The Mandelbear's Musings

A good, quiet day. After taking the chaoswolf to the airport, I woke Colleen a little after 8am so we could watch the Rose Parade. Some amazing stuff this year.

We went out around 3:30 on a shopping expedition that ultimately turned into a drive through downtown Los Gatos, Saratoga, Los Altos, and Menlo Park, ending with dinner in Iberia. We arrived a couple of minutes before it opened, on what turned out to be a very slow day, so we got excellent service to go with the excellent food. So we had our 37^th anniversary dinner a day early.

Today's link is for computer geeks, woodworkers, and artists: Jeffrey Stephenson's handmade wooden computer cases. I've been admiring this guy's work for a long time.

( raw notes )

( raw notes )

Got my blood test results back -- not a whole lot of change from six months ago. At least they're not worse, right? {Right, Bear, but they still mean you ought to lose some weight.}

I may have to call for the PSA numbers. Kaiser is weird about what they put on their website.

I did take a half-hour walk, and my mood was somewhere between ok and good, which I guess isn't too bad.

Dinner was fun. Since we didn't want to spend money going out to someplace expensive, I stopped at Whole Paycheck to see what I could find. I got a (fresh, wild-caught, Alaskan) sockeye salmon fillet, which I cut in half and pan-fried in butter with mushrooms and onion. Colleen pronounced it the best salmon she's ever had, but even if it's the best she's had recently that's doing pretty well. Or maybe she hasn't had it in so long that she's forgotten? Anyway. Further foodie details, on the salad and veg, in the notes.

I also got flax oil, primarily with an eye toward trying it as a cutting board/butcher block finish. It's more commonly known to woodworkers as linseed oil. But I sniffed at it and it seemed interesting; I may try it on a salad, as the label suggests. It's even higher in omega-3 fatty acids than fish oil.

I finished the day buying plane tickets and a car rental for the September 22-28 trip to Seattle. Still need the hotel reservations and the Rainfurrest memberships for Colleen and Chaos.

I started feeling sleepy fairly early. Links in the notes, as usual.

Yeah, well... Grand Central Starport is open today and tomorrow for anyone in the area who wants to borrow some coolth and a fast net connection.

After a nice 5-mile walk (yay! finally!) and a light lunch, I set out to the dangerously seductive Southern Lumber for shelving and a couple of tools. We'd gotten Elfa shelf standards and brackets yesterday, but not the necessary 4-ft 1x8's. And I know there's a level in the house, but I couldn't find it, and the level in my ancient and cheap combination square was rattling loose in its housing and effectively worthless. Picked up a couple of paintbrushes, too, after determining that I did have Varathane Diamond Finish.

... And some sandpaper for the ancient Black&Decker electric sander, which died after about three shelves. Out of ten. Turned up a hand sander, and carried on: I knocked off the corners with a block plane, and chaoswolf finished off with the sander. Power tools are useful, but hand tools are more satisfying.

I set up five plastic lawn chairs in lieu of sawhorses. Varathane Diamond is a fast-drying, water-based finish; in 95-degree weather it was dry to the touch on the first board by the time I finished with the fifth. Two coats on both sides of five shelves by the time the Wolfling was finishing up the sanding on the last one. We'll do the rest tomorrow; I was wiped.

Had some of the flower_cat's yummy sangria and finished installing the Wolfling's shelf standards.

Went over to lisa_marli's party for a couple of hours, and to deliver pre-order disks to her and capplor, who I knew would be there because she'd (they'd?) stopped by to ask for directions while I was outside finishing. I still owe Robin a disk -- I didn't pack enough to cover her freebies. Sold one numbered set (can't rightly call them per-order sets anymore).

Now I'm back home, munching salami-and-cheese and finishing up another glass of sangria. Happy Bear.

Suissa Computers: All-Wood Cases Elevate PCs to the Heirloom Level - Gizmodo
( droolworthy pictures )
The company itself is suissacomputers.com/ Prices are about what you'd expect when you add the prices of a high-end computer and a piece of elegant custom woodworking.