Abraham was a badass

New Jersey is one weird ass place.

I dare you to get all anti-semite with Tiger; he'll gefilte your ass.

Yes, this is the best rock song ever written

The finest pure rock song there ever was, please don't try and deny it.

Bitches.

I made a mistake today

So I popped in to the local gas station for some this and thats and did something I'm none too proud of.

The place was kinda warm and a fella was telling the Indian clerk that his AC was broken, the clerk said it wasn't and messed with the thermostat a little. The patron looked over at me and asked if I thought it was warm in there, I nodded that it was.

Well, I caught a vibe from the two that they knew each other and they were friendly but the other "patron" started spewing all kinds of shit about the clerk being used to sand and heat while the clerk asserted that no, he had cows in his birth country, not camels. This went on while the clerk rang me up whilst the other guy called his friend in to ask if the place was hot. The other guy came in, said it was hot then started bashing how the mints were stocked at the register.

As I walked out, one of the guys said they knew the clerk.

I figured they did, but I should have found that out before leaving the counter. I acted like a pussy today, that clerk seemed to be an ok guy and didn't deserve that kind of treatment from friends or anyone else.

A guy captive behind the counter doesn't deserve that kind of shit from a couple of guys that're "just funning'" and while it isn't my place to get into anyones business, it is my place to defend the defenseless.

Frankly, I'm disgusted by my inaction. All it would have taken was for me to talk to the clerk, just say hi and give a friendly smile that didn't have nastyness behind it. My chi is all fucked up here, I've gotta go back tomorrow and apologize for my inaction... I was a wussy-sheeple today and I gotta make right.

Get your fine ass out there and get it!

The third season of Penn and Teller's Bullshit is now out of DVD... be sure to go buy it or at the very least rent it. While the guys are nasty in their editing and never hide their disdain for those they disagree with, the show is like a beacon to those of a Libertarian/Constitutional bent.

Mind, P&T are atheists so when they go after things like the Bible or religion, they're pretty fierce. I should point out that they never attack faith, just the scientific justifications for it.

Yeah, they're biased, and it's delicious.

Gimme some advice, friends

Would you date someone ten years your senior? You better not quote anything from Harold and Maude, either, you lazy shitbirds.

Update: Nope, I wouldn't.

He'll always be the best

Nobody cooler than Tony Joe White, never ever.

More often then not, it's who you least expect

There's a special place in my heart for many screen actors; John Wayne, Oliver Platt, Vince Vaughn, Donald Sutherland, Bob Hope, Yul Brynner and Kurt Russell amongst many others... perhaps you wouldn't guess my favorite actor/ human being though.

That man is Jimmy Stewart.

Air Force Brigadier General (little known fact, he piloted a few missions in Vietnam) and all around swell guy. Many actors get one breakthrough role that elevates them to legendary status, some reprise the same role over the course of their careers, Mr. Stewart played many divergent characters in a great many powerful roles. Two of my favorite movies starred him, Flight of the Phoenix and Harvey.

Maybe it's just that I can identify with the tall thin man hero but I think not.

Years ago, my mother used to say to me, she'd say "In this world, Elwood, you must be..."

... she always called me Elwood...

"In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant."

Well, for years I was smart; I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.

--Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd in "Harvey"

Indeed, Jimmy, indeed.

Pretty cool, huh?

Got m'self an anemone and my clownfish started living in it within 24 hours... who says I have silly hobbies?



I just gotta say, when I picked it up to put in the tank, I felt the gooiest, slimiest thing ever. It's like holding old pudding... mushy on the inside with only the puddin' skin holding the vile mess in.

Update: I should point out, don't even think about keeping an anemone unless you are an incredibly experienced aquarist, certainly don't get one because the kiddies love "Finding Nemo". If you really want to know the required costs for keeping this fragile invertibrate, lemme know and I can give you a rough breakdown... give you a hint though, my little 30 gallon tank has more invested in it than any two of my watches.

New watch alert!

Now, don't get to thinking I'm made of money... I got this because the expensive ones are taking horrific amounts of damage at work. My new B&M already has an eighth inch ding in her bezel so it was a good idea to get a "work" watch. Since I've become a bit of a watch snob, I only wear mechanical watches so had to find a more inexpensive alternative for work wear that still subscribed to my mechanical only bias.

This is a Hamilton, an American watch company based out of Pennsylvania. If it looks familiar, it should. These were the Vietnam era hand wound watches preferred by American combatants of the time; not the current quartz ripoffs you see, but the real deal. This particular watch is bead blasted stainless steel, sapphire faced, water resistant to 50 meters and, of course, manually wound. Hamilton is widely considered to be the best bang for the buck mechanical in most watch circles and at $250 with this level of workmanship, I tend to agree. I did buy it with the blasted steel band as I always recommend but promptly replaced it with canvas. It took me going to ten different jewelers before I found someone that stocked the brand, including all the places listed on their website as being dealers. I finally just lucked into a kiosk that carried them along with Japanese quartz's in the mall.

As an aside, I found a local dealer for Oris (the Sinatra watch a few posts down) and tried one on... I was not at all pleased with either the fit or workmanship. This is exactly why you should always try before you buy.

It's been a while, how's about some watch pr0n?



A friendly reminder, anytime you get a new mechanical watch*, wear it for two weeks straight... wear it all day and even to bed, it's ok to take it off when you shower but other than that, leave it on. This allows the lubricants to coat all surfaces and gives your mainspring, balance wheel and rotor (if an automatic) a workout. If you've got a manual wind watch then only wind it once a day during that two week period to allow the mainspring some range of tension during break-in.

*Mechanical watches are those that don't use any electronic circuitry, only gears and springs.

Not the one I was after but...

... limited edition and 50% off retail.

Can't get a deal like that even if you're lookin'. I'll get that other one eventually but this one is steady pimpin'.

If you're interested, this is a Baume & Mercier Laureus automatic limited edition #964 of 1,000, water resistant to 100 meters.

To elaborate on something Greg mentioned earlier, dive watches are not more resistant to shock and violence than others. This is a misconception I held as well when my interest in horology first budded. Generally, dive watches have fantastic seals and screw on case backs but they aren't built to withstand shock any more than other watches.

Now do you understand?

Everybody gets laid tonight!

Yep, Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunters theme song. Those crazy Canadians and their silly blasphemy.

It's that time, once again

Richard Cheese + Star Wars = Teh winz0rz!

A little mechanical watch buying guide:

Since I'm in a watch buying mood, I figured a little of my wisdom in regards to what to look for in a mechanical watch and how to buy was in order. This is not the first time I've talked at length about watches, but this is simply a buyers guide to what to look out for in the range I prefer; namely the $1,500-$3,500 retail price range. This range is mechanically exceptionable and to beat 'em you need to spend in excess of 15k (depending on what you're looking for, it could take 150k to exceed 'em). If you want to waste money on gold and diamonds, of course the price escalates but I'm not too into bling. If you're really interested in this stuff, read the linked post first so you have a handle on some of the terms.

1) Understand your complications and how they affect your watch: The more complications, the higher the cost. Sometimes, you just don't need 'em and other times I consider them detrimental. Moon phase indicators, for instance, are trendy and fall out of fashion quite quickly. A watch that is not timeless is a waste of money.

Chronographs (stopwatches) increase the size of the watch and double the price (generally). Other things to keep in mind are that the second hand is moved from the classic position to a small dial on the watch, relegating the stopwatch function to the big second hand. Another matter is that when the chrono's running, the accuracy of the watch goes into the toilet so you shouldn't use it for extended periods.

Be sure to ask yourself if you really need that complication in the watch. For instance, power indicators are currently en vogue but don't serve much purpose. Day indicators have always seemed kinda goofy to me, too.

Don't just spend the extra money on a complication you don't need because more expensive = better as that ain't necessarily true.

2) There's a reason for different crystal materials: You're gonna see three main types of crystals: plastic (hesalite, plexiglas etc.), mineral and sapphire.

Sapphire is the one most of us need, it's essentially scratch-proof, amazingly resistant to breakage and clear as a bell. The disadvantage is when it takes a nasty blow, it shatters and it can be chipped. Dive watches are almost always made of it as are most day to day wear.

Plastics are used in many flight and racing chronometers. The advantage of 'em is that they don't shatter like sapphire but just crack so they're still usable. They scratch easily but can be buffed out with toothpaste and a rag (and the scratching adds a lot of character). Nothing wrong with these materials, just understand what you're buying and the proper care of 'em.

Mineral crystal is kinda ghetto in this price range. On the face, never buy one but if the watch has an exhibition back (so you can see the movement from the underside) it's ok if only on the back since you won't be scratching that side.

3) Water resistance isn't always what it means: There are some guidelines on what activities you should undertake with each rating.

30M: Ok to shower in, not recommended to swim in (most plastic faced mechanical watches have this rating).

50M: Light swimming is ok, don't go diving while wearing it though (most watches with exhibition cases have this rating).

100M: Swimming and snorkeling are ok at this rating but diving proper should be avoided.

300M+: Safe to do anything, these watches usually have cases with screw on backs and great seals. The disadvantage is that the seals need to be serviced more often.

4) Buy with a metal bracelet: Many watches have the option of a leather or metal band. Leather is only expected to last around six months whereas metal lasts for ages. The big problem is that buying the metal bracelet separately is amazingly expensive, best to buy it right away as it's much cheaper to do it that way.

5) Don't pay retail: List is for the birds, you can talk 'em down. Places you don't have a relationship with, get at least 20% off. The most you can ever expect off is 33%. Keep in mind that you can get that 33% on the internet but it's "grey market" so there is no manufacturer warranty... I don't think it's worth the savings in this price range to lose that warranty.

6) Look before you buy: A lot of the appeal of these watches is the sweeping hands... they don't actually swing smoothly but they tic five times a second instead of the once a second for quartz watches. Some mechanicals have herky-jerky movements which screws it all up. Make sure you've got a great movement on the watch you buy. It doesn't have to be the exact watch you buy but at least look at a watch with the same guts before you buy.

Make sure it looks good on your wrist, too. Big watches are pretty trendy right now but not all of us can wear 'em. I don't go above a 41mm (the side to side measurement) watch as my wrists are too small for any bigger then that. Many new watches are 44-49mm which is too damn big if you aren't a pro ball player.

7) Chronometers: These are certified to have great accuracy (COSC)... they have around +6/-4 seconds a day so are pretty accurate. Your standard mechanicals are going to have some variance of +30/-10 seconds a day. There's a cost difference but I'd advise you to try a non-chrono watch before you spend the extra money on one. Depending on how you move, you may not need one. Mechanicals on me are amazingly accurate because I move constantly but if you're more sedentary you may need a more balanced watch. Mechanicals need lots of movement to equalize any tiny balance imperfections in the spring and gears.

I don't know if that helps anyone or if anyone even cares... lemme know if you want to know about something I didn't cover.

Seems to be watch time again

Been a little grouchy and down lately, when that happens it's time for a new watch!

Edited out

What'cha think? I love this one for the art-deco numerals and while not as accurate as I'd like it's a pretty darn cool automatic. There's a dealer around here somewheres that I'll have to go see before I really set aside the funds but I think it's a winner.

What about the black face instead?



Update: Black face it is!

Swear to you, I'm trying to suppress laughter

Get out, there's muthafuckin' snakes in tha muthafuckin' Junior Mints!

I really shouldn't find this funny as it's pretty damned evil a thing to do, but sometimes, being bad sure feels good.