Month: December 2023 (Page 2 of 4)

–Went with Grace to the dentist for prophylaxis; dentist had no record of appointments. Okay…

–Went to Ivanov’s Watch Repair to pick up Watchco Omega I dropped off a couple days ago, thinking it was toast. Turns out they did a couple simple things (oil pivot, for example) for $60 and now it runs really strong. Saved myself a lot of time and grief not sending it back to OmegaAddict Tim McKrain.

–Tekna brass regulators came in. Like my recent Olympia espresso machines, they are near NOS, and include a box and lots of papers. On the tank, they both work perfectly. Took one apart, and the needle valve seat looked new. I’m certainly on a run with new old stuff. Will likely take them to Sherm’s for chrome plating, as there is noticeable pitting in the original chrome.

–Picked up the powder-coated Maximatic cover at Perfect-It.

–Eye doctor sick; appointment re-scheduled for 12/26.

–Went to Ivanov’s Watch Repair to drop off Watchco Seamaster. Stopped at Corti Brothers on the way back for some Holiday Ravioli–gift for Grace.

–Took a shower and shave.

–Played with cameras. Long story short: going with Leica CL for daily photography with different lenses; M9 for CMOS photography and vintage nostalgia; probably D-Lux 7 for quick high-zoom pics. As good as the X Vario feels (and made in Germany), I just think he D-Lux 7 outguns it.

–Put two abutilon cuttings in a pot in the garage with a grow light. One seems to be triving; the other dying. Strange…

–Went to the Folsom farmers market for Satsumas and broccoli.

–Sprayed the Erie Spider skillet with Easy-Off and left it in a garbage bag outside.

–Played with the two OysterQuartz watches for a while. Bracelets are kind of a mess. I have one small collar that seems to go nowhere. Really can’t decide if it’s worth sending one or both to Rolex. It would be expensive, and they might lack replacement parts like dials, bracelet links, etc. Found a really nice-looking one on eBay from Japan (of course), only to note it’s missing two lume dots. I suppose I could build a nice franken (undetectable), but then I’d be > $15k into OysterQuartz.

–Played with the two new cameras: X Vario and M9. M9 seems nice, could possibly replace the SL2. The eBay listing said < 1,700 shutter activations; I checked and found < 1,000. Not so clear on the X Vario. more testing needed.

–Second Rolex OysterQuartz came in. Chamfers not nearly as impressive as in seller’s photos. Scratches on dial. Then it stopped running. Case has less pitting than the first one. Will probably send both to Rolex and see what they recommend.

–Leica M9 came in. Much heavier than, and much better than, the M-E (which must have a lot of plastic in it). Almost seems as though I can focus it.

–Leica X Vario came in. Very nice camera, exudes quality build. I immediately took to it (somewhat to my surprise), and expect to enjoy the heck out of it.

–Packed and mailed (via UPS) all outgoing Christmas presents. Whew!

–Red Baron pizza for dinner.

–Took Grace to Folsom Premium Outlets, Brainy Zoo Toys in particular, where, miraculously, she finished our Christmas shopping.

–Went to the post office to mail some of Grace’s presents (had to go there because of Rob in Canada).

–Not one, but TWO battery chargers came in today (and not the OysterQuartz I was hoping for, which, I learned later, just got authenticated today).

–Grace went into full panic mode again. She ordered some local chocolate and had a lot of trouble communicating with the maker. At one point, after getting a voicemail, she dragged me out of the house yelling “She said she left it on the air conditioner at the kitchen!” Grace took this to mean the clubhouse kitchen here, which is totally preposterous. Eventually I drove us to a little industrial campus on Pyrites Way, where we found a box of chocolates sitting on a window air conditioner outside one of the businesses. Scary stuff, as when, while on the phone with a Stanford Benefits rep, she screamed “WHERE’S MY PHONE??!!” Also scary is how many decades it has taken me to actually note and categorize this behavior: she’s always had issues on the phone. Don’t know what it means, if it’s at all related to alcoholism, just don’t know.

–Rolex GMT came in. Very nice.

–Correct portafilter gasket came in from Orphan Espresso. Finally got to try out the Maximatic: also very nice. Huge amount of crema. Steaming was okay; I need (a) more practice and/or (b) a steam wand where I can replace tips.

–Went to Bel Air for bagels (got three plain; still no sesame), cream cheese and bear claws.

–Red Baron pizza for dinner.