I like this time at night on HBT

passedpawn said:

I got bursitis in my left shoulder trying to learn this song. I heard it on an overnight flight to Europe and had to play it. This woman below plays it painfully well. She has such an extraordinary touch.

Coincidentally, I read a book by NPR's Noah Adams called Piano Lessons in which he attempts to learn this song as a present to his wife (he doesn't play at all). Good read I thought. If you are just learning piano, I wouldn't recommend this song, but highly recommend the book. I think it's still in my piano seat with songbooks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHlfNYY1YIY

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Passionate woman in a red dress that plays the piano beautifully.. Man!

Dan..thats one good looking dog u got there.

HefeHood said:

Dan..thats one good looking dog u got there.

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He's my little buddy. Love him a lot.

Dan said:

He's my little buddy. Love him a lot.

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He looks really happy!

Yep Mike, he has a big ol smile on his face most of the time. Except when he is sleeping.. Don't wanna bother a sleeping dog, even a little one.

I will send you a little jacket for him, Dan, a happy jacket to match his personality.

I learned a new trick today and it really works!!! How to get people to leave you alone and stop asking so many questions. They will be talking to you, rambling on and on, you start getting annoyed... open your eyes really wide and start looking around frantically, when they ask what you are looking for, say my magic wand!!!! Then when they say, what? your magic wand? You reply like they must be a stark raving lunatic who has no clue what's going on, look them straight in the eye like they must be crazy and say in a very serious voice, um, yes, my wand, it's a wand and it's magical?!?!? Then go back to looking frantically for it with your eyes really wide open. They will go away and leave you alone, probably shaking their head in bewilderment on their way out the door.

BobbiLynn said:

I will send you a little jacket for him, Dan, a happy jacket to match his personality.

I learned a new trick today and it really works!!! How to get people to leave you alone and stop asking so many questions. They will be talking to you, rambling on and on, you start getting annoyed... open your eyes really wide and start looking around frantically, when they ask what you are looking for, say my magic wand!!!! Then when they say, what? your magic wand? You reply like they must be a stark raving lunatic who has no clue what's going on, look them straight in the eye like they must be crazy and say in a very serious voice, um, yes, my wand, it's a wand and it's magical?!?!? Then go back to looking frantically for it with your eyes really wide open. They will go away and leave you alone, probably shaking their head in bewilderment on their way out the door.

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Does that work on pesky opossums too?

BobbiLynn said:

I will send you a little jacket for him, Dan, a happy jacket to match his personality.

I learned a new trick today and it really works!!! How to get people to leave you alone and stop asking so many questions. They will be talking to you, rambling on and on, you start getting annoyed... open your eyes really wide and start looking around frantically, when they ask what you are looking for, say my magic wand!!!! Then when they say, what? your magic wand? You reply like they must be a stark raving lunatic who has no clue what's going on, look them straight in the eye like they must be crazy and say in a very serious voice, um, yes, my wand, it's a wand and it's magical?!?!? Then go back to looking frantically for it with your eyes really wide open. They will go away and leave you alone, probably shaking their head in bewilderment on their way out the door.

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Wow! That sounds a bit extreme but quite sure you could pull that off, BobbiLynn That is a complement not a denunciation.

Lil Sis

SharonaZamboni said:

I love house hunting! Get a list of possible homes, then either drive by, or try to "street view" Google each one. That should narrow down the field considerably. It took a year of looking for my ex and I to find our first house, but we were only considering homes in the town we lived in ( pop. 12,000) due to kids' school. Driving by the property was quick and saved a lot of time. Lots of places crossed off the list quickly.

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Yeah, we're older and wiser this time around. We had a very limited budget and a short time frame to move, so we basically bought the best house we could that wasn't actually in falling down condition. Every last little thing in the house needed work, tons of broken stuff just abandoned in place. As an example, I just fixed the shower handle today and realized it was effed up because it was installed upside down. Fixed lots of dumb little things like that (and a couple really dumb big things that could have burned the house down).

Now I have a steady job and will be getting tenure next year, so my job and paycheck are pretty safe (not really big, but safe). Now we can slow down and call our shots and look carefully for the right place. The only thing I sweat is the fact that the equity I have in this house needs to be the downpayment for the next. I'm not sure how the buying/selling timing will work or the financing options, but that's on the to-do list to figure out. Others have done it, so there must be a sensible way.

Thunder_Chicken said:

Yeah, we're older and wiser this time around. We had a very limited budget and a short time frame to move, so we basically bought the best house we could that wasn't actually in falling down condition. Every last little thing in the house needed work, tons of broken stuff just abandoned in place. As an example, I just fixed the shower handle today and realized it was effed up because it was installed upside down. Fixed lots of dumb little things like that (and a couple really dumb big things that could have burned the house down).

Now I have a steady job and will be getting tenure next year, so my job and paycheck are pretty safe (not really big, but safe). Now we can slow down and call our shots and look carefully for the right place. The only thing I sweat is the fact that the equity I have in this house needs to be the downpayment for the next. I'm not sure how the buying/selling timing will work or the financing options, but that's on the to-do list to figure out. Others have done it, so there must be a sensible way.

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Disclaimer. I am far, far ....far from a financial adviser.

If your current homeloan is not a VA loan, then you have that option. My wife and I just bought a place in Hawaii but I couldn't use the VA loan because I wasn't going to be living in the place immediately and that is a requirement. The nice thing was no down payment and a very low interest rate. I think there would have still been closing costs but they weren't all that outrageous. Also no mortgage insurance is required, that's a nice break.

Another option is to get a USDA loan. It's meant for property in a rural area as defined by the USDA, I believe, which would make you think a farm or something in the country but that isn't always the case. Their loans are pretty decent and there is no downpayment, I don't remember if there are closing cost and pretty sure no mortgage insurance. My wife and I bought a townhouse because we couldn't afford an average home in Hawaii ($650K) and the town house was not in a farming community but was approved for a USDA loan. We would have taken that one, but again like the VA loan I would had to move in immediately which, wasn't an option. Here's a link to the USDA site. Good luck! http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do

Dan said:

If your current homeloan is not a VA loan, then you have that option. My wife and I just bought a place in Hawaii but I couldn't use the VA loan because I wasn't going to be living in the place immediately and that is a requirement. The nice thing was no down payment and a very low interest rate. I think there would have still been closing costs but they weren't all that outrageous. Also no mortgage insurance is required, that's a nice break.

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Dan, thanks for the pointers. I did not utilize a VA loan for my current house, but I am eligible with my AF active and ANG service. That would give us a lot of flexibility.

Bought my house with a VA loan. It was really easy to acquire and the money I saved was insane to me. Pay less for a mortgage then rent at nicer houses then I live in. If you can use it I recommend it.

Did you know that cashews come from a fruit?

LabRatBrewer said:

Did you know that cashews come from a fruit?

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Yeah, learned that the hard way. The cashew apple contains urushiol (same stuff that causes the rash in poison ivy). They have to roast and burn off the fruit to harvest the nut and it is hard to do without contaminating with urushiol. Cashew farming and processing is nasty business.

I got a jar of cashew butter on a lark and had a couple of tablespoons. Every place I ever got a poison ivy rash on my body in my entire life (and I did landscaping for a while, so that's a lot of exposures) came back with an itchy, weepy, irritated vengeance. My airway didn't close completely, which was the only good thing in the whole experience.

The kicker is that cashew butter is damned tasty. At least I am A-OK with peanut butter.

passedpawn said:

Fur Elise is the first song I learned to play well. If I can play it, you can. BTW, I fixed your link.

All you need is four chords for modern music. Master them and you can play anything! For your late nite soundtrack, Axis of Awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I

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Are you the one that always fixes my you tube links? Thanks. We have been playing a half hour or so a day. I'll have it down in a few years Also working on pop goes the weasle (three stooges version) on the violin.

passedpawn said:

I got bursitis in my left shoulder trying to learn this song. I heard it on an overnight flight to Europe and had to play it. This woman below plays it painfully well. She has such an extraordinary touch.

Coincidentally, I read a book by NPR's Noah Adams called Piano Lessons in which he attempts to learn this song as a present to his wife (he doesn't play at all). Good read I thought. If you are just learning piano, I wouldn't recommend this song, but highly recommend the book. I think it's still in my piano seat with songbooks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHlfNYY1YIY

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It sure doesn't look difficult when she plays it. She's not very hard on the eyes either

Woo hoo! 3+ weeks at 45F and my lager is clean as a whistle and happy. It's at FG, but I'll keep it inside for few days to let it warm up. There's no diacetyl but letting it warm can't hurt now. I ordered the grains for a Baltic porter which I'll brew and pitch on my lager cake (the lager will go into a carboy for extended cold lagering in my shed). Good beer! Brew day coming! Yes!

Thunder_Chicken said:

Woo hoo! 3+ weeks at 45F and my lager is clean as a whistle and happy. It's at FG, but I'll keep it inside for few days to let it warm up. There's no diacetyl but letting it warm can't hurt now. I ordered the grains for a Baltic porter which I'll brew and pitch on my lager cake (the lager will go into a carboy for extended cold lagering in my shed). Good beer! Brew day coming! Yes!

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Baltic Porter with lager yeast?! Interesting!! Are you going to ferment it at lager temps or ale temps?

Stauffbier said:

Baltic Porter with lager yeast?! Interesting!! Are you going to ferment it at lager temps or ale temps?

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Lager temps. Baltic porters are traditionally fermented with lager yeast. You can use ale yeast, but you need a clean yeast; yeast shouldn't contribute much to the flavor.

I like to take advantage of my yeast cakes when I can. My helles is basically my starter for my baltic porter. I've been Jonesing for something good and dark and a baltic porter needs a good lager yeast pitch. A perfect storm of brewing

Thunder_Chicken said:

Lager temps. Baltic porters are traditionally fermented with lager yeast. You can use ale yeast, but you need a clean yeast; yeast shouldn't contribute much to the flavor.

I like to take advantage of my yeast cakes when I can. My helles is basically my starter for my baltic porter. I've been Jonesing for something good and dark and a baltic porter needs a good lager yeast pitch. A perfect storm of brewing

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That's something I did not know! I always just assumed that they were traditionally fermented with ale yeast. I've never brewed a Baltic, but I've brewed quite a few Robust Porters.

lschiavo said:

Are you the one that always fixes my you tube links? Thanks. We have been playing a half hour or so a day. I'll have it down in a few years Also working on pop goes the weasle (three stooges version) on the violin.

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I have been fixing them in here (and elsewhere) since I became a mod. Lately I've been dropping the "ftfy" at the bottom (I felt funny editing without leaving a note).

lschiavo said:

It sure doesn't look difficult when she plays it. She's not very hard on the eyes either

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The really good piano players always make it look simple. I was thinking about it and I don't think it was that song I hurt my shoulder on. It was moonlight sonata.

Stauffbier said:

That's something I did not know! I always just assumed that they were traditionally fermented with ale yeast. I've never brewed a Baltic, but I've brewed quite a few Robust Porters.

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Baltic Porter is a great Jamil Show episode. You should listen to it. Anyway, I really prefer my porters with some body. If you like your porters a little on the flavorful side, stick with robust.

passedpawn said:

Baltic Porter is a great Jamil Show episode. You should listen to it. Anyway, I really prefer my porters with some body. If you like your porters a little on the flavorful side, stick with robust.

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Baltic porters can (and should) be plenty flavorable and have lots of body. They just play down the yeast contributions in favor of the malts, that's all. Smooth malts vs. estery.

Thunder_Chicken said:

Baltic porters can (and should) be plenty flavorable and have lots of body. They just play down the yeast contributions in favor of the malts, that's all. Smooth malts vs. estery.

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Hmmm. Mine got fairly dry. I've got to start mashing at a higher temp. I'm always 145-150.

passedpawn said:

Hmmm. Mine got fairly dry. I've got to start mashing at a higher temp. I'm always 145-150.

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That's probably the trick. If you mash too low and don't have any esters, you'll have a really dry, thin, dark beer, more like a schwarzbier.

Thunder_Chicken said:

Baltic porters can (and should) be plenty flavorable and have lots of body. They just play down the yeast contributions in favor of the malts, that's all. Smooth malts vs. estery.

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I just read the style guidelines on baltic porter. Wow, I couldn't have been more wrong.

At one time I was studying to take the BJCP exam. What happened to my memory?

My sauerkraut is losing the sweaty sock smell and is starting to get a tangy smell going. Looking good.

Thunder_Chicken said:

My sauerkraut is losing the sweaty sock smell and is starting to get a tangy smell going. Looking good.

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Mine too. It's also finally starting to change color.

I definitely should have made a larger batch, because it has shrunk significantly. I'm going to start a second batch this Sunday with red and green cabbage.

Mine is fermenting along happily! Never had an unpleasant smell, may taste this weekend.
I'm cooling some brine to corn beef tongue and plan on corned tongue Reuben sandwiches next weekend!

Stauffbier said:

Mine too. It's also finally starting to change color.

I definitely should have made a larger batch, because it has shrunk significantly. I'm going to start a second batch this Sunday with red and green cabbage.

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Same here. I held up a cabbage next to my plastic fermenter and figured only one would fit. Turns out I probably could have gotten 4 heads in there. Live & learn.

We're going to let this one ride, and if it is good we'll shred 4 heads, add salt, and hit it with the brine from this batch. That should get it off to a good start.

Yeah, I was actually thinking I might dump this entire batch on top of the new batch to get it started.

Between the batch of fruit wine and the batch of sauerkraut I have fermenting, my house has quite a pungent smell to it at the moment. Rhino farts is an understatement!

Stauffbier said:

Between the batch of fruit wine and the batch of sauerkraut I have fermenting, my house has quite a pungent smell to it at the moment. Rhino farts is an understatement!

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I was seriously considering making sauerkraut. Then I said to myself: What are you going to do with all that sauerkraut?

Then I told myself not to make it. Making pizza instead. I know what to do with pizza.

That's a good call, pizza is always delicious.

apparently u have no idea what a good fermented sauerkraut tastes like. It is better than pickled herring. comin from a norsk. well pickled fish is good if done right. but sauerkraut is so easy. shred cabbage add salt and toda kraut nice and crispy.

Sauerkraut just reminds me of my childhood and the stench of new years, moms made pork and sauerkraut every new years.

Pickled fish? ugh, no thanks. I haven't eaten fish in over thirty years.

passedpawn said:

I was seriously considering making sauerkraut. Then I said to myself: What are you going to do with all that sauerkraut?

Then I told myself not to make it. Making pizza instead. I know what to do with pizza.

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Just make one head of cabbage into sauerkraut. You just need a quart size glass or ceramic jar. By my eye that much sauerkraut would make a nice dinner for four and not leave much for leftovers.

Besides, then you could make Reuben Pizza.

Thunder_Chicken said:

Just make one head of cabbage into sauerkraut. You just need a quart size glass or ceramic jar. By my eye that much sauerkraut would make a nice dinner for four and not leave much for leftovers.

Besides, then you could make Reuben Pizza.

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Yea, that's a good idea. I do everything too big, then end up with way too much. E.g., I just made pickles. About 100 of them. It was too much and I recently threw half of them away.

Cabbage is cheap though. I'll make it and report back.

passedpawn said:

Yea, that's a good idea. I do everything too big, then end up with way too much.

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My problem too. After briskets were on clearance post St Patty's Day, I made like 20-30lbs of pastrami. Pork loin was on sale shortly thereafter so I cured and made about 18lbs of Canadian bacon. Then wild sockeye was on sale so I cured and cold smoked 12 fillets. Pork butt on sale- made and froze about 40lbs of pulled pork.

It's a sickness. And I blame this forum.

And don't get me started on homemade mustard and hot sauce made in bulk. Apparently I don't eat near as much hot sauce or mustard as I thought.

AZ IPA I'd be happy to help you manage the overflow anytime!

I can eat the heck out of some sauerkraut. I eat one of the large jars in about 3-4 weeks, and two heads of cabbage are basically going to make that amount. I love it on sandwiches, brats, burgers, etc..

The Reuben Pizza idea also sounds fantastic!

AZ_IPA said:

And don't get me started on homemade mustard and hot sauce made in bulk. Apparently I don't eat near as much hot sauce or mustard as I thought.

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Home-made mustard...oh my. We need to talk. I am a fan of German sharp and horseradish mustards for brats, heck even just for with cheese. I go through Beer & Brat mustard such that it is on the grocery list every other trip. I *should* make this stuff in bulk.