|
|
Greetings!
At Home
You Just Never Know What You're Going To Find
January 
Did we or didn't we?
As we prepare this issue of At Home the big question on everyone's lips is...will we go over the fiscal cliff? Now, if we did, then perhaps as you read this we are plummeting into a crevasse so deep and so unnerving that we will surely never survive. Or, we will all simply be more broke than ever.
However, the optimists among us (yes there are still a few) are confident that whether we went sailing off the cliff or not that the sun will come up in the east, that you will still be able to catch a train to the city, make a right turn on red, and above all hopefully be surrounded by your friends and family as the new year begins. While it is true that it is always darkest before the dawn, the dawn does come and with it both illumination and reason for hope.
Wow...that was deeper than was intended. After all At Home is supposed to be about a few minutes of escape from the daily rigors of life. So...let's get on with a new year and a new issue with this one promise - we'll be here if you need us.
|
|
Jan. 1, 1890 - the First Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena is held.
|
First Alert
If - you have a gas furnace that is more than 15 years old - you might want to read this section.
 Effective May 1 - Federal legislation mandates that homeowners in the northern part of the US - including all of CT - will no longer be able to purchase or install - any gas furnace that doesn't meet a 90% AFUE rating. What does that mean to you?
It could mean that - when you eventually need a new gas furnace -
you may have to: move its placement in your basement
and/or have issues with venting the exhaust
and/or have issues with condensate disposal.
You very well may not be able to simply put a 90%AFUE system where your current furnace resides. That will mean considerably more costly installation costs for a new furnace. As a result - Aiello has purchased and is ready to install new 80% AFUE rated Lennox gas furnaces at special pre-May 1 installation pricing that can save you up to $1000. If you are thinking about replacing your furnace we recommend that you speak to one of our replacement specialists who can show you the new Federal requirements and help you make an informed decision. If you'd like to speak to someone at Aiello - please call: 860 254 4673
|
|
Jan 12, 1969 - The Jets Win! The Jets Win - The Super Bowl!
|
|
Special Guest Star
 First quiz of the year.
Who is this person and what is he famous for?
Oh, is it hard?
It's supposed to be.
If you know - tell us here - and perhaps a $25 Target Gift Card will be coming your way.
|
|
Can We Get Some Love?
It's that time of year again.
The Best of Hartford Magazine survey's are out.
IF - you've been happy with Aiello's service over the last year or three - would you please give us a vote. It would meant the world to all of us here.
Vote here: hartfordmag.com/bestof2013. And thank you.
|
|
Jan 10, 1863 - the London Underground Railway opens
|
Is it cold in here or is it just me?
 Look at it this way - there are at least 140 days of winter to go. Argggghhh. Make sure that your heating system is tuned-up. Take advantage of our special offer. Just call and say, Hello....Aiello! $99 12 Pt. Gas Furnace Tune-up* $149 12 Pt. Oil Furnace Tune-up* Call Now:
860 254 4673 *some restricitions apply. Residential gas system tune ups $99 plus tax and disposal fees if applicable. Oil tune-ups $149 plus tax and disposal fees if applicable. Must mention this offer when you call. Subject to availability during the holiday period. Aiello reserves the right to take no-heat calls on a priority basis. Cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or coupons. Offer ends 1/31/13
|
|
Jan 8, 1835 - the US National Debt is $0 for the only time!
|
Times Change - Dr. Who Doesn't
Admittedly, not everyone is a Dr. Who fan.
I don't know who that person is - but for those of you who love the Doctor in all his various forms we thought we'd share with you this item...the Tardis (his space-time continuum traveling phone booth) over the years.
Enjoy the ride.
|
|
Jan. 16, 1909 - Ernest Schackleton's expedition finds the magnetic So. Pole. (who knew it was lost?)
|
|
A Sample of the Top 10 of 2012
Books ARCADIA. By Lauren Groff. (Voice/Hyperion, $25.99.) Groff's lush and visual second novel begins at a rural commune and links that utopian past to a dystopian, post-global-warming future.
BRING UP THE BODIES. By Hilary Mantel. (Macrae/Holt, $28.)
Mantel's sequel to "Wolf Hall" traces the fall of Anne Boleyn, and makes the familiar story fascinating and suspenseful again.
CANADA. By Richard Ford. (Ecco/HarperCollins, $27.99.) A boy whose parents rob a bank in Montana in 1960 takes refuge across the border in this mesmerizing novel, driven by fully realized characters and an accomplished prose style. 
ENCHANTMENTS. By Kathryn Harrison. (Random House, $27.) Harrison's splendid and surprising novel of late imperial Russia centers on Rasputin's daughter Masha and the hemophiliac czarevitch Alyosha.
GATHERING OF WATERS. By Bernice L. McFadden. (Akashic, $24.95.) Three generations of black women confront floods and murder in Mississippi.
SAN MIGUEL. By T. Coraghessan Boyle. (Viking, $27.95.)
Two utopians from different eras establish private idylls on California's desolate Channel Islands; this novel preserves their tantalizing dreams.
SILENT HOUSE. By Orhan Pamuk. Translated by Robert Finn. (Knopf, $26.95.) A family is a microcosm of a country on the verge of a coup in this intense, foreboding novel, first published in Turkey in 1983.
SWEET TOOTH. By Ian McEwan. (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, $26.95.) The true subject of this smart and tricky novel, set inside a cold war espionage operation, is the border between make-believe and reality.
TELEGRAPH AVENUE. By Michael Chabon. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) Chabon's rich comic novel about fathers and sons in Berkeley and Oakland, Calif., juggles multiple plots and mounds of pop culture references in astonishing prose.
WATERGATE. By Thomas Mallon. (Pantheon, $26.95.) This novelistic reimagining of the "third-rate burglary" proposes surprising motives for the break-in and the 18-minute gap, and has a sympathetic Nixon.
Film (one man's opinion)
Life of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook
Lawless
Skyfall
Lincoln
Argo
The Sessions
Moonrise Kingdom
Finding Nemo 3D
Zero Dark Thirty
Top 10 iTunes' Official Music Charts
"Scream & Shout (feat. Britney Spears)," will.i.am
"My Life (feat. Eminem & Adam Levine)," 50 Cent
"Locked Out of Heaven," Bruno Mars
"Gangnam Style," PSY
"Ho Hey," The Lumineers
"Home", Phillip Phillips
"Die Young," Ke$ha
"Diamonds," Rihanna
"Girl On Fire (feat. Nicki Minaj)," Alicia Keys
"I Cry," Flo Rida
|
|
Jan 14, 1952 - the NBC Today Show debuts
|
|
Where the Heck Are We?
Sure, it's always simple John, Nancy, Jay, Gretchen, Bonnie, Philip, Todd, Joann, Jack, and Pat!
You always know the location of that secret getaway that we feature every month. So...we're turning the tables. We're hiding in plain sight. Tell us where we are, be specific, and you'll win $25 Target Gift Card. Ha. Let's see you get this one!
|
Jan 31, 1930 - Scotch Tape is first marketed by 3M
|
Last Month's Winners
Last month's winners: Donna R knew they wear polka dots in the Phillipines and Rhonda S picked White Christmas as her favorite film!
|
|
Jan 24, 41 - Caligula is assassinated by his guards.
Claudius becomes Emperor
|
Special January
Electrical & Plumbing Offers
We're trying something different this month.
Pick Any Three Services - One Low Price. Your Choice!
Pick Any 3
Electrical Projects
$349.95*
* Replace GFI outlet
* Reset Breakers & Inspection
* Replace Smoke Detector
* Replace Carbon Monoxide Detector
* Add Surge Protector
* Replace up to 3 Single Pole Switches
* Replace up to 3 Duplex Receptacles (limitations apply)
* Replace ceiling fan (customer supplied)
* Replace light fixture (customer supplied)
* Replace Single Pole Breaker
* Replace 2 - 3-way Switches
* Install a Dimmer Switch
Plus All Packages Include FREE
Whole House Electrical Inspection
Call today:
860 254 4673
Pick Any 3
Plumbing Projects
$399.95*
* Replace Toilet Supply Line & Flapper
* Snake Slow Bath or Kitchen Drain
* Main Line Sewer Snake Maintenance (no clog)
* Camera Inspection for Sewer Main Line
* Replace up to 6 Faucet Aerators
* Replace Plastic "P" Trap under Kitchen or Bath Sink
* Replace Chrome Pop-up Assembly on Sink
* Replace up to 2 Shower Heads (Aiello supplied incl.)
* Replace Standard Kitchen Faucet Cartridge
* Replace Outdoor Spigot (not including ball valve)
* Replace Shut-off Valve for Sink or Toilet
* Replace Standard Ball Valve
Plus All Packages Include FREE
Whole House Plumbing Inspection
Fix those things that need fixing - now!
Call today:
860 254 4673
*Cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts, coupons or price reductions. Must call by 1/15/13 for work to be completed by 2/1/13. Not applicable to previous sales.
|
|
Jan. 22, 1984 - the Apple Macintosh is introduced during The Super Bowl
|
New Year's Traditions
You're closing up the place. Nice and tight. Just want to get through winter safe and sound. Well, here are a few safety tips to keep in mind.
-
First Footing - is an ancient European New Year's custom that continues into the present in many areas. The first person to enter a home after midnight on the first day of the year should be a male, preferably with dark hair. Blondes may have been associated with Vikings - visitors who never brought good luck. The first-footer should carry a gift, such as a coin for prosperity, bread for food, salt for flavor, or whiskey to represent good cheer. Our Aiello reps will carry salt with them this year.
- Irish Wind - There is an Irish tradition of predicting the political future of the country by checking which way the wind blows at midnight on New Year's Eve. If the wind is from the west, there is a chance that good fortune will reign that year. If the wind is from the east, however, the British will prevail. If there is no wind we suspect that life will go on as it always does.
- Lavish Parties - Madeira, a Portuguese island, holds a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the most lavish New Year's party. In 2007, 8,000 fireworks per minute made up the display in Funchal, the capital city, for a total of 600,000 fireworks. Visitors from around the world fill the tiny harbor, where the dazzle is reflected. We're booking a trip.
- "Auld Lang Syne" has been called the most familiar song to which nobody knows the words. But this year, you will! Written by Robert Burns and first published after his death in 1796, the song became an instant standard in 1929 when Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played it on New Year's Eve, broadcasting from the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The title literally means, "Old Long Time." Roughly translated, here are the words:
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for days of auld lang syne.
We two have run around the hills
And pulled the daisies fine.
But we've wandered many a weary foot
Since the days of auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream
From morn till the sun was down.
But seas between us two have roared
Since days of auld lang syne.
So here's a hand my trusty friend.
Give us a hand of thine.
We'll take a good-will drink again
For auld lang syne.
|
Jan 29, 1845 -"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe is published and the phrase, "Never more," enters the language.
|
|
OK, so that happened. But still, the boat looks pretty good.
|
|
Enjoy Your January
Sincerely, Aiello Home Services   | | Please like us on Facebook |
|
|
|
|
|
