All Activity

Samara Joy and jumping back over to Rose City Band here (sadly overlapping).

So sorry for the image of that faux butter. Rini brought it out, then promptly put it away after seeing the look on my face. I used a little EVOO and slightly grilled the bread.

I buy most of those Costco muffins and pastries. Really good!

Surgical strike to walk Penny and see the Watson Twins. We'll go back later for more.

Lunch was phenomenal.

Day two - really enjoyed Tophouse so far...

A tasty BLAT And (non HF mug) Latte

Yesterday, Joanne invited me to a work event to celebrate the completion of a project that has been almost three decades from initial conception to completion . Marin-Sonoma Narrows widening project hits 'huge milestone' https://www.marinij.com/2025/09/29/marin-sonoma-narrows-widening-project-hits-huge-milestone/ Major Bay Area highway project started 13 years ago to reach milestone https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/major-bay-area-highway-project-milestone-19392283.php There was themed schwag And carbs A roster of relevant speakers Who mentioned all those "without whom this would not have been possible" plus federal, state and local funding sources. Then onto the photo ops And the ribbon cutting Note the last minute CHP entry. It's not often you get to see CHP in their dress uniform ties (or bow ties and boots in the case of the Motor Cycle riders) And yet some people are never happy Bay Area drivers still furious after Highway 101 widening https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/bay-area-drivers-still-furious-highway-101-21074054.php

Joanne spotted this in the local paper, at the last minute, so ... A full, if "mature" audience. Our e-tickets were "General Admission 2" rather than the earlier sold out "General Admission". But they let us in and we had seats at the back. And we had the question "what is a cajon" answered.

About sixteen hours after returning to California, we sauntered down to HSB in person for Corey Harris, a bit of Shawn Colvin, Margo Price, a tad bit of War and Treaty, and then Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats. Going to head back in later this morning for the Watson Twins...

You are looking sharp! 🎶 You are looking good! 🎵 (Seriously though, hall of fame ad jingle)

I posted about buying a new electric razor in the what'd you buy thread. I expected it to be a better shave than my 10 y.o. Philips Norelco razor. Now I did keep up maintaining my old razor. I was diligent about thoroughly cleaning it on a daily basis. Not hard to do, as it was a wet/dry razor, so a good rinse and brushing each morning. It did have a cleaning/charging station but the cleaning pods were expensive and I eventually stopped using it. The pods would dry up quickly, with no way to cap them. But I did keep it clean. And I replaced my blades every two years as suggested. So this morning I used the new razor and am literally gobsmacked at the quality of shave I got! This is quite literally hand razor quality. Something they've been touting for decades, but have never really achieved. But now they have. This new Razor (Philips Norelco 8000) does several things the old one didn't. #1: it has a learning app that actually monitors your shave and gives you tips on how to shave better: small circular motions and so on. #2: the blades are self sharpening. Too early to tell if this will indeed work well. And #3: the flex between the 3 blades is really good. My old razor had a flexible head, but it never contoured anywhere near as good as this one. Before if I were going somewhere where I wanted to look my best, I'd shave with foam and a hand razor. Now I'll get that look and feel with an electric. I know I'm going on and on about an electric razor, but it really is kind of incredible to me. When I was younger shaving would really irritate my skin. So much so that I'd only shave a few times a week. In 1984 I bought my first electric razor. A Braun with the linear foil heads (2). I thought it worked well. At least I could shave daily, even if it wasn't the quality of a hand razor. A few years later was the first wet/dry razor, a Panasonic. I'd shave in the shower and it was a little better. Also a foil head design. Somewhere around 1990 I bought my first Norelco with rotary heads. It seemed to conform better, and was more comfortable, so that's where I settled. This new one is really comfortable and quite good! And as a bonus it has a separate charging stand, or you can plug directly into the razor. And a separate, smaller cleaning pod. This cleaning pod needs no power cord. It's simply powered by the razor itself. And the pod has a tight fitting lid to keep the solution from evaporating into the air. I've also found an inexpensive solution that mixes with 70% isopropyl alcohol. This can pour right into the Philips canister. So I'll most likely go through this cycle every month or so. Though the daily clean with water and brush will continue. Hmm, I think I've waxed on about a razor long enough. But I'm truly impressed. I expect my love life to increase by several twinks a month. Hmm, I wonder how good it'll groom... Nevermind, sorry for that brain image.

^ Walden Green (Pitchfork) agrees with Petridis on Romantic https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/taylor-swift-actually-romantic/ ‘I’m also filling out my Jack Antonoff apology card as we speak, now that Max Martin and Shellback—ostensibly the great pop minds of the century—have aided and abetted in a song that sounds like the Kidz Bop version of the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”’

Chase by Giogio Moroder from the Midnight Express (1978) soundtrack:

Oh i guess I've been misunderstood, most probably I didn't clearly explain it guys. I'm not in the local government. We have 4 years till local government elections. I'm elected as congress member of CHP in it's regional division. In the city where I live. Also I'm elected as member of the board of CHP's town administration. So I have a right to vote and speak on CHP's town and city Congresses. And I'm a member of town administration of CHP. Basically I have right and responsibility to speak in CHP's regional administration. Sorry if I cause any misunderstanding. But maybe after 4 years I'll have a place in local government.

I don't know if I love that review from a single listen to the album, but agree on similarities of Mind and Romantic.

Anybody notice what's contrary here?

More startling still is the distinct lack of undeniable hooks and nailed-on melodies. ...There’s a fantastic chord sequence on Actually Romantic, but, alas, 37 years ago Frank Black wrote a very similar one for Where Is My Mind? by Pixies, a song you can literally sing along to Actually Romantic. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/oct/03/taylor-swift-the-life-of-a-showgirl-review

The pin hole diameter is roughly 2–4 mm, but one thing to keep in mind is that 3D printers, especially hobby-grade ones tend to have pretty poor dimensional accuracy. A nominal 2 mm hole can easily shrink to around 1.2–1.4 mm, so you’ll need to experiment a bit to dial in the correct size for your printer and filament. Yes, I’m using the threaded collet-style socket. It’s simple and works fine, but honestly, I think the mounting method Joamat posted above is better since you don’t have to fuss with rotating and aligning the jack during installation. The HA-3FXX is a good choice. The only downside is that it doesn’t have a gold-plated version. Hopefully, someone can find a gold-plated alternative. I’ll stick with my current version for now until I get the chance to make a screw-fixed version. And if enough people are interested in the current version, a group buy could definitely be possible.

Before Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, listening to a new gal on the scene, Taylor Swift, and her The Life of a Showgirl Ex.

Not cooking until tomorrow, but gathered lunch ingredients for Al's Sister (Rini) and myself. Going to cook it on the Weber flattop. Skin down and squirt a little water under the steamer lid. Then sauté the green beans and mushrooms at a fairly high heat. Have a loaf of Kirkland rustic bread as well. Hopefully Al will cook up the unused portions Monday or Tuesday.

thx...

I won't be able to make it in person this year, because: reasons, but Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025 https://hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/ Is about to go live with streaming on the website and the dedicated App (HSB TV) Quite the lineup, as always. https://hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/HSB25-Print-at-Home-Schedule.pdf