I'm at work on Jack Mac's iPhone 15 review and the Baker's Dozen portfolio.
In the meantime, just a little tip, in case you want to try wet shaving with an old-fashioned double-edged razor: the Rockwell 2C, a perfect beginner razor and the one I have, is on clearance sale at Duluth Trading Co. for only $25. (Compare the cost at Amazon.) The 2C comes with just one plate, the R1+R3 plate, which is good enough to try, and it's gentle. You can buy the other plates separately if you need them. I wouldn't recommend the Rockwell blades that come with it, however—they're not very good. Try Astra Superior Platinum or Gillette Nacet blades.
# # #
Speaking of obsessions, a few updates on several past enthusiasms:
My camera: I am still loving my portable handheld digital B&W view camera—but it's because it's peculiarly right for me, not because it's a generally recommendable camera. That's the lesson I hope people take from my experience: keep trying until you find the camera that's right for you. And "right for you" can include pride of ownership and the joy you derive from using it. Don't chase superlatives, I say. Chase enjoyment, practicality, satisfaction. I'm still amazed and delighted how everything came together for me. Thanks again to JM, who turned me on to the Sigma fp-M.
Even if you want a B&W camera, however, which most people do not, I would recommend the Pentax K-3III Monochrome.
(By the way, if anyone wants a nearly-new, barely-used Sony A6600 in the box, please contact me. It's a beautiful camera, very solid and beautifully built, and I love the image quality. Asking $750 or best offer.)
Coffee: I used to roast my own coffee, but I had to give up coffee in 2018. I had a bout of a-fib and was diagnosed with mild heart disease. I thought coffee might be affecting me adversely, so I did an A-B-A test; first I quit coffee for three weeks to see if my a-fib would improve; and it did. Then I started up drinking coffee again to see if my a-fib would get worse; and it did. So, okay. No more coffee. The big surprise is that I like the substitute every bit as much, and maybe even a little better. I get white tea from Teavivre in Fujian Province, China, and drink it with a little fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a bit of ground saffron. (One of those tins lasts me about eight months.)
Diet: I lost 60 lbs. in 18 months on my WFPB / intermittent fasting diet, but stopped eating that way when I got depressed after my brother died. I regained some of the weight and have recently been struggling to resume my old habits from that 18-month stint. The experience greatly resembles recovery from addiction (I stopped smoking at 28 and drinking at 33, after Herculean struggles in both cases). I think the problem is something we talk about in recovery: willingness. Motivation, too...I lost my zeal, which, it turns out, I needed. But my latest self-help kick is to try to enjoy the things I have to do anyway, so I'm trying to learn how to cook a few things. My mission is to amass 12 recipes for meals I like and can cook, so they can go into rotation. I might even take a cooking class.
There's a good new book out, by Garth Davis, who is one of the good guys. Although you can get most of the information you need from this short video (one of those things "everyone should watch," in my estimation anyway).
Watches: I ended up my watch enthusiasm (yeah, that's the word, enthusiasm) with eight watches, all quartz. That's about four too many for me, although I like switching off between the others. All of them were foolish expenditures.
I have good and bad news to report with my specific choices, however. The solar Seiko that I bought when I wrote this post, the now-discontinued SNE031, turned out to be spectacularly accurate—as near as I could tell, it was accurate to about three seconds per year, which makes it a true HAQ (high-accuracy quartz) despite its humble status. Unfortunately, it stopped working. I took it back to Nick, who gave it the once-over and got it going again, but after another week it stopped again. A hundred and fifty dollars for a watch that only works for two years is not a good value.
The best watch I own, the lovely and amazing Casio Oceanus T200S (ain't she purdy?), is something I still wear often, but it suffered from a different problem. The original app, which was very slick, stopped being supported by Casio, who added support for the Oceanus to a much more workmanlike app meant for all its watches, on which the T200 is an afterthought. The original app sync'd the time with your smartphone four times a day, but the new one only syncs when you do it manually, by manipulating the button on the watch. It's not difficult, but it's not as nice as the way it worked with the original app. It means I sync the watch maybe once every four days instead of having it do it by itself four times every day. Some of the other slick features still work, but I miss the original app and I'm disappointed that Casio took it away from me. Never trust companies that promise ongoing software support. They're all wiley coyotes. Never buy a product that needs software support might also be good advice.
Pool: Oh, on second thought, nobody wants to read about pool. I'll just say this: I love it, and building that pool shed and getting a table was probably the nicest thing I've ever done for myself that doesn't involve a person or a pet.
We all have our hobbies!
Mike
Original contents copyright 2023 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)
Featured Comments from:
In fact, I've got a pool question! Well, a pool shed question. I remember your insulation guy saying that you'd be able to heat it with a match. Did that turn out to be the case? Rack 'em up!
Posted by: Greg Heins | Sunday, 15 October 2023 at 04:40 PM
I ended (after you revived) my own watch 'enthusiasm' for vintage mechanical watches at six, which is about four too many. They range from a $30 Russian diver to my latest, last and most expensive acquisition, a Hamilton Pilot Pioneer reissue (at a substantial sale price). I'm not into bling of any sort, but each of them (particularly since they are of small case size) is a jewel-like piece of mechanical wonder with its own particular 'personality,' most with past lives from previous owners. Ridiculously enormous watch sizes are finally starting to come down now- I wonder how many owners realize all the empty space they contain inside...
Posted by: Stan B. | Sunday, 15 October 2023 at 05:00 PM
Re watches. I'm with you on solar quartz watches. May I point out one more feature that I have come to love that can be found at relatively low cost on some Citizen solar quartz models. Saphire glass. This is usually found on much more expensive watches. It makes a big difference in keeping the faces clear and without scratches. I especially like it when teamed with their light super titanium cases. Whatever they do to make the titanium "super" makes the cases more scratchproof as well.
Posted by: Michael Fewster | Sunday, 15 October 2023 at 06:20 PM
This post feels like you're out of the molasses, having been there myself, welcome to momentum:)
The things you love, in addition to making you happy, can free your mind up to use them more effectively. I was somewhat scandalized that the work I was shooting with an eBay-special Kiev 60 was miles better than when I used a Hasselblad! After the Kiev's shutter exploded, took me several years but ended up with a Pentax 67, which apparently was what my heart truly desired. What a beauty.
Posted by: rob l | Sunday, 15 October 2023 at 11:21 PM
On the subject of food, there is something very freeing about having a repertoire of dishes that fit one's own taste and dietary needs.
I cannot recommend Food Wishes highly enough. Chef John shows how to cook dishes in the most repeatable style anywhere. Want to know what the food looks like when it's not quite done, and then when it's ready? He shows you. That weird step that feels wrong, but is actually normal? He calls it out. I have learned so much.
And, as always, enjoy!
Posted by: Joel Becker | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 12:47 AM
I had a (brief) watch enthusiasm, about eight to ten years ago. This was for watches from Christopher Ward, a UK company which imported mechanical watches designed and made to their specification from Swiss components, including movements. The two I bought were not, at that time, too unreasonably-priced, but I see that the successor models have at least doubled in price. They've moved firmly into the luxury good market.
But I'm an Apple fanboy, and the announcement of the Series 5 Apple Watch with its always-on display killed my interest in anything else. Yes, there are annoyances - having to keep it charged is the biggest - but I relish the way it's linked to the whole ecosystem, via the iPhone. I bought mine four years ago, and I've only just started getting 'battery service required' messages. That's OK - those mechanical watches also needed servicing every few years, too. I can't see enough difference between my Series 5 and the current Series 9 to make me want to replace it, so I shall have the battery service done and hopefully get to enjoy it for another four years.
Posted by: Tom Burke | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 05:05 AM
Re cameras and watches - both lifelong passions of mine - I have come to the expensive realization that you can select them from pictures or reviews but you only bond with them through use. I have owned and used most of the Nikon setups of the last 4 or 5 decades but they were never more than tools for me. Some were incredibly effective and gained my respect but I never really found a camera that I bonded with until I tried the Lumix GX8. Probably some combination of form/function/size but don't try to apply logic here any more than you would to the selection of a life partner. Some things just work for you.
Having been though the Swiss "chronographs" (their term, not mine) and still valuing them in my little collection, the perfect watches for my daily use is the Casio AE1500. It's essentially a G-Shock with much larger digits in an overall smaller package, a 10-year battery, and more comfortable than any other watch I've owned. It is the Casio in one color or another, that I reach for every morning. Oh, and they cost about $20 if you shop carefully.
Posted by: John Abee | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 07:02 AM
Get an Apple Watch to monitor your Afib. There are too many benefits to list, but both my cardiologists recommend it. And it does other things that keep the iPhone in my pocket, and my health awareness active. Granted, it only has one ECG sensor vs. 9 or more at the med office, but it’s sensitive enough to provide a range and generate reports for your doctor.
Posted by: Bob G. | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 11:27 AM
What the world actually needs is a mirrorless B&W camera, that way you cannot see colours in the EVF even if you wanted to. One of the advantages of mirrorless is to see a histogram BEFORE taking the picture, which is actually when you want to see it, so why not go the extra step, all B&W from viewfinder to file. Technology can deliver this now, so why would you not use it. I understand that old time pros can visualize B&W, good for them, they can keep doing that if they want to with the K-3 monochrome, nothing stopping them.
Posted by: Robert Roaldi | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 12:04 PM
Mike - maybe give Apple watches a try? They are as accurate as anything, of course, but their real selling point for me (and, ahem, people of a certain age) is the ability to just tap the watch and leave yourself reminders/alarms so you're not writing notes and forgetting things.
I had a decades long mechanical watch "enthusiasm" but I now pretty much wear my Apple watch esclusively.
Posted by: T. Edwards | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 12:39 PM
Sorry to hear about your troubles.
I found a link on the Seiko site and it looks like your SNE031 is still available [ https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/products/discovermore/sne031p9 ] (hopefully at a lower price elsewhere!)
My SNE039 is still running well and accurately. Maybe your rechargeable battery isn't holding a charge.
Those SNE0xx models are pretty much ideal. Small enough, but legible. Accurate and sturdy enough for everyday use, unless you work in a tough environment. Thinner than most solar-powered watches too.
I'm just waiting to see what other shaving stuff you purchase. One razor and one brush? To paraphrase the Lay's potato chip slogan, you can't stop at one. You'll probably want a stainless steel razor, fancy brush, nice lathering bowl, a nice assortment of different soaps, etc. G.A.S.!
Sorry to hear that Casio took away functionality from your Oceanus.
Posted by: Dave | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 01:55 PM
How well will my old double edge razor blade sharpener work with those platinum blades? Is pretty good with the old Gillette Super Blue blades.
Finding the old tried & true OD Green wind up watch from the VietNam day is getting more difficult all the time. Just not that many around and decent wind up watches are apparently not big sellers now.
On Pool - I get more than I need reading Kirk Tuck...
Posted by: Daniel | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 02:48 PM
Re: Coffee - don't know if you ever tried roasting decaf beans - but the Behmor (I think that's the roaster you had - I have one as well) is pretty well behaved with roasting decaf.
Caffeine and I had to part ways decades ago, not for heart reasons, thankfully. True, decaf can never reach the highest levels of quality of regular beans. All methods of removing caffeine from green beans, including swiss or mountain water process (the only one two should ever use) still degrade the beans a bit.
And of course, that rare, low volume estate batch from whatever favorite cooperative in Ethiopia is never going to be offered in decaf. :-(
Still, my home roasted decaf is leaps ahead of almost anything I can routinely buy elsewhere and puts CharBucks and their ilk to shame.
Not that you need another distraction or reboot of a hobby ...
Posted by: Severian | Monday, 16 October 2023 at 09:07 PM
I just retrieved a foot-tall stack of prints from storage to pick up the editing where I left off five years ago. Feels good.
Fortunately, the razor seems to have sold out.
Posted by: robert e | Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at 01:41 PM
After being a die-hard street and documentary photographer my whole photography life I started my first 'real' hobby in January 2021. I'm 64 so having a hobby was all new to me - before it was all about 'serious photography'. Canon released a 'cheap' 600mm f11 lens and I thought it might be nice to have - my longest lens before that was 300mm. It was also cheap. So I started practicing on the birds in my garden and found it was quite difficult to get a decent shot - they move all the time and fly away on a whim! Soon the birds in my garden became too familiar and to find more and new birds I visited the largest urban nature reserve in the world ( not sure if this is true) - Rietvlei Nature Reserve - a mere 12 minutes from my home by car and before I knew it I was hooked. So now I visit Rietvlei 2-3 times a week and all my holidays are scheduled around bird photography... In the meantime, I 'upgraded to an Eos R7 and an 800mm F11 - because with birds 'you can never have a lens that's long enough'. My life list stands at an embarrassingly low 268 and it's getting more and more difficult to find new birds, but I only count the ones I have decent images of. To put it mildly, I'm a slightly obsessed bird photographer. My website ivanmullerphotography.com has a collection of my bird and other photography endeavours.
Posted by: IvanMuller | Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at 02:13 PM
Oh, I forgot to mention that I also love watches - but I only have one - and I was quite chuffed to find that Kirk Tuck's hero, Henry White in the Lisbon Portfolio wears the same brand as I do, a Fortis! I have the 'Flieger' version - very plain, not too accurate but that's what I have...
Posted by: IvanMuller | Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at 02:24 PM
Sorry to hear about your watch troubles. The problem with solar and kinetic watches is that the capacitor/battery will fail. Sometimes prematurely, but eventually they all fail, and when that happens they may be harder to open up for repair than standard quartz watch, so they are not the forever watches that manufacturers will have you believe.
https://adventuresinamateurwatchfettling.com/2023/03/20/the-last-watch-i-would-ever-own-citizen-promaster-pmt56-2731/ (amateur watchmaking is also a hobby)
I have come to think it is less hassle to just get a standard quartz watch and change the battery every few years. Non-smart watches with app support I would also avoid. I've been eyeing that Casio, but decided against based on size (long lugs) and not really needing the sync-function.
My philosophy for watch collecting would be fewer but better watches. Those cheap novelties add up in cost, money that could go into a more significant piece. Everyone can decide for themself what is the ideal collection size, but watches that sit in a box are sad
Posted by: Hansen | Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at 05:48 PM
Eh, quartz watches... My smartphone satisfies with critical accuracy. My automatic dive watches are for fun (and reasonable accuracy, when treated right).
Posted by: Andrew L | Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at 06:23 PM
Mike, why not try your tea with lime juice rather than lemon? I find it particularly perfumed!
Posted by: Ian Goss | Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at 10:40 PM
I am not surprised when you lost interest in the quartz watches. Accuracy is one thing. Having to repeatedly change batteries is another.
Posted by: Dan Khong | Wednesday, 18 October 2023 at 05:58 AM
Purely by chance my dalliance with watches started and ended in roughly the same time frame as yours. I think you and I have similar taste in watches. I considered buying the same Oceanus but instead opted for a titanium quartz Seiko.
The watch obsession can easily get out of hand, for a few reasons. Watches are one of the only cultural sanctioned pieces of jewelry that men can wear, and they happen to have the practical benefit of giving the time. The barrier to entry is low. There's a watch for everyone, from cheap and cheerful Casios to the Veblen goods produced by the Swiss. Finally, it's a low commitment "hobby". Unlike a camera you don't have to learn how to use a watch, you just wear it.
I had to pump the brakes on my own watch enthusiasm when I found myself shopping for watches when the one I had bought was still in transit to my home.
Posted by: Caleb Courteau | Wednesday, 18 October 2023 at 09:30 AM
Surprise by the coffee test. Wonder it is a general issue as I drink every day at least 1 cup of home made espresso.
Posted by: Dennis Ng | Wednesday, 18 October 2023 at 10:06 AM
You wrote -
"My mission is to amass 12 recipes for meals I like and can cook, so they can go into rotation"
What would be even better is to learn how to cook various *kinds* of things, various cooking techniques. Then you could cook a wider range of meals with less stress by substituting ingredients but using the techniques you already know. Just like with photography - when you learned to read the light you could take pictures without constantly referring to a light meter.
Posted by: Tom Passin | Wednesday, 18 October 2023 at 07:16 PM
"I might even take a cooking class"
Do it. Sign up today. You will benefit in multiple ways.
Posted by: Simon | Thursday, 19 October 2023 at 03:55 PM