July chitchat

[flatcap]

It sounds as if it's quite common for restaurant health department ratings to be made public???

Here in WA, they are always made public. The reports are not always in the news — some papers don't bother with it — but you can find them at the heath departments' websites. I believe heath departments are required by state law to publish the reports.

[flatcap]

I read in the news today that research suggests that a kidney protein called klotho might someday be used to treat cognitive decline.


For the geeks on board, there is this from the journal, Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...:

• Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...


For those like myself who would rather read a translation of the abstract into English, there is this from Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register... magazine:

• Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...


Hope this helps.

[agate]

Well, bring it on then.

Maybe those rhesus macaques will turn out to be smarter than humans eventually if they keep on taking this new wonder drug? (There's a science fiction story lurking here.)

One thing, though. The drug's effect lasts only 2 weeks. Maybe it can be taken as needed.

I'd be only too happy if some drug could keep me from making so many mistakes.

[flatcap]

I hear that. Making mistakes has become a way of life for me, competing for first place with forgetfulness and other signs of my cognitive decline.

[flatcap]

Knife Sharpening

Well, I tried my new sharpener, and it's harder than I thought. My tremor is bad enough that it made it difficult to keep the knife against the sharpening stone at a consistent angle. This is critical to sharpening. It defines the edge.

I was just barely able to restore the factory edge on one knife, meaning it's pretty sharp again, but I couldn't take it any further. I have a feeling I'll have to settle for that, but that's OK. As long as the knife will cut paper edgewise, I'm a happy camper.


Personal Steak Knife

I went to Outback yesterday, and gave my new Shun Higo No–Kami a workout, pitting it against a 9-ounce filet. It was nice to be able to cut the steak without having a hernia. The knife allowed me to shave off nice little bites and slices instead of tearing off chunks with one of the crosscut saws they give you. Much easier to chew, swallow, and digest that way. More flavor, too.


Up Next

I need to take a break on all this spending. I haven't dug into savings, but it's getting close. Agate was right: It's better to pass things by that you really can't afford.


Summer Cap Update & Outlook

I am sorry to report that my summer cap project with the maker, Barry Simonds, has gone bust. He wanted me to get the seersucker fabric on my own and wash it before sending it to him. What? Laundering the fabric should be SOP for someone who is making $125-$175 caps, or any other cut-and-sew items for that matter. I asked him if he could do it for me. I also asked him a number of other of questions that he apparently didn't want to answer.

I never heard from him again.

Unless he got hit by a truck or something, it would appear that I have been "ghosted." I guess that means I don't have to carry one of Barry's business cards in my wallet anymore to give to people who ask me about my cap and where I got it. As a bonus, I don't have to spend money on a summer cap right now.

I can easily live with one of the two favorite caps I already have. The cloth is five- to seven-ounce wool light enough to wear in all but the hottest weather, plus it behaves just the way I want. I don't have to the fuss with the crown after donning the cap to make it look right. I just slap it on, and I'm good to go. It's a real dandy. (I provided the fabric for that one not realizing it was the way Barry normally did things.)

Maybe next year I will go with another cap maker for my summer cap. I bought a cap from Jonathan Cordova in Florida in 2021 and, along with traditional fabrics, he also works with straw. On average, his caps are more expensive than Barry's, but I guess you get what you pay for.

[agate]

I am sorry to report that my summer cap project with the maker, Barry Simonds, has gone bust. He wanted me to get the seersucker fabric on my own and wash it before sending it to him. What? Laundering the fabric should be SOP for someone who is making $125-$175 caps, or any other cut-and-sew items for that matter. I asked him if he could do it for me. I also asked him a number of other of questions that he apparently didn't want to answer.

I never heard from him again.

Unless he got hit by a truck or something, it would appear that I have been "ghosted." I guess that means I don't have to carry one of Barry's business cards in my wallet anymore to give to people who ask me about my cap and where I got it. As a bonus, I don't have to spend money on a summer cap right now.

How much time has passed? I've been surprised sometimes by getting a reply from someone long after I'd given up on hearing from that person or company. Is it possible he just mislaid your inquiry? I've known that to happen.

But you're going to save money by not buying a hat just now as you mention. They're fairly pricey if that Etsy Website is showing typical prices but I guess one pays for the skilled workmanship that goes into the hat.

[flatcap]

That might be, agate, but it's been over three weeks now, and he was always prompt with his replies before this. I honestly think I pushed him too far on this one.

I sent a follow-up today just in case, but I have an idea he won't answer. That's OK because I have decided to go elsewhere on this one.

Jonatan Cordova (it turns out that's how he spells it, not Jonathan) is making me a straw 8/4 cap. I just couldn't wait, so I pulled the trigger (lol). It will be a few weeks before I have it, but good things are worth waiting for.

Meantime, you might be surprised at how much factory caps cost. I never thought their prices would exceed $100, but they do. Beyond the mid-range, I have seen them listed at prices as high as $400 or more. (And people buy them.)

[agate]

People often will pay for quality, and I can understand wanting what's on your head to be comfortable--and durable. Withstanding rain, snow, hail (and preferably bullets but you probably pay a lot more for the bullet-proofing), not too hot, not too cold, fitting comfortably. It's a lot to build into a hat.

As for the name Jonatan, Jonatán is the Spanish form of the name Jonathan. Cordova is a Spanish name too.

[Virginia]

I never gave men's hats any real thought until now. I guess I just thought they went into a men's store and picked one up, tried it for fit and bought it.

[Snuggles]

Happy 4th of July everyone. Quiet day here. We made bbq ribs, potato salad and had watermelon and corn on the cob for dinner. It was delicious and filling.

We are updating our living room and dining room so I spent the afternoon packing away dishes and drawers of miscellaneous things that were in the dining room. I wish I could just blink and all of the work would be done. We are having some plaster work on the walls done and hardwood floors installed in the dining room. I am not looking forward to the dust that will travel throughout the house. The dirty work will not be done until August but it takes me a long time to clean out and pack up the items in both rooms.

I can't believe June is over already! Time is flying by! I was watching some Christmas movies this week on the Hallmark channel. The movies wee part of a Christmas in July promotion.

Have a great night everyone!

[agate]

Thanks for the update, Snuggles! Glad you've had a nice traditional July 4th. We won't even talk about Christmas even if you were watching Christmas movies. That seems a long way off but of course it isn't.

Too bad you'll have so much disruption but I hope the results will be to your liking.

My son spent the day in urgent care because he hasn't been well. He seems to have cellulitis and was sent home with antibiotics. He's very relieved that they did some tests and found out it wasn't a blood clot. I've been worried but am trying not to go that worrying route.

[flatcap]

Withstanding rain, snow, hail (and preferably bullets but you probably pay a lot more for the bullet-proofing), not too hot, not too cold, fitting comfortably.

I don't think they have a kevlar option available at this time. Ever since the pandemic, stocks are down worldwide, there are supply chain problems, and there is legislation being proposed that would require the buyer to prove s/he is old enough to have a social media account and that it's OK with their parents. Unless they have DOD, FBI, or CIA connections, that is, or a fake ID or passport, preferably from a first-world, Anglo-Saxon nation. We have to keep up appearances, you know.

I never gave men's hats any real thought until now. I guess I just thought they went into a men's store and picked one up, tried it for fit and bought it.

Yes, it can be a job nowadays to find the right hat. Except for a couple of stores that sell cowboy boots and hats, there is nothing around here within 200 miles. A lot of the old hat stores around the country, if not most of them, have gone out of business.

There is also the issue of sizing. Except for those idiotic, expensive caps that rappers wear backwards, fitted headwear hasn't been widely available for many years. What you commonly find are sizes small, medium, large, and so on, especially with respect to caps. Those are hit and miss. You can still get fitted hats such as Stetson fedoras, but most people will have to go online to get one.

[flatcap]

Speaking of hats, there was an '80s New Wave band called Men Without Hats. Their claim to fame was their hit song, The Safety Dance. I never liked the song myself but always thought the name of the band was intriguing. I'm easily entertained, so maybe that explains it.

Men Without Hats' video of The Safety Dance is on YouTube, but I'm not sure it's allowed to post music links. I did once under the Gordon Lightfoot thread and nobody said anything about it, but I don't want to get into trouble.

You're not missing anything anyway. lol

[agate]

Some years ago some of us were enjoying posting a few music links here, sharing some songs that we thought might interest others, but there were a couple of problems with that--one person thought there were too many such posts, another person was being disruptive in some way, but those people are no longer with us. I believe that at the time a moderator then made a ruling discouraging music posts but so far as I know they weren't outlawed. My memory is dim on this point. Maybe someone else will know. My impression is that so long as we don't overdo it, we can get away with the occasional music link.

I know of Men Without Hats but can't recall which song it was of theirs that I sometimes played. My son was being a DJ for a small radio station at the time and he played some of their music. He sent me a few tapes of his shows, and at the time I was listening to the radio in a big way and had favorite songs. I do recall Men Without Hats as one of the groups he sometimes played but just can't recall much about any of the songs. There were probably only one or two because he played a wide variety of groups. I don't recall ever hearing "The Safety Dance."

Virginia, I think many men do go into a store and pick out a hat without being very particular about it. Or they did back when many were wearing somewhat more elaborate hats. Nowadays a knit cap or a baseball hat seems to be what is being worn, at least around here.

Fashions do change in astonishing ways. Back in the 1940s-1950s you didn't see a man outdoors very often without a fedora. In summer I think they wore straw hats but in more or less the same style--an all-around brim. You just don't see that much any more. Or maybe I haven't been paying attention.

[Ikoiko]

I remember a new member who posted a lot of music links. I really enjoyed them, but he was run off the board.