B
I almost always wore REI wool hiking socks before my medical incident. I don't think I actually ever wore a pair out. They treated my feet very well.
Now I have to wear very strong compression support hose that extend up my calf. My wife struggles each morning to get them on me 
Big Al
Judges noted a “delightful mix of apple tart, custard, and intriguing dried apricots” on the nose, followed by a palate that offers “a refined medley of buckwheat honey, dried apricots, vanilla, and warm spice.”
I'm always amazed by the variety of tastes people can find in a particular glass. I'm afraid my nose and palate are much less sensitive. I know things I like better, but I could never find six distinct and identifiable flavors in anything I've ever drunk.
Bourbon is the spirit that I almost always drink when I'm having hard liquor. I primarily drink beer and regard it as a great time to be a beer drinker.
Big Al
@pique said in Sleep apnea and c-pap machines--experiences?:
Wondering if Medicare considers these machines to have a limited life span and if they will replace the machine at that point?
They do at some point. I'm on my third machine right now. I got my first one through my health insurance while I was still working. It was a Phillips Respironic that was subject of a recall. By that time I was on Medicare and had to get a new sleep study before I could get a replacement, which was a ResMed. The humidifier on that one failed a few months ago out of warranty and I got a replacement ResMed but had to pay the usual Medicare medical equipment copay. I was cautioned that if it had been much longer (10 years?) that I might have had to get yet another sleep study.
I'm glad to hear you're now having some success.
Big Al
I have been using a CPAP machine for quite a few years now with good success. I use the nasal pillows because I have a full beard that would interfere with sealing a full mask.
I was suffering from increased daytime drowsiness that was interfering with work and making me fearful of falling asleep at the wheel when driving home from work. My wife said that I sometimes stopped breathing entirely for short times at night, a fact that was probably apparent to her by interruptions in my snoring. I had discussed this with my PCP, who had been reluctant to do anything, but when my wife called him and told him that something had to be done because I could lose my job for sleeping at my desk, he finally ordered a sleep study and confirmed that I had sleep apnea. I was prescribed a CPAP machine and have been using it ever since.
It made an immediate difference in my daytime alertness and general feeling of well-being. If you continue to have difficulties adapting to using it, please discuss this with your prescriber. A change in hardware, pressure setting, or some other parameter might help. If your situation is anything like mine was, it's important to try to make it work.
Big Al
@Piano-Dad said in Stop AI plundering:
I looked at this topic title and wondered, "what is Big Al" plundering?
Big Al
That's some remarkable work.
It did raise a couple of questions in my mind:
When the restorer is removing overpainting, how does he discriminate between work of a previous restorer and overpainting that may have been done by the original artist?
The restoration painting work proceeded at what seemed to be a rapid pace, but I wondered how the restorer could color- and texture-match so apparently effectively. Is that all a function of the skill and dexterity of the restorer or was some of the effort omitted to speed up the demonstration of this step?
Big Al
said in Nice big house in NE Ohio:
Wow. That has everything I'm looking for in a house, including the fireplace in the bedroom (I had one in the bedroom of the farmhouse I grew up in and I still would love to have one).
I wouldn't want to have to mow all that grass. I'm curious what's in all the areas that weren't pictured.
Big Al
Wow. That has everything I'm lookong for in a house, including the fire place in the bedroom (I had one in the bedroom of the farmhouse I grew up in and I still would love to have one.
I wouldn't want to have to mow all that grass. I'm curious what's in all the areas that weren't pictured.
Big Al
@Bernard said in Almost hit head on:
Maybe it's because I lived in NYC for so long, where horn usage is ubiquitous.
That comment reminded me of an incident many years ago.
My wife had injured her knee in a sports accident and couldn't work the clutch in our cars, both of which had manual transmissions. To let her drive, we arranged to swap a car with her parents so she would have a car that she could drive with one good leg.
I met my father-in-law at a midway point between our homes to do the swap. The car that I was driving then had a problem with the horn ring accidentally shorting and sounding the horn unexpectedly, so I had pulled the connection to the horn until I could get it fixed.
Returning home after the swap, I said to my wife, "I probably should have told your father about the nonworking horn." She said, "He already knows. He called to ask how to work the horn, because he couldn't get it to sound. He even stopped to look in the owner's manual for information."
As you may have guessed, my father-in-law grew up and learned to drive in NYC,
I'm glad your horn was working when you needed it.
Big Al
Thanks for the answer. That looks a lot more convenient to use than the piles of books and sheet music I have near my piano.
Big Al
@jon-nyc said in Piano Party 7/27 Klaus is coming to visit:
There are some. Klaus is here a week and we’re at the Jersey shore now. Next weekend I’ll post some videos.
Back from the shore yet? I would really like to see some videos.
Big Al
Thanks for sharing that with us. It was very beautiful and your performance was excellent.
What software are you using on the tablet? It seemed to change pages very precisely.
Big Al
What an interesting find. Since they appear to have been printed, I wonder how many were originally produced and if other copies survive?
Big Al
I don't know what assessed value means in Nassua, NH. Here in Pennsylvania, assessed value for property tax purposes is often set at a base year and can differ wildly from current market value. It would be helpful for this discussion to know what the basis for this assessment actually is.
Big Al
One mustard we used to almost always have in our fridge was Nance's. It has vanished from all our local markets in recent years. It was the go-to mustard in my wife's family.
Big Al
