Usil

PureTime: Thanks for responding. I will definitely keep this in mind and so will others. Usil

Am I the only one that thinks this is a good idea? Any comments from the dealers? Usil

Very nice collection. What do you find yourself wearing the most? Usil

This is a general request to all dealers concerning the fit of watches with bracelets. I have a 7 1/2 inch wrist which is probably in the mid range for wrist sizes. I bought a Breitling Navitimer last year when worn I was barely able to close the clasp. In addition, I just got a new IWC GST SS and when I put this on it fits but really needs one extra link to fit comfortably and allow for wrist expansion at the end of the day. So, here is my request. Would you please start noting on all watches offered with a bracelet, what the maximum size wrist will wear this comfortably? Also, to allow for sales to people with larger wrists, would you start carrying extra links and pins for those of us that will need them. This can not be a great expence for you and would greatly widen the number of people who can actually buy your watches with bracelets. This should be a regular additon for your sales to make this easy for us so we don't have to go begging to get an extra link from members on this board and you don't have to try to continue to source these when they are needed. Keep in mind that because I know that Breitling and IWC watches are tight on me and I will always have a problem with them, I will not be buying additional Breatling and IWC watches in the future if I know that I have to go through this bracelet size hassel each time. You as a dealer don't want this as it prevents additional sales to you from potential customers. There are a lot of Breitling and IWC watches I want and you could sell them to me if you would adopt this policy. Until then, the new Bretilings and IWC's hitting the markets now - I will not buy and that is a potential 1500 USD I would give to a dealer in the next 6 months if this issue could be solved. As I said, the hassel on our side compared to a few extra links on your side seems to me a no brainer for a dealer. And the sizing information is really needed. Usil

More power to them. I agree with several comments here that with the risks they take, the fact that to provide service to us they have to take the hit against losses in the mail, customs seizures and replacements for poor quality - that measured against the great reps we get - I am happy they are making money. Usil

Some of us have gotten lucky during the holidays and gotten a few watches. Ryyannon, Pugwash and Usil will be meeting on January 28 at the Cafe Select in Paris. Time 2:00 pm. We can show our new goodies and guzzel a few beers. Anyone else local want to show up, the more the merrier. Usil

There is no easy answer for these questions. I think only a very few ever get the ideal job and even then problems occur. I know a lot of young folks lamenting about having a decent job and I know it is tough for them even with a good education. It took me a year and a half after university before I landed a job that could actually allow me to use my education. I sold cars, vacuum cleaners and was an orderly at a hospital for a year. I was begining to wonder why I went to college and then I saw an add in the news paper for a position at the Health Department. Wound up spending hearly 10 years there and liked the positions I had but the family started to expand and I needed more money (public servants don't make a lot of money). Put my application in to Seven Up which was just bought by Philip Morris and was told the money was flowing like water. Landed a quality assurance positon at twice my salary and never looked back. Is this where I was going with my Zoology degree - no, but at least I was in a technical position putting all my scientific knowledge to good use. Actually, I got a major in Zoology and a minor in Botany because I loved nature. Seems I forgot to think about what kind of a carreer I might actually get with this degree. Teaching was considered seveal times but every time I talked to some friends who were teachers and the hassels the kids made them go through each day I thought - why do I want to do that for low pay. My jobs have been good not because of what they requried me to do but because they have been challenging and I was always able to make significant contributions which were recognized. I could not exist long in a meaningless job. Now, I have come to the end of my carreer and while I never became the 'crocodile hunter' which I would have loved to do, I am still happy of the choices I made. So, a few words of wisdom I have used over the years that might help: 1. Keep your options open. 2. Don't let opprotunities pass you by if they appeal to you. 3. Money is not the main reason for working. If you can't stay in a challenging environment or have little or no ability to make meaningful contributions - bide your time until something better comes along. 4. The maximum time to spend in a job if it is just filling a need but not your best choice - is no more than 5 years. This gives your resume longevity but keeps you moving toward better things. Such moves almost always wind up paying better. If you don't do this you will be surprised how long (way too many years) you stick with something you don't like. 5. If you are not making good pay increases each year then in 5 years the company will be hiring starting people at your salary level. This will get you seriously bent out of shape so don't let this happen. They will probably cycle you out anyway if they have not been giving you good raises. 6. Try to make each job change a 'forward movement' in your carreer. Lateral movements rarely pan out but keep in mind #1 above. 7. Network. Network. Network. Think back at all the friends and aquantences you have known in your neighborhood or job. All of these people can be an inside help to getting a job. AND keep in touch with them at least 2 times a year with email. See how things are going. Opportunities happen this way but you will never know it unless you network. 8. When you rise to a positon that finaly makes you uncomfortable i.e., you liked technical support but they moved you to management which you hate - then take a step back when the opportunity arises. You will be happeir. 9. If you are not happy or hate going to work - objectively evaluate if this is emotional stress, family problems, hate the job, illness or 'the grass is always greener in the next pasture" syndrome. Discuss it with a mate or firend. They even have personal coaches now adays that can help you see what it is you want to do. 10. Don't forget your hobbies. We work so we can take vacations and have hobbies. Edit - * I can't believe I forgot the most important one - 'Manage your carreer - don't just let your carreer happen. You have to be in charge of making your carreer happen. I can not tell you how many people I know that just go with the flow and never plan anything. Nobody looks after you except yourself. Make sure you are looking at least 48 months out. There is no way I can have a 10 year plan and even a 5 year plan is difficult. But certainly this year and the next are in my thoughts all the time. Usil

I just read Ryyannon had issues when trying to follow a link and now I just had the same issue. I am logged in and randomly, a link will bring up a page where I have to log in again. Sometimes, I log in again and the same log in page reappears. Have not a clue what causes this. From time to time in the pat it seems to happen. Usil

Strange on the wrist shot the numbers go black. Usil

I am anxious to get back. Never had a three week vacation before all at once. Yes, I use windoze. I had a Lisa along time ago but jumped to Windoze. Pugwash, you back in Paris the end of January? GTG for either date good for you? Usil

I would like to do this on a PC but I think that the bios needs to be fairly new to have this option. Anyone done this on the PC? Also, I head to the airport tomorrow and arrive back in Paris on sunday. I would be up for a Paris GTG at Cafe Select on Sundays January 21 or 28. Usil

I am not French but have lived in Paris for past three years. Welcome and maybe join a GTG at Cafe Select in Paris late January or February with a few members. I also echo - Davidsen - nice choice to start with. Usil

I am glad you have a kind heart to do these great review summaries. Thanks. Always great work and very helpful. All noobs should read this. Usil

Sorry, I do not know the signiture but I just wanted to say that is a fine watch you have built. Looks great. Usil

I have that exact strap on my PAM 212. It is a fantastic strap. The first Alligator strap that I have bought that I am very pleased with. I have his buckle too and it is beautiful. Usil

Best wishes to you and your family. Congratulations. Usil

Sorry you are feeling poorly. Get lots of rest and plenty of chicken soup. Merry Christmas. Usil

Wow, what a pile of watches. Usil

Very handsom collection you have there. I love this hobby. Usil

I am looking at this from a friends computer and not the best monitor but I have the following comments. Lighting: Not bad. A few shadows exist that you can work on if you want to fine tune the light arrangement but good first effort. F22: While you will get maximum depth of field with this setting it is not the sharpest setting for this lens. F8 to F11 would be sharper. Central focus: The monitor I am seeing this with makes it very difficult to see exactly what you used for the central focus. In animals, the eye must be in focus no matter what. For watches, I believe the hands and text on the face must be the point of focus. At a macro setting on a watch this probably means manual focusing. The hands just do not look clear to me but as I said, it could be my monitor. Positioning: Looks good. Not sure if you used any post processing but a 'little' unsharp mask looks to be needed. Good job. Usil

Great post from a new member. Good attitude on the needs we have on some of our reps. You will find that doing it yourself adds greatly to the hobby and fun. Usil

Toshiba is an excellent brand selling portables long before Dell came into existance back in the 1980's. This is probably a hardware issue and as such not generally user servicable. Bad luck and probably not worth the price to fix. You could try looking for a local autohorized toshiba service center and try there to see the cost. Good luck. Usil

For the past 2 days every time log in and try to go to 'view new posts' I get the an error message: 'Sorry, but we did not find any matches to display. Try again and broaden your search criteria. If you were searching for new posts since your last visit, it's possible that there are none to show.' I check to see if I am still logged in and I am. I can usually try a trick until I fianally get to the menue to where it allows me to see todays postings but not today. Unless I go specificlly to a forum area I am stuck. Any idea how I can get back in to see new postings? Update: Once I can finally get in, theview new posts works for me. Usil

How did you do the pearl? Usil

Many hobbiest here but then how does one enjoy life without considering our passions. Bike riding for years replaced by motorcycles (44 years). Rock and fossil collecting, fresh and salt water fish tanks, coin collecting, metal detecting, astronomy and computers (hardware and software - wrote games, word processor and database back in 1987) Watches is new this year and I am enjoying this new hobby a lot. Also, Photography for 35 years starting out with a Mamiya Secor 35mm and Yashika twin lense and did college shots around the campus for the school newspaper. Darkroom replaced by photoshop. Don't know if cinema and reading belong here but wife and I hit the cinema weekly and read a novel every two weeks when things are slow and every 3 days when it it a good book. Usil