so is our grandson.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Home Theater Screens. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site.
US Holidays And Holy Days
Congress and the president have designated ten days as federal holidays. Being ‘federal’, these holidays theoretically only pertain to federal employees and residents of the District of Columbia, although they are so widely observed that they can be thought of as national holidays.
Legally, it is up to each individual state to designate public holidays. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the Friday before or the Monday after is given in lieu to make a long weekend.
New Year’s Day (January 1) – celebrating the New Year dates back to pre-Christian times, when rites were performed to try to ensure the return of Spring.
Martin Luther King Jnr. Day (third Monday in January) – before he was shot dead in 1968, Martin Luther King Jnr. was the foremost civil rights leader of the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Congress set this day aside to celebrate his life and achievements in 1983.
Washington’s Birthday (third Monday in February) – originally it was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, the 22nd of February, but it was moved in 1971 to make a long weekend. It is occasionally known as Presidents’ Day, because it is close to Lincoln’s birthday on the 12th February.
Memorial Day (last Monday in May) – also called Decoration Day, it honours soldiers fallen in battle.It dates from the Civil War and is customarily marked by parades and services.
Independence Day (4th July) – this, the most significant US holiday, marks the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. It was first celebrated in 1777 and is marked by fireworks, parades and speeches.
Labor Day (first Monday in September) – this, the proposal of Peter J. McGuire, the president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, was adopted in 1894 to honour American workers.
Columbus Day (second Monday in October) – Christopher Columbus and his crew landed in the Bahamas on Oct 12th 1492. It was first celebrated in 1792, although it was not formally recognized until 1909. It is a source of special pride to Italian-Americans, who claim the Genoan explorer as their own.
Veterans Day (Nov 11th) – or Armistice Day marks the end of the First World War on Nov 11th 1918. It was made a legal holiday in 1938, but its name was changed in 1954 to honour all American veteran soldiers.
Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) – it was first celebrated in Plymouth County, Massachusetts in 1621, the year in which the Pilgrims landed in the New World to give thanks for the new harvest and the new land they had colonized. President Lincoln proclaimed it a holiday in 1863.
Christmas Day (December 25th) – Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Franklin Covey planner refillss If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars