I’ve Always Said That

…and now, there’s !SCIENCE! to prove it:

Ditching a bra could make your breasts perkier, experts have claimed.

Women’s health specialists and plastic surgeons have suggested that the tight pressure from a bra can weaken tissues around the breasts over time, causing them to droop.

The uplifted look is also said to be due to the gradual strengthening of back muscles that happens when you’re unsupported, improving posture.

I’ve always thought you can tell the difference between habitual bra-wearers and the freedom-lovers the minute things go natural.

I know, I know:  we need evidence.  Here ya go:

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Not The Optimal Choice

Today, I want to address the topic of:

Knife Sets

First, the dirty little secret:  not one of the brands which offer their cutlery in “sets” / blocks are very good, in that a “set” of knives tries to do everything well, and only partially succeeds.  Price is not an indicator of quality because inevitably, one (or more) of the components is not fit for function.

I have one of these, purchased before I knew better.

My summary:

  • the bread knife is terrible — it hacks the bread because the serration points are too sharp — and now I use a budget bread knife bought at the supermarket instead.  (The included paring knife is New Wife’s favorite kitchen implement:  we have two.)
  • the carving knives are quite good, but lose their edge rather quickly when you’re cutting things like cooked meat (ahem), so now I grudgingly use an electric carving knife for that purpose, and use the block’s carving knives only for cutting and trimming raw meat and veg.
  • the scissors are total shit — they fell apart (literally) after about six months.  I replaced them with a Kitchen-Aid pair (note the price), and they’re coming up for their sixth year of (ab)use, without complaint.
  • the block’s steak knives are also crappy:  they tear the meat rather than cut it.

Takeaway:  the Son&Heir worked in the kitchen at both Chili’s and Pappadeaux, and took note of what the pro chefs used there.  So when he finally moved into his own place (after sharing with buddies for years), he bought one sinfully-expensive carving knife — I mean, chef-quality — and uses two cheap paring knives (both Zyliss, see above), one serrated, one flat-edge.  He claims that those three take care of about 99% of his kitchen cutting needs.  (“What about the  remaining 1%?”  Dunno, he didn’t tell me;  knowing him, probably his Al Mar folder.)

The only reason to have a knife block at all is so that the knives’ edges aren’t damageded by clanging against each other in the drawer.

Frankly, if I were starting again, I’d get one of those wall-mounted magnetic numbers, and use it to store my own sinfully-expensive carving knife, a couple-three Zyliss utility knives and the Kitchen-Aid scissors.

For steak knives, I’d go with Victorinox because, duh Victorinox (see also:  Schmidt-Rubin rifles #Swiss quality).

Speaking of steak knives, I once had a set of Laguiolet knives, (bought in Paris and modeled, it’s said, on the Pyrenean shepherd’s knife), and they’re awful.

The blades are excellent, but the handles are too thin and they turn in the hand rather disconcertingly.  I think I gave them to Goodwill or something.

Frankly, I’d rather get a set of steak knives separately (as opposed to included with the cutlery set) and just store them in the box they come in, like this one:

Finally, I have a small cleaver for when I lose patience and just need to hack something apart (e.g. pork knuckle), and I have this one, which has a touch-up sharpener built into the sheath:

Five years of serious (ab)use, and counting…

I don’t have a butcher knife and don’t know much about them, but the Bearded Butcher guys use Victorinox, so there ya go.

Feel free, of course, to add your thoughts on this topic in Comments.

Looking Backside

Now that the 2023 Formula 1 season has ended, Max Verstappen has been crowned King Of All Drivers, etc., some questions still remain.

Asks Onetime Drummer Knob:

Simple answer:  Liberty fucking Media.

Long answer:  Liberty fucking Media, a bunch of woketard American businessmen who bought into the trope that grid girls were “exploiting” womyns and glorifying “unnaturally beautiful” women because of the race organizers’ consistent refusal to make grid girls “more representative” of womyns by adding Lizzo-style fatties to the mix.

Imagine introducing this:

…to this:

…and I think you’ll see where I’m going, here.

So Liberty fucking Media just banned the whole institution from F1, the wokist assholes.  Which worked everywhere except Monaco, where the race organizers told them to take a hike.

Expect to see Monaco dropped from the F1 circuit at some point soon.  Oh there’ll be Reasons, e.g. “the Monaco streets are too narrow to race the new F1 cars*”, but it’s going to happen.


*The streets aren’t too narrow;  it’s the cars that have got fat and bloated.

…like Lizzo vs. the old-style grid girls.

Repeat Performance?

Reader JD asks:  “Are you going to do your Favorite Things post every year from now on?  There was some really cool stuff there.”

Hell, no.

What I might do is post links to Favorites #1 and #2, and create addenda to said lists — just not as many, because I don’t see that much stuff that I like anyway, nowadays.  (The aforementioned lists were created from untold links collected, and also a few purchases made, over many years of Intarwebz drooling.)

Unsurprisingly, my tastes don’t change that much, so few if any of the things will fall out of favor or be replaced by some new flavor-of-the-month item.  (This may not apply to cars, because I fall in live with different models at different times as often as I fall in love with different redheads and/or old rifles.)  On most things, I’m fairly set in my ways;  yeah, I know, you’re all shocked — shocked! at that.

Another Reader asked why single malt Scotches were conspicuous by their absence from the lists.  I dunno;  maybe it’s because I’ve settled on an “everyday” single (Glen Morangie) and see little incentive to change that — unless someone in a bar / barman suggests something else to try, in which case, sure.  I might give some of the new Japanese whiskies a shot (or two), just as soon as I can afford them.

Sorry, I appear to have wandered off topic and into the wilderness here, but that’s often how it goes, these days.

My Favorite Things (Part 2)

Here’s the second part of the above topic (Part 1 here), this time of 50 excellent things costing less than $750.  Some of these might be decent / affordable Christmas presents…

51. LG CM4590 XBOOM Audio Set$250

52. Zassenhaus Manual Bread Slicer$220

53. L.L.Bean Snow Sneaker Boots$140

I’ve been wearing these since 1987, and I’m only on my third pair (purchased last month).  They are comfortable, last almost forever, are waterproof and astoundingly warm.  Best of all, they are much lighter than regular winter boots like Sorel.  If you live in a cold climate or are traveling to a cold country, I cannot recommend them highly enough.  (Pro tip:  use cheap Dr. Scholls inserts to make them even more comfortable and easier to pull on.)

54. Mont Blanc Meisterstück Classique Fountain Pen — $725

55. Saddleback Doctor’s Leather Duffle Bag$600

56. Naked Armor Straight Razor$120

57. Ruger Single-Six Convertible Revolver (.22LR/.22WMR) — $700

58. Marks & Spencer Linen Shirt$50
 
Every time I go Over There, I buy half a dozen of these, and they last until the next time I cross The Pond.  Best casual shirts in the world.

59. Steiner MM1050 Military-Marine 10×50 Binoculars$500

I’ve tried almost all of them — and these represent the best cost / performance / ruggedness option.  I never travel anywhere without mine.

60. Barton Leather 3-Watch Case$110

…which may not be sufficient for serious watch collectors (like Reader Weetabix), so there’s this one:

61. TAWBURY 24-Watch Case$220

62. Standard of London Antique Brass Desk Compass $70

63. Stainless Steel Water Pitcher with Ice Guard$35

64. Wheeler Space Saver Screwdriver Set $15

65. Scandal$20

The Christine Keeler story, and very close to the actual history.

66. Armored Steamer Trunk$250

Mine has wheels, but whatever.

67. The Last Detective Complete Collection$150

68. Caldwell DeadShot Front and Rear Bag Set $20

69. Jack Pyke Fleece Gilet$45

70. Braun Series 9 Pro 9465cc Electric Razor$300

71. Russell Hobbs TR9250WTR Retro Style Toaster$120

72. Thursday Boot Co. Captain Model$200

73. Chopin Nocturnes — Valentina Lisitsa $90

74. AeroPress Original Coffee Press$45

75. Foyle’s War: The Complete Saga$50

76. Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec$750

77. Barbour® Bede Wellington Boot$150

78. The Second World War (Hardcover) — $120

79. Roland CUBE 120XL Bass Amp — $600

No link because Roland stopped making it, the idiots [2,000-word rant deleted].  But it’s unquestionably the amp I would have carried around and used back in the 1970s, if they’d made it then.

80. Husky 18″ Wide Mouth Tool Bag$65

I actually use one of these as my range bag;  stronger, more accessible and doesn’t advertise that it’s a gun bag.  Also much cheaper than most of same from one of the “operator” brands like 5.11.

81. Marks & Spencer 10pk Pure Cotton Cool & Fresh™ Trunks$68
 
I buy these every five years, two packs at a time, and I wear them exclusively.  I’ve tried other “premium” brand undies from time to time, and they’re lousy, all of them.  Life is too short to be uncomfortable.  And yeah, only in black.  Because life is also too short to waste time deciding on the color of an undergarment.

82. The Colony Hotel, Miami Beach$120/night

Art Deco decadence, found in the right place for it.

83. Straw Fedora Beach Hat$35

I’m on my third or fourth one of these, since about 2004.

84. Estwing E15S Leather-Gripped Hammer$60

85. Pelikan Classic 200 Fountain Pen$200

86. S&W 686-6 PLUS .357 MAG$750

87. LP-099 Multi-Region PAL/NTSC HD CD/DVD Player$30

…backup for when you-know-who starts “offlining” your online streaming purchases.

88. Panasonic Lumix ZS100 / TZ100$600

This is the camera I’ll get when my Olympus and Nikon finally bite the dust — or maybe even before then.  (It’s called the ZS in Murka, and TZ in furrin countries.)

89.  J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variationen$20

Okay, if not Barenboim is not to your taste, then Klára Würtz is wonderful, as always.)

90. Waterman Expert Ballpoint Pen$80

91. Stag Arms AR-15 Left Hand Upper Receiver$600

…for the kack-handers amongst  us.

92. Wire in the Blood: The Complete Series$40

Scariest and most intellectual detective series I’ve ever watched, and Robson Green is excellent beyond words.

93. DOVO 5/8 Bergischer Lowe Buffalo Horn Razor Set — $500

94. Ariat Heritage Round Toe Boot$200

95. Fender Acoustic 100 Amp$450

96. Minnetonka Moosehide Classic Moccasins$100

Most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn;  been wearing them nonstop since 1996, and replace them every other year or so.  If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, it would be these.  (In winter, #53 Snow Sneakers as above.)

97. Buffalo Jackson Roosevelt Leather Pilot Bag$350

98. Barbour Classic Beaufort Jacket$450

As with so many things on this list:  buy it once, buy it for life.

99. GALC No.2 Shave Kit$350

Last, but most certainly not least:

100. Citizen Steely Dan (box set) — $60

Nothing like ’em, before or since.

That was fun.  And Oprah?  Eat my nuts.

Change Of Season, Change Of Mood

We’ve had our first cool days here in north Texas — not the cold snap of a week ago, but that gentle cool of autumn.  So I had to change the wallpaper on Ye Olde Laptoppe, from this:

…to this:

Unlike the earlier pic, I know where this one is (because I took the pic myself;  open in new tab or window to embiggen, feel free to copy).

It’s just outside Belfast, Maine, looking out over the Passagassawakeag River (yeah, I know;  stupid Indian name, they could have just called it the “Belfast River”, but noooo).

I wish we had mist here in the Dallas area… or decent rivers, for that matter.