I'm an Oakland jazz salsa singer-songwriter, fluent in a few languages thanks to my itinerant childhood. Since 2004 I've done more than a dozen studio recordings for my own & other bands. In 2010, I sang on the Grammy-nominated Bien! Bien! In 2011, I made a fan-funded CD, and in 2012 my singing/songwriting was on Pacific Mambo Orchestra's debut CD. In 2013, we won a Grammy!
On an especially chilly Northern California day in December, I was searching Amazon for electric stove heaters when I came across these “fireplace inserts”. I bought a used/returned Duraflame DFI020ARU-A004 Electric Fireplace Insert w/ Heater for $100 from Amazon warehouse deals, and I LOVE IT! The flames are so realistic — better, in fact, than if I had spent thousands on a natural gas fake log setup. Because we live in the city (and because a fireplace is a very inefficient and high-polluting method of heating), we have not used the fireplace in years. Now, with this insert it has once again regained its old-fashioned charm and become a gathering spot for the family — with none of the mess of a real fireplace! Feel free to use my affiliate link below if you decide to buy one yourself! Heck, I’d even build a fireplace around this thing. It’s brilliant!
