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On the way to Bodega Bay for some fish and chips, and a walk, we stopped in Bodega, to admire the School house from "The Birds" and The Church (St. Teresa of Avila) Ansel Adams took a picture in 1953 So I did (composition from memory), on the last day of 2021

We just put the house on the market. Shit is getting real.

I wanted to show off the sign that Steve engaged Naaman to design and carve on the ping pong table. It is a beautiful piece of cherry that will age along with us, although unlike is it will look better over time. I haven't really organized the stuff on the peg board, it's just there temporarily because I'm trying to get everything out of the old shop space.

So, finally time to replace the cable of my 007. Birgir and others have probably demonstrated this before, but I thought I'd show some pics for those who, like me, haven't done it before (and, sooner or later it will be necessary). Off with pads and front plate, and the nylon piece covering solder terminals. Solderer's best friend: electrical tape. Some sacrifices necessary too - had to buy and eat a bar of chocolate for the cardboard to protect driver from hot solder. New cable in place. Also adjusted the headband elastic and put on the pads correctly, wasn't done before. Now the 007 sits tight on my head, sounds better and is more comfortable. Promised myself to fix the 007 when I finished my Carbon, so here goes. Build without major problems. MLA brought his variac for startup, and there were high voltages on the outputs. My mistake, had missed to solder one leg of a PZTA56, hanging in air. Fixed that and it works fine. Wanted to keep it simple and clean. Might add a LED when I can afford it.

Waiting for Jp’s arrival. He has a bunch of he has a bunch of headphones to try out with his Matirx Sabre DAC. I have HP1’’s with the J Grado amp (Gene’s gear) as well as my Lola’s and Matirx Mini Pro 3 Streamer.

Now this X9000 thingy... I am waiting in anxiety for Birgir's impression on it, as it might sound good with the types of music he is listening to. I have borrowed one (with a DAC, amp, cables, the whole shebang) from a lovely owner due to his lack of time to listen for a whole week now, and I have changed my mind like 5 times. I think it is probably the fastest headphone I've heard with the best, ultra-precise spatial detail, very foot-tapping, this is the type of music where it is very impressive. but also the one of the most unrealistic (in the second one, it just goes to the next slow-paced track and it starts to sound weird). Yes, it reproduces even more of what's in symphonic music, if there is more textural information that makes the sound become more natural, they are kind of "overwritten" by its new technical level that it is playing at. Maybe I am clueless, but I think they have taken it too far regarding diaphragm thickness. They have managed to take the speed over 9000 (That's impossible!) I think it can be tuned to be better (waiting for the 'S' version...) I don't know what's the slowest, lushest amp possible to make it somewhat more enjoyable for me. (Or use several amps and change the sound depending on the music) But I don't see the point of buying the fastest out there to make it slow. Yes, it has mesh transducers like the SR-Omega with impeccable build, and you can actually buy one (with warranty), there are similarities, like big but lightweight, big stage, etc. but they sound nothing alike. I can see 009 owners seeing this as a big upgrade, that was the previous one I tested (not like this, unfortunately, only with the amp...) and I think it sounded "very intense" (restraining myself here), but the speed wasn't taken to this extreme level. I have also tested the L300 Limited and my impression of it is very much a love or hate thing. Basically, an interesting new transducer technology, struggling to get out. Compared to older Lambdas it is badly built, uncomfortable, unsealed pads means bye bye deep bass, trades airiness for precision, uneven frequency response. Maybe deliberate product segmentation? They have resources to do a Lambda that is miles better than these ones. Good thing they still have the 007 Mk2 at least...and they realised the screw-up with the supposedly 009-style diaphragm - they just won't tell us the units affected... For example, based on all the positive-negative thoughts about the Audeze CRBN, it seems that they have aimed to make it sound less ethereal (damped, weighty, not as ultra-fast) which I think is a good thing, but they have also lost some of the wow-factor. This is completely the other direction, and if it really has any resemblance to the HE90 I am all-in for it. In my very distant memory, that headphone still has the best reproduction of timbre and musical notes. They appear and disappear 'normally' with weight behind them. I couldn't care about blurry imaging, murky bass, upper register anomalies etc. However, looking at the whole picture, the Omega is starting to be more and more competitive now, an emerging superpower, like China. Kind of interesting to read the contemporary comparisons by darth nut, I think these newer, more advanced sources and amps can change the sound perception compared to way back then. Also, just a side note: some people not hearing certain things about KGSSHV etc. aftermarket amps not being that much better to a standard Stax amps may need to change sources(I wish some things would not take a step backwards in this earlier iteration, but overall more impressive and transforms some headphones and does not cost that much more than my modded 727), the two work together effectively as a combination. When I heard an expensive DAC last time, the amp and circumstances weren't that good. You can't just save on one and ignore the other because this review says it is the greatest value jada, jada... And you don't even need the SR007 etc. to be in need of this change. But some headphones definitely do a damn good job in a cheap system, it is just hard to back when they can sound similar, yet 100% better. Giving these back won't be comfortable one bit. I mean the amp & DAC (maybe cables), not the headphones. So, basically, he has one side covered and I have the other side covered... :) And of course, another new problem I have now, is that I have accumulated so many of these, and when the system is good, they just all become better at what they do best, a lot of them being too cheap to just ignore compared to the price of certain elements in the chain. I expected to play the elimination game a whole lot easier, it doesn't really work, but I need to change things at some point... But then again, there will be a time where we might be back to the normal universe from this alternative one, and there will only be precious little time left to actually sit down & listen to music (in a completely dark and silent environment, some headphones really need this, even the X9K becomes more impressive/less annoying with this mismatched system). Happy listening!

Lily answered the call.

Looks like it found a good home. Slowly getting going on the cabinets, have the drawer boxes built. Not having to figure out any dimensions for them was really nice. Design the cabinet and have the machine cut the parts to size. Whatever that size may be.

From all the research I was able to do, I don't believe this is the case with this. But I'm still going to disappoint everyone, because I can't think of another cordless tool that I could use, or fit in the van. This will go to restart the savings that got decimated.

First steak in the Ooni. Pizza from lunch.

I had another Doctor's appointment Friday. Mostly to go over my blood pressure readings and to evaluate my machine against the Dr's. machine. After checking my home machine against theirs, it seems it's functioning just fine. My blood pressure log has been averaging about 155/90. Way better than before I went on medication, but still not where we want it to be. My Dr. has decided to add a beta blocker to my current meds, but only to be taken if my BP is above 130/80. One thing the nurses did was to check how I'm taking my BP, and it seems I wasn't doing it just right. It was determined that I should be resting my arm at a level even with my heart. And maybe even more importantly, I was taking my morning BP first thing after waking. They told me to wait an hour after taking my meds before taking my BP reading. Well, after making these two changes, my last 3 BP readings are as follows... 124/71, 127/74 & 129/61. All within my 130/80 goal. Now it's early on in this new routine, but it sure is making me feel good about achieving this BP goal. My Dad had Hypertension, to the point where he was often bright Red in the face. He had Congestive Heart disease, diabetes and probably some other issues. Also he was a lifetime smoker. So my own health has always been a question for me. With my A1C below 7, my blood sugar testing well, the diabetes is under control. My cholesterol is normal. I have an appointment for an EKG in two weeks. If the EKG shows no worrisome issues, then I'll be feeling really good about all of this. I'm also down 30 lbs. from when I first discovered my health issues a few years ago. Assuming that this coming 61st. birthday is not spent puking in the toilet all day, due to Vertigo, my 60's are not looking as gloomy as I worried they might be. It's a crap shoot, as my Father's family all died pretty young (mostly in their 50's and 60's). But my Mother's side have lifespans like golopagos tortoises.

Second vanity complete. Definitely going with a larger reveal for the kitchen I’m going to do next.

Dominos or pocket screws? I decided to test the drum sander I finally got set up in the garage and all the new sanders by building an edge grain cutting board for the kitchen today. Only 30 more hours of sanding and some finishing left

I do not take as many photos as I use to at racing events, but this caught my eye and I would be remiss not sharing. At last October's Texas Mile I had the pleasure of drooling over this Koenigsegg Regera. Truly an engineering feat....and...it comes with its own tuner (a breathing one with a charming accent...). The owner appeared disappointed with his speeds and left before the wind shifted to our benefit but we did get to see it make a few passes. HS

Bourbon Moth can be over the top but decent work. I like the whiskey table design. I also like King’s Fine Woodworking for actual learning and also Fisher’s Shop, Stumpy Nubs, Rob Cosman and Tamar. Put some Odie’s Oil on the 3D board so it is about as finished as it is going to get.

so here is what is going to happen. birgir will use his contacts to purchase one of these if it exists. Then he will determine if he likes it or not and will publish pictures etc. He has yet to publish pictures on the other 2 (or is it 3) stax portables. If he likes it, and if its really $400 then i will buy one. Because there is no way i can build one for $400.

Steve, just saying, I had a really excellent shawarma at Splitrock in Fairfax while drinking beer with Al today and highly recommend you direct $12 of your stimmy windfall that way. Get the lamb.

Just received an unexpected stimulus check from the state of California. $600 dollars is a nice surprise any day.

Oh, and speaking of UC Davis, I saw Desmond Tutu speak while I was in school there. It was during the anti apartheid demonstrations and the UC system was rife with sit-ins and students occupying buildings, etc. It was a truly moving experience, even in my animal house phase (has it ended?). I had been working as an intern for the California Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy and he spoke too. The magic of the internet produced a video of the whole event, so I'm going to relive it shortly. Here it is in case anybody would possibly be interested. https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/TutuA+A+Celebration+of+Human+Rights/1_lsfznxso/25823992 RIP Bishop Tutu

Just your standard run-of-the-mill Ambient Avant-Garde Piano Folk music by a lovely Armenian woman....😄 Actually quite nice with some neat sound touches.

It's currently 0F here, and didn't get above 6F today, with windchills way into the negatives. The dog pretty much told me to fuck off while walking him this morning.

Went a little crazy today and in the morning while I had time I candied some chopped pecans for use later in the day. When I finally had more time, after making dinner, I made maple frosted pecan scones.

Today's adventure entails mortising 22 door blanks to fit in existing door frames. First I need to cut the blanks to proper width, as the old frames are about 1/4" smaller than the new blanks. Then I use my lockset mortising jig to drill out for the knobs. Then I use my hing mortising jig to router away the hinge inset. The self centering, spring loaded drill bit makes quick work of attaching the hinges.

Got together with some friends last night at the house, one of which brought pork pies from a tiny market in Methuen, MA that's been making them by hand for over 100 years. I thought one of the leftovers would make a tremendous omelet. I was correct.

A little misguided use of English by this lotion store in Paris. And a fun translation for a manger scene. And Baby Jesus is in fact chillin in his crib

Then I align the front, apply the hinges, and use a sawzall to cut the top and bottom 2x4s right in that tiny 1/8" gap. That way everything stays aligned perfectly once you cut the two sections apart. It took me a few years to figure this out, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Another batch of chicken curry, for later

Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone. Our original plans for a walk on Stinson Beach were scuppered by the following early morning tweet "MARIN SHERIFF: Marin is under Tsunami Advisory. Stay out of coastal waters until clear" So made other arrangements inland and had a very pleasant day. No bacon as such, Does Crispy Pork Belly count? At least I got to witness an impressive sunset prior to my Birthday on the walk back from Tiburon (When technically it would have been my Birthday, in the UK)

We came to possibly the lamest conclusion, all three are pretty awesome. We had way different rankings I preferred the lcd5 of the three amd Mike the he1kse. The lcd5 to me was the most revealing of the three and had the wettest midrange. When a headphone out details the HE1kse that's impressive and the lcd5 did just that. I love the other two as well and could easily and very happily live with any of these. Hifiman wins for comfort and least picky of sources while holding its own in every audio category we compared them in. I do think the adx5000 is the mofo steal of the century at almost half the price of the HE1kse and less than half the price of the lcd5. Very very fast sounding extremely dynamic but can be slightly thin sounding. Both the adx5000 and lcd5 improve with eq and take eq well the HE1kse doesn't need much.

Vinyl Qobuz

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I spent my actual birthday ...being sick. I've alluded to some of the issues I'm facing (including 9 hours in the ER a month ago). I had a followup appointment at the local medical establishment I use last Tuesday. They called me the Monday before and cancelled it. I dunno if anyone's noticed, but it turns out that the US medical care system is under great pressure for some reason. Who knew? The good news is that I'm not dead, and by the end of the month I'll have a new iPhone (my current one is a 6S, which came out in the fall of 2015) and a shiny new (and expensive AAF) 16" Macintop. The means I might actually be back on the air before the collapse of modern civilization.

Going to have a go at ping ponging my first set of cabinets with Mozaik. Pretty advanced software that I’ll probably never fully learn, but pretty cool knowing once I have a decent grasp of how it operates I should be able to make any type of cabinetry relatively easily.

Rainy day listening

Inspired by Nate's leftover omelet, I built this leftover scramble.

my lever machine showed up. There were some initial indications of it’s italian heritage, but once I disassembled it and connected the pressurestat, I was able to pull a tasty, tho slightly long, shot my first try.

From dinner last night, homemade nachos carnitas w/ pico and cheese, served with homemade guac and sour cream.

Congrats. Watching Mindless Consumerism thread.

More jazz for a sunny morning. It's 14º (50ºF) outside, that should be 5-6º (41ºF) if things were normal. Enjoying of a few vacation days they owed me. Chick Corea Akoustic Band: Live I think I've posted this before. It's so damn fucking good

Can't decide which I like better. Found both because @manaox2 is a member of the FB Kubrick Society and he posted the first one.

I am sufficiently happy with this morning’s oat milk cortado. It’s a nicaraguan limoncillo ethiosar roasted medium light.

The new hiding spot

Bumbled my way through mounting some Blum BluMotion hinges. Not sure the hammer was the best tool to get them in there, but it worked.

NY strip, small mound of mashed taters, sauted mushrooms (butter, garlic & champagne) & baguette.

Today, I had two of the most delicious steaks. The master chef at Raouche Cafe was kind enough to share with me his very easy, simple marinade, and I’ve been on a quest to recreate it ever since. Today, I recreated it perfectly. The recipe is white vinegar and black pepper. I added garlic, cumin, and white pepper. 30- 45 minutes marinade time while the beef warmed up a little. Then placed in foil, added more garlic, pepper, and a little salt. Closed foil, 375 preheated oven for 11:11 the first time (too well done), 9:99 the second (medium). Might try 8:88 tomorrow. Cut was Food Lion filet mignon tenderloin medallions. Barely needed a knife both times, could’ve cut with a fork. Tasted right both times, too: Super delicious.

So got this for Satanmas from “the kids.” PRS SE Custom 24 in “Bonnie Pink” Also got a Line 6 Spyder V30 Mk II amp. So… before I learn how to make this thing work, what upgrades do I need?