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Tony Remy - "Boof!" (1994- GRP records) instrumental Funk-Jazz bass player My Photographs You like photos? I love taking them. Click here, if you wanna see some of my work
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Monday, Apr. 21, 2003 - 8:49 p.m. I guess you can say Lease and I are shopping seriously for a new oven for the kitchen. I think we have both had it with our electric piece-o-crap. With canning season soon arriving, fighting this constantly breaking down, proudly built in America dinosaur is not an option I want to deal with anymore. I had our furnace people stop by last week to give me an estimate on running a new gas line from our basement to the kitchen. When we moved in our house, 220 volt electricity was already installed in the kitchen, and an old electric oven was left by the previous owners for us to deal with. Turned out, there had been gas in the kitchen in the past. A line was somewhat hidden from view in the rafter/joists of the floor, and had been capped off long ago. I bought all of the pieces I need to re-tap it last weekend (1/2� x 12� nipple, gas shut off valve, and flex tubing to attach to the stove). My furnace guy told me to not fear doing this job- just make sure I check all of the joints for gas leakage after turning it back on. Stop snickering about the � �x 12� nipple! That is the actual plumbing name for the piece of pipe that goes through the floor! Anyway, back to the stove story�. We had just purchased our present stove months before our move. For that reason, I switched the two units. Little did I know I might have been better off keeping their old range. I have replaced the burner outlets on the two big burners of this stove at least 4 times each. In the past month, both have had wires fry and fall out of the present plugs. I managed to splice the wires together good enough to get them to work again, but that�s it. I don�t want to sink another penny into more parts for this dieing beast. I did a little research (Consumer Reports, of course, and the Internet), and came to the conclusion that the best gas models are made by G.E. and Kenmore. Given my druthers, I would prefer a G.E., mainly because everyone sells and repairs them. Not that I plan on having many repairs (knock on wood). We hit the three main appliance stores in town after work tonight. First stop was a major appliance-only chain. They had the most G.E. models, and the most options on colors and such. They also sell their products like a used car lot: high pressure tactics , �You really need the extended warranty!�, �Here, I�ll write that up for you right now, just to show you how much I can save you RIGHT THIS MINUTE!� We left with a sheet of paper with the model number and price on it, but without a sale. I�m sure that ruined his day, but I told him AS WE WALKED INTO THE STORE, that we were JUST SHOPPING AND COMPAIRING PRICES! Not quite that loud, but I think he heard me�.. Next stop was Lowes. We had browsed a little there yesterday, but really hadn�t written down any model numbers or prices. Turns out they were a lot cheaper than the big chain, but didn�t have the better G.E. models. They had G.E. ranges, but the model numbers didn�t match up. They were lower numbers, too. Either they are lower-end models than the big chain, or (gasp!) last year�s models. Once you figure in the features, Lowes came out about the same. Last stop was Sears. Sears has never been a �Must-shop� destination for us. I think it all goes back to the year 1981. We had only been married about 2 years, and had lower paying jobs than we now have. But we had both been employed by our present workplaces for almost 3 years, and had never missed a payment on any bill, anywhere. We applied for a credit card, wanted to by a chest freezer. They turned us down. Their excuse? Not enough �credit history�. Can you imagine that happening nowadays? Hell, various Visa companies have been trying to give Codeman a card since he was 15 years old! Anyway���. They have the model we want, and at about $175 less than the big chain store. It will be on sale for the next week, so we have some time to make a decision. They charge more for delivery and setup ($50 total, including haul-off of the old one). If I can swing a refrigerator dolly from a coworker, I will do all of that myself anyway. Two things for y�all: 1. Know anyone who needs a crummy old electric stove, free? They have to haul if off, though. Free means no delivery. 2. If you have purchased a gas stove in the past couple of years, what brand did you decide on, and have you been satisfied with its performance? I am open to suggestions. We don�t have to buy one this week, or in the next month for that matter. Ok, the commercial I mentioned in the title� I clicked on this webpage after reading about this British television commercial in today�s Top Five list (in my email). I don�t know if it is being shown here in America (I don�t watch much TV this time of the year), but I thought it was worth passing on: It helps if you have a high-speed connection, but since it plays with Flash animation, it might work fine on a phone model connection, too. I read that it took 606 different takes to get everything just right. One small miscalculation, and the shot was ruined. That�s all I�m telling you here. You need to see it to believe it��. One last thing: Today, my Illini lost their basketball coach for the second time in the last 3 years. Bill Self has left to coach the Kansas Jayhawks, in what he calls his �Dream Job�. The only other time I can remember someone calling Kansas their dream was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I wish him well there, even though I will miss what he has done to improve our program. The last Illinois coach to leave for �greener pastures� was Lon Kruger, our last basketball coach. He left after only 4 seasons to coach the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. He was fired about halfway through this last season, after posting a losing record in all three years he was the Hawks� head coach. I guess he is tanned and rested. The Illini might see if he wants the old job back. At least he stayed around long enough (last time) to see a class he recruited graduate��.
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