I came home tonight to really aggravating news.
When I signed the lease for my apartment I set it to end about a month before
my contract at Microsoft did. My contract ends in December and my lease runs
out in October.
So I came home to a demand letter, requiring me to either sign a new 11-12 month lease or start paying an extra $300/month in rent.
But I don't know where I'll end up.. I may or may not end up at Microsoft. If I don't, I hardly want to encumber myself with a new lease and be unemployed. I imagine I'll just swallow hard and pay the extra $300/month. It's not a lot in the grand scheme of things, it just that I hate being extorted.
I had pretty much resolved to move anyway. The apartment is very nice but I'm not sure the in-floor heating and gas stove are worth the noisy neighbors over my head and the 1/2 hr commute to work every day.
On the plus side, I'm taking vacations in October (Shenandoah Valley for the fall colors with a dear friend) and November (Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta).
Both vacations are already paid for, so life could be a lot worse.
I've been using LinkedIn now for the last year or two for job hunts and to reconnect with old friends.
Lately, I've been swamped with people whom I don't know (but who also work at Microsoft) asking to join my network. I don't think they understand that the value of my network of friends and associates is directly correlated to the quality of individuals in that network.
I cannot guarantee it for folks I don't know so I've been rejecting requests daily of late.
Annoying..
Giving some serious thought to buying another motorcycle. Haven't ridden since I left California nearly four years ago but I find myself wanting it again. So I've been looking at all sorts of bikes: Ducati 900SP, Suzuki TL1000s, Kawasaki ZRX1200, Yamaha FZ1, Moto Guzzi V11 Lemans, a Ducati ST2 (their sport tourer).
So far I've ridden the FZ1, the TL1000s, the ZRX1200, and the ST2. I wrote off the ZRX1200 because it didn't really impress me. I liked the looks a lot but the suspension left quite a bit to be desired. Strong motor but I felt pretty buffeted by the wind. The ST2 and the TL1000S are both twins, and as such, have unbalanced motors (that twin vibration). I guess it's characteristic with all the Ducs but I'm also going to give the 900SP a try. I love the looks of the bike so much that my heart will just be broken if I don't find it pleasant to ride. Both twins had balls of torque but in the lower rpms ranges the Duc seems faster. The TL1000s is definitely smoother. I might have to try them on the freeway to see how they feel at speed.
The FZ1 is definitely my leading contender at the moment. Looks like it fits a really good hard bag system (GIVI) and the motor (1000cc) is butter smooth and very refined. I just don't feel like parking next to the bed at night they way I do with the Duc.
The MG is still an unknown. I've never ridden a Guzzi, though they have a storied history and I've always had an interest.
The next week should prove quite interesting. I hope to make a decision by the weekend but I'm not rushing it.
Rode a couple of more bikes over lunch hour yesterday.
The Triumph 955i Daytona, Ducati 749S, and the Ducati ST2 (again). I've ruled out the ST2 - just too much vibration. The 955i had really good handling, and a very strong motor but it still had some unwanted vibration (it's a triple). A good candidate but I wasn't convinced that I wanted to give up on the Duc.
So I asked to ride the 749S. It's supposed to be basically the same bike as is used on the World Superbike circuit (albeit with different tires and pumped up motor). Absolutely wonderful. Great handling, crap mirrors (absolutely useless), very quick with a lot of torque. Great brakes.
I really loved riding this bike.. and the sound.. Incroyable. A wee bit expensive at 10,500 but boy... so tempting. Seat got a little hot, as did my left leg. I think were I to buy it I would have to rework the seat (a bit thicker with a better heat shield as the pipes run right under it) and add a heat shield for the left leg.
But I see why Ducatis have such a reputation.
I watched a couple of episodes of "Rome" the other night on HBO. Not sure what I think of the series yet. I think its saved from complete cliche by all the Brit actors. Then again, perhaps Brit actors doing Romans is cliche.
One of the lead characters makes a blood sacrifice to the goddess Venus for her helping him save his marriage. I realized that if this was really a common occurrence this plea to the gods would have been pretty damn dangerous. Any wound back then could have been dangerous and would, I think, have been avoided if possible. To willingly do such a thing was a serious gesture.
If it was done - perhaps they just killed a chicken or goat as an offering.
Ah.. listening to the Ahmad Jamal Trio at the Pershing (ARGO LP628) this evening. I'm listening to the LP on my recently-acquired Thorens turntable (a TD280) and it is just entrancing.
Recorded January 16, 1958 and still timeless.
At one reader's request, I thought I would start to document some of my experiences and "learnings" with the Crown Graphic Special. Mine is about vintage 1958/59 and came with the top-mounted rangefinder.
Like many, it is missing the battery door on the top of the rangefinder. When I removed the rangefinder housing to adjust the rangefinder (quite easy to do) I found that the the battery door is kept in place with slots cut in the housing. So one could fab up a new door out of ABS plastic of the correct thickness or even sturdy wood (or some veneer). Put it into place, with batteries while the housing was upside down and then secure it to the camera. Hey presto, the batteries would never come out with removing the housing.
But I don't use the lighted rangefinder feature anyway. I don't have much interest in focusing with it when I can use the ground glass. It has a place though. I was taking some photos the other day of an Arab stallion and I thought I would try using the Crown handheld.
Of course, one really has to use the body-mounted shutter release button and it has to be properly adjusted but it is quite possible. The problem is that one doesn't have a lot of time and thus the rangefinder came into its own. In the end, however, photographing a horse is much like photographing a person. It's a thing of the moment and I found my Rolleiflex much better suited to the task of moving quickly.
So far I've cleaned the camera tracks and body with chlorotriethylene (found in Brakleen brand brakecleaner, no other will do) which is the 2nd-choice solvent recommended by the Graflex corp. Cute tips and chloro did a great job on removing crufty deposits from the metal of the camera, especially the tracks. Keep it away from the plastic of the rangefinder housing, however, as it will melt it.
Keep it away from your skin too.
I lubed the tracks with some white thermal grease (available from Radio Shack in the US). Ask for heatsink compound or grease. Small tube, less than $3. Also recommended by Graflex.
I have two lenses at the moment: a somewhat flare-prone Schneider-Xenar 135/4.7 and a Wollensak 90/6.8. The Wolly is my current favorite as I love the super wide-angle it gives me (about equivalent to a 28mm on a 35mm camea). Make a point of dropping the bed if you get one, as it will show up in the photos otherwise.
I took apart the Raptor shutter and dipped the entire thing in naptha (Ronsonol lighter fluid) for a few hours in an airtight jar. After a bunch of crud had floated loose, I replaced the fluid and let it sit for another hour or two. Then I lubed contact points with a very light oil and hypodermic and greased a few contact points with the aforementioned white thermal grease.
I've read that these shutters never really keep the time listed on the front. When I had mine timed, this was exactly the case. I recommend you get yours professionally timed. I charted mine and wrote the times down on the lensboard that contains it. Makes it very easy to get the correct exposure - a worthwhile exercise if you wonder why your camera isn't giving you good results.
Cleaned the lens with Kodak lens tissue and fluid. Both front and back elements and then reassembled.
I'll write about cleaning the bellows and ground glass later, as well as my attempts to fit the Linhof anatomical grip to the camera. I've bought a second body, front standard, and bellows and plan to customize the body heavily by stripping off the leatherette and refinishing the mahogany body. Then I'll mount the Linhof grip and a Voightlander finder (28mm). That should yield a great looking camera.