It’s been a hectic past couple of weeks for me in terms of Spring cleaning, or should I say, Spring accumulation. I’ve made the decision to amp up (pun intended) my stereo system (living room) as well as start decorating the room up with real furniture pieces and also decided to start the overdue and much delayed landscaping project. Here’s some updates:
Stereo:
Lots of changes, but my new set up will be nearly complete after tomorrow, when I get the last piece of the puzzle (for now)…
Before:
Parasound CA-220 Integrated Amplifier 20w/ch
Harman Kardon HD7325 CD Player
Numark PT-01 Portable Direct Drive Turntable
Monoprice RCA to Stereo Line Input for MP3
Monoprice IPOD Dock
Infinity Satellite Speakers x 4
After:
Cambridge Azur 640A Integrated Amplifier 75w/ch
Audio Control Model C-101 Series Two Graphic Equalizer
Harman Kardon HD7325 CD Player
Pro-Ject Debut III Belt-Drive Turntable
Logitech/Slim Devices Squeezebox v3 Internet Streaming Media Center
Athena AS-FS 2 Floorstanding Speakers
Acoustic Research 280V Bookshelf Speakers
It’s a good starter audiophile system I think. Lots of high quality stuff on the lower spectrum of audiophile equipment, which is all I can and should afford. 
The squeezebox is quite an amazing piece of gadgetry. I’ll have to write a full article on it later.
Living Room:
The living space has seen quite a few upgrades the past 2 or 3 weeks which include the stereo equipment above, as well as the all new furniture everywhere. As we’re talking stereo, I also upgraded the ClosetMaid (from Target/Lowes) modular cabinet/shelfs which were barely supporting my equipment (weight issues!) with Sanus modular stereo racks which I found for cheap on craigslist. Those things were a bit difficult to decide to get because the pictures dont actually do them justice. They look a lot better with real components in them at home. I also bought a new couch, green fiber/fabric, to replace to futon which was moved upstairs, from kasala. In 2 weeks, I’ll finally get my Kasala chair in. I also decided to get a minature version of the Expedit Ikea shelf for up here even though I think its a little weird to have two of the same furnitures in one house. But this shelf is PERFECT for storing LPs so what can I say?
I also put up window blinds, faux wood, that I had bought custom made from Lowes last summer but never got to put it up. I bought a drill/driver finally and got it done pretty quickly!
To go along with all of this, I ordered up a couple Canvas prints of two of the photos I’ve taken with my DSLR that I really liked. I hope these turn out well, because canvas is freakin expensive! Also got some cheapo rugs from Ikea to fill some floor space for the chair coming in.
Landscaping:
Lots of stuff going on here. Mowing the lawn sucks. I got to finally lay down black plastic everywhere I wanted to and that’s actually a bigger pain than you’d imagine. Hopefully in a couple weeks the grass will be gone and I can start treating it with some round up to kill any remaining weeds. I also put some moss killer on my grass this past weekend, so I may have to follow that up with some grass growing stuff (fertilizer?) to fill in the missing holes. Lots of stuff! I also need to clean, scrub, and eventually stain my deck. Did a quick cleaning coat this past weekend, but really need to sand off some moldy areas.
LOTS OF STUFF. LOTS OF STIMULATING THE ECONOMY FROM ME. Yikes.
Tags: acoustic research, art, athena, audiophile, cambridge azur, cd player, couch, decorating, garden, ipod, landscaping, lawncare, living room, lp, mp3, music, photography, plants, pro-ject, squeezebox, stereo, trees, turntable, vinyl, yard work