Bunker 2018

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Sat Dec 30, 2017 4:22 pm

Greetings, long-term Bunker residents and new TTF members!

Welcome to the Forum's virtual bar/cafe/restaurant/pub/rec room. You can drop in and discuss anything, topic miscellaneous. If you're happy or infuriated, or have a subject you'd like to air but don't want to start a new topic, or just feel like saying something, post it here! It's a bit like Facebook, but without the ads and games....

This place is called "The Bunker" because here we can hide from the world and escape from reality, just for a little while. Please don't be shy, the Bunker is open to all, no dress code necessary. No dress necessary at all....

This year we are going to Greece. This is a Taverna in Mykonos:

Sit down in the open air room and have a glass of intoxicating Ouzo or tangy Retsina. Listen to the musicians playing Bouzouki music. Remember, we're virtual and there's no such thing as underage. Sit down, take a load off, and enjoy. Oh, yes: Dancing in the aisles is encouraged.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Sun Dec 31, 2017 11:58 pm

*** Moves aside velvet ropes ***

And ... We're OPEN! Welcome to Bunker 2018!

ttf_robcat2075 · Post by **ttf_robcat2075** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:13 am

Hello 2018.

May you bring something worth remembering.

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:43 am

Happy Bunker! Happy New Year!

ttf_Russ White · Post by **ttf_Russ White** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 7:44 am

Happy New Year to all my fellow Boneheads! I hope for each of you 2018 is your best year yet. Sorry to miss the closing party for last year's bunker. I had a gig! (just kidding. I was partying with some not so virtual friends) Pizza flavored beer? Not so sure I even want to know that exists. WIll this year's drink special be tzatziki flavored Raki? Will the football games be on here in Greece?

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Mon Jan 01, 2018 7:57 am

Quote from: Russ White on Jan 01, 2018, 07:44AM...Will the football games be on here in Greece?

Yes. The World Cup. Remember, Football in Greece has nothing to do with Bowl Games.

But you are free to follow American Football on your cell phone.

Happy New Year to all.

ttf_bhcordova · Post by **ttf_bhcordova** » Wed Jan 03, 2018 11:22 am

AHHHHHH, that new Bunker smell!!! Happy New Year to all.

ttf_Ellrod · Post by **ttf_Ellrod** » Wed Jan 03, 2018 11:37 am

I remember drinking Raki in Greece.

Barely.

ttf_Jhereg · Post by **ttf_Jhereg** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:34 pm

Happy New Year

To kick it off, I have found that I may need braces! BOOOOO!! Going in for a consultation in a few weeks. Two front teeth are overlapping and causing problems. Ive read all the posts here about Invisalign and hope Im a good candidate for them. And that they dont totally break the bank.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:04 pm

After all these years of playing 12 hours a day you find you need braces NOW? Are you sure you need them? Certainly not for playing!

If you want an informal second opinion you can post in Healthy Trombonist or send a PM to member ronkny. ronkny is a Navy Dentist in Seattle and is generous with his knowledge.

ttf_bhcordova · Post by **ttf_bhcordova** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 7:05 pm

I think its only a matter of time before my 14-year old cat is gone. He's acts as if he's in lots of pain. Taking him to the vet tomorrow.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 7:50 pm

Good luck, Billy. We had 2 cats and they lasted to 13 and 15. Both seemed to go pretty quickly. Since I'm not a cat person (prefer dogs), we have no intention to replace them.

ttf_robcat2075 · Post by **ttf_robcat2075** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 8:18 pm

My last cat made it to 17 and then disappeared but I don't think she was well.

https://www.youtube.com/v/kbm-FRjvFZ8

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 8:43 pm

My commiserations Billy, I am going through something similar. My beautiful dog Maggie is nearly 16 now. She had arthritis for quite a few year, for which we gave her medication. But about 18 months back she snapped a cruciate ligament in her back leg. The ligament was replaced with a piece of fishing line in a very expensive vet operation. That enabled her to continue with the two very long walks she used to take me on every day. However, about a month back, one of her front legs went and she now has a great deal of difficult walking at all. We are down to just visiting the dog parks for the calls of nature.

Maggie is absolutely determined not to change her habit of two outings a day and to push herself to walk as far as she can. But it is even difficult to get her in and out of the car because the special ramp is now too steep for her legs to carry her.

I think she is in pain but the vet is not sure. So, we are giving her pain medication. Also some special tablets for dementia because she has had a few funny turns. Her drug bill is over $300 per month.

16 is very old for a dog but I do not want her to be in pain. I too hope she goes quickly when her time is finally up and I do not think that is far away.

I even remember about 16 years back talking on this forum about my previous dog Elle, when she died in my arms when I was living in Sydney. Thankfully she went fairly quickly. I have never stopped thinking about her, as will be the case with Maggie. The love between man and dog is very strong! It is the same with cats, I know.

ttf_Russ White · Post by **ttf_Russ White** » Tue Jan 09, 2018 4:29 am

We lost two of our labs in 2017. One was 16 and had been losing control of his hind quarters for years. He finally got to the point he couldn't make it to his food bowl and we had to put him down. THe other was not even 10 yet. HE went on our normal walk on Tuesday afternoon and was running around like he always did. Weds. when we went out for our Happy Hour hang with him and the other two, we had 4 at the beginning of the year, he didn't come out with us. We called and finally he came out, but we could tell he wasn't feeling good. ONce he sat down with us he wouldn't get back up. We took him to the vet to find he had advanced spinal cancer. He was dead before 2:00 the next afternoon. It was a shock. He was just so strong we never knew he was sick. Amos was the "Dog of a Lifetime". We also lost our 17 year old black cat, Merle, last year. HE also went very quickly, thankfully. IT was a tough year for us pet wise. Good luck with yours. It isn't fun.

ttf_timothy42b · Post by **ttf_timothy42b** » Tue Jan 09, 2018 5:39 am

I started the new year off by making Scotch eggs.

I read a lot of murder mystery novels from different countries. It's not uncommon for a British detective to eat a Scotch egg, but I never knew what they were. So this year I looked it up and made a few.

They were a bit of work but the results were great. We might have a new Superbowl tradition here.

ttf_Steven · Post by **ttf_Steven** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:42 pm

Our local Martin Luther King commemoration started at one church and marched a mile and a half to another. My trombone did not like the weather. The valve became unusable, and the slide was barely usable. Whatever was coming out of the spit valve was thick and voluminous. My chops weren't so happy either. I had to bring plenty of things up an octave.

ttf_blast · Post by **ttf_blast** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:47 pm

Quote from: timothy42b on Jan 09, 2018, 05:39AMI started the new year off by making Scotch eggs.

I read a lot of murder mystery novels from different countries. It's not uncommon for a British detective to eat a Scotch egg, but I never knew what they were. So this year I looked it up and made a few.

They were a bit of work but the results were great. We might have a new Superbowl tradition here.

The Scotch egg is for me, the finest snack ever invented. I consume far more than I should.

Chris Stearn

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:08 pm

Quote from: timothy42b on Jan 09, 2018, 05:39AMI started the new year off by making Scotch eggs.

I read a lot of murder mystery novels from different countries. It's not uncommon for a British detective to eat a Scotch egg, but I never knew what they were. So this year I looked it up and made a few.

They were a bit of work but the results were great. We might have a new Superbowl tradition here.

I remember my Mum making them in my childhood and then slicing them for the meat of an evening meal, which I loved. However, there are many different recipes for Scotch eggs and I do not like the sound of some of them. For instance, Jamie Oliver has 1 tablespoon of English Mustard in his. Sounds a bit hot to me.

What was your recipe?

ttf_bhcordova · Post by **ttf_bhcordova** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 11:18 am

Trying to keep warm! Sleet & snow last night. Temperatures in the 20s (For East Texas that's more than cold!!!!)

ttf_timothy42b · Post by **ttf_timothy42b** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 11:42 am

Quote from: Graham Martin on Jan 15, 2018, 05:08PMI remember my Mum making them in my childhood and then slicing them for the meat of an evening meal, which I loved. However, there are many different recipes for Scotch eggs and I do not like the sound of some of them. For instance, Jamie Oliver has 1 tablespoon of English Mustard in his. Sounds a bit hot to me.

What was your recipe?

I kept it real basic. Hardboiled egg, layer of pork sausage from Walmart, standard breading (flour, egg wash, bread crumbs) and bake 35 minutes. No additional spices or additions.

They were great. The one we didn't eat didn't reheat well though.

ttf_Russ White · Post by **ttf_Russ White** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:37 pm

I've always heard of scotch eggs, but never had any idea what they are. You guys stirred my interest enough to find out. They look amazing. Probably should have tried them before I went vegetarian/ vegan. And, Billy, I feel your pain. We had 3 nights in the mid-20's last week, and we're looking at a couple of more later this week. That's way colder than normal for Central Fla. I have to play our "Jazz in the Courtyard" tonight, but it should be in the mid to upper 50's for downbeat.

ttf_Bruce the budgie · Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:38 pm

I can imagine Scotch eggs in a vegetarian or ovo-lactarian style, with tempeh ot TSP-based swossage substitute, but vegan? That would take some culinary ingenuity. They are ideal road fare for the kind of trips I used to make halfway across a continent, say from the US east coast to the midwest, or back again. Just two of us stooging along the Interstate in a beetle, those were the days. Crossing the great divide is a different story. I miss seeing real mountains.

Nowadays New England is home, and we seem to be done with our January thaw. Snow, and a fair amount of it, forecast; Im thankful that my planned morning trip is local. One distinguishing feature of the older houses round heah is being close to the road, without much more than 10 or 15 of front yard. Less driveway to shovel that way.

ttf_bhcordova · Post by **ttf_bhcordova** » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:28 pm

The company I work for owns several rent houses. The water pipes froze and burst in one of the houses last night. While the plumber was fixing the pipes, he set the house on fire!

Luckily no one was injured, but we have to put the tenants up in a hotel until the damage is fixed.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:50 pm

Wow, Billy. That's terrible. Do you experience freezes in your part of the country? Here in the "frozen North" we build houses with the infrastructure (pipes, electrical) as interior as possible. This guards against frozen pipes.

Sometimes a water leak can be a savior -- running water doesn't freeze as fast as static water. In very cold weather leaving one faucet dripping can help if you have areas with pipes that aren't heated well.

As to setting a house on fire doing plumbing, I know of one other person who did that. You have to be careful using an open propane torch. Get too aggressive about heating the joint and where the pipe contacts wooden framework can cause it to start burning. It isn't easy, fortunately, but you can do it. Especially on roofs where the membrane is more flammable and vent pipes go through.

Seems like we are getting a lot of very cold weather where it isn't expected. Snow in the Florida panhandle? I think this is related to the perturbations in the arctic jetstream.

ttf_robcat2075 · Post by **ttf_robcat2075** » Wed Jan 17, 2018 5:45 pm

I left my faucets dripping during the recent freeze and thought I got through it OK, but then when the thaw came there were leaks.

For now, I sawed off the pipes to that bathroom and capped them. When warm weather comes back I think I'm going to investigate redoing it with flexible PEX tubing. Too many nooks and turns to reproduce in PVC again.

ttf_Russ White · Post by **ttf_Russ White** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:15 am

Actually, plumbers start a lot of fires. They usually don't even realize it. Hot solder will drip into a dead space round the pipe and smolder. Sometimes it is hours before it actually ignites and burns. It isn't frequent, but it isn't rare either.

ttf_Jhereg · Post by **ttf_Jhereg** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:58 am

Quote from: BGuttman on Jan 05, 2018, 02:04PMAfter all these years of playing 12 hours a day you find you need braces NOW? Are you sure you need them? Certainly not for playing!

If you want an informal second opinion you can post in Healthy Trombonist or send a PM to member ronkny. ronkny is a Navy Dentist in Seattle and is generous with his knowledge.

Thanks and sorry for the late response. Yes, I've noticed that two of my front teeth have shifted noticeably since I joined the circus. I kept biting my lip unintentionally in a really weird place, and it's because the overlap in my front teeth has gotten worse.

I'll take your advice on the 2nd opinion...but first, gotta go take pics of my snaggletooth I guess...

ttf_bhcordova · Post by **ttf_bhcordova** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:54 pm

Quote from: BGuttman on Jan 17, 2018, 02:50PMWow, Billy. That's terrible. Do you experience freezes in your part of the country? Here in the "frozen North" we build houses with the infrastructure (pipes, electrical) as interior as possible. This guards against frozen pipes.

Sometimes a water leak can be a savior -- running water doesn't freeze as fast as static water. In very cold weather leaving one faucet dripping can help if you have areas with pipes that aren't heated well.

As to setting a house on fire doing plumbing, I know of one other person who did that. You have to be careful using an open propane torch. Get too aggressive about heating the joint and where the pipe contacts wooden framework can cause it to start burning. It isn't easy, fortunately, but you can do it. Especially on roofs where the membrane is more flammable and vent pipes go through.

Seems like we are getting a lot of very cold weather where it isn't expected. Snow in the Florida panhandle? I think this is related to the perturbations in the arctic jetstream.

It's been 5 years, at least since we saw temperatures this cold. The renter didn't realize they needed to leave the water dripping. When I called our insurance claims person, she said she'd only had a claim for that once before in the 20 years since she's been handling claims.

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:32 pm

Today is a very sad day because we had to have dear old Maggie put down. I just can't imagine life without her because she was such a special loving dog for 15 years and my best mate.

ttf_BGuttman · Post by **ttf_BGuttman** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:40 pm

Sorry to hear that, Grah. Every time we have to put down a dog it hurts. Just remember all the good times. Do you think there may be another dog in the future?

ttf_robcat2075 · Post by **ttf_robcat2075** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:52 pm

That is disappointing to have to say good bye especially when it's a decision you had to make.

ttf_badger · Post by **ttf_badger** » Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:44 pm

Whenever time, energy, and love is invested in something the way you invested in your pet, there is a huge void that follows the loss of that love.

I know that your dog can never be replaced. Great dogs like yours are rare.

I have always enjoyed your reminiscences with Maggie on here!

Badger

ttf_bhcordova · Post by **ttf_bhcordova** » Fri Jan 26, 2018 11:45 am

Sorry to hear about Maggie, Grah.

I know you two had lots of good times together.

ttf_Russ White · Post by **ttf_Russ White** » Fri Jan 26, 2018 2:15 pm

It does truly suck. Sooz decided this week to get a new puppy. The 2 Labs we have now are Brown and Gold. We pick up Milo, our new little black pup next Weds. Gonna be an interesting spring.

ttf_Russ White · Post by **ttf_Russ White** » Fri Jan 26, 2018 2:15 pm

It does truly suck. Sooz decided this week to get a new puppy. The 2 Labs we have now are Brown and Gold. We pick up Milo, our new little black pup next Weds. Gonna be an interesting spring.