EdipisReks1

I'm sure early Head-Caser's remember how I was Mr. Double-blind. At this point, I don't give a shit about what is "better." If I think it sounds good, I like it. I have components that measure very well, like my HD-800S. I have components that measure like shit, like the Singlepower. I think my chair has more actual effect on "the sound" than any of the components; I really enjoy my AirPods when I'm sitting in my Eames lounger/ottomon clone with a cat on my lap. Which is clearly something I should be doing right now, if the attached photo is anything to go by.

I'm still paying for my two Series 4 watches for a few more months (ATT zero interest plans) , so I'll be skipping this one too. I bet Series 6 is going to be killer! I do want that always-on screen, but what I really want is a battery life that doesn't go down by 50% after a run when I use GPS and stream to my AirPods using the AppleWatch. I'm sure part of the issue is where I live; there are some areas in my neighborhood that have very poor cellular reception, and I'm sure that the watch is having to push wattage hard somewhere between miles 2 and 4, as my podcasts often stop for a while there, and I've seen a precipitous battery drop at around the same point.

I understand what you are saying, I just have a different perspective on it.

That cat was listed as a "difficult" cat, when I got her. She isn't the nicest cat in the world, but I think she is pretty pleasant. I wake up most mornings with her on my pillow, chirping in my face. My first SPCA volunteer day had me holding and cleaning up after a pair of 9 week-old kittens. That was a good Saturday afternoon.

Silver is being rather nice tonight.

I have zero issues, but I also have CarPlay. I don't think you realize just how close to the edge both companies are. FitBit is barely solvent. Garmin is close. "Hurting sales," at this point, is a death sentence for both.

That's a very good attitude, Nate.

Kill them dead. I bought my ex a Fitbit Versa. The Fitbit Versa 2 doesn't seem like much of an upgrade. the Series 3 Apple Watch is vastly better than the Versa 1.

I certainly want the new cameras. I own my XS outright, so I guess it shouldn't be that big of a deal to sell it an get an 11.

Since my bracelet was mentioned here, new bracelets seem like a reasonable post. It looks like three, but it's two. One is Gucci (not a brand I would usually wear, but I really like this; it has cat heads on the inside of the cuff ends!) and the other is a vintage-styled mesh-and-ring.

See, I don't see it that way at all. The giant Speedmaster luggage (I can't describe it any other way), for instance, just screams "inferiority complex," to me. The shittiest modern luxury watch boxes I've experienced so far are Cartier; the clasps on the box break almost immediately, and they are just cheap. It doesn't bother me: they don't need fancy boxes, because they are Cartier. The JLC ones are very nicely made (hardwood and calfskin), but they also aren't anything "special." The Maurice LaCroix box I had on my Masterpiece was very nice, being made of zebrawood (later ones were zebrawood patterned resin), but they still just went into a storage box. I do rather imagine that somebody who has bought a Speedmaster Pro as their first good mechanical watch would be pretty damned impressed, though, upon opening it: it's certainly an involved unboxing.

Rice doesn't do much, you need a proper desiccant. Take the computer as completely apart as you can, put the components in fine mesh bags, and bury the bags in silica desiccant gel. If you have silica crystal cat litter, this would work, though it's not as optimized for this sort of absorption as finer gel is. Leave it for a few days. This method isn't a guarantee, but I've used it to salvage machines, including a couple laptop computers that were soaked by a faulty fire sprinkler (those sprinklers are full of nasty water, so I cleaned everything with distilled water before drying). The one thing that is very difficult to take care of is water inside the screen, but some screens are sealed better than others.

I mean, I thought it looked nice.

Slightly later Rolex booklets are less interesting, regardless of whether it was my dad's or not. That 1680 is in a safe deposit box. Noon pearl intact.

Another thing for watch fans. Camp Eagle was where the 101st Airborne had their headquarters. That was obviously not retained by the jeweler.

Beans make a huge difference on pour over and French press, and even just drip. I've been given pounds and pounds of Starbucks coffee for free, over the years, though. It's not what I buy; I typically like fruity, low-acid beans for pour over (I mostly do pour over, these days).

Starbucks baristas by and large don't know what they are doing, and wouldn't have the time to apply skill even if they had it. I've made amazing espresso with Starbucks beans. You slightly under-extract with dark roast beans and use a slightly coarser grind.

For espresso, I've kind of come to the conclusion that, as long as the quality is semi-decent, the beans are the least important aspect: grind and extraction will have much more of an effect on the flavor. Pour-over is different, of course. India is a big place: I'm sure coffee is made many different ways there.

Interestingly, the strap hasn't caused me any issues, so far. The leather strap on the Santos gave me a rash within about 10 minutes. I really adore this watch. I have wanted a Drive Extra-Flat since they were announced. I get 20% off at my local AD, on Cartier (thanks to my mother who has bought many pieces from them), which I think is reasonable.

I wasn’t expecting to see a steel Drive extra-flat. I walked out with it on my wrist.

Of course Dunhill waits until the last morning at the AirBNB to finally figure out how to go up and down the stairs to the loft bedroom. That is the most Dunhill thing possible.

≈ What I'm wearing for my last dinner in Greensboro with my partner. I expect to be the best dressed man at any Greensboro restaurant on a Tuesday night. The crazy thing to me is those Outlier Slim Dungarees. They really do just look like dress pants, with a jacket. With a t-shirt or sweater, they look like jeans. Amazing. They are made to be worn every day for a year with minor cleaning. Fair enough.

I haven't watched the second season, but the first was very good!

Those adjustable arms are, like, "placebo machines." I kinda like it.

I am visiting my girlfriend, in Greensboro, North Carolina. I travelled with the cats, as I mentioned. They did INCREDIBLY well. I wish I could somehow tell them just how proud I am of them, but all I can do is love them, which I was doing anyway. We are in a "tiny-house." It works pretty well, but the cats aren't comfortable with the very steep stairs up to the loft, where the bed is, so they have just been staying downstairs. They don't love that, as they are used to sleeping on my bed, but it's not the end of the world. They seem content enough. Maybe a little bored, as there isn't a lot of room, though I brought toys and scratchers, and all of their favorite things, and I've been giving them as much attention as I can. We (Heather and I, not me and the cats) were supposed to go to a concert tonight, in Asheville, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving them alone, with all the changes that have happened, so I stayed (I sent Heather on, and it was apparently a good show [Will Oldham, so I wish I could have gone]). They seemed to appreciate that. They are SUCH good kitties.