Late-Night Snack

I got invited to a media event last night for Salvatore's Restaurants. I first ate at Salvatore's on Northern Avenue about five years ago and really enjoyed it. Last year they opened a location in Medford Square, just a bit down the road from us, and we have had several very good meals there too, but we get takeout pizza from them more frequently than we go there to eat, because their pizza is the best around. (They also operate the Sal's Pizza chain, which has locations all over eastern Massachusetts, but none of those is as convenient as the Medford Salvatore's.)

Last night's event was to introduce a late-night menu that will be available at all of Salvatore's locations after 10 pm: six-inch pizzas for $3 each, available in six varieties. All of them were available in abundance last night, and I sampled all of them (except the sausage and ricotta, because it had two kinds of peppers on it, and peppers just don't agree with me). My favorites were the chicken pesto, which does not have tomato sauce (and by the way, the pesto is nut-free) but has ricotta and mozzarella, and the bruschetta and arugula, which had fresh diced tomatoes and the most divine aroma of garlic coming off it. There's also margherita, soppresata, and spinach and gorgonzola.

We also had a couple of cocktails and chatted with several Salvatore's employees, who are all extremely cordial and knowledgeable. Not only do they love food, they love delivering a great dining experience and they are proud of what they do. I say these things as someone who has experienced it firsthand as a regular paying customer. Last night's free pizza was just a bonus.

Status Report

"Vacation" week is proceeding in a suitably lazy fashion. Tomorrow I'll report on a free-food event I got invited to.

"Vacation" Week

For the past several years, I took this final week of August leading into Labor Day weekend as a vacation week. It was always a very slow time at my job, and since the Mrs. and I don't take typical summer vacations (coastal Maine or Cape Cod, etc.), it was nice to use some vacation time to just do nothing for a week.

So this year, even though I'm not working, I decided to act like I was on vacation this week anyway. This week is known to be a dead zone for anything regarding employment, and I'm still looking casually; I decided to give myself a bit of a break, and get back to it in earnest next Tuesday.

That's why yesterday found us driving up to Nashua, NH to visit the recently opened Merrimack Premium Outlets, brought to us by the same folks that gave us our Wrentham outlets, and plenty of others across the country. This new center is only about 60% the size of Wrentham, and I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I was curious and wanted to have a look after hearing about it from the person who cuts our hair. And even though I hated every moment of the dozen-plus years I spent working in retail, I've always been interested in the business side of it, how these shopping centers are developed and deployed and marketed, what sort of stores they feature, etc.

The one outlet store at Merrimack that I have not seen at any other outlet center is Bloomingdale's. Unfortunately this one was a complete disappointment. Other than a small selection of Joseph Abboud sportcoats, there wasn't one thing in the men's section that I found interesting. The merchandise was very ordinary, and maybe that works for some people, but there was no sense of discovering something good, no thrill of the hunt that I used to hope for when outlet-store shopping.

There is a Saks Off 5th store at Wrentham, and I have made occasional purchases there. There is one at Merrimack also, and the offerings were better. Saks has invested some effort in its private-label men's merchandise over the past several years, and they now offer corresponding house labels in their outlet stores. The products aren't as good as the regular store private-label stuff, but they're all right. Moreover, Off 5th devotes a lot more space to men's things, allowing for a wider range of merchandise (shoes, bags) and nicer presentations.

And for you real luxe nuts, I found a small selection of sportswear from the likes of Brioni and Brunello Cucinelli. If a pair of fatigue-green casual cotton pants that were originally $620 and were marked down to $240 (plus another 25% off that, according to the signage) is your idea of a bargain, then get thee to Saks Off 5th. (Not for me, thanks.) There was also a good selection of Brioni neckties at a final price of $75 each (originally priced at $200), which is a very good price for such a high grade of fine, hand-made Italian neckwear.

(Note: with Labor Day weekend on the horizon, the discounts at outlet stores are likely to get larger, if you happen to be in the mood to shop.)

The Ralph Lauren store left me wondering, as it always does. Nowadays the bulk of what's sold in outlet stores for mainstream brands like Polo and J. Crew is made expressly for the outlets. But what happens to the leftover stock of the merchandise that's offered each season in the regular Ralph Lauren stores? It used to end up in the outlet stores, but doesn't seem to anymore. And what about the less common stuff, like Black Label and RRL? Even on sale that stuff is pretty overpriced, so there must be some of it left over—where does it go? Maybe Woodbury Common, the super-fancy outlet mall north of New York?

So, I bought nothing yesterday. The Mrs. bought some new underwear, a typical outlet-mall purchase for her.

Now We Know

Last month I wondered aloud how long a 20-roll package of toilet paper would last in our household, and I now have the answer: 55 days, and it might have been longer if both of us were working regular jobs.

This Week in Awesome (8/25/12)

We're not at full capacity here, guess it's just one of those late-August weekends...

Some of you may have done away with your hard-wired landline phone. If you're young enough, you may not realize that those phones used to have dials instead of buttons. (Ftrain via The Awl)

This is the sort of thing I have often thought about, and would do myself, if I had the skills and the time. (BuzzFeed via Fantasy Floorplans)

And finally this week, 25 insane but real informercials. (Time)

Retro Video Unit (8/24/12)

Lisa mentioned seeing Peter Murphy live in LA while she was out there for work last week, so I figured that was as good a reason as any to post this clip, "Cuts You Up." Leather pants!

About Last Night...

So yes, I attended a beer dinner (my first) which was spotlighting not one craft brewery, but two: California's Lagunitas and Colorado's Left Hand. Both make excellent beer, and having specific beers available to taste side by side, paired with the specific food in each course, was very interesting.

I'd had Lagunitas's IPA before, once, but had not tried anything from Left Hand. As a starting point, I would recommend the Lagunitas IPA and Little Sumpin' Sumpin', and Left Hand's Milk Stout and Smokejumper (which is a limited release). If you find yourself attending this type of event, I would also recommend maybe having a little snack beforehand; while I ate well, the sheer volume of beer I consumed (roughly five pints, give or take a bit, plus factoring in that some of the brews were much stronger than regular beers) was too much for the volume of food I consumed.

Suds Buzz

Tonight I went to a beer dinner at Cambridge Common, that left me (not surprisingly) more buzzed than I've been in a long time. Unfortunately that's all I'm capable of reporting at this point...

Sandwich Love

The Mrs. has been having some foot issues, so yesterday we ventured to The Barn Family Shoe Store in West Newton so she could look for some more supportive shoes. We needed to get something to eat, and I realized that we were just a short distance from Blue Ribbon BBQ.

We've been to the Arlington location many times, but not for a while. I had just ordered a brisket sandwich when I noticed a meatloaf sandwich on the specials board, so I hastened to change my order. I've loved meatloaf sandwiches since I was a kid, mainly thanks to my father. They tend to taste even better when the meatloaf is refrigerated until the next day.

Blue Ribbon's came with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and some sort of tangy sauce. (I imagine they would have substituted one of their barbecue sauces if I'd asked.) Ordinarily I would have avoided their sauce and put mustard on my sandwich, but theirs was quite tasty, and the combination of the meat, vegetables, sauce, and roll was perfect.

If you go to Blue Ribbon and see the meatloaf sandwich on the specials menu, I suggest you order it. And don't forget your two sides, even with the sandwiches.

Grooming Garage: A Decent Disposable?

I haven't visited this category for a while, because I haven't tried any new products or changed my routine. But a couple of weeks ago, while looking through the Sunday paper I noticed a coupon for a new type of Bic disposable razor. In conjunction with a sale at CVS, I figured it was worth a try.

Apparently Bic has a bunch of new razors (at least new to the US market). Three-blade, four-blade, pivoting-head, etc. I rarely pay attention to disposable razors because they are inevitably inferior to their cartridge-style cousins. The Bic Hybrid Advance offers a handle with replaceable cartridges, the closest approximation of a "real" razor that I have seen offered in disposable form.

The handle is gray with an orange accent, and the cartridges are the same color combination. The large orange area above the blades is a lubricating strip, certainly the largest such strip I've seen on any razor, disposable or not.

I've used one a few times over the past couple of weeks, and while I don't think it's impressive enough to switch from the Schick Hydro blades I've been using for several years, this is the best disposable razor I have come across. In fact, my third shave (today) was better than the previous two with the same cartridge, which is a very unusual thing to have happen with any razor.

Oddly, you can't buy replacement cartridges without also buying another handle. This seems wasteful, but I guess you can just recycle the handles, or hold onto them in case one breaks. I do wish that the handle had a bit more weight to it, but since it is a disposable this isn't surprising. Economy of production and packaging are the main factors in this part of the market.

If you are a daily shaver and your skin is not particularly sensitive, you might be able to get a week's worth of shaves out of each cartridge, which would be pretty economical. If you're traveling and find yourself in need of a razor, this would probably be a good choice in a well-stocked drugstore.

This Week in Awesome

The weather pattern has shifted here, meaning it's finally possible to have the windows open and be comfortable. What a concept...

I got my first set of LEGO blocks from my grandmother when I was four, but I never knew much about the history of the company. Now they have produced a computer-animated version of that story. (BuzzFeed)

Here's a homemade video tribute to a video game done with some imagination. (Jalopnik)

This company is offering 3D virtual tours of sites around the world. (AirPano via The Daily What)

And finally this week, I don't know how I'd missed the existence of these spoof trailers for popular movies. (Screen Junkies)

Casual Belts for Summer

One of the things I do enjoy about summer is the more relaxed approach to dressing. Bright colors, fabrics like madras and seersucker, shorts, and boat shoes or canvas sneakers can be combined into comfortable and appropriate looks fairly effortlessly.

There are plenty of easy choices for belts, too. I'm not a huge fan of the striped ribbon belts; I do have one, but it's a subdued and somewhat contradictory black with a gray stripe. Embroidered belts are not for me. Rope-style belts are okay, and my light tan leather belt gets worn a lot, but I like having other options.

Earlier this year I signed up to join Frank & Oak, a members' retail site with a slightly different approach. Instead of short flash sales on designer items, the Montreal-based site designs their own pieces and puts them on sale for a month or two at a time, and nothing costs more than $50.

The July collection contained two belts I really liked, both made of thick, sturdy cotton webbing, one with D-rings and one with leather ends and a traditional roller buckle. In exchange for taking a survey I had received a coupon code, and went to the site to use it toward purchasing these belts, but they were both sold out in my size.

Toward the end of the month I got an email saying some items had been restocked, and then a couple of days later another email alerted me to a sale. The belts were almost half off, and were available in my size, so I ordered them. Even with shipping the total was less than $50, and these belts were hand-crafted in Montreal.

This light khaki goes with everything I wear in the summer.

And I'll be able to keep wearing this fatigue-green belt with dark brown leather trim right on into the fall, if I feel like it.

I'm very impressed with the materials and construction on these. If I had to make any sort of critical observation, they are a little too wide at 1.5" for the belt loops on some of my shorts. The width wasn't given on the site but I sent an email asking before I purchased, so I had an idea this might be an issue, but honestly I just felt these were too nice to pass up.

Bad Ts

My order from CheapesTees did arrive today. In addition to the ash, I ordered several other colors. Unfortunately, all of them are a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend. The site said they were 100% cotton. I don't know who wears 50/50 T-shirts, but it isn't me. On the plus side, the site offers free returns, so I emailed a request for a return label with an explanation why I was asking.

At this point, this exercise almost ends up in the category of "not really worth the effort." But describing my experience may be helpful to someone else.

Slow Ts

A quick update to my T-shirt post from last week: CheapesTees may be cheap, but a week passed between when I ordered and when they shipped my order, which in 2012 is rather poor performance, and is a long time to wait without any sort of communication from the company. They claimed the package would arrive yesterday, but there was an "exception" noted in the UPS tracking info, so I should get it today. At least it only had to come from Connecticut.

Tuned Out

Yesterday I "tuned into" boston.com's new streaming radio station, RadioBDC, a couple of hours after it had started broadcasting. I heard the tail end of a song by Queens of the Stone Age, followed by a brief ad, then "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind. Deeply disappointed, I turned it off.

I expected more. I really thought that the people behind this project were aiming for something different. I had hoped that, at the least, there might be something of a focus on the less familiar, on artists that don't get airplay on regular terrestrial radio stations. I certainly did not expect to hear one of the low points of '90s rock. I could turn on WBOS and likely hear that dreck within an hour or two, if I could stand to listen that long. And just because something got played on WFNX back when it was new doesn't automatically mean it should be played on a station starting from scratch in a newish medium.

At least there is a little widget over on the right side of boston.com that shows you what song is playing on RadioBDC at a given moment. Right now it's "Knives Out" by Radiohead, so maybe there's some reason for hope after all.

Retro Video Unit (8/13/12)

I was so busy making my list on Friday that I overlooked my usual music video thing, so let's take care of that.

I was thinking about Depeche Mode, who made some quirky videos during the '80s. I think "Behind The Wheel" is as good an example as any, and I was hoping there might be an official video for the version of the song that's combined with "Route 66" (the first mashup?), but I could find only fan-made videos for that, so we'll just stick with the official video for the original version of the song:

This Week in Awesome (8/11/12)

Our only tax-free weekend purchases were household items we needed anyway, stocking up on printer ink and such. Still, it's always nice to save even a few dollars on that sort of stuff.

You all know how much I enjoy historical infrastructure and arcana; combine them and I'm ecstatic. (BuzzFeed FWD)

In a similar vein, someone has gone to the time and effort to photograph every station in the MBTA system (including commuter rail stops). Looking over these galleries, what strikes me is that after more than 30 years living here, there are still stations in the main subway system that I have not passed through. (The Subway Nut via Universal Hub)

Over here you'll find a map of a different sort, but note that you'll need the Google Earth plug-in for it to work. (Book Drum via The New Yorker Culture Desk blog)

Auto-generate your own action movie plot, title, and poster, with a certain ponytailed star. (TRHOnline via FilmDrunk)

And finally this week, as promised, a compilation of the terse wit of Mike from Breaking Bad. (Vulture)

10 Things I'm Into Right Now

A Proper Bostonian recently did one of her occasional "10 Things I Love Right Now" posts, and it inspired me to come up with my own list, though I've decided not to use the word "love," at least not the first time out. That's just how I am.

Season 5 of Breaking Bad: I really wish AMC had not chosen to split this show's final season into two halves, holding the remaining eight episodes until next summer, but it's a fairly common programming strategy these days, at least on cable channels. When next summer comes around, I'll probably be glad to have those final episodes to watch. As a bonus, the trajectory of the story this season is giving us more of the grumpy greatness of Mike, and tomorrow's TWiA will have a Mike-centric treat.

Political Animals on the USA network: American TV networks and programming executives are slowly warming up to the British approach of limited-length story telling, and this six-episode series about a family dedicated to public service is an example of how to do it properly. (You can watch the first four episodes at that link.) A shorter run of episodes means a reduced time commitment from the cast and crew, meaning it's possible to attract big-name film actors like Sigourney Weaver, Carla Gugino, Ciarán Hinds, and Ellen Burstyn, who might otherwise not want to commit to the four- or six-month shooting schedule required by a more traditional show. It also helps that the writing is excellent and the stories are compelling. There's already talk of doing a second season of this show, and if it happens I'll be looking forward to it.

Yak & Yeti: this Indian (and Nepali) restaurant in Somerville's Ball Square (diagonally across from Lyndell's bakery) has been our favorite Indian place since it opened a couple of years ago. We probably get takeout more frequently than we go there to eat, but either way it's delicious, and everyone who works there is refreshingly pleasant.

My Troy & Abed In The Morning mug: this is a meta reference to the NBC comedy Community. On the show, Troy and Abed are best friends who occasionally perform an imaginary morning radio program. It's imaginary in the sense that, while they actually do the show, they are not on any radio station when they do it. (I think a lot of us did this when we were kids; I know I did.) It goes nicely with my mugs from TGS with Tracy Jordan (the show within the show on 30 Rock) and the Pawnee Harvest Festival from Parks and Recreation.

Smoked cheddar from Foxboro Cheese: I discovered this company at our local farmers' market about a month ago. They make several varieties of cheese, including mozzarella, regular and smoked Gouda, Asiago, and medium and sharp cheddar. I bought the smoked cheddar and devoured it within a week. They also carry beef and veal at their farm store, which is just south of Gillette Stadium.

Reading books: not working this summer has given me more time to read. In the past month I've completed books on entrepreneurship, iconic American cars, and the battle for height supremacy between the Chrysler Building and the Manhattan Company Building. Now I'm trying to decide what to read next. Oops, I thought I'd forgotten a book, and I did: this crime novel by George Pelecanos.

The NOOK: I didn't think an ebook reader was something I was interested in having, but a couple of weeks ago I was in Barnes & Noble and wandered over to the NOOK display. I had never handled one of these devices in person, but as soon as I started fiddling with the $139 NOOK Simple Touch with the backlit screen, I was instantly smitten. It's extremely simple to use, and while an iPad may be more versatile, I think the NOOK makes a convincing argument for a dedicated reading device. I do worry that I would immediately go overboard on ebook purchases, though.

First looks at fall clothes: you knew I had to get this in here somewhere, right? It may be miserably uncomfortable outside, but in the land of retailing it's time for the new fall stuff. My currently diminished circumstances mean I need to cool it on discretionary purchases until I find another job, but I can still browse, and by the time I'm working again a lot of fall pieces will already be on sale. And I do have a $25 reward card from J. Crew that I have to use by September 15th, I think—if I could figure out where I put it...

New music: I don't buy as much music as I used to, but lately I've been listening to new or recent releases from Of Monsters And Men, Chicane, The dBs, and The Gaslight Anthem, and also enjoying an old Chemical Brothers album that I'd forgotten I owned. And the boston.com streaming radio station created from the ashes of WFNX launches next Monday, August 13th.

Our air conditioning: speaking of miserably uncomfortable, this has been quite a steamy and unpleasant summer for those of us who don't enjoy heat and humidity, but thankfully we are able to keep our apartment blissfully cool (though the kitchen stubbornly remains a few degrees higher than the other rooms, even when we aren't cooking). And since our electric bill runs only around $35 per month the rest of the year, I don't mind the added cost of comfort for three or four months.

Still Not on Facebook

I ran across this interesting piece on BuzzFeed about what it means not to be on facebook. Apparently mass murderers tend not to have established presences on social media (because, duh, loners don't have any friends), and in turn I guess some people are worried about the mental health of those of us who aren't on facebook. Well, two things come to mind:

One, I think it's safe to claim by this point that pretty much everyone who wants to be on facebook is on there, unless they're kids who aren't old enough yet. Mass murderers aside, folks like me who aren't on there are choosing not to be, for one of two reasons: we feel it has nothing to offer us; we are uncomfortable with the way the site is run with regard to advertising and privacy; or, in my case, both of the above.

Two, I blog here pretty much every day, so you readers would have some inkling if it seemed like I was heading off the deep end. There would be clues, warning signs, causes for concern. (Obsessions with things like clothes and watches don't count, obviously.)

Retro Cans

My favorite everyday beer, Narragansett, has released a limited edition can done up to look just like they did back in 1975. People of a certain age who hail from Rhode Island or eastern Massachusetts will probably recognize this design, but those of you who don't just have to remember the scene in the movie Jaws where Quint drains a can and crushes it.

Of course I had to buy some of these for the sake of nostalgia, although I'm a bit disappointed they are only offering the vintage design in the 18-pack of 12-ounce cans. Almost everyone I know who buys 'Gansett buys it in the 16-ounce tallboy cans; it's certainly the best-value option.

Cheap Ts

If you've been hanging around here for any length of time, you know that I'm a rather picky individual, especially regarding clothing, and that often leaves me searching for solutions to problems of my own creation. But as someone who enjoys the hunt, so to speak, I've come to appreciate when those solutions arrive from unusual or unexpected sources.

For example, I don't care for white undershirts. I have a few of them, which mainly get deployed under light-colored dress shirts, but I generally wear gray ones. Sometimes, though, gray isn't quite right. In between white and gray is a marled fabric that's usually referred to as "ash." I try to have at least a couple of T-shirts in this color, but it's not so easy to find.

Several years ago, at a point when I was trying to find replacement ash T-shirts, I happened to accompany the Mrs. on one of her craft-store odysseys. I tend to wait in the car on these trips, but it was probably summer and being in an air-conditioned store was preferable. I wandered around and discovered a whole aisle of inexpensive, solid-color T-shirts, being sold for use in craft projects.

I was very happy to find that the store, A.C. Moore, carried the shirts in ash, and bought a few. I'm mentioning it now because I noticed while looking through Sunday's paper that A.C. Moore has the T-shirts on sale this week, for $3 each. That's an excellent price for any T-shirt, and if you are the sort of person who likes to wear plain white T-shirts in the summer, these are a bit more substantial than your typical Hanes or Fruit of the Loom multipack items (making them somewhat less translucent, and thus somewhat more dignified). You could buy half a dozen and use them, sequentially or in rotation, until they no longer look pristine. Plenty of other colors are available, too.

Of course, you're at the mercy of whatever the store happens to have in stock, as I learned last night when I tried to buy a replacement batch of ash T-shirts. Or maybe there just aren't any A.C. Moore stores convenient to where you live. Don't worry, I have a solution for that too: CheapesTees. Here you'll find a much wider selection: in addition to Gildan (the brand carried at A.C. Moore), they have Anvil, Jerzees, Champion, along with more robust offerings from the above-mentioned Hanes and FOTL.

Some of the brands carried offer lighter-weight fabric options, likely preferable if you typically wear another shirt over your T. Pay attention to the pricing though. Sometimes the price shown is for a white shirt, while colored shirts cost more; sometimes the reverse is true, with the colored-shirt price shown and white shirts at a lower price. A simple "as low as..." would help clear this up, but in lieu of that solution you'll just have to read carefully.

More Straps

Last week I mentioned that I'd also gotten a gray nylon strap for my pseudo-Sub. I forgot that I'd taken pictures of it, which I hadn't yet copied into my computer. So here it is:

The gray is much more subtle, and a better choice if I'm already wearing, say, a shirt that has a fair amount of red in it, which would look too matchy.

I also mentioned that I was looking for a royal blue strap. The next day we happened to go to Target, and alongside their Timex Weekender watches (which come with this type of strap) I found a selection of accessory straps, including a royal blue one:

As with most of my pictures, the actual color is a bit deeper than how it appears here. These are not as long as traditional NATO straps, but that is actually preferable to me. With the longer straps, you have to fold over the extra and tuck it into the metal loops anyway, and it frequently comes undone. Here's a look at the end of the blue strap:

As an added bonus, the straps at Target are only $7 each. There's also a nice bright orange I liked, but they only had it in a narrower width to fit the ladies' versions of the Weekender watches, so I'll have to look for it if I happen to go to any other Targets in the area.

This Week in Awesome (8/4/12)

One nice thing about August: restaurants tend to have very short wait times, if any, even on weekends.

Let's begin with a couple of lists meant to encourage discussion and debate: the 20 best TV opening scenes (The Atlantic) and a recent critics' poll of the 50 greatest movies (British Film Institute via The New Yorker).

Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis, on tour promoting The Campaign, take a moment for some recreational reading. (Vulture)

Another thing I learned from the internet: people shoot video footage on train rides, then team it with electronic music. You can trip out to this for as briefly or as long as you feel like. (Also, I highly recommend checking out the Chemical Brothers song referenced in the comments.) (io9)

And finally this week, the most original and clever way I have seen to circumvent NBC's restrictions on the use of Olympic footage by other media outlets, courtesy of... The Wall Street Journal? (The Daily What)

My Pen!*

I bought a nice pen a couple of months ago. And by "nice" I don't mean a Montblanc or that sort of thing. I'm not really into fancy pens, I just really dislike the cheapo stick ballpoints. I found this one in a stationery store when we were in Santa Cruz; it's a Pentel and it takes regular gel-roller refills, but it has a nice, distinctive brushed metal barrel. It looks good and feels good when I hold it and write with it.

I was using it pretty regularly, and then a couple of weeks ago I misplaced it. It was right before a career workshop I was attending, and I quietly lamented having to use a lesser pen. On the morning of the workshop I got to Harvard Square very early, and I had time to go into the Staples there, where I found they also sell the pen, so I bought a replacement.

Naturally, a day or two later I found the original pen on my desk, stuck between some papers. I didn't necessarily mind, because when I bought the original pen I'd also bought a blue refill, so I swapped that in and now I have one with blue ink and one with black ink.

I really only bother to mention it because it's currently on sale at Staples (in stores only), and $6 is a pretty good deal for a pen with a metal body. I even thought about buying a couple more, as backups.

*Those of you of a certain age may remember this Kids In The Hall sketch, one of my favorites:

Friday?

Sorry, brain lapse...no, I haven't really been distracted by the Olympics. Can I use the excuse that it's too hot and humid to blog?

Go see The Rationales tonight at the Middle East—I'll be there...

Watch Wednesday Upgrade Update #3

When I first posted this watch back in November, I said that I thought if I was going to have one watch on a metal bracelet, it would be this style. But I found that I wasn't wearing it much, and after Orient offered to send me a watch to review a few months ago and I chose the Mako diver on a metal bracelet, I figured I could go ahead and replace the bracelet on this watch.

Instead of my usual leather strap, I decided to go with the more of-the-moment style of a colorful nylon one-piece strap. Sometimes these are called NATO straps, and there are other similar ones called Zulu (the hardware is slightly different).

Although this one looks slightly orange, it is red. It's nice to have a bit of color on your wrist, especially during the summer. As a bonus, this type of strap is much more comfortable to wear in warm, humid weather. I also got a gray one that is somewhat more subdued looking, and I would like to get one in royal blue but haven't been able to find one yet.