Way OT, recommend a good refrigerator...

[Harold_V]

HaroldV said:
"What better way to enjoy a scotch and water?"

With Friends!

Agreed!
Fact is, there's little in life that brings me greater pleasure than to sit at my bar with a couple close friends (along with my faithful wife), both of whom have the same love for music I have. For such an occasion I prefer to listen to some cool West Coast Jazz, but I've been known to enjoy a session that revolves around the baroque as well.

As for water in whiskey or Scotch, the manufacturers recommend adding water to bring our the flavors.
It also cuts the pain of alcohol, letting our taste buds detect more flavors. Especially with "cask-strength" brews.

That certainly parallels my experiences. I have taken "straight shots", even sipped scotch on ice, but I enjoy it so much better when it has some unflavored (not skunky) ice and water.

Some folks say they can't stand scotch. For me, it was instant love. I was in my mid 20's and working on cars for Doc. Tedrow one fine Sunday afternoon. His good wife always prepared a great meal for us after we'd finished working on his cars (he collected classics--and I don't mean '66 Fords). As we sat talking, he asked if I'd like a drink. When I accepted his offer, he asked what would be my pleasure. I told him to surprise me, not being much of a drinker. His choice for me was a scotch and water, which I immediately loved. I had to ask him what I was drinking. Been drinking scotch ever since (but not at the exclusion of other liquors. I love a good margarita).

On the subject of scotch, some of you may remember our dear departed friend steamin'10 (Big Dave). Several years ago I knew he was struggling and wanted to do some silver soldering. Having been a refiner of precious metals in the past, I had accumulated a respectable collection, so I sent him several ounces. He was ever grateful, and showed his appreciation by sending me a bottle of Glenfiddich. He could ill-afford the generous gift, but that's the kind of guy he was. I confess, I miss him.

H

[Steggy]

What a surprise to see this old thread resuscitated yet again. I can report that the replacement GE fridge, which has almost the same specs as the old one, is still working after a year on the job. (But now that the warranty has run out, we are holding our breath.)

I'm not impressed with GE appliances. They often exhibit chintziness in fit and finish, which might explain why they only have a one year warranty.

I have a GE washer at home, which one recent day, got stuck in the rinse cycle. It filled the tub with water and agitated and agitated and agitated and agitated...which made me very agitated. The timer had gone completely kaput. Fortunately, I could still manually rotate the timer, so it was possible to get the machine into the final spin cycle and then eventually stopped. I tracked down a source for a replacement timer (which is not made by GE, BTW) and fixed the thing.

After fixing the machine, I did a post mortem on the failed timer. The field winding in the synchronous motor that runs the timer was open-circuit. The washing machine is a little more than five years old. It replaced a Maytag unit that had 20 years of service on it, but was ruined when my dear wife tried to wash a blanket in it, which caused the transmission to overheat and seize. In retrospect, I should have tracked down a new trans for the Maytag. It likely would have been cheaper than the cost of the GE unit, although it would have meant a fair amount of grunt work for me.

Home appliances in general have turned into junk for the most part. The more electronic gimcrackery an appliance has, the more likely it is to fail in an inconvenient way. Needless to say, I avoid refrigerators that have ice makers and cold water dispensers. I don't need that junk causing me grief.

If you're up with the technology news perhaps you've seen the stories about "right to repair" where folks are angry that so many small devices such as tablets and Bluetooth earbuds come with irreplaceable batteries and you have no recourse but to scrap them when the batteries no longer take a charge.

Those folks can be angry all they want. Nothing is going to change. In fact, the very people who complain about tablets, etc., that can't be fixed are the ones who are constantly buying the latest gadgets. The folks who make those gadgets know that and thus have no real incentive to make a repairable product, let alone one that will last for more than a few years.

[Bill Shields]

Ethanol or methanol?

Would rather not drink one

To each his own said the lady as she kissed her cow

[Harold_V]

Ethanol or methanol?

Would rather not drink one

To each his own said the lady as she kissed her cow

Ooooops!

Yep, I misspoke. I meant ethanol. I know the difference. Don't have a clue why I said what I did (which I have corrected).
Thanks, Bill. No need to kiss the cow.

H

[Greg_Lewis]

In wine there is wisdom.
In beer there is strength.
In water there is bacteria.
You decide.

[liveaboard]

In Europe, a big fridge with ice maker is called an "American" fridge.

I drink water, with bubbles, at room temperature.
1.5 quarts a day, doctor's orders.
Not the bubbles, just the water.

when we wanted a new fridge, OH demanded a red one.
This made things really easy; I only found 1 red one (not including a $3,000 American type).

[Mr Ron]

At 87, I no longer drink scotch. I quit about 5 years ago and now drink Yuengling black and tan beer. It to me rivals Guinness which I do love. Guinness is too expensive for me to drink on a regular basis; only now on special occasions. My scotch of choice was Glenlivet with a splash of water. I don't drink scotch anymore because of the cost ($45). I sure do miss it thou. The last time I ordered a Glenlivet in a restaurant, it cost $11.00 a shot and that was in Mississippi.

[Bill Shields]

$45 a bottle appears to be a low end price at today's market esp after Brexit provided an excuse to bump the price

[Bill Shields]

Wife and I have Maytag washer and dryer for 40 years

Couple of belts, hoses and one dryer motor...they still run

[SteveM]

Wife and I have Maytag washer and dryer for 40 years

Couple of belts, hoses and one dryer motor...they still run

One of my friends bought his girlfriend's mom's Maytag when she got a new machine.

That was around 1985.

Girlfriend is long gone.

The machine is still running.

Steve