Invisalign

Today is my first day using Invisalign. I’m thrilled about finally having straight teeth, but I hope it gets easier. It literally took me 5 minutes to take out each retainer. I did some research and found some tips on how to easily remove them. I hope this is helpful:

1. Make sure your mouth is warm.
2. Begin to remove from the molars forward.
3. Paper towel for grip.
4. Don’t Rush.

These tips have made me confident enough to take the Invisalign out. It’s comforting knowing that I’m not the only one who has been through this. 

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How To: Protect Your Heart

I stumbled upon this article from Men’s Health. It had some pretty interesting facts as well. Here are the top 5 I liked.

1. Ten minutes of skin-to-skin contact (hand-holding, hugs) with your mate can help keep your blood pressure and pulse from spiking during stressful times.
2. Men who burn just 50 calories a day in strenuous activities like swimming and hiking are 62 percent less likely to die of heart disease than men who burn nearly seven times as many calories—340 per day—during less active pursuits like walking and golfing.
3. Anything that causes your heart to race—slasher flicks, a good book, even being in love—also makes your heart stronger, according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Upsetting the rhythm once in a while is like hitting your heart’s reset button, which helps it keep on ticking.
4. Smile. Researchers at Harvard kept tabs on 1,300 healthy men for 10 years. At the end of the study, they found that individuals with the most positive attitudes at the start of the trial were half as likely to have experienced heart problems as men with more negative attitudes.
5. Play hard. Any regular vigorous physical activity reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, even if performed for only 5 to 10 minutes at a time.

How To Choose Amplifier For Your Car

1. Ask a salesperson or installer what power rating you should consider, based on your existing stereo, speakers and musical taste.
2. Select two or three amplifiers to compare.
3. Compare amplifiers’ power ratings using the same parameters – ohms rating, voltage or frequency. (Most people in the industry use ohms rating as the standard of comparison, and set the standard at 4 ohms.)
4. Ask the salesperson to plug the possible amplifiers into a radio and speakers that are similar to the ones in your car.
5. Listen to the performance of each amplifier and select the one that sounds best to you.
6. Check the physical size of the amplifier to make sure it will fit where you plan to put it.
7. Gather as much technical information about your car’s current stereo and speakers as you can.
8. Determine where you intend to place the amplifier in your car.
9. Measure the area and write down the dimensions.

More Tips and FYI

• Choose an amplifier that’s stable down to 2 ohms. This will prove beneficial if you intend to add subwoofers to your system later.
•  If the amplifier and the radio can both accept two pairs of RCA cables, you’ll be able to use the radio’s fader control. If the amplifier or radio can take only one pair of RCA cables, the fader won’t function.
•  The amplifier should have gain (volume) controls for the front and rear channels.
•  Choose an amplifier that has built-in low-pass and high-pass crossovers.
•  If your car radio doesn’t have a low-level output, your amplifier will need a high-level input. This allows you to connect the speaker wires from the radio directly to the amplifier.
•  Select a location where the amplifier will get plenty of air so it won’t overheat.

 

Did You Know: How to remove 2008 Ford Focus Radio

I’ve put it upon myself to update my car’s sound system this summer. This came about after my brother totaled his car and I was left with his 2 12 inch Alpine sub woofers and still in great condition. I was doing some reasearch on the matter and apperently there are quite a few things that need to be done first. It isn’t required to remove the factory radio that came with the car, but I figure “why not” might as well do it big if I’m going to do anything at all. I drive a 2008 Ford Focus and this is how you remove the radio:

1) You want to start off by pulling the e-brake all the way up as far as you can. I also found it helps to put the key in the ignition (you don’t need to start it) and put your automatic transmission into D or L. This will just make it easier when you pull off the plastic that surround it.

2). Open the middle storage compartment and pry the plastic up with a flathead screwdriver (see picture below).

3) Once you remove the center plastic that surrounds the e-brake and shift stick you need to remove the 2 screws that secure the bottom of the radio unit into place (please see the below picture).

4) Using a flathead screwdriver pry the plastic plate on the passenger side (where the airbag is located). This won’t come all the way off, as there’s a screw keeping it from doing so. You should be able to to get it off enough to be able to remove the radio.

5) Remove the two screws holding the plastic that surrounds the steering wheel.

6) Lower the steering wheel all the way and remove this plastic.

7) Remove the vents above the top of the radio dash unit.

8) Remove the two screws holding the radio in place.

9) Starting from the bottom begin to pull the dash unit out.

I hope this helps for anyone who wants to try this. I apologize for not knowing technical words for things or for my lack of explanations. I hope the pictures speak pretty much for themselves. Good luck!