–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 10 AM.

–Saved DVDs came in (2007 TV show). Total out 5 episodes (out of 13): first, last, and 3 others. Both say “Consider Saved” on the cover–these are likely copies sent out to Emmy voters.

–Went to post office to get package “awaiting delivery.” USPS is off the rails here.

–Tap came for Rolex. Drilled and tapped case for new case tube. Didn’t seem necessary: drill hardly touched the old threads, tap went in easily. New case tube did thread tight, though, so all seems well.

–Got bird seed with lots of sunflower seeds.

–Power out from 6 PM to 8:30 PM. We need a generator.

–Mowed, pruned, etc. Wiped out…….

–Watched another episode of Raines. Good stuff.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 10 AM.

–To Los Gatos for appointment with Dr. Liao. Froze several lesions on face, one on arm, two large freckles on hand (freebie).

–Got air in big SCUBA tank that came this morning.

–Shopping at Farm Fresh Produce and Nob Hill.

–NCAA finals (yawn).

–Spent the day removing DRM protection from 7 episodes of Raines bought at iTunes. What a minefield! Had to do it on Windows PC since Mac’s newest operating system (Mojave) has iTunes built in and foils all attempts at altering the .m4v DRM-protected files.

–Lunch at McDonald’s, then haircut at Supercuts.

–Final Four day.

–Took a walk to the beach, got some bear claws.

–Dr. Liao canceled (sick) while I was on my way in the car.

–Cleared ivy from behind old shed.

–Speedmaster Mk II watch case came in. Put it together, stopped running, fiddled with crown/stem, seems to be okay now. What is it with me and stems???

–Grace made muffins.

–Went to Great Infusions to get new tube/fittings for Coffex. Got a tube, nothing else. Ordered fittings from eBay; we’ll see.

–Noticed that Krakowskis REALLY had the ivy trimmed back before putting in their new brick wall.

–Worked on Coffex. Add-on diaphragm didn’t do much to reduce noise, and leaked.

–Finally got iPod Classic going. Bought an app to load music, it sucked. Turns out syncing is easy at iTunes if you click the iPod ICON on top, not the NAME on the left. Bad interface, but it worked. Sweet machine.

–Mowed all lawns.

–Got SCUBA tank filled, got Crystal Geyser water, got bear claws.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around Noon.

–Resurrected the Cremina while the Coffex is being updated.

–Put some Flex Tape on the gutter leak.

–Sold the 270 Shigefusa/Munemasa yanagiba.

–Spent a while cleaning the gutter over the garbage bins preparatory to stopping a leak.

–Selling knives, selling knives.

–Community Tree Service came around 8 AM and trimmed the redwood for $750. Seems like good work.

–Sold a Konosuke Fujiyama blue 2 to Elliot Golan at KKF. He has friends who might be nterested in other of my knives; will get him some pics and pricing.

–Dr. Stegman canceled on Grace, so no trip to the Bay Area.

–Tried to use blu-ray player to watch the Raines pilot I put on CD in March of 2007. No dice. Copied the .avi file to Mac hard drive; VLC plays it fine. Will watch on TV via HDMI cable. Only 7 episodes of the show were made, and (except for one copy of the pilot on eBay) they are totally unavailable. Bummer.

–Rain——-maybe the end of it for a while…

–Community Tree Service came by to give estimate: $1,650 for full trim, $750 for lower branches. Went with $750.

–Finally got access to CKTG purchase history. Turns out I bought a Yoshimitsu tamahagane, no handle, for $499 in 2014. Seriously puzzling. Why did I put $650 in the spreadsheet? I vaguely remember getting it, cleaning it up, putting it away. How did it turn into a Mizuno, with (what looks like) factory handle and saya?

–Went recycling/shopping at Deluxe Foods. Recycling closed.

–Walked over to Krakowski’s to check construction. Brick wall getting replaced, and Adriana gave tiny hint that we might want to get our redwood trimmed so it doesn’t drop stuff in their yard.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 11 AM.

–Made brownies in convection microwave. Not huge fun.

–All regulators serviced and working well.

–Took a shower. Got serious for the first time in a long time about lathering up a brush. Promising.

–iPhone rose gold came in; got it working. New Resound app doesn’t add much.

–Konosuke Fujiyama FM 210 came in. Beauty!

–Played with regulators. Swapped Scubapro turrets so now NOS reg has many LP ports. Rebuilt first stage to IP 140.

–Big bike ride.

–Watch hands came for 165.014; put it all together. Works!

–Waited all day for USPS to re-deliver watch hands from yesterday; they didn’t.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 8 PM.

–iPhone 6s Plus came in. Absurdly large.

–Grace went for a drive.

–Spent the day waiting for bread dough to rise. Worth it!

–Got some liquid rubber spray for shed roof, a broom for patio, a bolt for disassembling regulator first stages.

–Finally got the Apex grinder together.

–Saw some dinosaurs on Estrella.

–Put new discs on Fatboy. Had same old problem with rear axle until I cleaned up male and female threads, then it just took finger pressure.

–Another mohs surgery by Dr. Dacey, on right ear.

–Watched “LA Confidential” via HDMI connection. Good movie.

–Submitted claim form online to WageWorks (Sutter) for reimbursement of Medicare premiums for 12/1/2017–11/30/2018 for Grace and me: $2,250 each.

–iPhone 6s came in. Turned out to be 6s Plus–bigger. Form facter not so good, battery life amazing. Moot, as Total Wireless doesn’t do HD voice. Looking at other providers.

–Played around with OE Apex grinder. Forge-welded axle to bearing. Crap.

–Bergeon bezel tool came in from Casker, finally. Still a pain to use.

–Went to World Time to pick up overhauled Rolex 5512. Sweet!

–Two Tekna regs came in. Both have very slow leaks at diaphragm. One bad needle (gooey), one good. Both cases broke where silicone exhaust diaphragm fastens. High pressure hose works for pressure gauge.

–After a lot of back-and-forth on the phone, got signed up at Caremark (as bf@bstat.com, Froggy11) so I can maybe initiate mail-order drugs.

–Apex spring came in. I blew the disassembly, so may have to tear it down extensively before I can put it back together again. RTFM

–Changed clocks.

–Took a walk on the beach.

–Deposited Golden 1 check at Bay Federal, had lunch at McDonald’s, bought deodorant and jam at Target.

–World Time called to say Rolex 5512 is ready.

–Grace’s chair pillow came in, as did the close-out cashier’s check from Golden 1.

–Took a shower.

–Not much to report.

–Got Grace’s voicemail notification working.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 8 PM.

–Played with regulators. Discovered that diaphragms in purge valves differ in weight and (thus) stiffness. Stiffer ones breathe harder, by slowing deflection of tilt needle. Optimized two “keeper” regulators with 1.0g diaphragms.

–Roasted decaf beans.

–Carter knife came in. Meh for now.

–Played with Teknas.

–Fed the birds.

–Went to Aqua Safari to get a SCUBA tank refill.

–Tried to put new faceplate and buttons on iPod Classic. Failed miserably. The ribbon connectors on those things are absurdly hard to deal with. Ordered another iPod.

–Dull day.

–Played with Teknas, sanding some main diaphragms. Ran out of air.

–Went to Santa Cruz Electronics to get a soldering iron.

–Roasted some beans to a char. Take your eyes off ’em for a minute, or 20…

–Played with regulators. Got two good needle seats from eBay regs. Worked on my needle; got it going again. Patched the high-pressure hose with Flex Tape and got the pressure gauge going too.

–Played with iPod Nano. It’s dead, Jim. Ordered new battery.

–Mail finally came around 5 PM—Teknas, LG phone. Teknas seem to have good seats, phone is so-so.

–Went shopping at Farm Fresh Produce and Safeway.

–Made breakfast for dinner.

–Went to Shopper’s Corner, splurged on deli meat and cheese.

–Went to “farmers market” in Corralitos (2 stands at the Cultural Center near Corralitos Sausage).

–Columbo.

–Played with regulators. Learned that “IP creep” means intermediate pressure is creeping UP, not down. Much to learn…

–Steinhart Ocean 39 Explorer came in. As usual, lume color is just too weird.

–Roasted some caf beans.

–Played with Teknas; former successful pilot valve seat doesn’t hold pressure now. Rats…

–Got some (minimal sunflower) bird seed at Aptos Feed.

–Right hearing aid battery died around 7 PM.

–Slightly over-roasted some decaf beans. Better than slightly under.

–Curtis Finton will mail taxes. He recommended applying $4,500 federal overpayment to 2019 taxes, and keeping $1,000 state overpayment.

–Actually got a Tekna to breathe with my jerry-rigged valve seat. Eureka!

–Got 13 bagels at The Bagelry and dessert at Aldo’s.

–Went to Aqua Safari in Soquel to get SCUBA tank refilled. $55 for 10 fills, $20 for annual visual inspection, pick it up tomorrow. Shoulda gone to Monterey.

–Chicken pot pie for dinner.

–Sunny day for a change.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 8 PM.

–Got 2 bearclaws at El Patio!

–iPod Classic came in. Nice machine, but screen is scuffed. grrr…

–PO finally delivered hole punch. It’s better than old one, so let’s rebuild Teknas!

–Synchronized Daytona with time.is.

–Went shopping at Farm Fresh Produce and Safeway. I had a breakfast sandwich at Donut Basket, as usual.

–Lotsa rain, a little thunder.

–Imitation Bergeon 5700 caseback opener came. Doesn’t seem to be centered, which is kind of critical. I looked up Bergeon to see if it had adjustable centering; it doesn’t. It must come perfectly aligned. [Edit] I discovered that if I leave some lateral play in the top and bottom chucks, it works. I strongly suspect Bergeon leaves play as well; they don’t build to the necessary tolerances.

–Louise Stephens/Laurel Hunt/Brenda Wyckoff sent emails. Apparently Bruce Franz’s wife Tucky has been in ICU since Christmas. Yikes…..

–Dr. Michael Dacey did Mohs surgery on basal/squamous carcinoma on nose. Also did a shave biopsy of spot on right ear that keeps coming back. Seems like a knowledgeable/conscientious guy.

–Horotec crystal/bezel press came in. Heavy.

–Borealis Estoril watch came in. Nice.

–After brief use of Spark email, went back to Thunderbird.

–Re-polished Rolex Daytona. Looks good.

–Took a walk to/on the beach. Freezing.

–Went to Frank’s Pharmacy for pills, Safeway for sundries.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around Noon.

–Rainy, dreary day.

–Heard from Dr. Liao’s office that carcinoma on nose is squamous. Mohs surgery will be scheduled.

–Got a dozen bagels at The Bagelry, Soquel, and some dessert at Aldo’s.

–Trying to use pencil erasers as valve seats on Tekna regulators. No luck yet. Maybe I should try to adapt rubber seats from (a) espresso machine steam fittings or (b) other more “standard” regulators. Duh.

–Ran EUFY in the bedroom.

–That’s about it.

–Went to see Dr. Liao in Los Gatos. Biopsy of thing on nose, likely basal cell, likely Mohs surgery. Froze a bunch of sun spots for $300 (pay at the clinic).

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around Noon.

–Sold a couple of Tekna regulators–the prototype and a brass body. Revived a needle that hadn’t been working by carefully cleaning it and the valve seat.

–Helical auger spring broke on Orphan Espresso Apex hand grinder. Looks like a weak spot to me. Emailed Doug and Barb Garrott asking for replacement; no response yet.

–Super Bowl Sunday. Made some yummy nachos. Grace made slow-cooker chili.

–Resurrected 7 Tekna regulators (3 working) to sell after being contacted by scubaboard.com members who read my Tekna rebuild post from a couple years ago.

–Still a couple of leaks in garden shed, maybe due to plastic sheet blowing off. Too muddy to check.

–Got all documents ready to send to Curtis Finton for taxes.

–Went shopping for cough drops, lemon drops, milk, nacho sauce.

–Bike discs came in.

–Robert Erickson knife came in: beautiful. Also deba from Australia: I actually flattened the bevel without destroying it (yet).

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 10 PM.

–Decaf beans done with ethyl acetate process came in. Okay, but not mind-bogglingly different from Sweet Maria’s. Probably a little under-roasted, though.

–Tidied up a little.

–Played with bike brakes. No progress.

–Rolex case tube came in; too small for crown. Discovered 7030 case tube I’d bought a while back. It fits, but crown I just bought is incorrect. Ordered correct crown on eBay. grrrr……

–Took Rolex 5512 to World Time for overhaul. He also adjusted (free) timing on Daytona, from -9 s/d to +2 s/d.

–Borealis DW came in, looks good. Got timing from +12 s/d to +1 s/d with 0 beat error.

–Removed case tube just installed in Rolex 1680; had to grind it down and it still wasn’t right. Ordered proper case tube (I hope).

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 6 PM.

–Put new tophat crystal on Rolex 1680.

–Made blueberry muffins.

–Rolex 5512 came in. Very nice, but needs service. Yuzh agreed to pay.

–Re-re-re-activated Moto G-Plus phone.

–Got bike brakes and shifter sorted, mostly.

–Bought Rolex 5512 from Yuzh. He agreed to consign some watches, details to be arranged.

–Did a little pruning in front.

–Woll glass pan cover came in. Also Rolex broaching tools and Konosuke Fujiyama petty.

–Hard bike ride up Alta to La Selva.

–Played around a lot with bike rotors. Might be good now. Might not.

–Bought many bear claws at El Patio. Apparently Aldo’s recovered from a small kitchen fire.

–Another gloomy day.

–Played around with watches. Learned (a) how to use case clamps correctly and (b) how to remove rotor on Omega 55x and 56x movements. Feeling lucky, ordered another 565 donor watch for Watchco build.

–Took the BMW to Pot Stop to get a pot.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 6 PM. Left hearing aid was really weak, but it was just earwax. Good now.

–Went shopping at Food Maxx.

–Wrestled case tube out of Rolex 1680. Really curious to see what the new one looks like.

–Sent Rolex rivet bracelet to LAWW to get link added.

–Updated email to bf@vstat.com at 1.2 zillion sites.

–Dank, drizzly day.

–Installed lighted mirror in Grace’s bedroom.

–Rolex 1680 came in. Bracelet has 10 links, not 11 as advertised. Just fits, will be tight after a few pull-ups.

–Went to The Buttery (bakery) and Shopper’s Corner in Santa Cruz. Great stuff.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 2 PM.

–Played with Contax N Digital cameras. Took two apart. Turns out Keh was lying when they said they didn’t want to swap bodies because working camera contained spliced wiring from previous repair. The cameras were identical inside; neither appeared to have ever been worked on. Also discovered significant ding on NOS camera. I don’t think it came that way.

–Rolex 1680 delayed due to snow storms back East.

–Roasted some caf beans; burned ’em.

–Dug trench around garden shed to stave off water incursion.

–Replaced hearing aid batteries around 1 PM.

–Suwannee (Nighthaxan) Phat Phinger knife came in; way too small.

–Got bagels at Bagelry Soquel.

–Got notice from Northern Trust that Sutter pension will move from Comerica to Bay Federal as requested. Might take a cycle or two.

–Bought Shigefusa 300 kitaeji yanagiba at KKF.

–Tsukasa Hinoura parer came in from Epicurean Edge. (a) not the one in the listing. (b) too blingy.

–UV flashlight came. Works on old Speedmaster, but 1978 Rolex 5513 is DEAD.

–Horotec case tube set came in from Cousins UK.

–Helped Grace (a little) make some brioche buns. Not bad.

–Made Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for dessert. Good.

–Paid estimated taxes online.

–Rain.

–Turned the thermostat up from 66 to 70 during the day (11 to 5).

–Power outage from 6:11 PM to around 9:15 PM. Starting to get annoying.

–Rain.

–Turned on Comcast auto payment. BayFed account was correct, but apparently autopay was off.

–Rolex Daytona came in; nice. Also metric tap and die set, Nike Zomeros, and bracelet for Rolex 5513.

–Called eBay, got a refund on the Rolex GMT with bad dial/caseback.