Review: Cruisers - a comparison

So now I own two "Cruiser" jackets:

• The Best Made Light Waxed Cruiser
• The Filson Dry Finish Tin Cruiser

A few thoughts:

• They're both warm (but not too warm) coats with a ridiculous number of pockets.
• The Best Made Cruiser is lighter-weight. It has fewer pockets, but the pockets it has have greater capacity.
• The Filson Cruiser is heavier with some kind of weirdly-reinforced sleeves that I'm finding difficult to describe. Neat, but kind of weird.
• Both have a decidedly-loose fit, which works well for layering. I'd say Best Made's sizing is accurate enough. If you generally wear a Large, then you'll probably do fine with their Large. Filson's conversion chart gives "Small/Medium/Large" conversions for folks like me who look at size numbers and blank out.
• Both are reasonably water-resistant. I haven't tested the Best Made Cruiser yet in any kind of heavy rain, but it's been fine in the light rain I've worn it through. The Filson was fine in the freak rainstorm the other day.

Do I have a preference? Not really. Both are pretty awesome. The Filson's extra pockets are offset by the Best Made's pocket capacity. Both suit my style preferences (such as I have any kind of style). I look forward to the weather cooling so I can give them some proper use and love.

So much salt to mine

After a week of unmitigated sloth and gluttony, I am back at work and sad that I am not a one-percenter. I think I was born to be idly slothful and an utter waste space. I would be so awesome at being rich and useless!

Sigh.

I got caught up on season two of "Person of Interest" and have found myself even more hooked on that show. Goddamn those writers are brilliant. That or I'm just easily entertained (I'm easily entertained).

I rode on the bike path of the Bay Bridge over my time off. I have to say, that's a hell of a ride. It was... longer... than I expected. And the grade was more of a struggle than I expected, but I toughed it out.

I guess that means I violated the sloth bit. Sigh. Still, it was totally worth it. If you get the chance, ride your bike or walk that path. It's a hike and it doesn't connect with Treasure Island/Yerba Buena yet, but it's worth checking out.

I actually accomplished a fair amount of housecleaning until I tweaked out my wrist moving some heavy boxes. I got a proper bar set up in my kitchen and have given it more use than is healthy. Next step: learn to make a proper Old Fashioned (my current poison of choice).

A Return to Forbidden Island

Yesterday I returned to Forbidden Island in Alameda for a much-overdue visit.

Damn but they make great cocktails! The drink menu has expanded somewhat to add some new tasty drinks and now they do a punch-card option where if you try every drink from their redesigned menu, you get some kind of deal (a free drink, a free t-shirt, or whatever).

Life is good.

Review: Filson Dry Finish Tin Cruiser

Some time back, I came across a remarkable, impossible-to-pass-up deal and snagged a Filson Dry Finish Tin Cruiser. I'd been looking for a multi-pocket jacket in a non-black color and the Tin Cruiser appealed to me.

It arrived during a heat wave so I briefly tried it on to ensure it fit, then put it away 'till the weather got more agreeable.

The other day, we had a freak rainstorm hit the Bay Area and it was... while not cold, certainly cooler than normal.

I busted out the Tin Cruiser and went out to lunch with a friend. The freak rainstorm then decided to pour on me, letting me test the water-resistant treatment of the coat.

My reactions:

• This is a damn well-constructed coat.
• So. Many. Pockets. Just... pockets with pockets in them. Meta-pockets!
• Quite water resistant.
• Comfortable.
• Warm. This coat will do well when autumn gets chilly and will work well in Bay Area winters with a layer or so.
• Loose. That's nice 'cause I could stand to loose a few pounds...

Worth every penny. Alas, that's a lot of pennies, but you get what you pay for...

Review: Mikeller Bar

So you're in San Francisco, near the Powell Street station. You're suddenly craving lunch and wouldn't mind a nice pint of beer to go with said lunch.

What to do? What to do?

I've a suggestion: Mikeller Bar.

Possessing a constantly-rotating list of delightfully-tasty beers (most of which are local to the Pacific Coast of the U.S.) and a delightfully-tasty menu (I had the merguez sausage... mmm...) it ain't cheap, but it's worth the price.

Bits of Random Friday Babble

Returned to martial arts a couple of weeks ago. I'd forgotten the bruises, the aches, and the weird feeling of satisfaction I get from getting through a class more-or-less intact.

I tweaked my knee somehow. I think I managed to do this bike riding, though I'm pretty sure class didn't help any. Ice packs are a wonderful thing.

Finally got a proper bartending kit. I've now figured out how to make good mai tais. Practice makes perfect and all that.

xkcd calls out the truth of things

This is totally me. Except that my place really is a garbage pit.

Sigh.