Barcelona

The SO and I stayed a week in Barcelona, and overall it helped me realize that one, I really do want to return and two, we're going to do it right next time.

1. Stay at the Mandarin Oriental if you know what's good for you. Especially if you're american and you expect, well, larger than pint sized rooms. The Majestic is cheaper and has a better location for shopping (it's right above Chanel, and it's pretty much the block that the high end stuff really starts on.), but the rooms are tiny. Ridiculously tiny. I kept figuring out ways to keep us out of the hotel until we were too tired. This became a problem later on.

2. Bad oysters = horrible food poisoning. I've never gotten sick off of oysters before, and it was a restaurant that the concierge had recommended, and I love oysters, so I had to order them! Yay to us being sick to our stomachs and wasting 2 days of our vacation in the hotel room that we hated. We then found out that, to our dismay the Mandarin was pretty much fully booked because of a conference going on at the time. The restaurant that got us sick was Neyras. Their salt crusted sea bass is an amazing presentation, though.

3. Go to Via Veneto and order their "mosaic" appetizer--it's asparagus, black truffles and foie gras. It's amazing. The whole duck is an amazing presentation as well and the veggies they use for garnish are amazing. As someone who hates veggies (wanted to toss the entire "into the vegetable garden course at Manresa" outside for bunnies to eat), I was caught stealing some off the SO's plate. The French Laundry's garden has nothing on them. And the oranges, the 17 euro orange supremes. The most overpriced oranges ever, surely, but also the most delicious.

4. Eat at Tapas 24 for breakfast and lunch. At breakfast, order churros and scrambled eggs with foie gras and for lunch, I really loved their steak tartare, mcfoie burger (order several), lamb skewers (not spicy at all, ignore what the menu said), and croquettes.

5. All the boutiques are tiny. The stock is pretty crappy, but you can save a bit of money on buying european brands over there as you get VAT back (if you're not from the EU). I found that Burberry would be around the same, not worth the hassle--just buy when you're in the US and you don't have to worry about packing boxes and such.

6. Spain's banking crisis means that the demand for luxury goods has fallen. Couple that with the fact that Panerai isn't as popular over there, and you get an amazing array of hard to find watches with a discount. The SO picked up a PAM 029, but they also had a PAM 315 and 341.

Personalizing Home

The SO and I took a little bit out of our weekend to frame and hang some photos--it really warms up the place and makes it look like someone actually lives here. In one hallway we have a 30" print I made of a CCX, CCGT and CCXR that I got custom framed (strange impulse buy... you receive it weeks later and don't know what to do with it and it sits on a floor for years). In the entrance to a hallway that leads to our bedroom hangs a letter from one of the SO's grandparents and in a nook/mini-den/weird cut out that houses the computer/various corners the dog likes to snuggle in we have five photos--the Niz, a stock certificate of the first company the SO helped take public and a menu from Manresa--our first Valentines day together. In the adjacent wall sits two frames with memories of the AMG Driving Academy event we attended.

I Just Don't Understand Some People...

Yesterday, the SO and I were at Shreve & Co in SF and headed straight to the Panerai counter as we do in nearly any watch store (slightly dangerous--they make great impromptu purchases). There was a kind SA ready to help us, and another one right next to us. The SA helping us somehow caught a glimpse of the SO's watch tucked under his dress shirt and handed us the huge 2010 catalogue and pulled out watches we were interested in looking at (as well as showing us what they had in the bottom drawer).

Suddenly, another customer marched in straight to the SA who was currently helping us at the Panerai counter, pointed at a watch and gruffly demanded to know the watch. She kindly responded with the MSRP, and as the other SA who was near us started walking over, he demanded to look at the watch. She told him that since she was already helping us, the SA who was a good three feet away from the rude customer at this point would assist him. He said he didn't want to wait and stormed out.

It really doesn't take long for a tall man to cross the length of a yardstick. A couple of more seconds, tops. It's nothing compared to how long it actually takes to purchase the watch. You don't just hand over your payment info and leave with the watch on your wrist. They have to fetch the presentation box and fill out paperwork for your warranty. If you're a serious customer, you probably already know that. Please don't waste other's time if you're just going to go into a store and stir up trouble.


On a side note--have a PAM 292? Hate the scratchy buckle? Noticed the fact that your watch box comes with zero tools? The SO was really irritated by the scratchy buckle and was contemplating getting rid of the watch just for that. The deployment buckle from my watch didn't fit on his strap (caution, don't drop the tiny screw on thick carpet). On Saturday, we were in Carmel and stopped by Chatel and Hugues was able to quickly replace the leather strap/scratchy buckle combination with a beautiful 27/22 black alligator with off white contrast stitching strap and the Radiomir deployment buckle. There's also a choice of the Luminor deployment buckle as well as various other straps (pink!) and tongue buckles.  He even spent quite a bit of time explaining to the SO and I the ceramic-plastic stuff-screw contraption in the 292 and answered all of our various questions about the watches in general--being a watchmaker, he really knew his stuff well. Oh, and we also got a little goody bag of dog treats for Niz, who luckily didn't walk out with any watches of his own.

Tesla - Menlo Park

The SO has taken quite an interest in the Tesla Model S. And it is quite an attractive option--roomy luxury saloon car with reasonable acceleration, at a reasonable price point. Furthermore, you can recharge your car at your convenience at any available 110 or 220 volt outlet for really, really cheap (the salesman said a full recharge on the Tesla Roadster is only a couple dollars), and your maintenance costs wold be ridiculously low--there's only one moving part in the watermelon sized engine. Yes, the battery will be at about 70% of it's original capacity after 10 years or 100k miles or so, but why keep the car that long anyways? And even if you do keep it, you could just buy a new battery and give the car a new lease on life (for a rather steep price, though). It's basically the perfect daily driver. Naturally, he signed up to receive updates on the Model S.

Several days later, he started receiving frequent calls and emails from our local Tesla dealership about coming in to test drive the Roadster. We weren't interested, but the SO's boss was, and to Menlo Park we went last Sunday.

The SO immediately let it be known that he had no interest in owning the Tesla Roadster, and was met with attractive deals and options for purchasing a new or showroom model Roadster. I guess sales people really don't ever take "no" for an answer. We walked around the showroom, and asked a battery of questions, all cordially answered to the best of the salesperson's ability. I did find something odd and uncomfortable in the service, though--the boys' questions were met with eager and quick responses, but mine were met with funny looks and more questions. I asked a question about the brake calipers and was met with, "Are you a racing driver?" No, I just want to know why there are AP Racing fronts and Brembo rears. (He then responded by saying it was a one off occurrence where the customer had changed it--but that doesn't explain why every car in the showroom had that setup....) I asked about the weight distribution-- "Are you an engineer?" No.

After that, the guys drove the car off the lot for 45 mins or so, then the SO came back to go for a drive with me in the car.

The Tesla Roadster, to me, was more of a novelty item than something that really served a purpose.  Maybe it's sole purpose was to accelerate wildly to 100mph, and that's it. No slowing down, no turning anywhere, no excessive acceleration tickets once you're on the highway. Maybe it's for those who can drop a 911 on something purely for that acceleration. But I'd rather have a 911 back in the garage again over the Tesla Roadster any day. The problem with the Roadster in my opinion is that it's kind of like a crème brûlée. It's got this hard, sporty shell, but when you crack it open to see what it's really all about, it's all kind of soft and flobbery. As I noted before, the acceleration is out of this world fun. But at 100 mph or so, not only does the power seem to wither away, the car feels kind of like it's lifting, and feels very floaty. It doesn't exactly instill confidence upon the driver through mid-high speed turns. And through the turns, you have another problem to deal with--it's rather understeery. And then, when you want to come to a stop, the worst part hits you--the brakes are crap. Unless you mash on the brakes (forget about delicate feathering) (and even if you mash down), they're not terribly effective. Maybe we're just used to super grippy brakes, but in the Roadster, it felt like we were sliding to a stop--there's an uncontrollable slipping and gliding, like the car was simply too heavy for the puny brakes. It was kind of like ultra cold CCBs. No idea, but it wasn't comfortable. Oh, and the digital readout for the speedometer is down, in the center console, near all the gear change buttons and stuff. I hope the driver isn't looking there--but if your torso is extra tall (like the SO), you'll have another problem as your vision will be somewhat obstructed by a horizontal line--the top of the windshield, and so you won't be able to read the speedometer on the dash either.

The Tesla Roadster just doesn't handle and brake well enough to be a sports car in my book--it's more of a silent muscle car. It goes like hell in a straight line, but don't expect anything else. Also, if you're not listening to anything, all you hear are the fans running. Much less sexy than hearing the resonating growl of an exhaust note eating up your revs.

The Tesla Roadster has potential as their first real car, but I think the Model S will be so much better because I'll be expecting so much less.

The Joys Of An SUV

We no longer look right behind us, and see this:

Also, no longer does aforementioned Doberman pup crawl forward until he's sitting on top of the shift knob. Going down 19th Ave without the luxury of shifting is.... interesting. Learn from our mistakes; the 996 is not a car that appreciates being started from a stop in fifth gear. It'll go, but it's going to sound like it's about to die. And everyone will stare, go "aha!, he's stalling his car", and then look confused as you lug on, business as usual.

We don't get angry stares from the old people in front of Stacks in the morning. 996 + Tubi mufflers + cold mornings + even staying under 2k = dirty looks. We found ourselves apologizing every Saturday and Sunday morning as we took the dog to Fort Funston. I don't know what kind of looks our neighbor got--his exhaust was quiet and stock, but his idea of starting from a stop was to rev to 4k and grind the gear slowly in, and then continue to ride the clutch. (The neighbor's transmission eventually crapped out on him, while we were on a NYE trip together in Napa. We thought he was joking/being lazy/being drunk when he called us for help getting to the destination. Apparently not.)

The best part: nobody tries to race the XC60. Long gone are the days where we'll be trotting innocently through traffic, staying in one lane, going the same speed as the car in front of us, when a Golf will catch sight of us, honk several times, then maze-travel his way slowly through traffic and then flash his hazards triumphantly at us. Young Asian kids in e46 m3's were very pull-right-up-next-to-us-and-rev happy. I think a lot of people don't grasp the difference between a sports car and a sporty car--Acura TL-S drivers had an odd fascination with us that we never understood. Thankfully, if we did want to get away, the car had great fourth gear, mid range torque. It's about the curve, more than the peak numbers. And honestly, out of all the fabulous cars in the Bay Area, why pick an old Porsche? There are so many cooler cars to the ricer's disposal here.

Four Races To Go

And, I don't want Alonso to win. He's a fantastic driver, Ferrari has made a fabulous recovery, and he certainly has proven before, twice, that he has what it takes to be world champion, but I kind of really don't like him. I'm really hoping for a Red Bull win this year, and Kovalainen really does deserve to add "fire-extinguishing" to his list of skills on his resume. On a side note, the Singapore race is taking forever for me to download--I wonder if there's an option where I can pay a nominal fee to the BBC and watch the quali/races/forum on their iPlayer online?

The Best Advice I Can Give on Foundation is No Foundation

I used to be a foundation addict. I've crossed paths with Chanel's Pro Lumeire, various things from Dior throughout highschool, Giorgio Armani's raved about and lusted after Luminous Silk Foundation, Shu Uemura's liquid, powder and stick foundations, and even Chantecaille's Future Skin. Every time, I was met with the same struggle--my skin never looked good enough under, and the redness, the irritation, the flakes--they peeked through when the foundation started slipping away in the oily mess my skin was.

A few months ago, I decided--out of laziness more than anything, to forgo foundation, powder, and blush altogether. At first, it was pretty ugly. I persisted--a facial helped, and so did a humid week in Cabo. Good skincare prevailed in the end and now I rarely break out, I don't see any redness on my skin, and initially, out of the shower, yes, I can see my pores quite clearly. But after 30 minutes or so, my skin looks even toned and the pores look smaller; my skin looks better than what any foundation could have ever created. It's not HD ready, nor is it movie star perfect, but it's what I've been looking for all along. Something I could wear every day, looking natural, glowy and not red/irritated/flaking/oily. I don't see the point of putting on foundation just because it photographs better--I'm going to spend more time being seen in person than I will being photographed. I'm not famous, and thus, I freed myself from the burdens of the famous.

What I rely on is good, effective yet not harsh, exfoliation and good hydration. Nourish your skin, and it'll show.