grilled cheese

28th minute, arsenal 2-0 and emirates is rocking. this could get interesting...

^ I hope you finish that before they start to go bad

they're already gone... i usually go through a bag every 6-9 days--those were my last three.

Here are the coffees I've been drinking over the past few weeks. All are really excellent in different ways. The Nueva Armenia is perhaps my favorite coffee ever--classic, perfect. The Hula Daddy is one of Kona's best coffees, and was a splurge (was in Kona) at $50/12oz. The Pulcal is an awesome example of perhaps my favorite type of coffee--a central American Bourbon.

bumpington.

just ran 8.5 miles in the snow/rain. wanted to run 6, but lost my keys down a storm drain and had to run all the way through the city to my wife's work to get keys (mattapan to cambridge for my boston people). been running more, but also been playing soccer more. soccer has been helping me get a little speed back.

any of you guys true believers in this compression business? seems a bit faddish to me but i'm open to being persuaded...

Still available. Thanks

Two great shirts for sale, both size medium.

1. Engineered Garments Flannel Work Shirt - Medium - $100

Impeccable condition, worn a handful of times. Beautiful shirt that I just never wear and needs a good home. Made in USA.

2. Steven Alan Reverse Seam Shirt - Medium - $65

Worn twice, made in USA, interior chest pocket with shadow visible on exterior. Classic fabric and classic pink color.

want to order a pound or so of coffee. anyone have any retailer suggestions or blends/varieties to try? Would like to pay around $13-15 shipped.

for starters you could try: counter culture, intelligentsia, or stumptown. all ship soon after roasting and have great options at that $13-$15 range. you may also have some very good roasters locally, but the crazy thing is that unless you are diligent about checking roasting dates you may get fresher coffee from the internet.

I really need a new burr grinder. Can anyone suggest a good one?

check back a page or two--kiya suggested the baratza virtuoso here, back there i wrote a little bit about the baratza virtuoso preciso. i compared it to the rancilio rocky, and the baratza was better for my needs. there have been a lot of grinder recommendations over the last few pages; the baratza maestro comes up a lot.

ajchen, barismo is worth the ride, its really close to Boston but if transportation is limited you should tweet @barismo and ask Jaime for her recs. I'm sure they have a decent amount of accounts, same goes for Terroir coffee but they don't do as good a job protecting their product representation.

P.S. If you stop by The Tannery, pass on the espresso.

Barismo is probably worth the ride from a pure coffee perspective, but I have mixed feelings about the place. The neighborhood (Arlington) is uninspiring, and the folks there tend to be "uncompromising" about coffee in a way that seems a bit too rigid and inflexible (and sometimes just odd). Depending on when you go, it may be worth it to check out Hi-Rise as well. The Harvard Sq shop is closed, but they'll be opening up a new one soon near Harvard/Porter. They serve barismo, and the baristas can be inconsistent but a few are quite good. Other decent " if you're in the neighborhood" (not worth a special trip) options include: Thinking Cup downtown, Espresso Royale on Newbury St, and Flat Black downtown/Dorchester.

^^^ awesome. I want one badly. You like?

Quick update on the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso. I'm coming from a simple blade grinder, and I'm a relative noob to coffee, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

This thing is badass. I've really only used it for three types of applications: press pot, moka pot, and chemex. I don't yet have a real deal espresso maker so I can't speak to its efficacy for that application--but I'm convinced it can do what it needs to. Grinds are incredibly consistent, with practically no fines. I've noticed the biggest difference in the press pot (which I use most frequently)--it's possible that my last three cups of press pot coffee were the best cups of coffee I've had in my life. I generally prefer my coffee black, and I can't get over how smooth and delicious it is. To date, I've only tried one chemex brew but it was a major crowd pleaser at last weekend's brunch. I'm still very much dialing-in my grind preferences (there are 400+), particularly with the moka pot, where I've had the most inconsistent results (not grind inconsistency--just overall product inconsistency), but I think that is more due to the method and my relative inexperience.

Overall two thumbs up. Going from the blade grinder to a quality burr grinder was, in fact, life changing/saving.

just copped a baratza virtuoso preciso... incredibly excited. will report back with details.

Need some help on sizing samurai 710XX. Right now I'm wearing 32 Warehouse 660s (they're very loose in the waist, but the legs fit pretty well) and a 34 in Samurai Jins (a little loose in the waist). I probably should have sized down to 31s on the 660s (they're the new longer inseam version). What size should I get for the 710s--> 33? 34? Thanks!

^^^It seems reasonable to me that not wearing shoes could reduce injury--after all, I see so many runners with absolutely atrocious mechanics which are entirely enabled by the massive cushioning shoes they're wearing. On the other hand, I don't necessarily buy the argument that running barefoot can make one faster. I also see barefoot runners occasionally, and while their mechanics are noticeably better, they're generally running pretty slowly (this too might influence their improved form now that I think of it).

In other news, I'm back in the saddle again. I fell off badly from running 35 miles per week last summer, to about 10-15 in the fall, and eventually to none by February. I'm working my way back up again though, and have clocked about a month straight of 25+ mile weeks. I always keep a 2 shoe rotation--for a while it was the Brooks Adrenaline and Asics Gel Nimbus. Recently (and going against my entire life history) I've become a believer in Nike. I've been running in Vomeros and Lunar Glides. The Vomero 3s are solid as hell, and have held up, which is the typical knock on Nikes. The Lunar Glides are newer, maybe 75-80 miles on them, but I'm digging them. I like that the forefoot feels roomy without feeling sloppy. We'll see how they stand up.

Keep it moving fellas.

They can be resoled, yeah--these have been resoled once before. I forget who I had do it--it was probably ten years ago now when I had it done and I went through Vasque to do it. This time I'm going to send them to Dave Page in Seattle--he's supposedly the best at this type of stuff. Be careful though, it's always a risk that the boots won't fit the same after resoling, although I've heard that Dave is the best at avoiding this problem. Getting Vibrams on them shouldn't be a big deal--I was planning on getting Vibrams on these when I send them in. Ideally, I'd like to get the original Vibram that was on there back on, but that sole may be long gone. I'll keep you posted.

Lendo, TV Shooter, and Salaami are out of control... Must spread.

Although these are not exactly "high fashion," I snapped a couple of pics of my old Vasque Sundowners after I gave them an Obenauf's treatment last night. These boots have climbed the New England Hundred Highest, several other significant summits, and spent some time trooping through Brooklyn. These are due for their second resole soon--I never really liked the Skywalk sole as much as the Vibram, and the Skywalk has very little grip left. Although these are no longer my go-to boots for the mountain, I still wear them quite frequently out there. After the new resole I may keep wearing them or relegate them to city boot status.

PS--Boots were placed by the radiator for the Obenauf's to sink in--I'm also drying my firewood--looks like a Timberland display, I know...

Down pants is OD though. Unless you are up where the oxygen is thin.

True indeed--down pants is positively herb street for "civilian" use. But for the record, the joints below never leave my winter pack when I'm "out there." Whatchu know about FF, RBW? (something tells me...)

victorinox swisscard lite's on sale on amazon right now for under 20 balls... not a bad stocking stuffer for your favorite post-apocolyptic denim nerd.

Fair enough--good points. Different strokes...

it looks un-natural.

Looks fake. I wouldn't wear that jacket, it doesn't look like anybody actually did any work in that jacket. Just wore it too tight for too long..

I disagree entirely... What looks unnatural about it? I have a FH Type II that is MUCH earlier on in its evolution (1.5 years?) but shows very similar wear patterns. If I'm lucky it will be half as nice as the one posted above.

And why must it looked "worked in"? Denim that looks worked in is typically far less contrasty than "not worked-in" denim; frankly we see very little of it posted on SuFu and I'm glad for that, as it often just doesn't look as nice as denim that is merely "lived in."

Also, how does it look like it's been worn tight? On a Type II, if it were worn tight you'd see some very obvious pulling/blurring at the blousing sections--nothing out of the ordinary here.