Several Types of Plumbing
Jun. 26th, 2024 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39I could have slept in on Monday but was wide awake a little after 7. Oh well.
Did a little research on trombones on The Trombone Chat (which is just what it sounds like, a forum and classifieds for trombonists.) Have probably mentioned this before but I do not want to use my precious, irreplaceable Williams trombone in the park, so am looking for a trombone that would be safer to use outdoors...one that I could stand losing, or repairing.
I only have four more scheduled dates at Disney, but in general the Williams (and the Minick for that matter) should not be my ONLY options for theme park work. They're both very rare and once they're damaged they not only lose value, they are also irreplaceable.
So far I'm seriously considering three options:
- A 1955 King 3B, all original but it's been relacquered so it looks new;
- A 1960s King 3B, custom leadpipe but all other parts original and comes with a case, was owned/played by a guy in the Glenn Miller Orchestra;
- An Earl Williams Model 6, same as my horn but it's been damaged and repaired. I'd be more willing to play this in the park since it has already had work done to it, and if it gets totaled it can serve as parts for MY Williams.
And Option Four which I am NOT taking very seriously,
- a King 2B with Conn parts that my friend and former circus boss Brett is sending me for free, to try!
I don't expect the 2B to be a good fit because they are quite small horns and that's a disadvantage for lower parts. But Brett is sending it to me out of kindness and generosity, and you never know what might surprise you, so I'll give it a fair shake.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
So here's a neat thing that happened:
I typed all of that up about the trombones I'm researching, and later at the martini bar tonight I was casually text-chatting with the trombonist who owns the repaired Williams 6. I had gotten more details and a price from him, and we were nerding out about rare horns, and I mentioned that I'm currently playing a Minick but that I'd rather not be using that in an outdoor setting either.
As it turns out, a few months ago a trombonist posted to The Trombone Chat and socials to report a stolen Minick. It was him!!
He was SO EXCITED to hear that I owned a Minick! I sent pictures of mine, which is in far better condition than the one stolen from him.
And a thought occurred to me.
He's got a Williams that I want. I've got a Minick that he wants.
So I asked, "Wanna do a trade?"
After an evening of chatting and swapping data points about his Williams and my Minick, we've both agreed to at least do an even trade, with some exchange of money so we can say the horns were "sold" or whatever (and get points on our credit cards.) I love my Minick as a historical piece and as a horn that I procured myself, through my own research. But playing-wise, it is not for me. And for this guy, he PREFERS the way the Minick plays, and has no use for the Williams. I'll miss the Minick but would be thrilled for a professional and enthusiast like this guy to get it! Especially if it costs us both only shipping!!
A video that I made for this guy, he wanted to hear the way the bell sounds when you thwack it. It's a common way to test the quality of the craftsmanship/metal/lacquer job, but though I've seen many people thwacking trombone bells over the years I know little or nothing about what it actually reveals. But whatever, I did it. Also look at the condition of my trombone compared to the one that got stolen from him. Hopefully he's getting a better deal this way!
(CLICK HERE to watch)
He's gonna be in Europe for a performance until July 8th, but when he gets back hopefully he's still ready to go forward with this exchange. I can't believe that I could possibly get my little grubby hands on another Williams!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaaanyway, Jameson and I were at the martini bar because his friend Tracy was performing in a comedy show there (Gaggle Reflex) and she'd asked him to perform on a song. Just one song, so for the rest of the time he could enjoy the show with meeee :)
The blacklight painting on the wall. I can never get the whole thing in frame. There are many martini glasses hidden in the mural.
For the cocktail I went with The Woodsman: Woodford Reserve, St. Germaine, 10-year Tawny Port, Amish fig jam, mint, lime. Not flavors I'd usually get but that's kinda why I got it. It was very good, I especially liked that the fig was gently sweet and gave texture to the drink.
They don't water down the drinks here either...learned that the first time. Enjoyed the comedy show with a lovely buzz, some good laughs were had. Jameson's part wasn't until the end, but he only had a beer so as not to be muddled in the head.
Here he is waiting for his cue. (So cute <3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday I was up early but not early enough, because I felt pretty dissatisfied with everything I touched today.
I got my six hours of data entry and an hour of trombone practice, and went to the grocery for taco salad ingredients, and vacuumed while Jameson was at the gym. I probably just need to go for a walk again to work off this unease, but didn't find time today.
Made the taco salad for dinner, so easy.
And made these super-simple Ritzy Rolos treats (thanks TikTok!)
Take some Ritz crackers. Put a rolo in the center of each one. Preheat oven to 350F. Stick the crackers in there for a minute and thirty or until the Rolos look shiny and start to lose shape (if they're melting you've waited too long.) Take 'em out and slap another Ritz cracker on top. Eat them warm or after they've set. We've tried them both ways and they're awesome warm or cold.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday decided to get up at 6am. I'd like to be able to have a real weekend if possible, for once, which means more work up front.
Sometimes the quiet twilight in the morning is nice and calming too, even if I'm very tired. The early woodland/swamp birds calling to each other, hearing people getting in their cars to head to work. I keep forgetting to mention that we've been sleeping with a white/brown/pink noise machine, and I'm surprised that we stay asleep longer and feel more rested when it's on. Not sure why I never got into those before.
Between chunks of data entry I threw out my dead lemon tree, threw out my expired plant fertilizers and sprays, changed our bedsheets, did laundry, applied for some jobs, and did laps in the pool for "exercise."
Our big excitement today was having new toilets installed! We've been trying to do this for ages but contractors here in FL are majority scam artists...I'm not kidding. I got ripped off for nearly $400 while Jameson was at work and I was handling an AC repair alone (the guy refused to leave our house, I wrote a whole rant about it.) And then when Jameson tried to replace our toilets the first time the contractor uninstalled both of them, couldn't install the new ones properly, still charged Jameson the full cost of installation even though we didn't actually get anything new installed, AND THEN reinstalled our old toilets incorrectly. I still don't understand why Jameson paid him, but then he probably doesn't understand why I paid the AC guy either. We're idiots, I guess, for not having become HVAC technicians or plumbers ourselves, or for thinking that people who have business licenses and websites advertising themselves as plumbers are actually plumbers.
Anyway, THESE installers were part of a purchase and installation package from Lowe's, so if they screwed up at least we'd have recourse.
And guess what! While they didn't "screw up," one of the toilets showed up broken in the box!
So we did get the master toilet installed, but the guest bathroom is now just a pipe in the floor.
I joked that we could always just turn it into a Chinese toilet.
Honestly, I wouldn't be opposed; supposedly everything "comes out" easier when you're squatting.
Supposedly we will have another toilet showing up on Friday, fingers crossed because the hole in the floor reeks of sewage.
Meanwhile our one new toilet is lovely. The old one was on the verge of breaking and was running constantly. Our new one is super basic but compared to the old one it's a throne for kings and queens :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another quiet weekend in the works, which I'll try to appreciate since the 4th of July is coming up.
Recall that we live in a vacation rental neighborhood...........
In closing, my banana tree trying to make bananas.
Did a little research on trombones on The Trombone Chat (which is just what it sounds like, a forum and classifieds for trombonists.) Have probably mentioned this before but I do not want to use my precious, irreplaceable Williams trombone in the park, so am looking for a trombone that would be safer to use outdoors...one that I could stand losing, or repairing.
I only have four more scheduled dates at Disney, but in general the Williams (and the Minick for that matter) should not be my ONLY options for theme park work. They're both very rare and once they're damaged they not only lose value, they are also irreplaceable.
So far I'm seriously considering three options:
- A 1955 King 3B, all original but it's been relacquered so it looks new;
- A 1960s King 3B, custom leadpipe but all other parts original and comes with a case, was owned/played by a guy in the Glenn Miller Orchestra;
- An Earl Williams Model 6, same as my horn but it's been damaged and repaired. I'd be more willing to play this in the park since it has already had work done to it, and if it gets totaled it can serve as parts for MY Williams.
And Option Four which I am NOT taking very seriously,
- a King 2B with Conn parts that my friend and former circus boss Brett is sending me for free, to try!
I don't expect the 2B to be a good fit because they are quite small horns and that's a disadvantage for lower parts. But Brett is sending it to me out of kindness and generosity, and you never know what might surprise you, so I'll give it a fair shake.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
So here's a neat thing that happened:
I typed all of that up about the trombones I'm researching, and later at the martini bar tonight I was casually text-chatting with the trombonist who owns the repaired Williams 6. I had gotten more details and a price from him, and we were nerding out about rare horns, and I mentioned that I'm currently playing a Minick but that I'd rather not be using that in an outdoor setting either.
As it turns out, a few months ago a trombonist posted to The Trombone Chat and socials to report a stolen Minick. It was him!!
He was SO EXCITED to hear that I owned a Minick! I sent pictures of mine, which is in far better condition than the one stolen from him.
And a thought occurred to me.
He's got a Williams that I want. I've got a Minick that he wants.
So I asked, "Wanna do a trade?"
After an evening of chatting and swapping data points about his Williams and my Minick, we've both agreed to at least do an even trade, with some exchange of money so we can say the horns were "sold" or whatever (and get points on our credit cards.) I love my Minick as a historical piece and as a horn that I procured myself, through my own research. But playing-wise, it is not for me. And for this guy, he PREFERS the way the Minick plays, and has no use for the Williams. I'll miss the Minick but would be thrilled for a professional and enthusiast like this guy to get it! Especially if it costs us both only shipping!!
A video that I made for this guy, he wanted to hear the way the bell sounds when you thwack it. It's a common way to test the quality of the craftsmanship/metal/lacquer job, but though I've seen many people thwacking trombone bells over the years I know little or nothing about what it actually reveals. But whatever, I did it. Also look at the condition of my trombone compared to the one that got stolen from him. Hopefully he's getting a better deal this way!
(CLICK HERE to watch)
He's gonna be in Europe for a performance until July 8th, but when he gets back hopefully he's still ready to go forward with this exchange. I can't believe that I could possibly get my little grubby hands on another Williams!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaaanyway, Jameson and I were at the martini bar because his friend Tracy was performing in a comedy show there (Gaggle Reflex) and she'd asked him to perform on a song. Just one song, so for the rest of the time he could enjoy the show with meeee :)
The blacklight painting on the wall. I can never get the whole thing in frame. There are many martini glasses hidden in the mural.
For the cocktail I went with The Woodsman: Woodford Reserve, St. Germaine, 10-year Tawny Port, Amish fig jam, mint, lime. Not flavors I'd usually get but that's kinda why I got it. It was very good, I especially liked that the fig was gently sweet and gave texture to the drink.
They don't water down the drinks here either...learned that the first time. Enjoyed the comedy show with a lovely buzz, some good laughs were had. Jameson's part wasn't until the end, but he only had a beer so as not to be muddled in the head.
Here he is waiting for his cue. (So cute <3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday I was up early but not early enough, because I felt pretty dissatisfied with everything I touched today.
I got my six hours of data entry and an hour of trombone practice, and went to the grocery for taco salad ingredients, and vacuumed while Jameson was at the gym. I probably just need to go for a walk again to work off this unease, but didn't find time today.
Made the taco salad for dinner, so easy.
And made these super-simple Ritzy Rolos treats (thanks TikTok!)
Take some Ritz crackers. Put a rolo in the center of each one. Preheat oven to 350F. Stick the crackers in there for a minute and thirty or until the Rolos look shiny and start to lose shape (if they're melting you've waited too long.) Take 'em out and slap another Ritz cracker on top. Eat them warm or after they've set. We've tried them both ways and they're awesome warm or cold.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday decided to get up at 6am. I'd like to be able to have a real weekend if possible, for once, which means more work up front.
Sometimes the quiet twilight in the morning is nice and calming too, even if I'm very tired. The early woodland/swamp birds calling to each other, hearing people getting in their cars to head to work. I keep forgetting to mention that we've been sleeping with a white/brown/pink noise machine, and I'm surprised that we stay asleep longer and feel more rested when it's on. Not sure why I never got into those before.
Between chunks of data entry I threw out my dead lemon tree, threw out my expired plant fertilizers and sprays, changed our bedsheets, did laundry, applied for some jobs, and did laps in the pool for "exercise."
Our big excitement today was having new toilets installed! We've been trying to do this for ages but contractors here in FL are majority scam artists...I'm not kidding. I got ripped off for nearly $400 while Jameson was at work and I was handling an AC repair alone (the guy refused to leave our house, I wrote a whole rant about it.) And then when Jameson tried to replace our toilets the first time the contractor uninstalled both of them, couldn't install the new ones properly, still charged Jameson the full cost of installation even though we didn't actually get anything new installed, AND THEN reinstalled our old toilets incorrectly. I still don't understand why Jameson paid him, but then he probably doesn't understand why I paid the AC guy either. We're idiots, I guess, for not having become HVAC technicians or plumbers ourselves, or for thinking that people who have business licenses and websites advertising themselves as plumbers are actually plumbers.
Anyway, THESE installers were part of a purchase and installation package from Lowe's, so if they screwed up at least we'd have recourse.
And guess what! While they didn't "screw up," one of the toilets showed up broken in the box!
So we did get the master toilet installed, but the guest bathroom is now just a pipe in the floor.
I joked that we could always just turn it into a Chinese toilet.
Honestly, I wouldn't be opposed; supposedly everything "comes out" easier when you're squatting.
Supposedly we will have another toilet showing up on Friday, fingers crossed because the hole in the floor reeks of sewage.
Meanwhile our one new toilet is lovely. The old one was on the verge of breaking and was running constantly. Our new one is super basic but compared to the old one it's a throne for kings and queens :p
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another quiet weekend in the works, which I'll try to appreciate since the 4th of July is coming up.
Recall that we live in a vacation rental neighborhood...........
In closing, my banana tree trying to make bananas.
