HemiSam

LOL...your friend is a wise man, mikey! That's a great response I might have to borrow. I have run just short of 212mph but in a much heavier car. Never liked using my chute, but I can tell you the molecules I was shoving with my poor coefficient of drag on my 4500lb + Challenger were a lot. Your point about "dancing" is well taken also. I recall one time I left and apparently a strong crosswind hit me near the top of the track and at about 180mph I had little if any steering. Didn't realize what happened until my friends told me this big wind came in after I left. It's a crazy hobby but boy what a thrill. There are only rumors about what the Ford GT makes at the rear wheel. We are thinking somewhere between 3000 and 4000 rwhp. Nuts. HS

I experienced something pretty phenomenal yesterday afternoon. I was hanging out with friends on the last afternoon of the March 2019 Texas Mile watching the last few racers remaining make passes. The conditions were good....very good. Steady tailwind and the temps were dropping. The current record holder, a last gen Ford GT that's been Gulf Oil colors (my personal favorite livery) beat his prior record over the weekend...went 297 over his 293mph. Ungodly speeds for a standing mile (and lets not forget there is the whole stopping thing over limited real estate). Well....the team ticked off a 300.4mph pass...HOLY COW!!! The crowd was a bit thin but we all lit up. My friends and I were watching mid-track and listening to the announcer as the marker speeds were called out. Absolutely thrilling moment for me personally and I think for many of the mile racers there. vroom vroom... HS

I have to say the GMT II looks very nice also in Batman livery. I got to sport one recently and I prefer the Oyster bracelet over the newly released Jubilee bracelet combo. It'll be interesting to see if my tastes, particularly in colors...more bold or where I am now, shift when I retire and I no longer think about office garb. Rolex's releases for 2019 seemed a bit underwhelming to me. More a mix and match than anything new IMO. HS

It is watchable... Sorry...had to. HS

RIP, Colleen. Well state, ironbut. HS

Looks great, Dave! Your plan reminds me of my Seiko cocktail watch a bit... I very much like the strap on this watch...an oiled leather that's just short of "patent". Holds up very well also. HS

Beautiful watch, Dave. You'll be happy. The fit, finish and comfort is absolutely top notch. Rossliew - you can't go wrong. The rhodium is very classy IMO. Here is a pic...I believe it is a 36mm. I did learn a lot by going to a dealer and seeing the watch and the varying dial colors "in the metal". Helped me select the one that was most to my taste. I fell in lust with the silvery newer white dial so that is what I bought. I had to wait longer than I would have expected for my choice to arrive (I believe it was 6 weeks from when ordered at their "boutique"), but in the end I got exactly what I wanted and I am happy with the purchase. They tossed in a Wolf winder in Rolex green as a nice "gift". HS

Godspeed, Charlie... HS

We had a thread pooper... HS

Dave, One thing I would love is a quick release strap setup for my watches like Cartier does say for the Santos. Thereby facilitating jumping between say a link bracelet and an alligator bracelet. If you find a link for the 39mm R.O.P., please let me know. I haven’t really thought about messing with the link bracelet as it is so unbelieveably comfortable and I really enjoy the non-shiny finish, but one never knows. Variety is the spice... HS

Dave - I like the way you're thinking. To echo an earlier comment, though, I'm all about a deployant...the whole tang buckle thing for me is a PITA. Just my two bits. So....I had another watch adventure at the office. Didn't realize a friend I worked with in my last job at the company had gone down the watch rabbit hole. We were working an opportunity that he needed my input on and I look up as he's using a dry marker on the board...A. Lange. I speak up...is that a Lange? He goes, you know this watch? Oh my...in two shakes of a lamb's tale I had this watch on my wrist. Stunning! I am officially broken... HS

Beautifully made watch. The face is a bit busy for my taste, but I have a friend with one and I have to see it is a beaut in the metal. HS PS...whoops. I did not do your question justice. I see the rhodium dial is very different and a cleaner design. I'm assuming you mean in the 40mm. I like it. The bezel is a bit chunky for me, but much cleaner than the Yacht-Master II.

OK...another watch bonding session at the office today. This time....Rolex Sky-Dweller in stainless with the white gold fluted bezel and white face. I have to admit I did not appreciate the full complexity of the 9001 movement / watch. Dual time zones I got. The annual calendar that takes into account various days in given months I did not appreciate...uninformed as I never studied the watch previously...it's too large including height/tall for me. The way the rotating bezel functions is nifty. A beautiful watch albeit too big for my taste/wrist. HS

OK...I just realized I caused confusion. It's not mine... Neighbor meaning my office neighbor. I only wish... Although when I do get one it'll be with the black face. Only a two year wait...LOL. What was really cool is all the watch geeks this gent knows stopped by to see his Daytona. Sitting in my office chair I got to try a GMT Master ii Batman and a Sea Dweller. They wore smaller than I expected, but definitely heavier than my little 39mm. HS

Minding my own business at the office. Neighbor takes delivery of this gem... HS

Yes Geoff does. Proud to have one. HS

Godspeed, Peter and Mark... HS

This I believe. The Omega deployant clasp is silly money. I can only imagine what one from say AP would be... HS

I am having the strap made to the size of my Omega Speedmaster FOIS. It's a 19/16mm so it's a bit fussy in that most stock sized straps will not fit (at least perfectly). The nice alligator hide finished in a semi-matte with large square scales, calf skin backing, and with the J.R. deployant clasp is well under $500 delivered. Closer to $400. It would have been less if I could have used the stock size available. Not sure where $800 came from. That seems a lot for a watch strap, but perhaps I am uninitiated. HS

It won't be nearly that much. HS

Was emailed a shot of some skins to show me the hand finished semi-mat in question for the strap I'm having made. It's the middle skin. All in large, square scales. Also a shot of the deployant clasp. HS

This looks AMAZING! I'll need to give it a spin. That Kirk & Sweeny is crap rum. I've got a bottle of the 12 yr I bought long ago and then a very good friend of mine in from Maryland sadly very generously gifted me a 23-yr old bottle. I drink a lot of rum, but this brand ain't the one... The Flor de Cana 7-yr is a solid recommendation for this. It's a bit on the dry side for rum but nothing wrong with that. Don Pancho 8-yr rum is made by an old Cuban gent that's made a lot of fine rums for some very famous distilleries. He's a bit proud of the 18-yr but the 8-yr is a sweet spot. If you want to go high end without breaking the bank I highly recommend Zafra 21-yr rum. I don't think I'll wait for the holidays on this recipe....I might get to it this weekend. Cheers.... HS

Turns out that Jean Rousseau makes the straps for Omega on my Speedmaster FOIS. Took a while for their East Coast store to get the detailed measurement info back from the mother ship, but they did. I filled out their "bespoke" order form....LOL. I think this means custom and you get what you pay for. Provided tons of detail including my desire to have a deployant buckle installed vs the tang buckle which is not my thing. Hopefully it all goes to plan. I'm excited. I think the Speedy is going to look good with a brown alligator strap. HS

TMoney, This is just my two bits. I've read exactly what mikeymad posted many years ago now when I spent an excessive amount of time absorbing coffee related info. I rarely find the quality of beans locally that I have come to appreciate (I got very fortunate a month or so ago and found some local incredible Ethiopian recommended by a friend). Shipping can be costly, some roasts are limited in duration, and often I don't make the time to make my French press during the work week so my bags can last longer than two weeks. I agree whole heartedly that coffee is best when recently roasted, but it doesn't go "bad" a few weeks after. Good coffee is good coffee and the coffee I buy is still pretty damn good after 14+ days. It does deteriorate....loses some aromatics / flavors but as long as you're not more than say a month into a bag it is still very drinkable in my humble opinion. A proper roaster generally supplies a good quality bag with a one way valve. If yours doesn't, keep one from your prior purchase. Also, if you're going into a bag daily you're releasing built up CO2 at least once a day so perhaps that will help you rest easier if you prefer a sealed canister...keep it in a cool / dry place like a pantry. I always keep mine in the supplied bags. I kept coffee in the freezer years ago to test it and it was not the end of the world as some on the forums would lead one to believe. I appreciate the science behind good coffee, but it goes a bit far at times for my liking. I'm currently drinking some lovely coffees from La Colombe. My first time buying from them. I prefer medium roasts...went well past my all has to be dark phase years ago. It depends on the beans. I can highly recommend the Rwanda Lake Kivu and the Bourbon Workshop from them. Happy cupping... HS

RIP Messrs. Robinson and Finney... HS