Rest easy, dear friend.
I did not get a part in Urinetown. Don’t weep for me - there is a sizable benefit to not getting a part in the form of up to six days per week of time that I can spend doing other, somewhat more useful things - restoring the Victrola phonograph (cabinet is completed, but the grill still needs work, and I’m not sure what to do about the peeling paint on the turntable bed), fixing up the house, visiting my wife, climbing, etc).
In other news, it seems that Kamado is going to start offering (again) a standalone stove. It’s a bit pricey ($2500, and I’m assuming that does not include freight, which I have been quoted in the past $300-$500), although I have a feeling that it isn’t all that much more expensive than a cast iron stove, but it seems to have a few benefits, chiefly being that the double-walled design means that the clay exterior does not become burning hot to the touch, and the fire is enclosed, which means they specify just 2.5 inches of clearance from combustible walls. They also claim that the enclosed design allows minimal fumes to escape into the room. When I was a child, my doctor said that our woodburning stove may have been a contributor to my asthma, and my parents noted that my breathing got better when they stopped using the stove.
The touchable exterior is also a good consideration when it comes to kids. I’m always nervous that kids will wander too close to fireplaces and stoves. I’m sure the glass and metal door still gets very hot, but at least there is that much less hot surface to accidentally bump into…I’d be OK with keeping my gas grill in exchange for one of these guys!
I guess I will have to add this to the list of expensive luxuries I’d love to have…right next the hot tub 