–Really bad night–threw up twice. Dehydration, I believe Got up at 2 PM.

–Still not feeling great, even after drinking a fair amount.

–Put out toters.

–Made bacon and eggs for dinner.

–Mowed lawns.

–Made bland paninis for dinner.

–Took a walk to the bluff.

–Made steak au poivre with creamy mashed potatoes for dinner. A little bland.

–Got bagels at The Bagelry.

–Got coffee beans (caf and decaf) at Peet’s.

–Shopped at Nob Hill Capitola. Forgot creme fraiche, couldn’t find it at Deluxe Foods, found it at Safeway Aptos.

–Drove back from Sac, no problem.

–Rolex OysterQuartz came in. Incredible bevels, though it does have some dings. Set it 1 second slow at time.is.

–Drove the Civic to Sac so I could bring the InnerLight.

–Family room lights now work, after I tried (unsuccessfully) to fiddle with electric eye in corner near ceiling. No idea what’s going on.

–Mosquito got in. HOW??? Bought some bug spray at Rite-Aid.

–Got a haircut.

–Put InnerLight in the Civic; will take to Sac tomorrow.

–Went to Bagelry for bagels: low stock, not even a bin for sesame.

–Made pizza for dinner.

–Lost flying saucer in back yard after trying to chase woodpeckers.

–Boxed up size 40 shorts for return to Macy’s.

–Opened Christmas presents after orange rolls.

–Watched “Mr. Bean’s Christmas.”

–Wrapped Grace’s presents.

–Willie the mailman dropped by.

–Went to Aptos Feed for birdseed.

–Made baguettes.

–Went to FedEx Capitola to print 2019 ornament pic. No problem.

–Started some baguettes.

–Delivered presents to Nourse’s house in Half Moon Bay.

–Tried to get 2019 ornament photo printed at Staples. They couldn’t get size right, ended up copying it. Awful.

–Went shopping at Farm Fresh produce and Safeway.

–Put up the Christmas trees.

–Drove back to LSB.

–Watched last 3 episodes of “Man in the High Castle.”

–Picked up breakfast at Starbuck’s; ate at home because no seats.

–Comcast guy came out. Had a hard time finding connection, eventually hooked up cable box and router in closet in Grace’s (prospective) bedroom. Seems to work (594 mbps download speed), and we’ll allegedly be able to add a TV (in addition to wired one in family room) wirelessly.

–Dinner at Jack’s Urban Eats.

–Drove to Sac in 2 hours 45 minutes.

–Turned up temperature on water heater.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 1 PM (9 days only).

–Tried to sort through Tunnel Hill paperwork. Paid remainder of property taxes (hmmm…I should only owe 1 month’s worth of property taxes for 2019). Made a mortgage payment that might not be due until 2/1/20. Still need to figure out how to pay HOA dues.

–Went to Outside In (near Frank’s Pharmacy) to finish Christmas shopping. Then to Safeway/Peet’s for stuff.

–Grace wrapped; I boxed.

–Bought a Rolex 116520 from Lunar Oyster for $18,500.

–Made a pizza for dinner.

–Drove back to LSB. GPS took me via 205/5, which turned out to be fairly smooth.

–Sent off some watches to Lunar Oyster on consignment.

–Breakfast at Starbucks.

–Ross Broadley came around 4 PM and replaced the water heater. Done at 8:45. I’m beat from standing around.

–Breakfast at Starbucks.

–Opened checking and savings accounts at Heritage Community Credit Union (in Bel Air market).

–Ross Broadley came out to look at water heater. Confirmed it is original, and panel on roof is indeed solar. Will replace with 50-gallon heater with recirculation and timer (as original) tomorrow.

–Found the plug and turned off the wine cooler.

–Drove to Sac. Huge slow-down on 17.

–HOA approved new roof.

–Went to Best Buy to pick up modem/router.

–Packed guns and knives to take to Sac.

–Did a little Christmas shopping at Capitola mall. Lunch at Togo’s. Last one, I fear: their rolls are huge and they don’t offer sliced bread.

–Bought a router/modem from Best Buy; rescheduled Comcast appointment for 12/18.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 4 PM.

–Went to Home Depot to look at refrigerators. Grace pointed out that we have to get a “counter-depth” model, as that’s what is there now.

–Went to Santa Cruz for Christmas shopping. Disappointing. Nothing at Artisans and Agency, formerly a gold mine; got some stuff at the bookstore (while avoiding the “Fuck you, bitch!” socks); got some socks at the sock store (ditto).

–Made some French press coffee. Pretty good.

–Pool Time guy came out. Seemed pretty straightforward, though on a different planet from Deja Blue in terms of what needed doing. Signed contract for pump and filter replacement.

–Lunch at Jasper’s Giant Burger. Pretty darn good (blue cheese burger).

–Drove back to LSB. No problem except (a) GPS tried to get me to take many exits off 680 for no obvious reason; (b) the usual 3 PM slowdown on US 1.

–I’m beat.

–Got locks changed to single key.

–Watched “Angel Has Fallen.” Not a bad movie. Downloaded and watched current episode of Seal Team. Moving more and more towards soap opera.

–Took The Beemer to Sac to start moving in to Tunnel Hill. Most everything is okay. Did kill a mosquito in the kitchen. Garage stinks of former pet. Water is off (will be turned on tomorrow) because it apparently is NOT provided by Sac County Utilities, but by Golden State Water, a private company that is regulated by the CPUC. And I have internet: Xfinity wifi is available and fast.

–Heard from Kim (Bessolo) that Jeanne Davis died.

–Took the Beemer to get gas, Peet’s coffee for Grace.

–Packed the Beemer.

–Another drizzly day.

–Finally succeeded (I think) in getting google calendar (with audible alerts) on iPhone.

–Drafted letter to Curtis Finton re 2019 taxes; will email when I confirm his address.

–Put new Costco tires on the Civic. Huge difference–easy rolling, no vibration.

–Went to CVS to pick up knee brace for Grace; Kelly’s Books for nieces/nephews; Nob Hill for milk/cream/cheese.

==Helios coin came in. Small, but impressive.

–Propane tank looked low; got another at El Patio.

–Dinner kind of blah. Turkey not too smokey, gravy kind of weird, brussels sprouts also weird, dressing was big chunks of bread, yams sort of tasteless. Pumpkin pie was great, though.

–Talked to Pete at Cal Vintage Roofing: I’ll sign paperwork Wednesday; he’ll come out Friday for leak stoppage.

–Hard rain last night and tonight.

–Ellis from Pool Time returned call. Sent him pool inspection report. Will meet Thursday between 9 and 11.

–Rain came.

–Deed recorded on Tunnel Hill: it is ours.

–Set up meetings with Comcast, locksmith. Trying to set things up with roofers, pool and lawn guy.

–Blew some leaves into the toter.

–Cold/bronchitis seems to have broken, as of today.

–Took the Beemer to Lunardi’s in Los Gatos for salami, cheese, Acme bread, Thanksgiving stuff, etc. Lunch at Togo’s, with the absurdly large rolls.

–Downloaded and watched “Triple Frontier.” Good movie, but 15 minutes in I realized I’d seen it before, probably within a year. The memory is going fast…

–Grace insisted I go to the Sutter Walk-In Clinic in Aptos. A PA found my lungs clear, had no good explanation for cough. She prescribed a cough suppressant, which seems to be effective.

–Talked to Cal Vintage Roofing, the clear choice based on (a) yelp and nextdoor reviews and (b) the fact that they are in Gold River and intimately familiar with rules. Job will take 7-8 weeks from start, which won’t be for another week or two. Crap. Also really not looking forward to seeing damage under roof, as apparently it’s the original 35-year-old shake roof that was installed when built.

–Got the name of the pool inspector from Darla: Nick at Deja Blue Pools. Looked them up on yelp: really sketchy. Back to square one.

–Got bagels at The Bagelry.

–Looked again at roofing. Turns out there’s only one choice: Boral Pinecrest stone-coated steel. Concrete roofs (i.e., tile) are heavy and super-expensive.

–Notary came today for Tunnel Hill. Should close Monday, after wire transfer tomorrow.

–PAMF called to say squamous cell surgery was successful in clearing the lesion. No mention of KAs.

–Bought Rolex Daytona 116520 from Old World Jewelers in Wheaton, OH.

–Took a nap.

–Had squamous cell carcinoma on left arm removed by Dr. Holloway. He didn’t appear to have years of experience under his belt with this procedure.

–Still coughing; took a nap.

–Still feeling crappy, coughing like crazy.

–Took a shower.

–Been coughing like a fiend for 2-3 days. Don’t know if it’s a new cold or the very late remnants of the last one.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 3 PM.

–Played some more with Tormek. Got my two chisels pretty sharp.

–Got a jury summons. Turns out being > 70 is not an out in Santa Cruz county. Will try for three-month delay.

–Picked up 2019 Best American Mysteries from Kelly’s Books. Also got some pastries from Top Donuts.

–Tormek came in. Almost flooded it before realizing how to attach the water trough. Kind of hacked up the first knife I tried on it; may go with the 4k stone. I did finally figure out how to mount a chisel and did a reasonably good job on it.

–Still feeling sick–in the throat at the moment. Getting tired of this.

–Ordered Bridgestone Turanza Quiettrack tires for Civic from Costco.

–Darla called. Tunnel Hill closes on 11/22 (notary comes to 110 Playa); records on 11/25. Darla will do the final walkthrough. Still don’t know when I’ll get keys and be able to spend the night.

–Took the Beemer to Fairhaven Orchards in Hollister for some extra choice dried apricots. Good ride, good fruit. $40 for 5 pounds.

–Got info from Miner’s Village HOA regarding new roof requirements. Looking into it.

–Went shopping at Target (toothpaste, deodorant) and Food Maxx (got a Thanksgiving turkey).

–Took a shower.

–Raked leaves.

–Went to El Patio for bear claws.

–Scubapro knife came in; polished up great. “Vintage” Mach 3 razor handle came in; really light and flimsy feeling, so I tossed it.

–Darla called. Will ask Tunnel Hill owners to reduce price by $10,000 for roof, pool and pest remediation. I’m not optimistic, though that’s what John Lauer (representing buyer and seller) did to me with 2259 Indian Wells.

–Took Grace to dentist for broken crown.

–Got 13 sesame bagels (yay!) at The Bagelry.

–Greek Alexander coin arrived (stunning), as did CVS drugs.

–Set Seamaster quartz at 9:30 PM; running .5 seconds behind.

–Roasted caf beans.

–Post Office screwed up delivery of CVS drugs. “No access to delivery location” at 7:30 PM. Unbelievable.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 8 AM.

–Went to PAMF lab on Green Valley for lipids, potassium, creatinine.

–Went to Dr. Kim for cleaning. He found deteriorating filling and replaced it.

–Paid for ($320) and got fireplace report. Three things recommended: chimney cap (can do later), flashing (roofer will do) and grate (I can do).

–Apparently closing is November 25.

–Daylight Savings Time ended; reset clocks.

–Put up ladder for Grace to gather little pine cones from gutter. Not many there.

–Went to Clearview Orchards for apples. Honeycrisp gone, got Mutsu and Fuji. Good thing: their season ends tomorrow.

–Watched birds; filled out paperwork from title company.

–Continuing paperwork for Tunnel Hill.

–Roasted some Colombian beans. No chaff!

–Breakfast at Holiday Inn; drove back to LSB. Easy trip.

–Carved a pumpkin, set it on a table in the driveway, dressed warmly and handed out 288/300 pieces of candy. Fun, but if we were going to be here next year, I’d have 600 pieces of candy.

–Went for home inspection at 12:30. Consensus seems to be that new roof is needed immediately. Also evidence of rats in the attic. Other than those, not so bad.

–Went to Rubio’s and got a Burrito Especial (steak). Pretty good.

–Still sneezing and coughing, but feeling a little better.

–Drove to Sac for pool inspection. Went pretty well: no immediate repairs needed, could replace some seals here and there. Paid $305 cash.

–Bought some supplies at Bel Air and checked into Holiday Inn Express. Need a long shower and a lot of sleep.

–Feeling lousy.  Went to McDonald’s for breakfast and wifi.

–Got stitches out via Bregman’s assistant. Dr. Holloway cut out a KA (will look up), said he’ll do a non-Mohs surgery after biopsy results come back.

–Power came on around 4 PM. House is much warmer. Still feel lousy.

–Power went out around 9:30 PM. Having caught a cold, I had a miserable night.

–Went to McDonald’s, Target (batteries and candles), put gas in the Beemer. Waited for power to go out. Not yet…..

–Replaced hearing batteries around 9 AM.

–Messaged Dr. Liao, asking for biopsy of blemish on arm.

–Took the Beemer to Sac to look at 11474 Tunnel Hill again with Darla. Found a lot to like: pool is 37’+ and plenty deep, side yards are spacious and one is especially suited to bird feeder/bath/lemon tree/bird of paradise. Living room, unlike many, is perfect for watching TV and birds. Less than 8 minutes walking time to Bel Air.

–Darla will submit offer tomorrow: asking ($600,00) and owners pay $4,000 for 2-year roof repairs.

–Had dinner at Ruffhaus again. Super good Pig Sandwich: smoked pork and chimichurri slaw.

–Darla said Tunnel Hill pool is 38 feet and a nice 80-something lady, original owner, lives across the street and loves it. House is all-electric (boo), and needs $4,000 roof repair for a 2-year certification (will ask owner to cover). Will visit tomorrow.

–Toyama mukimono came in. Okay, but had a couple of pits and a less-than-even grind (thread) on the back side, so I tossed it.

–Trimmed plants in front. Exhausting, as usual.

–Took two Creminas to great Infusions for consignment. Nicer one priced at $1,000, Elliot’s at $800.

–Second scuba air blower came in. Took it apart and lubed it, works fine. Drilled pin out of first one and took it apart/reassembled as well, which stopped the leak. Couldn’t get it back together satisfactorily, though.

–Called Darla about 2147 Hesperian. Was about to make motel reservations when she called back and said it already had two offers over asking. This is really getting depressing. The more so because I seem to be stuck with Darla (via the loan) and she doesn’t spend an ounce of effort looking for things–the last two “surprises” were uncovered by me.

–Konosuke Fujiyama blue 240 came in–nice.

–Darla called: Hesperian sold for an all-cash offer, significantly higher than asking. Crap.

–2147 Dame Shirley came up again (had two pending offers from same person at $600,000; now offered at $585,000). May pursue; looks like a 40+ foot pool would be easy to install.

–Finished up Elliot’s Cremina; suggested taking it to Great Infusions for consignment; he agreed.

–Got Bagels at The Bagelry. What a zoo. 3 sesame, 10 3-seed (sesame, poppy, sunflower) that are small and appear to be whole wheat.

–Got a message from Darla that Hesperian open houses had been canceled–so maybe they’re going to accept my offer. I think I would have heard before now if that were true; more likely they disclosed my bid and accepted a higher offer.

–Got a buzz cut.

–Got my Cremina running with a standard dipper tube (and some teflon tape) after tapping the bunged up M10 threads with a 1/8 BSP tap. Don’t know why it worked, but it did. Eureka!

–Found another house on Hesperian this morning before leaving Sac. Met Darla there, liked it, had her make a full-price offer. Apparently the seller will be entertaining multiple offers. No house is the end-all, be-all; but would kind of like to get moving.

–Watanabe 210 gyuto came in–beauty.

–Drove to Gold River (2 hours 50 minutes) to look at house on Hesperian. It’s okay, but small even for a single story. Will look at Tunnel Hill again tomorrow.

–Stayed at Holiday Inn Express El Dorado Hills. Ate lunch/dinner at Ruffhouse Hot Dogs. Not bad.

–Had ganglion cyst removed at Sutter Maternity. Awful big fuss for a few stitches.

–Put gas in both cars.

–Put in new hearing aid batteries around 9 AM.

–Worked on Creminas. Got one going that I bought on eBay. Like Elliot’s, it has steam in frame–apparently a feature on early machines (1980 and 1981 in this case).

–Had a disaster trying to put a dipper tube on a Cremina grouphead. Pipe thread standards are a joke. Ended up forcing a 1/8 BSP male into a 10mm 1.5 metric female–then broke the compression fitting.

–Hearing aid battery went out around 9:30 PM. Will replace tomorrow.

–Bought some apples at nearby Clearview Orchard.

–Went to pick up Cremina grouphead at Great Infusions. Their expert had drilled it out and tapped it at M10 x 1.5. There MAY exist adapters for this to the 1/8 BSP fitting on the dipper tube, but all I found were M10 x 1.0. Bought some M10 brass bolts from China (no one else has them); will cut down, drill and tap for 1/8 BSP. He said.

–Grace’s Michigan cousin’s husband Joe committed suicide. She wants to go to the service next weekend.

–Went to PAMF Santa Cruz for EKG (me) and blood draw (Grace).

–Glued cocobolo handle to Fujiyama. Went well with the right (mix-in-the-applicator) epoxy.

–Marie Callender for dinner.

–Power went out last night at 11:20. Came back on today around 2:00 PM.

–Went to Monterey BMW for first oil change. Lunch at Fandango, walked along Ocean View.

–Waited all day for PG&E to cut power. 3 PM, nothing yet. Still okay at 11.

–Scuba hoses (for air blower) came in. Listing said 32″; hoses are 26.5″. Will return.

–Went to Dr. Liao in Los Gatos. She shaved a suspected basal on upper right shoulder for biopsy, froze several AKs on face, froze some cosmetic sunspots (maybe free for nothing).

–PG&E threatens to cut off power starting around 4 AM tomorrow fro ~36 hors. Assholes.

–Continued trying to polish Fujiyama. Dulled it so much that sharpening ruined the edge/profile. Tossed it. Gotta find a way to keep the blade dead flat on table while polishing.

–Got a new hummingbird feeder at Ace, went shopping at Safeway.

–Had a nice BT (heirloom) sandwich for lunch.

–Continued efforts at polishing hagane of Fujiyama. Looking good.

–Went to “craft fair” at Crystal Bay Farms. Many pumpkins (bought one), not so many crafts.

–Got some ground turkey at Nob Hill to barbecue with corn, squash, heirloom tomato. Best turkey burgers ever, perhaps because of high-fat (13%) turkey.

–Got the Cremina installed in kitchen. Works well, steams better than the Rocket.

–Finished up Cremina. Put pressure gauge on it and got .8–.9 bar, then noticed pressure gauge fitting was cracked and leaking. Ordered another.

–Ordered a bunch of stuff using eBay bucks.

–Got bagels at the Bagelry. Bad traffic at 10 AM for no apparent reason.

–Finished building a Cremina. Works, no leaks. Problems: (1) Boiled grouphead too long in citric acid; chrome became spotty. (2) Heated citric acid solution in boiler with top off to descale heating element. Solution bubbled out when hot. Hopefully I dried it sufficiently so it won’t develop any rust/scale issues.

–Barbecued pork chops, corn, asparagus. Yummy!

–Feeling crappy after flu shot yesterday.

–Park Tool truing stand and rotor tool came in.

–Went to Dr. Kim for permanent crown. Quick work, but two-toned crown looked awful. Went back, and he “bonded” the crown to better match neighboring teeth.

–Went to Round Table for dinner.

–Took the Beemer to Lunardi’s in Los Gatos for meat, cheese, danish, apples, oranges, etc.

–Took a walk on the beach.

–Played with Fujiyamas on the buffer.

Made pizza, as Grace was busy with Bochy farewell broadcast.

–WWII bubble lens flashlight came in; cool. Ordered 18650 battery; will be too small, but should work.

–Omeprazole arrived.

–Got scary email to wsf@comcast.net from scammer who knew froggy11 password. Turns out that email address was compromised, though not sure how they got the password. bf and flurbun seem safe at the moment.