How I See It: Reflections on spirituality, technology, and the art of everyday life

After years of worrying about the electrical system in my 1989 home, I hired Mount Vista Electric for a major upgrade. The project included a new electrical panel, replacement switches and receptacles throughout the house, and five new circuits. This is my experience working with them. For some time, I have been worried about the electrical system in my home. The house was built in 1989, and I don't think there have been any major electrical upgrades apart from adding more strain to the existing system. I had outlets that were no longer working, occasional breakers tripping, and an electrical panel that was completely full, with no available breaker spaces for future work. At the same time, my demand for power was increasing, and I needed several new circuits. In the 1980s and 1990s, I worked as a programmer and general manager for a commercial electrical engineering and electrical contracting company that designed, installed, and upgraded electrical systems for new and existi...

This week's update is part of my ongoing Weekly Update series and covers a major electrical project at the house, along with a few developments at work. Sometimes things move quickly. Dawn raises geckos. Frankly, I have lost count of how many geckos she has, somewhere between 40 and 80. She had 20 back in December, I know because I took care of them while she visited her son for Christmas. In any case, the geckos all need light, and some need heaters. Most of them are in her bedroom. With the extra load that puts on the electrical circuit, Dawn was worried they might be a fire danger. So she called an electrician to inspect what she had set up and make recommendations. I also had concerns about the electrical system in the house. We had several outlets that were not working. I needed another circuit in my office, and the electrical panel in the house was from the 1980s and likely needed replacement. In addition, Dawn wanted a quote to see how much it would cost to run power to a sh...