M3Vert

One I own: and one I aspire to own:

- The left sleeve of my dress shirts keeps wearing out prematurely. I have some theories on why but the most plausible one is that you can only stifle the human spirit so much before it finds a way to get out. It just so happens that mine is escaping through my elbow. - Empty promises end friendships – it’s primarily why I have so few friends. - I expend so little mental energy on succeeding at work that it’s exhausting. - Can you smell that? - It’s desire for you seeping through my very skin. - I wonder if the wind whistles when it blows through the holes in Jesus’ feet. - It’s time to change your diet when I can smell what you had for dinner last night because it’s seeping through your pores this morning. - I suspect that Big Bird is behind all this Avian Flu pandemic talk. - I have this new recurring dream that I’m writhing around in warm, thick maple syrup with silver dollar pancakes covering my nipples and a breakfast sausage stuck in my ass – I wonder what that means. - The more faith I see in god, the less faith I have in People. - I used to have a pocket pussy but I don’t anymore because I ate it. - Are you afraid of being alone because you’re scared of everyone else or just of yourself? - Don’t waste something as precious as faith on false icons.

I second ArtM3's notion. Add a bit of Gin and I'm in for at least 2 weaknesses. Steve

2 I can't stop listening to are: Hurt - written by Trent Reznor and sung by Johnny Cash on his CD The Man Comes Around Right Where it Belongs - again by Trent Reznor but this time also sung by him on the CD by Nine Inch Nails called With Teeth Peace, Steve

Thanks BigNasty, PM sent. Steve

As I posted in a previous topic, the crystal on my Fiddy smashed one night while it sat on my night stand. I have finally gotten my hands on a replacement sapphire crystal but my local watchsmith doesn't have the right tool to do the job. He actually said, "My tool is too small." It was all I could do not to crack up right in his shop. Anyway, now I have the parts and no one to install it for me. Can anyone recommend someone on the forum who can help me out? I talked to RBJ about a project a while ago so I'll reach out to him. I was just wondering if there was anyone else out there who might be close to me geographically that would be willing to take on the work. Thanks, Steve

I like it! It's unique and I'm all for that. Steve

I'm thoroughly disgusted with my PAM172 that stopped working. I'd part with it cheap, if you are interested PM me. Steve

Will do, thanks for the tip! Steve

He didn't say but I'll PM you when I find out. Steve

I'll try them, thanks. I found a guy on Paneristi.com that sources mineral and sapphire ones for the Fiddy but he's out of stock. We traded e-mail earlier today. Thanks for the help everyone. I'll try to size the pic better next time so it doesn't look like: The Attck of the Fifty Foot Fiddy! Steve

Thanks BigNasty, I'll do a search on TRC. I saw an old thread with one for sale here but it was sold. And the search continues . . . Steve Here's a Pic so you can see what I mean:

It wasn't a helpful reply but it was certainly funny. I guess I should have taken it off BEFORE she tied my wrists to the bedpost. I'll remember that next time. Steve

I purchased a 1:1 Fiddy about 2 months ago and woke up this morning to find the crystal cracked. It looks like someone took a hammer to it but it was fine when I set it on my night stand last night. I read about these pressure crackings before on the old RWG but couldn't find any information here. Does anyone know of a source where I can buy one of these? Should I just contact my original dealer to see if I can buy the part from him (Joshua) or is there a more appropriate and faster way? Thanks, Steve

On my way . . .

Orbital Objectivity The Vernal Equinox is upon us; the first day of the season called spring. Five days ago we were warned, as Julius Caesar was, to, “Beware the Ides of March.” Although that soothsayer’s dire prediction became all too true for Caesar, it need not taint our modern understanding of the Ides. The Roman calendar is defined by the Kalends, the Nones and the Ides. They are quite simply the days of the months; Kalends being the first day of all the months, Nones being the seventh day of March, May, July and October or the fifth day of all the other months, and Ides being the fifteenth of March, May, July and October or the thirteenth day of all the other months. It really has nothing to do with danger except in our fanciful mind’s interpretation of a Shakespearean classic. Unfortunately, the grandeur of Sir William will forever be more attractive than the perceived banality of science and so most of this is lost on most of us. So what is the Equinox anyway? Most would probably say it marks the beginning of spring (in the Northern hemisphere) and even, perhaps, that it is the day when light and darkness are equal due to the sun passing over the equator of the earth. And they would be correct in saying both but the real story is in the details; isn’t it always? Even though the Vernal Equinox is the exact point when the Earth is half way along the journey from winter to summer in the Northern Hemisphere, our measure of the equality between night and day is skewed by human perception. The difference between sunrise and sunset is not exactly 12 hours on this March 20th, or any other day for that matter. As the sun makes its way to the horizon, the Earth’s atmosphere refracts the rays and we “see” light before the sun breaches. Our perception of the sunrise is a trick of light that allows us to experience it before the sun truly rises so we record it earlier than it actually occurs. That makes the difference between sunrise and sunset 12 hours and 9 minutes instead of exactly half of a 24 hour day. Science got it right but we recorded it incorrectly; that’s probably not the first time human perception failed us and it certainly won’t be the last. The other fascinating part of the Equinox is the impact it has had on Astronomy. The First Point of Aries, also called the vernal equinox point, is one of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic. Simply put, it is defined as the position of the sun on the celestial sphere at the time of the vernal equinox – which it was when originally defined. The interesting part is that due to precession, the point gradually moves around the ecliptic so that, in today’s sky, it no longer falls in Aries but somewhere between Pisces and Aquarius – where it will fall squarely around the year 2600. Let’s take a look at precession for a minute so we all understand exactly what that means. It refers to a change in direction of the axis of a rotating object; in this case the Earth. Of the two types of precession, torque-free and torque-induced, the latter is what refers to our discussion of orbital objects. The axis of the Earth undergoes precession due to its non-spherical shape and the gravitational tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun. Because the Earth has an equatorial bulge, much like that spare tire around your waist, the tidal forces attempt to pull it into the plane of the ecliptic. The result is called lunisolar precession and it slowly moves the Earth (along with other precessionary powers) about 1 degree in 180 years. So what? I asked my self the very same question, while listening to The Stars Look Down by Rush, and I came up with some very simple answers. There’s much at work around us. There are forces of nature we can only hope to understand that continually influence our reality. The shame of it is that too many of us believe our own perception is reality. We forget there is so much out there that we don’t care to, or even try to understand. For me, and maybe for you, I want to look at life more than just “in the available light”. Brutus The Stars Look Down Lyrics by Neil Pearl Like the fly on the wheel, who says, "What a lot of dust we're raising." Are you under the illusion That you're part of this scheme? Seems like a lifetime ago You could look with pride On your world of dreams What is the meaning of this`? And the stars look down What are you trying to do? And the stars look down Was it something I said And the stars look down Like the rat in a maze who says "Watch me choose my own direction." Are you under the illusion The path is winding your way? Are you surprised by confusion When it leads you astray? Have you lived a lifetime today - Or do you feel like you just got carried away? What is the meaning of this? And the stars look down What are you trying to do? And the stars look down Was it something I said? And the stars look down Something you'd like me to do? And the stars look down

Here's a link to some info on the gen red sub and DRSD that I found interesting: http://bjsonline.com/watches/articles/0012_1.shtml Steve

Front Row in Saratoga at the SPAC: /img