The ASP Week in Review for 8/2/02 - 8/9/02

[grace christian]

you go girl!
"Rev. Melissa Robitille" <robi...@together.net> wrote in message
news:aj1n88$16p2n0$1...@ID-120342.news.dfncis.de...
> **** The ASP Week in Review for August 2, 2002 to August 9, 2002 ****
>
> Hello dear ones,
> I'm sincerely trying to get this week's Week in Review in on time -
> hopefully I'll make it, but you *have* been rather a chatty lot this week,
> so I may not make it before midnight.
>
> Frenchy - at Tony Florida's recommendation - re-tried Blue Note and found
it
> to be much improved the second time around. This seems to be a standard
> phenomena with Blue Note. When one first tries Blue Note it can, and
> frequently does, mangle one's tongue. This usually sends a body gibbering
in
> terror into a remote corner of the room with some comparatively mild
battery
> acid to soothe the tongue. However, upon returning - sometimes quite some
> time, even years later - Blue Note seems to have undergone a
metamorphosis,
> becoming a lovely sweet, mild, pleasant smoke. I don't know why, folks,
> that's just the way it is.
>
> Ian ( Creedmoor Chronicles, Ltd. ) wanted to know what the names of
> Rattray's blends meant - Red Rapparee refers to a rather unsavoury
> character, generally a mercenary hired to slaughter off a family living on
a
> parcel of land wanted by someone else with the money to pay for his
> services, and Highland Targe refers to the small shield carried into
battle
> by a Highlander. Unlike the sort of shield one thinks of when thinking of
> knights and so forth, these are usually NOT plastered all over with one's
> heraldic design as if one was a sports figure doing endorsements.
> Highlanders tend more towards a rather understated display of familial
> loyalty - one wears the clan tartan and a brooch bearing the clan's motto.
I
> happen to like Rattray's choice of using words relating to very Scottish
> things, though one doesn't like to be reminded of unsavoury characters!
>
> The debate about marijuana legalization and drug legalization in general
> continues. Robert gave us a small peek at his life, and his sorrow in
losing
> his son to a horrific accident caused by a combination of alcohol and
> marijuana. Robert, I'm so sorry about your son. I know my parents went
> through some massive personality changes after nearly losing me, and how
> much just the *scare* hurt them, so I know I cannot fathom the pain you've
> gone through, I only hope that we can all offer you some measure of
comfort.
>
> After a lengthy hiatus, the smooth vs. sandblasted topic came up again.
Some
> of us feel that a sandblasted pipe disperses heat better, thereby smoking
> cooler. Some of us feel that there's no difference at all. Personally, I
> don't note a difference in smoke temperature due to the surface of a pipe,
I
> find more of a difference in smoke temperature due to the quality of the
> pipe itself. Generally speaking, the pricier pipes I have smoke cooler
than
> the few remaining Dr. Grabows I have.
>
> Next year's ASP lighter has entered the planning phase, apparently, though
> Bert informs us that he won't be able to organize it since his work load
has
> picked up dramatically. It's looking like next year's lighter will be an
Old
> Boy.
>
> Bear asked what we would change about our pipe collecting habits if we
could
> do it all over again. I honestly can't think of a thing... I don't
collect
> any one shape, size, finish, or anything of that sort, though I *think* I
> would have bought less straight pipes unless they were lightweight
Canadians
> because straight pipes just don't clench right.
>
> Paul Tatum's little daughter Sophie was born 8/3/02 - welcome Sophie! He
> also kindly posted a link to the portrait pipe of his daughter (
naturally,
> it's another daughter - there hasn't been time to do one of Sophie yet! ).
>
> This week's Public Service Announcement....
> If you're looking for a brick and mortar pipe shop in or near a particular
> area, please check with http://www.flash.net/~gallow/syp.html
> Next week's Public Service Announcement will include Joel's wonderful Pipe
> Smoker's Yellow Pages *and* the URL for the FAQ ( which I have managed to
> lose in all the confusion around this house... ).
>
> There's been a minor blow up about Mark Cicero's attempts at weeding his
> collection of the pipes he doesn't care for - while a few folks were
getting
> slightly peeved at the frequency of Mark's efforts, most folks seem to be
> appreciative of the chance to nab those pipes before they hit the bidding
> frenzy of Ebay.
>
> Bernie's nasty pipe problem of last week ( it stank of mildew, even after
> cleaning twice with alcohol and salt ) has apparently been cleared up.
> Freezing it for 24 hours didn't help, but an hour's soak in hydrogen
> peroxide, followed by an hour's soak in oxygen bleach ( which, I believe,
is
> also essentially hydrogen peroxide ) seems to have cleared up the
problem -
> though the pipe does NOT 'want' to be a pipe for VAs.
>
> We had a discussion on formality of language, which I really hope was
> entirely meant in the spirit of fun, though some rough words were
exchanged.
> Boys, boys! Play nicely, and stop hitting each other with those latin and
> grammar text books! Honestly! :D
>
> There was a thread clearing up the group numbers mystery - 1 is extra
small,
> 2 is small, 3 is medium, 4 is large, 5 is extra large, and 6 is heading
into
> Monster Pipe territory. Additionally, apparently if there is a large order
> for #2s and the number available is shy of the number required, some #3s
are
> labeled #2.
>
> Apparently, the RTDA show had something very odd on display - some sort of
> gizmo which heats, but does not *burn* tobacco, releasing nicotine but not
> 99% of the carcinogens in smoke. Personally, I should think it would also
> remove the *flavor*, not to mention the fun of smoke rings, and where
> *would* you put such a gadget on a pipe? Fah. Let the cigarette smokers
keep
> their odd little gizmo - and they probably *did* get the idea from one of
> those peculiar thingummies used to 'smoke' less legal substances.
> Considering the taste of at least one of those less legal substances, I
can
> see the point of reducing the amount of stench one must inhale...
>
> Nizo informs us that Paulie Peaches' son Eugene ( Eugenio ) has quit law
> school and is taking up dance school. This seems to be a source of much
> consternation for poor Paulie. I myself would suggest to the boy that
dance
> classes are all well and good - and excellent excercise to boot - but it's
a
> rare talent who can make a living at dancing, therefore it would be wisest
> to remain in law school and take dance classes at night. After all, one
can
> almost always make a living as a lawyer, and while artistry is nice it
> doesn't pay the bills or put food on the table. Alternately, if lawyering
> is just too cut-throat for the sensitive lad, perhaps nursing school would
> suit - there is rather a drastic nursing shortage, and a full tuition
> scholarship rather easy to get.
>
> Unfortunately, there was also a bit of a blow-up about Jeff's asking if
> someone could beat the deal that Tigerdirect was offering on the dual 2GHz
> processor Xeon 'box' he wants ( yes, Jeff, it *definitely* has *two* 2GHz
> processors - I checked their printed catalog ad - very nice machine! ).
> *sigh* It's so sad to see that kind of thing. Now, admittedly, most folks
> don't really NEED that kind of CPU power ( I know *we* don't! ), but
Jeff's
> got big nasty databases to slog through ( you have my deepest sympathies,
> Jeff! ). Hopefully hard feelings will be mended - I really don't like to
see
> my dear friends squabbling. And Jeff - I'd still like to know which hard
> drive you're looking at for more storage space!
>
> Pay It Forward has broken 2200 pipes! Yes folks, Bear has sent out 2207
> pipes and over 975 pounds of tobacco to needy pipesmokers - newbies as
well
> as those of us who have been pipesmokers for a while and have run into
> financial straits. Bear does ask that when you send in a request, de-mung
> your return e-mail address so that hitting reply sends a reply right to
you;
> it's only courtesy folks.
>
> Frenchy has been feeling fractious this week. Hey Frenchy, LBJ thought he
> was a little wig, and thought everyone else was too ( though why a fellow
> would ever wear a merkin I don't know ), and did you ever hear a tape of
> Roosevelt talking? How about FDR? And no one but *Kennedys* talks like
JFK -
> that's NOT a Boston accent ( it's probably a drunken slur, if you ask
me ).
>
> Poor Michael is dealing with an absolute bully at work. Thus far the
advice
> has ranged from typical advice given to small boys dealing with bullies (
> hit him back, bullies never expect that ) to more legal advice like
> documenting the incidents and complaints that weren't acted upon and
seeking
> a restraining order. I wouldn't like to see Michael in jail, so I'm
sticking
> with the law-abiding advice, even if I personally would likely lose my
> red-headed Irish temper and clock the SOB.
>
> Sailorman Jack wanted to know who owns ASP - no one and everyone I guess.
> It's not a physical something you can own, but we all make up a part of
this
> community.
>
> SBHCOM asked for lawn care advice ( weed-and-feed stuff - get it at the
lawn
> & garden center, some supermarkets, and most generic hardware stores ),
> which was certainly new.
>
> Bear asked if we have a neatly scheduled pipe rotation so that each pipe
> gets an equal amount of 'rest'. Most of us seem to have an 'it depends'
> rotation, while I personally smoke all the pipes I happen to like twice a
> day. Yep. Pipe abuser on the loose.
>
> For those of us who were also mystified, apparently Haddo is an Aleister
> Crowley character of some sort who smoked straight perique smoked in Rum.
> Eeewww.
>
> Buzz ( Mingkahuna ) wanted to know if merchandise on a website ( like his
> own tampers or someone else's pipes ) ought to be simply marked SOLD and
> left up or if the picture should be removed quickly. The general response
> was to leave the pictures up with SOLD on them, and I happen to agree very
> much since I like to see other examples of a person's craft when I'm
looking
> through a site, even if I can't buy those specific examples.
>
> Joshua Sasmor's apparently having a *very* good run just lately - his son
> Evan was born July 7th, he's finally got hs Ph.D. in Math, he's got a job
> locally, he's got a new meerschaum pipe, and his to-do list for the
weekend
> is down to nothing. :D Good for you, Joshua!
>
> Bear's experiment with coloring a meerschaum with water in which tobacco
has
> been boiled ( tobacco tea! ) has been successful, though he isn't planning
> to do it again, and suggests that if someone else is going to do it they
> wait until the water has become quite cool.
>
> As for life in the Robitille household...
>
> The lead abatement work continues apace, and we might even get the whole
> house back on Wednesday of next week! :D We now have the nicest looking
> house on the block ( no one believed me when I said *that* blue and *that*
> white - a slightly yellowed white - would look stunning, but NOW they
do! ),
> though I'll be using the extra gallon of exterior paint in the blue to
punch
> up the detail work that the contractors weren't diddling about with. I've
> picked out the carpet color for the three 3rd floor rooms to be carpeted (
> including the guest bedroom ). The windows are all duly replaced. The
> painted doors from upstairs ( all 17 of them! ) are being chemically
> stripped and then primed.
>
> Our part of the deal is to paint the stuff they prime, which sort of
> *requires* us to paint all the trim in all the rooms or we'll have a patch
> that's painted and sticks out like a sore thumb. So, I picked pure white
and
> it is absolutely *dazzling* in the rooms we've managed to do thus far down
> here. We're also getting a gallon of *interior* paint to use in the
> downstairs bathroom, so I'll have one whole room re-decorated. :D I picked
a
> very nice light true blue ( not a 'baby' blue ) for the walls, which will
> look very nice with the VERY white trim.
>
> Of course, there have been minor disasters - a leak in the upstairs
bathroom
> sink's drain pipe ( caused some major blistering of the paint down here in
> the kitchen ), and then someone brought a bucket full of water into that
> bathroom ( a bucket with a big HOLE in it ), so that caused a near
rainstorm
> down here in the kitchen *and* in the stairway. Argh.
>
> Well, the minor disasters have at least led Dana to the conclusion that
the
> upstairs bathroom will need some fairly major repair, which will mean a
new
> floor ( and new linoleum! Woo-hoo! ) and a chance for me to re-paint the
> bathroom in more tasteful colors. For some odd reason the color I've
> christened 'Dirty Pool Bottom' doesn't suit my tastes. We're also
> considering the plan of attack for eventual redecorating/remodeling of
other
> rooms ( though even the bathroom repair comes AFTER the painting we're
> contractually obligated to do - don't want to run out of money to do what
we
> *must* do because we went and did something about the bathroom ). Dana,
> having finally seen our bedroom in the full light of day has decided that
he
> agrees that the wallpaper in there is hideous and MUST go ( when I don't
> know ), so we're hoping to be able to tear it all down, spackle the bad
bits
> in the plaster walls, prime, and paint. The library/play room is going to
> need the same treatment. The girls' room and my sewing room ( which will
now
> become the sewing and computer room and Isaac will have the living room to
> himself - which should make for less tripping over nurses ) need some
> spackle and some paint... At any rate, while none of these redecorating
> projects are going to be happening any time soon, at least we've got plans
> in mind for each room when the time comes. It's good to have a plan and
know
> what the house 'mood' is eventually going to be so you don't have rooms
that
> don't 'go' with the rest. It's doing my urge to decorate a world of good
to
> get to at least start making plans.
>
> Grace is growing like a weed, she's up to 12lbs 12oz this week - another
> half pound gained in a week! She has all of Dana's facial expressions -
> everything from his endearing *real* smile to his 'who swiped my power
> drill?' and even his 'There are *dishes* in the *sink*!'. :D
>
> Isaac is doing well, and getting better at standing every day, though he
> protests such treatment a great deal. He's signing so nicely, though he is
> most fluent with his signing when he's complaining ( Daddy's *tired*,
> Daddy's *sleeping*! ). :D
>
> Emma has been trying to convince the contractors to let her take a look
> under the hood of their truck - she says it's knocking and that if they'd
> just let her under there she could *fix* it. I don't know where she gets
the
> idea that she can actually fix a car - going from Daddy's Little Helper to
> Master Mechanic is a bit of a leap!
>
> Tamara is, as always, truly fabulous. Thankfully for the rest of us we're
> not continually exposed to her fabulocity - I've decided that if she's
going
> to sing, she's going to do it in the bathroom with the door SHUT, and she
> can do her dancing in there too where there isn't any furniture to knock
> over or babies to land on.
>
> Daniel is still trying to get away with not doing his math, though he's
> beginning to realize that while he might have gotten away with murder
while
> I was in the hospital, Mommy Means Business.
>
> Dana's been getting a massive amount of household 'need to do' projects
done
> now that I'm more capable of keeping up with household stuff. I'm not up
to
> a full day just yet, but I'm getting there.
>
> As for me, I'm healing nicely, but my temper's getting quite frayed with
the
> nursing service pulling power plays because they *know* we need them right
> now and can't just up and cancel nursing. When I'm feeling more myself,
> though, OUT they go - I can take care of Isaac myself much better than
they
> can, and I don't much care for their behavior. My dad's visit last
weekend
> wasn't quite a total disaster, fortunately, though it didn't seem worth a
> visit either - he just looked fondly at the babies, talked to the big
kids,
> and pretty much ignored Dana and I. Ah well. There was good news today -
> apparently, that 'thing' in the marrow of his left femur isn't cancer,
it's
> a massive infection. So they've got him on a painkiller and on Keflex
> antibiotic, which ought to take care of any infection he has. On the other
> hand, there's still the osseous tumors on his spine, which could very well
> be cancer. *sigh* Still, one down, one to go.
>
> And that, my friends, is the ASP Week in Reveiw for 8/2/02 - 8/9/02
> Rev. Melissa 'Red Rev' Robitille
>
>
>
>