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I keep forgetting to take a photo of the steak before it is consumed. As an alternative measurement of the night -

The lady from the LLS came over with a big fake check so we could take a picture with it

Really liked the looks of the Datejust II with metallic blue dial but decided to go with an update to my '94 Sub.

Fred's-Sous Vide Experiment #2. Two degree drop, one hour add.

It is a 56mil serial so 1998. I knew I got it in grad school. Here is a pic properly exposed that shows how different the lime is from the Breitling and Omega.

We have a flatiron steak in the water bath at 128F. That will be seared off later on the grill and accompanied by some spinach with shallots and mushrooms.

It's windy as heck out but beggars can't be choosers.

Lume shot for Larry. Not very impressive and fairly short lived.

Oh, it's called remote trigger nowadays

I am wondering why the women got stuck on the ends.

Kaki King. Amazing. I still thank Vicki every time I see KK because she introduced me to get music long ago in SoFla. https://vimeo.com/124086024

Please disengage your HC facetious post filter.

Orange chicken -- Soy Vay (yes, really look it up -- it started out with two friends, a Jewish boy and a Chinese girl and their mutual love for food) Hoisin Garlic marinade mixed 50/50 with orange juice, marinade for two days (only meant to do one, but got lazy yesterday), added water chestnuts and bamboo shoots (yes, again), and stir fried the lot I have a feeling this would be good over some cabbage and cauliflower "rice" substitute, I have enough left over that I'm going to try that tomorrow. This stuff is superlative. It's not perfect -- the veggies could be a bit more done, it could be a touch spicier, and a bit less rich, but I'm happier with this than most restaurants' orange chicken. Other than Ricky's Rice Bowl.

Science!

It was!

Paella

Salmon Burger

Blasting Hi Res Hot for Teacher in the office. Does it get any better?

Escargot, duck confit, and apple pie with bourbon vanilla ice cream. Really delicious.

Posted verbatim to the other site as well: Having listened to the HE1000 several times at CES, I knew the headphone was going to be a strong contender near the top end of the food chain. It had the dynamic, palpable bass of other top planar magnetic headphones with a level of speed and detail that seemed to rival electrostatics. However, no direct comparison with other top headphones was possible at the time. In this post SoCal CanJam listening session, Edwood and I were able to compare the latest HE1000 prototype and EF1000 with the Stax SR009 and Headamp BHSE (both with stock tubes). We also had the Hifiman EF-6, HE-6, and HE-560 on hand for comparison (not pictured). Source was an Ayre QB9 DSD DAC playing FLAC from a PC. I went into the comparison expecting the HE1000 to prevail in bass performance and suitability for rock and electronic music, and the SR009 to prevail in detail and airiness, and suitability for classical and acoustic music, as has been the typical split between dynamic/orthodynamic and electrostatic headphones over the years. So I started by going straight for the gusto, playing a high-res version of Beethoven's 9th. I started with the SR009, then changed to the HE1000, and was surprised to find the latter presenting more micro-detail with a more present, "live" sound. Instruments were better fleshed out with the HE1000, whose imaging made the SR009 sound somewhat diffuse by comparison. I would say the SR009 soundstage was broader and deeper, but less precise, while the HE1000 presentation was closer to the listener, and taller, but more pinpoint. On the comparison went, through rock, metal, EDM, and movies, and the initial findings remained quite stable throughout. The HE1000/EF1000 consistently produced more micro-detail, more tangible bass, and a more holographic (if smaller/closer) soundstage than the SR009/BHSE, resulting in the overall impression of a more "live" or present sound from the HE1000 and a more diffuse/relaxed sound from the SR009. In short, those who find the SR009 too "live" or present, and prefer the SR007, will likely not be candidates for the HE1000, as it is even more so. I never really thought I would hear a headphone to make the SR009 sound relaxed or diffuse by comparison, but the HE1000 does just that. The top-to-bottom fantastic detail and phase-correctness of the HE1000, combined with its' tactile bass (as opposed to the merely audible bass of 'stats) makes an extremely exciting listen, with a sense of closeness to the source material that I haven't heard before in a headphone. Now, don't this to mean more than it really does. The SR009 is still an INCREDIBLE headphone, and listening to it in isolation is as rewarding as it ever was before. However, when heard next to the HE1000, it becomes clear that the bleeding edge has advanced forward, at least in some ways. This is all still very much at the margin, and on a technical level the HE1000 likely performs no more than a few percentage points better than the SR009, however, those small gains, this far out on the curve of diminishing returns, do result in more tangible rewards for listening pleasure than their mere numbers would indicate. To be clear, I am NOT stating that the HE1000 "blows away" the SR009, rather that it has incremental gains in certain areas that resulted in a more enjoyable listening experience for me. I did compare the EF1000 and EF6 using the HE1000, and found them generally to be extremely close in technical performance, however, I found the EF1000 to be a more involving listen, for no particular reason I could put my finger on. Magical tube harmonics? Placebo? Wishful thinking? Who knows, but the EF1000 seemed to produce a sound worth its' (substantial) weight. I will be interested to see how it performs as a speaker amp, as it would be a boon for such a large amp to be an all-in-one. Comparing the HE6 to the HE1000, the old flagship sounds a bit slow and blurry, particularly in the bass, where the speed of the HE1000 is quite impressive indeed. The HE6 and HE560 both sound diffuse in imaging when compared to the more pinpoint HE1000. I would say the overall sonic balance of the HE1000 lies somewhere between the bassier HE6 and warmer midrange of the HE560, coming in relatively neutral with just a smidge of warmth to the midrange. In summary, I was rather surprised that the HE1000 did not just hold up to, but surpassed the SR009 at some of the latter's most well-known strengths. There is without question a presentation/flavor difference between the two that would doubtlessly lead some to pick one over the other regardless of technical abilities. Hopefully the production HE1000 and EF1000 will maintain at least this level of technical performance, and we will all welcome a new premier headphone system to the bounty of options now on the market. Now, more than ever before, it's an amazing time to be a headphone audiophile, and with all those working to improve headphones, I don't doubt that we will continue to see gains like this at the high end.

There is some mighty fine dining in this post today, I will try to contribute in my own minor way. Lucky enough to have caught my restaurant on a slow Wednesday so the chef tried out a few (5) new items he was fine tuning to put on the menue- third in the rotation because by then I had too much Shiraz to note what came before this. And finally Makers Mark espresso desert, what's not to like?

No, now he's gonna wanna show me his V-Rex, yuk!

Claire baked and built, but I frosted and toasted-coconuted this coconut layer cake with rum syrup, vanilla bean pastry creme filling and butter cream frosting. Pretty, if I do say so myself (even though it needs to set in the fridge and get cleaned up a bit).