–Hearing aid batteries failed at 1 PM (5 days, 4 hours (Ray-O-Vac)). New batteries (Ray-O-Vac) in around 1:15 PM.
–Watched an episode of Captain Midnight and decoded the message at the end.
Month: September 2023 (Page 1 of 3)
–Fence repair guys finally started. Found more damage (of course) and wrote “more rot but customer did not want to repair” on the invoice to cover themselves; I worry the HOA will not accept this as a full repair.
–Motor City pizza for dinner. Good as usual.
–Went to Staples to get a new printer toner.
–Picked up the near-NOS Cremina at UPS. It didn’t disappoint. Unmarked, many accessories (FOUR filter baskets), all gaskets supple. Turned it on, it idles between .6 and .9 bars, no leaks. One issue: at first the sight glass didn’t work. After a couple of heating cycles, it worked. And a miracle: I took off the OPV fitting as a start to remove/unclog the sight glass. I decided not to pursue it, as it would have required major disassembly. I put the OPV back on, AND IT DIDN’T LEAK! I’ve had so much trouble with these, and the Orphan Espresso copper crush washers that turn into confetti—truly a miracle. Descaling now, on Barb Garrott’s advice. Espresso coming up!
–Took the InnerLight frame to Bob’s Bikes so they could remove fork and bottom bracket: $30. Then to Perfect It for neon green powder coating: $250, two weeks.
–Went to Jasper’s for milk shakes and deep-fried Oreo cookies. Decadent, but tasty.
–Went to Perfect-It powder coating. They will mask, neon green seems to be the right color, $250, two weeks. Started taking the bike apart, will let Bob’s Bikes do bottom bracket and fork.
–Picked up Van Deventer knife at UPS. Another IKBS bearing knife from South Africa. It’s okay, still can’t match a Shamwari for fiddling with.
–Dropped off Noah package and Rooney package at UPS; picked up cheap taps and a POS Chinese-made Paradigm razor.
–Put new hearing aid batteries (Ray-O-Vac) in at 9 AM.
–Went to Bel Air for bagels, milk, dessert.
–Left hearing aid battery died at 9:30 PM: four days and six hours.
–Went to Home Depot to get replacement handles/locks for the three sliding glass doors. Installed, with some difficulty. All good.
–Went to Ken’s Bikes in Davis to get a new tire pump and Kimo Tanaka’s contact info so I can ask him for a new set of decals if I repaint my bike.
–Spent a while with neighbor Kenny (who went by “Jason” as a professional singer/piano player) trying to set up his upstairs TV. Sort of succeeded, but not fully. He had a card table outside his house with “free clippings” from his succulents. I got some and planted them. They’ll die shortly.
–Switching from Edge to Chrome. Microsoft signed me up for a “cash back” program without my knowledge, and it persisted after two attempts to opt out. Screw ’em.
–Rode the InnerLight 14+ miles to River Bend Park again.
–Picked up the Sea Dweller superdome at UPS. Installed it. It’s quite “super” (high), but unlike the $300 True Dome, (1) it came with zero scratches, (2) it didn’t crack when installed, and (3) it does allow the retaining work to work. Fingers crossed.
–Picked up the old Bull Cheka Shamwari at UPS. It’s a mess, as I knew: scratches on scales and blade, broken blade tip, but worst of all (undisclosed) is significant lock rock. While scrutinizing it, I noticed the detent ball was pretty messed up. So I knocked it out, measured it (1.58mm or 1/16″), and ordered some ceramic balls from Skiff. Fingers crossed.