my kids just busted the remote to the TV in the play room. yeah, I know what you’re thinking – no big whoop. just get a $5 universal remote and be done with it. well, I’ve already tried a universal remote and the problem is that there’s a “feature” missing on those “universal” remotes. turns out that there’s no way to access the AUX mode (A/V inputs for the nintendo and the VCR) without the original remote control. and after doing some searching on the net, there appears to be a whole industry centered around people losing/breaking their remotes. you can find an endless number of websites selling overpriced replacement remote controls for the frustrated consumer. after spending a couple hours digging through online manuals and various discussion forums, I finally found that there are some “compatible” 2nd tier alternative remotes that apparently work on this particular TV brand via ebay. It’s approximately half the cost of an authentic replacement model but should be able to perform all the necessary functions of the original remote. we’ll see in about a week or so.
yes, I realize that I don’t have the best timing. I should have done this during the spring but I’m a huge procrastinator and I ended up spreading mulch in the middle of JULY! Man was it HOT! not the best of ideas.
… but the yard looks great now! 
we must have some cheap-ass in-ground sprinkler system. it seems like every year one of the solenoid valves goes bad. and the way these valves are made, when they malfunction, the valve opens up and lets water flow through. not sure about the idiot that designed the valve but it should be the other way around and NOT let water through if there’s a problem. So, you can imagine the HUGE WATER BILL that we would be responsible for if a solenoid valve goes bad while we are out of town. luckily, the three separate incidences that occurred in the past with these valves, someone was at home to notice the water running. Like today, the wife called to tell me that zone 4 (we have 6 zones total) was running. I tried to tell her where the main water shut off valve was located over the phone but I ended up driving back home from work to shut it off myself. having an in-ground sprinkler system is nice and all but I hate this un-easy feeling of not knowing when the next solenoid valve will go bad. 
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