I like this time at night on HBT

[Dan]

Kind of cool last few days.

Doesn't matter where I work but where I do is pretty neat. I do not want to sound secretive about what I do, mostly just because I'm really unable to explain it well; that's all.

For a while now been working with some old jet fighter pilot guys. They're past their prime in this business, like me. One nice thing about serving your country after retiring is quite a few walls are broken down. Not really walls like concrete or stuff.

Today, was a bit like old times in a good way. Fighter jets, pilots and maintenance guys like me. We are, like I said way past our youthfulness in military terms. This evening was just pretty effing cool. Glory days as Bruce Springsteen mentions

 

[Cheapo]

Hey who's up? Crazy time zones have me all screwed up

 

[BobbiLynn]

I'm up now, 7 am here, rain got me back to sleep and not picking berries because I'm tired of wet feet. Even sweating my ass off I stay dryer than trying to get out there after a rain. Besides, less than a gallon to pick to get orders filled for this week. That'll only take an hour, if I can find a good spot. Been picking the berries clean lately.

No need to disrespect elders.

That's why I thought we'd call it a meeting of the cousins. None of us will dare tell our parents why they really aren't invited. And if a few show up, that's fine, but it's a meeting of the cousins! We will be respectful and hope they will respect that just us cousins want to get together. Hell, maybe it will heal some family bonds and next time everyone can be together in one place. Not to sound very disrespectful, but maybe the older folks in the family can observe us and learn something. All us cousins are so easy going and pretty much have no clue why our parents don't get along. And, frankly, we don't give a damn. That is their thing.

 

[snaps10]

Still up. I had a beer and 2 sleeping pills 7.5hr long sleep yesterday. Every time I use the sleeping pills I don't feel rested at all. I got a sleep movement app that tracks the bed movement while you sleep. I'm not getting into any deep sleep much at all. Lots of tossing and turning.
Tonight is my last night for a few days and the sleep will be nice to catch up on.

We went to our beach house last weekend and I slept like a baby for the two nights we were there. Maybe it's a sign that I need to go over more often?

 

[SharonaZamboni]

Have you guys ever seen a knife design like this?

My first reaction was "cool!". Then I started thinking, and I don't think it would actually be that useful. Kitchen knives vary more then just in size. I bet only two of those knives are really useful. The chefs knife, and the pairing knife.

The handles look very uncomfortable, as if they have very square edges instead of rounded.
We have a nice set of pots and pans at work, but the edges are not rolled, and my hands get banged up if I'm really putting some effort into mixing.

 

[passedpawn]

The chefs knife, and the pairing knife.

The paring knife is the only usable one. A chefs knife isn't held by the handle. It's held where the handle meets the blade, basically the center of balance. It's grasped in the middle, and that chef's knife is hollow where I would hold it (i.e., my thumb would end up going through the hole). Useless knife for me.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

The paring knife is the only usable one. A chefs knife isn't held by the handle. It's held where the handle meets the blade, basically the center of balance. It's grasped in the middle, and that chef's knife is hollow where I would hold it (i.e., my thumb would end up going through the hole). Useless knife for me.

Wouldnt that only be the case if you used the chef's knife WITHOUT the other two knives inside it? Since you can only use one knife at a time, would this even be an issue (unless you are cooking in tandem with someone else who was using the paring knife at the time).

 

[passedpawn]

Wouldnt that only be the case if you used the chef's knife WITHOUT the other two knives inside it? Since you can only use one knife at a time, would this even be an issue (unless you are cooking in tandem with someone else who was using the paring knife at the time).

I was assuming that they only nested during storage, not use.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I was assuming that they only nested during storage, not use.

Ah. Can we get that cleared up? Do they nest during use?

 

[BobbiLynn]

Ah. Can we get that cleared up? Do they nest during use?

I hope during use, they nest. That would seem to make them better,, right?

 

[mcbaumannerb]

I'd agree with passedpawn - I think the nesting is only for storage. Otherwise I'd think there would be a risk of one of the inner knives popping out while using it. That could end badly.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

There are four knives in response to my own question.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Haven't found out about using them nested, but here is an interesting short article about the design being based on the Fibonacci sequence. Priced @ $900 ouch.

From WIRED: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/06/beautiful-nesting-knives-designed-by-mathematics/

 

[mcbaumannerb]

Haven't found out about using them nested, but here is an interesting short article about the design being based on the Fibonacci sequence.

Oh ... I'm going to hold out until they release the set based on phi then.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

With great regret I had to dump my first batch of mead down the sink today. Thankfully it was only a gallon batch, but it was 3 months of waiting all for nothing. I am taking the edge off my sorrows with a 4 month old bottle of apfelwein.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

With great regret I had to dump my first batch of mead down the sink today. Thankfully it was only a gallon batch, but it was 3 months of waiting all for nothing. I am taking the edge off my sorrows with a 4 month old bottle of apfelwein.

Three months sounds very young for a mead. What was wrong with it? Sorry for the loss.

 

[mcbaumannerb]

TC - that sucks!

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

It fell nice and clear and I decided to bottle after 10 weeks. Gravity had leveled off at 1.006, nice hint of sweetness. Young but very good.

So I racked it, added a campden tablet and, since it still had some residual sugar, I decided to add potassium sorbate. The potassium sorbate utterly destroyed it. I added the correct amount (even double checked the suggested amount on the web), but it turned my nice mead into chemical factory waste discharge with a hint of alcohol and an even milder hint of honey. I am apparently one of the low percentage of supertasters that can taste potassium sorbate, and it is NASTY. Crappy, chemically, fake bubble-gum sweet flavor that utterly dominates the mead. And it does not go away with age.

I'm never using potassium sorbate again. I'll cope with the chance of vinegar or pushed out corks, **** chemicals. Campden at least dissipates if you overdo it, so I'll continue to use that. Very dissappointing to have a wonderful mead all the way up to bottling, and then to destroy it unknowingly. I am a bit angry to be honest.

 

[TNGabe]

Has VarmintMan posted at all lately?

 

[mcbaumannerb]

According to his profile, the last post was on 6/27, so no.

 

[TNGabe]

According to his profile, the last post was on 6/27, so no.

That's no bueno, makes me worry abour Mrs Varmint.

 

[mcbaumannerb]

Agreed ... hope nothing is wrong with either of them.

 

[passedpawn]

Good evening late niters!

Hope all is well. I know life is a grind. Living that right now. Every day, shoveling sh!t against the tide. One minute, charge, next, give up. Damn.

For your late night soundtrack, Brown Bird. This guy (David Lamb) is ravaged with the effects of leukemia. As hard as your life is, he's got it harder. He was a hairy bearded guy, now totally bald and suffering the effects of chemo.

I, myself, suck strength from others who excel in the face of this kind of adversity. David Lamb makes me jump higher. Lyrics included because, if you're like me, you just can't make out what they're saying anymore.

Bilgewater (lyrics by David Lamb)

It don’t matter if the cold wind blows
I’m gonna wind up working in the thick of it
sunshine through the rain and snow
there’s an oily brine bilge water baptism waiting below

that’s just the waves slamming against the topsides’ sound
don’t let the ever rolling motion go and get you down
don’t let it shake your steady thread cutting hand
keep stealing ribbons from the steel and giving hell
to every halyard you can

in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I will face it all
in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I’ll embrace it all

when everyday’s like a war between the will to go on
and a wish that the world would spiral into the sun
turn your head toward the storm that’s surely coming along

if the sun was always shining and our load always light
we’d be shaking like a leaf with every God given night
and we’d break under the weight of any pressure
that was ever applied

will you be ready when the straw boss calls?
he’s got an ever loving bone to pick with one and all
don’t let his condescension get you down
just have the strength to know you’re wrong
and when you’re right the strength to stand your ground

in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I will face it all
in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I’ll embrace it all

when everyday is like a war
you find no strength from your usual source
there’s no peace, there’s no rest
your fortitude is feeling put to the test
when everyday is like a war between the will to go on
and a wish that the world would spiral into the sun
turn your head toward the storm that’s surely coming along

if the sun was always shining and our load always light
we’d be shaking like a leaf with every God given night
and we’d break under the weight
of any pain that ever came in this life
​

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Good evening late niters

Bilgewater (lyrics by David Lamb)

It don’t matter if the cold wind blows
I’m gonna wind up working in the thick of it
sunshine through the rain and snow
there’s an oily brine bilge water baptism waiting below

that’s just the waves slamming against the topsides’ sound
don’t let the ever rolling motion go and get you down
don’t let it shake your steady thread cutting hand
keep stealing ribbons from the steel and giving hell
to every halyard you can

in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I will face it all
in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I’ll embrace it all

when everyday’s like a war between the will to go on
and a wish that the world would spiral into the sun
turn your head toward the storm that’s surely coming along

if the sun was always shining and our load always light
we’d be shaking like a leaf with every God given night
and we’d break under the weight of any pressure
that was ever applied

will you be ready when the straw boss calls?
he’s got an ever loving bone to pick with one and all
don’t let his condescension get you down
just have the strength to know you’re wrong
and when you’re right the strength to stand your ground

in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I will face it all
in spite of all the wherewithal
to fight it all I’ll embrace it all

when everyday is like a war
you find no strength from your usual source
there’s no peace, there’s no rest
your fortitude is feeling put to the test
when everyday is like a war between the will to go on
and a wish that the world would spiral into the sun
turn your head toward the storm that’s surely coming along

if the sun was always shining and our load always light
we’d be shaking like a leaf with every God given night
and we’d break under the weight
of any pain that ever came in this life
​

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoqH9irCn3o

Great song. I teach engineering at a maritime academy and some of the engineers will love this song.

 

[Leadgolem]

About the knives, I take back what I said about the chefs knife. With a hole in the middle you can't even use it properly.

Kind of cool last few days.

Doesn't matter where I work but where I do is pretty neat. I do not want to sound secretive about what I do, mostly just because I'm really unable to explain it well; that's all.

For a while now been working with some old jet fighter pilot guys. They're past their prime in this business, like me. One nice thing about serving your country after retiring is quite a few walls are broken down. Not really walls like concrete or stuff.

Today, was a bit like old times in a good way. Fighter jets, pilots and maintenance guys like me. We are, like I said way past our youthfulness in military terms. This evening was just pretty effing cool. Glory days as Bruce Springsteen mentions

Now I really want to know what Dan does.

If somebody asks me what I do, I tell them I push paper. A lot. Which I do, though it's way more complicated then that.

It fell nice and clear and I decided to bottle after 10 weeks. Gravity had leveled off at 1.006, nice hint of sweetness. Young but very good.

So I racked it, added a campden tablet and, since it still had some residual sugar, I decided to add potassium sorbate. The potassium sorbate utterly destroyed it. I added the correct amount (even double checked the suggested amount on the web), but it turned my nice mead into chemical factory waste discharge with a hint of alcohol and an even milder hint of honey. I am apparently one of the low percentage of supertasters that can taste potassium sorbate, and it is NASTY. Crappy, chemically, fake bubble-gum sweet flavor that utterly dominates the mead. And it does not go away with age.

I'm never using potassium sorbate again. I'll cope with the chance of vinegar or pushed out corks, **** chemicals. Campden at least dissipates if you overdo it, so I'll continue to use that. Very dissappointing to have a wonderful mead all the way up to bottling, and then to destroy it unknowingly. I am a bit angry to be honest.

That's sad. If you're worried about refermentation then the next time you could pasteurize instead. I prefer that over chemical additions anyway.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Here's some good ol' Air Force music to the ears:



Apologies if you don't get the rythym...it is a great tune, believe me.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

That's sad. If you're worried about refermentation then the next time you could pasteurize instead. I prefer that over chemical additions anyway.

Will do. SWMBO wants to get into canning anyway, so it should be a natural segue.

 

[Leadgolem]

Will do. SWMBO wants to get into canning anyway, so it should be a natural segue.

Yeah. The equipment is pretty much identical. You just don't pasteurize as hot as you water bath can. Do yourself a favor though and don't try to move bottles in and out of the water with the jar lifter. It isn't sized right for them and it will slip on you. Get yourself a silicone oven mit. You can just grab the bottles out of the water with it.



I don't know what's wrong with me. The last several days I've been edgy and irritable for no reason. Tonight I came home and just crashed out. Fell asleep right after eating for about 3 hours. I don't usually do that. Not sure what's wrong...

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

I don't know what's wrong with me. The last several days I've been edgy and irritable for no reason. Tonight I came home and just crashed out. Fell asleep right after eating for about 3 hours. I don't usually do that. Not sure what's wrong...

I get moods like that too. Crappy rainy weather makes me miserable and gives me migraines, good weather not so much. Today was an off gray and rainy day, got some stuff done but I mostly chilled out. Drank a lot of apfelwein, going to sleep well tonight (this morning?).

 

[emjay]

Yeah. The equipment is pretty much identical. You just don't pasteurize as hot as you water bath can. Do yourself a favor though and don't try to move bottles in and out of the water with the jar lifter. It isn't sized right for them and it will slip on you. Get yourself a silicone oven mit. You can just grab the bottles out of the water with it.

I don't know what's wrong with me. The last several days I've been edgy and irritable for no reason. Tonight I came home and just crashed out. Fell asleep right after eating for about 3 hours. I don't usually do that. Not sure what's wrong...

Only thing I can think of would be if you're on painkillers