Quarantine Activities

[exNavyOffRec]

First gin and tonic of the spring/summer. I use key lime juice instead of lime slices. Best discoveries I've made on that front have been Q tonic water and Voyager gin. Q isn't as cloyingly sweet as Seagrams, Canada Dry, etc. It uses agave and not corn syrup as I recall. It also comes in little 5-ounce bottles or cans so you can use one to a drink. Voyager is a distillery up near Woodinville, WA, and it's the best gin I've yet come across. You can sip the stuff neat, if you want; it's that smooth. Still has an herbal bite like good gin, but it doesn't need a mixer to avoid tasting either medicinal or like you're sucking on a juniper bush. Relatively reasonably priced for a craft spirit, to boot.

View attachment 25395

As you can tell from my glorious 1960s countertop, I bought a bit of a fixer when I started working in Seattle, thanks to the batshit insane real estate market. I know exactly where I want my wet bar to eventually go. But ye gads, the money I've had to sink into other shit recently . . .

What do you consider reasonably priced?

 

[nittany03]

What do you consider reasonably priced?

35 bucks, tax included. WA state bends you over the freaking table with liquor taxes, as you know.

 

[mad dog]

I just couldn’t stand it...a pilot buddy (American Airlines) kept shooting his mouth off that he could beat me in original Game Boy Tetris. I sprinted to a local vintage gaming vendor and purchased a DMG-1 “grey brick” (left) so that we could link up with my DMG-1 “grey brick” (right) that I purchased at the NASNI NEX in 1989...and duke it out. I won.

Link up test checks SAT...

 

[Dontcallmegump]

I drink what onwings have provided me

Speaking of, what shall I send you? Somthing worthy of a neat?

I've got Al's bottle for when he does the deed but I still dont have a clue what you'd like mailed with the bottom of a tie.

 

[Dontcallmegump]

I just couldn’t stand it...a pilot buddy (American Airlines) kept shooting his mouth off that he could beat me in original Game Boy Tetris. I sprinted to a local vintage gaming vendor and purchased a DMG-1 “grey brick” (left) so that we could link up with my DMG-1 “grey brick” (right) that I purchased at the NASNI NEX in 1989...and duke it out. I won.

Link up test checks SAT...

View attachment 25397

Any chance you're trying to pawn the second unit, now that victory is yours? My Nintendo collection, and the one I lost as a young boy, needs some replacement.

 

[mad dog]

Any chance you're trying to pawn the second unit, now that victory is yours? My Nintendo collection, and the one I lost as a young boy, needs some replacement.

Sorry, sir...I’m going to keep it since I’ve encountered several other challengers...including our youngest, Max (age 18), who thinks he’s pretty much hot shit at anything and everything in the solar system.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Anybody willing to share pics of mancave/I-love-me rooms? Looking for some inspiration to start something like that.

I am currently remodeling a combination library / media room. The design concept pictured below had a number of features that I could incorporate on a smaller scale / budget.

• Instead of crown molding, more of a square type (similar to a trey ceiling) where you can inset lights.
• Bookcases flanking the main screen (in my case, a 65" Vizio) I liked the wider bookcase sides and replicated it using 2x4"s as the core with 3/4" birch plywood on with either side fronted by 3" molding
• Underneath the TV will be a shallow case with sliding doors to hold the media collection of Blu-Rays and DVD's. (today's project) Not a complete technological Luddite, but certainly closer to telegram than Instagram...
• The room was already wired for 5.1 stereo, will add 2 more channels on the sides for 7 speakers and run the cable to the subwoofer in the back.
• The ceiling concept was unique
• The room was already plumbed so a small wet bar, microwave and a nice popcorn popper.

Just finished painting with gray walls and white trim, will build some ship models for future display (anyone got a recommended site for models?) As for swag, nothing of mine but rather items passed down in the family: grandfather's shotguns, great-grandfather's rifle, as well as a few prints (in particular "Welcome Little Brother" by Nixon Galloway which seemed appropriate since one uncle was a B-25 pilot and another was a Mustang pilot.)

 

[Pags]

post

Sprue Brothers is a pretty solid site for all your modeling needs...kits, glue, tools, paint, etc. I'm currently working on this F-4J (and have been for some time):

 

[Griz882]

I am currently remodeling a combination library / media room. The design concept pictured below had a number of features that I could incorporate on a smaller scale / budget.

View attachment 25406

• Instead of crown molding, more of a square type (similar to a trey ceiling) where you can inset lights.
• Bookcases flanking the main screen (in my case, a 65" Vizio) I liked the wider bookcase sides and replicated it using 2x4"s as the core with 3/4" birch plywood on with either side fronted by 3" molding
• Underneath the TV will be a shallow case with sliding doors to hold the media collection of Blu-Rays and DVD's. (today's project) Not a complete technological Luddite, but certainly closer to telegram than Instagram...
• The room was already wired for 5.1 stereo, will add 2 more channels on the sides for 7 speakers and run the cable to the subwoofer in the back.
• The ceiling concept was unique
• The room was already plumbed so a small wet bar, microwave and a nice popcorn popper.

Just finished painting with gray walls and white trim, will build some ship models for future display (anyone got a recommended site for models?) As for swag, nothing of mine but rather items passed down in the family: grandfather's shotguns, great-grandfather's rifle, as well as a few prints (in particular "Welcome Little Brother" by Nixon Galloway which seemed appropriate since one uncle was a B-25 pilot and another was a Mustang pilot.)
View attachment 25408

Very nice! If you are looking for a high quality ship model look here: https://sdmodelmakers.com. They do museum quality work but it does come at a price. A 24” DD model will run you just above $2000 but the accuracy is fantastic. There are others out there that will run you under $1000, but a good ship model is a heirloom piece.

 

[Pags]

What do you consider reasonably priced?

Pags' house rule of booze purchasing (+/- a couple of bucks)
-$15 is a sweet spot for wine unless it's a holiday or special occasion worthy of good meat
-$30 for booze; handles for booze that's going to be mixed in porch drinks, fifths for drinking straight or nice cocktails
-$10-12 for 6 pack/4 pack tall boys for nicer beer; less than $20 for larger quantities for sunny day porch drinks
If you can't decide, let the kids earn their lollipop and pick via label

 

[Pags]

Very nice! If you are looking for a high quality ship model look here: https://sdmodelmakers.com. They do museum quality work but it does come at a price. A 24” DD model will run you just above $2000 but the accuracy is fantastic. There are others out there that will run you under $1000, but a good ship model is a heirloom piece.

Those are pretty amazing, which they should be at that price. I'd think if you've got some patience and a steady hand you could easily make a whole fleet of plastic ships for the same price and your guests would never know the difference. And if you knock one over while dusting it's much less of a tragedy.

 

[nittany03]

Pags' house rule of booze purchasing (+/- a couple of bucks)
-$15 is a sweet spot for wine unless it's a holiday or special occasion worthy of good meat
-$30 for booze; handles for booze that's going to be mixed in porch drinks, fifths for drinking straight or nice cocktails
-$10-12 for 6 pack/4 pack tall boys for nicer beer; less than $20 for larger quantities for sunny day porch drinks
If you can't decide, let the kids earn their lollipop and pick via label

I had my mind blown recently. I had contemplated buying my bourbon in handles. Figured I could maybe save money and make fewer trips to the store; obviously the stuff doesn't go bad. Then I went to the store and ran the numbers.

It actually costs significantly more in WA State to buy booze by the handle, because they slap a 20.5 percent sales tax on the price of a bottle AND then tax you a spirits tax on top of that that's like $3.77 a liter. I did the math, and you pay less per ounce to buy multiple fifths as opposed to one handle. So much for saving money buying in bulk . . .

 

[Griz882]

Those are pretty amazing, which they should be at that price. I'd think if you've got some patience and a steady hand you could easily make a whole fleet of plastic ships for the same price and your guests would never know the difference. And if you knock one over while dusting it's much less of a tragedy.

All true, but I am a tragically bad model builder. Believe it or not I get antsy and tense when I am doing micro-tasks with my hands. My future as a surgeon, artist or model builder is lost!

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I had my mind blown recently. I had contemplated buying my bourbon in handles. Figured I could maybe save money and make fewer trips to the store; obviously the stuff doesn't go bad. Then I went to the store and ran the numbers.

It actually costs significantly more in WA State to buy booze by the handle, because they slap a 20.5 percent sales tax on the price of a bottle AND then tax you a spirits tax on top of that that's like $3.77 a liter. I did the math, and you pay less per ounce to buy multiple fifths as opposed to one handle. So much for saving money buying in bulk . . .

I thought going to the commissary would be better but no it wasn't, what I found is the stores out in town sell it cheaper, then the taxes bring up the price so it is pretty much a wash, and I don't need to drive to the commissary.

 

[nittany03]

I thought going to the commissary would be better but no it wasn't, what I found is the stores out in town sell it cheaper, then the taxes bring up the price so it is pretty much a wash, and I don't need to drive to the commissary.

I did get a tip to try the exchange at the Coast Guard base in SoDo, but even pre-COVID, it was far enough out of the way to make it a hassle.