@Steve-Miller said: Have you visited that store, Al? Yes, I have. I was in Philadelphia on business once and finished in time to visit the store and meet Rich in person. A second visit was a piano party that he hosted there a number of years ago. Big Al

Even though the angles are set by the block, the angle is really determined by the steadyness of the hand. The other thing with rods is that they are good at maintaining an edge, but tend to introduce a wavy edge more than a flat over time. I didn't notice until I started using the rolling sharpener. One issue with the rolling ones I didn't think about was that many thinner knives won't stick up over the magnetic block without some fooling around. Not a dealbreaker, but something to work through. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJRF3S7T?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1 I went with a cheap one first to see if I liked it. The better ones offer the option to replace grits.

I'd take one of the grand pianos. I'll have my private secretary call them Monday. Upright & grand pianos https://share.google/nUhoCgM4ODZUqqQuQ 🤪

Darn. I like his stuff less now that I know that.

Not exactly a bloom, but we emerged from winter this week and I found this little tree. Yikes! [image: IMG-5311.jpg] It’s a dwarf weeping Altas Cedar. It came through the winter of ‘24-‘25 just fine, but the cold snap this winter may have killed it. What? Don’t cedars grow in Alaska and stuff? Nursery guy says it’s probably fine - that it will drop the brown needles and grow new ones. Sure enough, the branches are still pliable so maybe there is hope.

I'll read this! I couldn't sleep, at all, last night. It was insomnia, not a disturbance in the neighborhood. (My neighbors on their best behavior). So, I took two naps today. I had to do it. But how will I get to sleep tonight? And then tomorrow we have that stupid time change, meaning it will be in effect tomorrow morning.

Where's the drummer emoticon when you need it?

Apple and justme were the two people who welcomed me to the old Coffee Room so many years ago. It's been quite a trip since then. Big Al

@Steve-Miller said: @Mik said: Bad Bunny. Kennedy Center. The stupid never stops. The “Bad Bunny Kennedy Center” does have a nice ring to it… What did I miss re Bad Bunny and the Kennedy Center?

Great stories! Thanks!

I can't follow this. RFK, Jr. Is deranged. He has some good ideas in general and some good analyses of the beuracracy related to the COVID debacle but his rides on Epstein's plane and his complicity in the actions of this administration render him entirely unfit for office.

He's said he's sending ground troops. Or at least I think I recall that. He says something new every ten minutes. An official of his government said, "Turkey is the new Iran." At least, I think it was his government official. It could have been an official in Netanyahu's government. They sound the same same. I'm not being snarky. What happened to the old Iran? Is it not still there? Demanding Iran surrender unconditionally shows a complete disconnect from reality.

Ugh. Thanks for the reminder.

This is why we had the New Deal. The FCC is a shadow now of what it used to be. Sad. I keep telling people CNN, CBS, Fox, et. al. are state media. The same is true of broadcast. The same is true of print. The argument I hear back is that they have, "prestige." Well, they might have it. Legitimacy, not so much.

It's hard to tell. One with leverage is one too many.

I lost my Japanese permanent residency during covid, unfortunately. So I no longer have an easy escape.