“All skill is in vain when an angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket”

[[ChatGPT, generate post in the style of @ramairthree]]

Watches
Books
Dogs
(though I did swap a fire for your pool )

Also, more and more, I am becoming the convinced many of the best things in life are analog.

Recently picked up the same Squale. Turning out to be a great buy, very pleased with it.

Received this in a trade. Nomos Club Datum. It's the larger size (40.5?). So far quite happy with it. I put it in a NATO (Crown and Buckle).

How do you like that book? I have it on a wishlist but haven’t pulled the trigger as I’ve got a queue going.

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CW Trident 300 w/ tropic strap and a Mal

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New watch day! Citizen Promaster automatic NY0085-86

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Using the gmt as intended

In on page 380!

Camping tool Railmaster

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Why don’t the Apple geeks change the iPhone with 24-7 time on display…without turning the freaking thing on?

Ok.
That’s funny.  I am pretty predictable.

How close can AI come?



It’s, well, pretty optimized and off.  It’s better looking, better shape, cooler, etc.

50


51



52


53


But…
The past three years have held an injury, a surgery, another injury, physical therapy, another injury-
And 25-30 pounds out of shape since then.

But the walls of guns, cars, watches, and dogs are real plus the same wife for decades and grown kids doing good…
And I’m going to have to pass on the AI better, but not real version




















So…
Reality it is.

I’d say you’re doing pretty damn good Ram and to hell with AI.

Hell, we’re all doing the best we can with whatever we’ve got left in the tank.

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On the booth at church.

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I tell you what, I would trade the possessions / money of 47 to 87 or whatever for 40 years of being in the body from say 17 to 47 in a heartbeat.

My wife might not like a dinky apartment and using a laundromat, I’d only have one dog, but it was a damn good dog, I’d have like one SP1 CAR-15, one Beretta 92, and a Mossberg 500,
And either an ‘85 Z28 or ‘89 Toyota V6 4x4, I’d have one Seiko diver, a few dozen books,
But us having that youth would be worth trading in all the comforts even if it there was ten times as much to trade.

@ramairthree - we’ve done all right brother! I have a few extra pounds on me too. My oldest is home for a month and I am going to PT with him some as he gets ready for Advanced Camp. I will just try not to hold him back at this point! Good chance for me to get back at it a little. More coaching than anything really hard. I hit 52 this year and can relate. Knees and back especially. No more heavy squats or PLFs.

Helping the boy move home today - mission appropriate watch!


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Those were great days! I think your small gun collection back then was the most bad ass I had ever seen in person. Back then a civilian AR was a real rarity. I think I had only seen one other - an Olympic Arms CAR-15 clone a buddy of my dad had.
Besides Basic I’d never otherwise handled an AR. 1991 hell yeah 👍 It was truly a magical time.

That’s awesome!
Congrats.

I am linking up this week with a guy I was in Ranger Bat with in the 80s.  He’d already been there from like 82-86 when I got there and his youngest is heading off to OBC this summer. My youngest is almost done with college but neither she nor the older ones have done .mil.  Another buddy at his retirement had one son West Point grad there that was currently a captain in regiment and his other was a naval academy grad and SEAL LT.  I think it’s pretty cool you guys had kids that followed.  I never pushed it, but it would have been pretty cool if they had gone that route.

At 52 I still felt like I was cheating and somehow dodging aging.  The last 4 years have made up for it.  And the older guys say shit like-
“Ahhh, that’s nothing.  You guys think you’re getting old over a little body work, paint, tires, and suspension stuff.  Or a cracked windshield or clouded up light covers  and bad speakers you don’t hear or see as good. Plenty of miles to go.”

“Yeah- He said it.  You’re just talking about cosmetics and replaceable stuff like brake pads, shocks, and struts.   Just wait until shit starts happening like your engine throws a rod, you crack a block, or the transmission is shot.  Hell. I already got a new starter, alternator, and wiring harness.  It’s called a pacemaker.  Ha.ha.ha.  That’s getting old.”

“Damn straight.  You were just being born when they made these cars, or a little kid.  Hell, or not even born yet.  They were old 15 or 20 years later when you got your first one in High School.  We were buying them when they were brand new.  They took a vein from my leg and cut open my chest and made three new arteries for my heart last year.”

And then they all start talking about the guys that got cancer, died, etc. since the last car show.

And I’m thinking-
Jesus Christ-
I’m never coming to another car show.  These bastards like show up here with their cars then look for anyone younger than them and a minute into talking about cars shift into telling you how much the next thirty years of your life are going to suck !
I started having old cars again and going to a car show once or twice a year, or once every other year like 20 years ago.  When did it get like this?  It didn’t used to be like this!


And sort of realize when I went to a car show 20 years ago, these same guys were my age.

This watch is so comfy to wear.

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Received a package in the mail today from IWC.  ?????

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It’s a hot/cold beverage thermos thingie. . .  That was really nice of them:

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haters gonna hate. its actually a great looking watch

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Sub date, just picked it up today, as a retirement gift to myself, from the Army

Looks great and congrats! It takes a while to adjust, but life is sweet on the “outside” !

Congrats on your retirement.  That is a great looking watch.  

Best Regards

Congratulations!!!

Got a budget watch they sure do make nice looking pieces.

Congrats! Wearing mine today…as usual.

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Love it. I already want another one. Maybe the full lume face....that one would accommodate just about every strap color you could imagine. I mean, for the price, I wouldn't mind having a couple. I also like the Pepsi version. But after much contemplation, I knew the red and black was going to be my first choice.

Wearing Hamilton today

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Congrats!

There is only one bad thing I can say about a date Sub.


Army guys could buy one like 55 years ago towards the START of their Army career for like 1600 bucks in todays dollars.
Or 35 years ago in the middle for like 5K in today’s dollars.
Or 25 years ago for like 7K in today’s dollars.
And you could just walk in and find one.

I wish the pricing and ease / available stock was like it used to be for people.

Too true. I remember thinking in '94-95 time frame that dudes were nuts to spend $2k on a watch, but the C-Store at USMA had no-dates for that price and for years the PX carried them. Of course, I just rocked a Seiko diver like most aspiring commandos on a budget. I did have one prior service classmate buy one that year, he was an 82nd guy and it was a big deal for him. Still, I remember thinking he was nuts!. Joke is on me now.
Fast forward 30 years and man, I wish I had bought that Sub!
Got a new Sub when I retired as well, but damn if it just didn't have the same charm as the 5 digit that I really wanted. So I flipped it an got an 124270 Exp I and a glint Black Bay 58.
Tudor has done a great job of filling the gap left by Rolex as they've shifted to a luxury market. The BB58 and Pelagos 39s are closest thing you can get to a new 5-digit Sub these days, albeit the BB58 is a little dressier and the P39 is more tool watch pure.
Now I know @ramairthree will cringe about the Tudor hands, but I do love them for their simplicity and the Tudor military tool watch history. Back in the day I actually had a SKX173 modified for "snowflake hands" - a poor mans Tudor Sub. Wish I still had that one.
Sometimes I do find myself looking at late year 16610s. Especially the 2008-10 vintage. The last of the 5-digit Sub dates. So when are the prices on those coming down to reasonable again?
Probably never!

Well this Nato came today, so I had to change from the Hamilton to the Citizen. I think it works great. @Amos_Moses

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That looks terrific!