shellylh

Heh, that would be useful for the potholes and such. I'll check out the Subaru. I've only driven one before (can't remember the model). It felt really flimsy and cheap but maybe the higher end models are better. Jim, we do have weather here: summer and not summer.

OK, I guess wagons and hatchbacks might be ok. I just meant that I didn't want a jeep, truck, or SUV-like vehicle. I'm not sure we'd want to get a used car.

Since we are talking about cars... Tim and I are probably going to get a new car (we share 1 car and live about 2 miles from work). We have a 1994 6 cyl Honda Accord and although it only has ~47,000 miles on it, I feel that this is the point when everything except for the engine will start falling apart (like the belts and plasticy pieces in the car, et cetera). We may just get a new 6 cyl Accord but they are a little boring. I was thinking of the Lexus ES350 depending on the price we can get. We definitely don't want to pay over $40K. Are there any other cars that we should look at. We don't drive much so don't need something that gets great gas mileage. Tim wants something that feels nicer and gives a smoother ride than the Accord but would be happy getting another one. I thought about the BMW 328i but I am not sure what is the difference between a turbo 4cyl and a 6 cyl car. Plus Tim doesn't want to pay for driving performance, just comfort, safety and how the cars feels. I assume the turbo 4 cyl is more likely to have problems in the future but maybe we wouldn't have the car long enough to worry about that. Any other cars that we should consider? I don't want a non-sedan and safety is very important (in fact, getting a 6 cyl is more for safety than anything else really).

When is mog supposed to close down?

^That's what I was thinking! It's actually a "graduation" sale.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Those numbers seem a bit strange. I should clarify that I have never owned the Synapse 25. I was thinking that the Synapse 25 (from the specs and what I read) was bigger than the Smart Alec but then I started looking at pictures and they don't seem that different. In fact, here the Smart Alec seems a bit taller (not even counting the extra bag on top of the SA).

DP

The Tom Bihn ID is great. If I could handle a messenger bag, I would carry this a lot more often. My daily carry is a TB Smart Alec. I often use it as a personal item on the plane with no problem. For me it is perfect because it holds 2 40oz water bottles in its side pockets. It also has a large cavernous space in the middle which holds a ton. I tried the Synapse (the smaller one) but sent it back since it was too small. The larger Synapse may be a bit too big for a personal item if you stuffed it too full.

Yikes, that's not good.

How did a rock get in the grinder? I hope it wasn't in the coffee beans. Hope the weekend gets better.

Looks good except for the crawfish.

Ooh purpley

Wow, everyone is so cuddly today.

I really like that picture Peter.

Looks like the Kraken rum, nothing too exciting.

Steve, Sorry to hear about your mom's medical issues. If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, give me a call. It would be great to see you again.

The small ones on the right are awesome! I would love to have something like that for the office.

^I would eat that!

Looks great Doug! I am looking forward to the impressions.

Do I dare admit this? Sure, I am a product of the 80's and I have no shame.

I'll be keeping the KGSS for at least a short* while so I guess I'll have the best of all worlds. *I probably won't feel comfortable selling anything until the bbs have been gone for at least a year.

Ok, I'll wait around and start watching prices. I am assuming that even with the new release Mullards, the BHSE is going to kick the shit out of the KGSS with the SR-007.

So I started thinking about whether to get a quad of XF2. If they are more reliable that the SEDs and new release Mullards (and sound better too) then I probably should get a pair because I probably will in the long run. I wouldn't like the idea of a bad tube messing up BHSE. I've bought from Brent Jesse before and he seems pretty honest to me. He has two options for Mullard XF2 NOS. 1) I am wondering if there is any reason to go with the $500/pair or are they just going to be "prettier." 2) Should I buy from someone else? Could have better/bigger supply for better matching and better testing equipment? 3) I am not sure that I can get matched quads but matched pairs should be ok.... should I try to search for a matched quad? Here is what Brent Jesse says about matching (I have no idea what this means): NEW! CURVE TRACER MATCHING AVAILABLE! We can match most small signal preamp tubes and we now match all of our power output tubes on a Tektronix 576 curve tracer. This runs the tube at full rated plate and screen voltage, and plots the curves at 10 different grid bias levels. The most accurate method to test tubes, the curve plots can actually be compared to the printed examples for each tube type that appear in the manufacturer technical data sheets and books. This matching is provided at no extra charge for any EL34/6CA7 type of power tubes! http://www.audiotubes.com/el34.htm The other option is that I use the new release Mullard for a while and see how I like the BHSE with them.

Didn't know about mirror lock up, thanks for the pointer. That is my longest lens (Tamron 70-300 VC) but the picture I posted above was only at 210mm on D7100. I took some at 300mm but I didn't really like them as much. Here is one of them. I haven't tried cropping them yet. Larry: I would guess that a broomstick would be a pretty horrible tripod.