[NorthernSRX]

All these threads on pano roof drain tube blocking makes me so grateful I ordered my CTS from the factory without the pano roof. I admit that I'm not much of a sunroof guy but on the CTS I had to go without the sunroof for the headroom. I had a rental CTS once that had a sunroof and every speedbump or pothole and my head would slam into the ceiling of the car. And I'm only 6'2". I do sit rather upright and am long in the torso.

I couldn't fit into a Merc C class of that era (10 years ago) for the same reason. The difference was that MB couldn't be factory ordered without the sunroof.

 

[NorthernSRX]

Not even thinking of putting out the patio furniture yet. Pool cover still on. etc etc. I see the forecast warming up to tolerable in about two weeks so I still have lots of time to get motivated. At least putting the stuff out in the Spring is so much happier than putting it away in the fall.

 

[NorthernSRX]

Opened the pool and pulled out the patio furniture over this weekend. Just finished my first swim of the year. Pool is up to a "refreshing" 74F but still felt amazing. Having a backyard pool is going to make this social distancing so much more bearable over the summer. Family rewarded my efforts with a bottle of Glenmorangie. Life is fantastic!

Here's an older pic of the back 40 but it is still representative of the spread I have to maintain up here:

 

[NorthernSRX]

My first whiskey was Bushmills, first Scotch was Glenlivet, first bourbon was Maker's Mark.

 

[NorthernSRX]

I had passed up on a bottle of Pikesville Straight Rye the other day. Did I make a mistake?

 

[NorthernSRX]

I like a bit of Rye in an old fashioned.

That's just it. Pikesville is supposed to be enjoyed straight. Neat even. Scared me off - never had a rye that I enjoyed straight.

 

[NorthernSRX]

I'm thinking that this 8 y.o. over ice would be a nice way to be greeted home tonight...

 

[NorthernSRX]

The Longbranch is a decent bourbon. I would put it in the league of L&G Woodford Reserve but with more interest. Yes, it's pricey for an 86 proof whiskey but it's a very refined, smooth bourbon that I would put on par with some entry level single malt scotches - which puts it just about at the right price.

And, Long is right - this has been a cold spring here in Ottawa (capital of Canada for those of you unfamiliar with anything north of the 49th) but this Longbranch over a single cube is a welcome treat. 🥃

 

[NorthernSRX]

Thinking I might have this one. He was watching an action film called "Polar" (as Long suggests) while doing a run indoors on a treadmill (aka "the run"). His measure for the intensity of the film is exemplified by the addition of 0.5 mph (0.8 kph up here) on his treadmill speed settings. That's a minor increase, to be honest, so I suspect that said film really wasn't that intense. He confirms that (I believe) by condemning the casting of the hitmen as being the same bunch of inaccurate shots that you see in all these low budget action films.

Or he was watching Polar Express sitting on the can after gorging on bean burritos and isn't a Tom Hanks fan. Not 100% sure. Could go either way.

 

[NorthernSRX]

Nice choices of whiskies!

I used to be an "Islay only" single malt type - until I discovered the joys of subtle flavours that were outside the peat-to-charcoal continuum. Now, tones of carmel, vanilla, licorice, etc. get and sustain my attention way more often. I still won't say no if somebody's offering a Lagavulin.

To be clear, nobody's offering, right??

 

[NorthernSRX]

That's because they're on the East and West coasts simultaneously.

(FYI: There are shadows in the pic.)

Bicoastal, in other words...

 

[NorthernSRX]

I dated a girl who was...uh, nevermind. Wrong term.

curious?

 

[NorthernSRX]

Those supercharged 3.8's were amazing. Swapping in a 3.5" pulley on the supercharger and CAI was a super-cheap performance enhancement. I had an '00 Bonneville SLE (my first non-import vehicle ever) and LUSTED for the SSEI. I came oh so close to buying one of the last GXP's but they were super not available in Canada. Instead, I bought my first Cadillac - our 2004 SRX N* which we kept until we bought the '08 V6. Still miss the Bonnie.

 

[NorthernSRX]

How's Buffalo Trace for sipping neat?

 

[NorthernSRX]

Anybody have these in their garage, shop, barn, basement, etc?
It's getting difficult for me to see things in my garage, so I was perusing Amazon this morning trying to help Bezos get to his goal of first trillionaire faster and found these.
I am still going to need a dedicated undershelf task light for reading things like socket sizes and dialing in torque wrenches, but I thought these would be a nice overall upgrade. I'm currently running 4 overhead compact fluorescent type bulbs.

I went with this model (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07L5FXVVQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and, yes, has made a HUGE difference. My next acquisition is going to be one of those underhood worklight bars...

 

[NorthernSRX]

Bezos sends me personal e-mails when a month goes by without an order from me.

We're tight.

 

[NorthernSRX]

Yeah, I think that may be the same unit. How tall is your ceiling?

11' give or take. I have two of those lights covering the parking garage area. I have a separate workbench area illuminated by two of these: DiCUNO 4 in 1 E26/E27 Socket Adapter, 4 Way Splitter E26/E27 Standard LED Bulbs Holder, Converter Chandelier Socket with 360 Degrees Adjustable 180 Degree Bending, Max Wattage 240W, Lighting Accessories - Amazon Canada. So, I have 8 A19s chewing 9w each illuminating that area which is roughly 8' w by 26' d (and 11' h). They do a very decent job but I need a better tasklight for that area.

Since I am a Makita guy, I use this unit a lot: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01KUSDXX2/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It's great for tight places (suspension work, under-car leak detection, etc.). Since my cordless impact wrench is always with me when I work and it uses 5ah batteries, I have plenty of rechargeable light readily at hand.

 

[NorthernSRX]

I have a bottle of 1792 Small Batch that I didn't like when I first tried it. Might go nice over ice though as I grill what is to be grilled for dinner tonight.

If you drive a CTS, must you also drink whiskey and bourbon? What about the CT5 - is that for the martini crowd?

 

[NorthernSRX]

There is a downside to too much lighting in the garage. Today, I found my "collection" of Rockauto fridge magnets. Any use for these that I haven't yet discovered?

 

[NorthernSRX]

The 1792 SB seemed to be better the second time around. It is decent bourbon but nothing particularly special or interesting. It's one of those spirits that is barely good enough to drink neat and a little too good to mix. Last night, I added three drops of distilled water to a 1 1/2 oz drink and poured it over nicely chilled stones and I liked the result - its flavour seemed more "full". It's still not my favourite (by far) but it was quite decent.