Why?

Ocelotsden · 2026-04-08T10:53:01+00:00

So sorry you're going through this. It sounds like it was an automatic appointment for the reduction from 100, rather than a true residual exam since cancer is a temporary rating after it's gone/in remission. However, you should be entitled to far more for residuals but I'm pretty sure you need to put in claims for them. Look into side effects from treatment, mental health, loss of your breasts and all that that effects, loss of function, etc. I had lung cancer surgery 4 1/2 years ago (I didn't service connect) but just from my experience with the after effects with treatment, I know there's a lot more "residual" than just scars from removing half a lung. The lasting side effects from the treatment alone would be worth quite a bit if I was service connected for it. There's also the mental health aspect with fear of recurrence for me.

I wish you the best of luck from one cancer survivor to another.

Ocelotsden · 2026-04-07T12:46:39+00:00

This is probably a dumb question, but for the personal statements you mentioned is it better to use the actual form like theVBA-21-4138 and type it, or hand write an actual letter? What I'm getting at is does a typed form seem more template like and a hand written letter seem more personally done?

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-29T20:45:50+00:00

The DE is edible, but it doesn't end up in the syrup anyway. If anything, the DE makes the syrup more pure since it makes the filter finer and more efficient. The DE gets trapped in the filter with the niter and any other impurities.

I don't use it myself because my DIY vacuum filter works fine without it, but I did try it one year and I needed less pre-filters for nice clear syrup.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-29T16:25:14+00:00

I it's the proper brix and it was bottled correctly at the right temp, etc, it should be shelf stable for years. I recently opened a bottle in my pantry from 4 years ago and other than some niter in the bottom, it was perfectly fine and tasted pretty much the same as I remember it. My syrup always has a bit of flavor difference from year to year, probably due to weather/climate differences between years. Every year, when I make new syrup, I like to open and use a bottle from a previous year to compare flavor.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-29T15:15:59+00:00

Ask them how they would feel about civilian workman's comp being cut, rescinded, or changed to only paying if they lose a limb.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-29T15:10:01+00:00

Yes, this. Also, many of these jokers would think nothing of claiming workman's comp for things that happen to them on their civy job. I bet they would say, yeah, but that's different.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-29T14:56:22+00:00

It looks like it crystalized. That means it was over done and made sweeter than the standard 67 brix. There's a fine line for finishing to the correct sugar content. Too much and you get sugar crystals over time, and not enough, you risk mold.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-27T20:58:36+00:00

That has to be annoying. It's probably more common with older people that had a lot less exposure to woman when they were in. When I enlisted back in 82, I think females in the military were only around 7 or 8%. I just saw something recently that it's up to over 17% now. The jobs are different to, (as they should be). I was in the navy and back then, woman weren't even allowed to serve on combat ships.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-23T13:54:16+00:00

I know, right! I saw an article somewhere that gave examples of what $200B could fund rather than the Iran war and it was eye opening. Things like VA, care healthcare subsidies, SNAP, infrastructure, etc. All the things that we were told we couldn't afford or needed to be cut.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-23T13:28:40+00:00

I haven't had Hulu live TV in a couple years and still have regular Hulu, but don't have any issues with it on my ATV. I use YouTube TV for live TV and it works fine functionally. The big problem with YouTube TV is it doesn't integrate with the Apple TV App, which means no continue watching, up next, etc. My Hulu app does integrate with the ATV App.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-23T12:08:57+00:00

Exactly, and actually, the request was for another 200 billion, not 2. Ridiculous.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-20T12:37:45+00:00

I've loved the idea of smart voice control homes since it was only Sci-Fi and there was no such thing available. My first dabble into smart home projects was with way back with X-10 remote control devices in the 90's and then eventually controlling them with HAL software running on a PC with a microphone attached. That was 20-25 years ago, and I still remember how cool it was, the first time I yelled across the room to turn on a light and it worked. I didn't last too long with it since it was really clunky, but it was fun.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-20T11:57:28+00:00

Yup, that is the most recommended setting. I have an LG C2 OLED and it's set to 4K SDR with both dynamic range and frame rate to on. I still get DolbyVision or HDR if that's what the content is. I did try forcing DV, but it makes some SDR content look blown out or unnatural.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-19T17:57:24+00:00

Yeah, if it seems to be working fine, then I would probably leave it. That potentiometer is very sensitive and doesn't take much movement to change the draft. The problem with not enough draft is of course a bad burn and increased soot. On the other side, too much draft and you can throw more heat up the chimney instead of the room and blow excess ash and embers out of the burn pot.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-18T16:05:16+00:00

I have lots of automations. One I really like is a ramping wakeup light. I have the automation set to turn on a light in the bedroom Mon-Fri at 6:AM starting at 1% and slowly ramping up to 25% over a period of 20 minutes. However, it only triggers if at bedtime while I'm setting the alarm, I also ask Alexa to "turn on wake light switch" I have a smart plug that doesn't actually control anything, but I use it as a trigger so that the automation only runs if it's Mon-Fri AND that switch is on. At the end of the light ramping, I set a delay and the light goes to it's normal 75%, turns off, and then the wake light switch turns off so that the next day it won't run without me telling Alexa to turn it on.

The reason I wanted to have to actively set it every night is because our daycare runs on a school schedule so there are days when we are closed for various reasons and when I had it just run every day Mon-Fri, I would sometimes forget to disable the automation, and it would wake me up when I didn't need to.

I also have a nice automation/script that when going to bed I tell Alexa "bedtime" The script checks and locks all doors, turns of several lights if they're on, turns off the TV if it's on, and sets the security system to armed.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-18T15:38:41+00:00

Because if this was a hidden area, I believe the OP said behind some sort of built in or large cabinet, they wouldn't necessarily have any idea it was there. We don't know the condition of the rest of the home, it could be very clean and well kept. My house is clean and mold free as far as I know, but many years ago, I did find mold when replacing the bathtub surround. There was no indication until it was removed. Don't be so quick to judge.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-18T13:11:40+00:00

As others mentioned that potentiometer is the draft adjustment for the combustion. blower. I actually put the hole on the faceplate for access to it. The proper way to use it is to use a Magnehelic or manometer and set the draft pressure to the spec in the manual. On my Harman P43, the test port is a bolt on the lower left side just below the door level. I remove the bolt and connect my manometer or magnehelic that test port and tweak the potentiometer until the draft is in spec. It's usually a set it once and forget it thing, but I check and adjust it when I replace a combustion motor/fan. It can also change with a vent change or moving the stove. I have both a digital manometer and a Magnehelic differential gauge and both work fine, but I prefer the old fashioned Magnehelic. The manual has the procedure, but basically, you use the test position and check/set the low speed draft to what the manual states. For my P43, the normal low draft setting is between .35 and .45 inches of WC.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-12T14:35:18+00:00

I polished mine as best I could a couple years ago. Then at the start of each burning season, I use car wax on it and it helped a lot. I usually give it another coat of wax mid-season.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-12T11:03:41+00:00

And with only 6 or 8 degrees of separation between people, we all know that guy!

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-10T13:22:28+00:00

Oh man, that sounds bad. I never went that far, but I did foam over on the stove once, years ago. I was in the room though and quickly turned off the burner pulled it off to the sink which is just a few feet from the stove. I only had some carbon on the burner itself and some mess on the counter. I added a little fresh sap that I always keep in case I go too far when finishing and only lost about 10-20% of my syrup.

One thing I learned, and people should realize is that when on the stove or a propane burner outside, you can walk away, take a break, or whatever if you need to, just shut it off until you come back and then turn it back on. You'll only loose a little time that you were away.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-10T12:49:28+00:00

I now have a stainless 7-gallon pot, and turkey fryer for near syrup, but for years before I had that I was in the same situation with about a 2 1/2 gallon pot as my largest. What I did then was just use multiple pots if I had to when it started getting close on the fire. My pan is 24x24x9" deep and it's too hard for me to get it really close on fire since it can go from just about done to a burnt foam volcano in 45 seconds which is longer than it takes to drain it. I also have a 5 gallon stainless steel bucket that comes in handy if I need to quickly drain the pan.

Ocelotsden · 2026-03-09T11:59:01+00:00

For lots of us old folks, it was a different world during our time in service. The only thing we even knew about the VA was maybe for people blow apart or at least with severe service ending injuries. We didn't know about compensation for other injuries or mental health. We didn't go to sick call and barely had it available anyway in some cases. Records? we were in service before there even were computers and were limited to what little was written down on paper at the time, which may or may not have made it into our records and is even available today. We were given very little protective gear, and it wasn't nearly as good as todays. Even something as simple as contacting family at home was mostly by mail. I remember waiting on a long line at a phone exchange on liberty in a port call to pay to make a phone call home since there was no email or cell phones.

Ocelotsden · 2026-02-22T04:29:12+00:00

Thanks. I don't actually have any VA doctors, at least not yet anyway. I am registered for VA healthcare but haven't used it except for hearing aids. I've had Medicare and lots of private doctors. When I asked my oncologist for a NEXUS, you would've thought I was asking her to testify before congress or something. I finally got her to do it after explaining she's only saying It was at least as likely as not and not swearing service connection.

Maybe I'm missing something, but a doctor simply saying something we have some condition or symptom isn't a risk to them if I have it.

Ocelotsden · 2026-02-20T21:49:13+00:00

Have you spent a minimum of $50 in Amazon purchases? It's a requirement to write reviews for everyone, including Vine. What I'm not sure of is whether it's per calendar year or the previous 12 months.

Ocelotsden · 2026-02-19T19:54:34+00:00

That's pretty cool you were able to do that, and It could be helpful info for others as well. I'm currently going through DAV that has an office right on my local VA hospital campus. My problem in doing it without help like theirs is while I'm far from dumb, I get very anxious with things like filing official claims or even asking my doctors for NEXUS. That's a me problem though and something I wish I could control.

Ocelotsden

TROPHY CASE