Squirreled one of these at the office. What a nostalgic flavor… in a good way (unlike a Twinkie, although the white krapp inside is the same).
Last Sunday’s Kamilo’iki hike opened up a failure point on my old Danner 453 boots. On one of the stairstep descents, the rough lava rock grabbed the rubber outsole at the heel and tore it loose. They’re almost exactly 4 years old, so that’s a pretty good service life I’ve gotten out of them. The outsole at the heels are worn flat, and the EVA midsole is packed out, but until this event there was no impending sign that the outsole or midsole was going to delaminate or worse yet crumble to powder. The outsole was still soft and grippy – it hadn’t hardened slick and begun to crack. I defenitely got my money’s worth out of these, unlike my previous two pairs of Salomons that failed prematurely for one reason or another. I guess I could try reglueing the loose flap, but it’s time to retire these with dignity. Wonder what I’ll get to replace them?
Whoa! Has Ckucke been by the shop recently? Note that it is twisted in the tightening direction! I tried replicating this by cranking another 6mm key in a vise, but it cammed out of the jaws before it could twist.
With a bit of hiatus till next rally-X, the timing was good to do a bunch of work on the rally FX. Most of the major work was done and I’d put enough miles to break in the new clutch and LSD. I was itching to test it out, and this past Sunday was an auto-X event. I decided to slap on my old 13″ racing wheel set and go for it! Decided Saturday morning to swap over the rear swaybar too. That one is a Whiteline uprated adjustable bar.
For anyone keeping track, here’s what has happened to the rally FX: Continue reading ‘Triwheeling’
Having just gotten back to Hawaii from Japan on Saturday the 24th. and having exploded my lower back on my first day back at work, I wasn’t quite ready to do anything other than lie down until Wednesday. The weather was not bad, so I took a spin on the bike. I tried pushing some intervals, cycling through “hardâ€, “harderâ€, and then recovering on “easyâ€. Along my circuit, there was a black polyethylene cloth construction barrier along the sidewalk. Each time I passed, a little mongoose was poking his head out from the corner, watching for doves or chickens to prey on. Never saw him get anything. Didn’t run his head over either (not like that squirrel in Whistler). The ride actually did my back some good – loosening it up and stretching it out.
D = 11.86 km (7.37-miles), Vavr = 17.5 km/h (10.9-mph), Vmax = 48.1 km/h (29.9-mph), T = 41-minutes
Sam Adam’s entry into the seasonal. Pours a medium dark red brown with moderate head that quickly dissapears. Carbonation is not that strong. Bit of roastyness, nicely moderated bitter. Pretty clean with just a bit of heavier mouth. I’m not sure which Oktoberfest I prefer, the Sam Adams does lose its carbonation rather fast. 3 out of 4 Otkobering monkeys.
Widber Brothers’ seasonal appropriately enough is the Okto this October 1st. Pours medium dark red brown with moderately strong head that quickly dissapates. Carbonation is not too strong. My nose is once again really plugged up so I can’t get the aromas too well, a bit of smoky and nuttyness. Medium smooth mouthfeel, a nice moderated bitter. Nicely drinkable. I’m glad autumn is here. 3 out of four Oktoberfestive monkeys.
Hm, I’m not sure if this counts as another life down for Musubi cat, but I took her into the vets on Wednesday to have them take a look at a scratch she got on her face from some other cat. I remember how the other scratch she got became an abscess and her first -1 life. Vet prescribed some antibiotic and since it was a long time we decided to give her some vaccination shots. All seemed good and I was able to feed her the antibiotic pill hidden in a food treat packet with no problems. Then later that night she vomited, not a happy cat. She didn’t seem to be in any extreme distress though, so I waited until next morning. Wondering if the pill was reacting badly. Called the vet office next morning and made an appointment. Musubi didn’t seem to be showing a serious allergic reaction, but she wasn’t eating. That afternoon took her in and vet examined her. Her temperature was running high, high enough to be of concern. They immediately worked to cool her down by applying alcohol soaked towels & ice pack which she didn’t really take to. I think administering  subcataneous saline to her is what really helped.
On life -2 Musubi had received the same antibiotic with no problems, so it was determined that she was having an adverse reaction to the vaccination. She’s doing much better now, but still hasn’t eaten all that much. Trying to restrict her to wet food as she really needs the hydration.
Wait, summer ale? Yes, I haven’t gotten around to reviewing this until now. You can tell how enthusiastic I am about it. Pours a medium light yellow, fair head, thins out but carbonation stays for a bit. Strong floral bitters, a fairly syrupy mouth feel. Bitter persists in the back of mouth. Can’t say I enjoy this, but it’s not so bad that I don’t finish it. I’m glad summer’s over. 1 out of 4 hopped out monkeys.
About three hours before flight time, the counter finally opened. The staff was all ANA employees. I got omiyage with no problems and it all fit in my X-Ray. Immigration went smoothly as usual, and I got some angry oyaji sushi from Ganko and a large iced cafe mocha from Tully’s. The sushi was not terrible, considering this is a chain restaurant, and the coffee also not terrible. I wouldn’t rank Tully’s above CB&TL or Lion, but it is better than Starbuck’s swill. Continue reading ‘Boarding’