Important stuff
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I got to see a rocket launch… sort of!
I was driving in this morning and at 0612hrs while traveling southbound on Hiway 280 I was treated to an incredible sight. They had just launched a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket @0607 from Vandenberg on a Starlink mission. When I first saw it, it kinda startled me. There was scattered fog in the area, so the image created was truley kinda unworldly. Kinda like this except add the dynamic of me being in clear skies looking southwest to this outbound Falcon 9 piercing through scattered, light fog.
I had to keep reminding myself to stay on task and drive! Something told me it was a launch - I have seen launches before. But the image this one provided is one for the books. Definitely a cool way to start the day. 
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I tackled some tasks, learned new things, and had good conversations. It’s always satisfying to reflect on the little wins throughout the day . 
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It’s been a few years, but I suddenly got the itch again to make my own hotsauce again.
Bought a bunch of peppers and filled a jar with a mix of Jalapeno’s, Habanero’s and Carolina reapers.
I’m planning letting the fermentation go for a month or so before making the actual sauce.
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Very nice, keep us updated 
You just filled the jar with vinegar or how exactly are you doing it?
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Just water (unchlorinated) and sea salt (kosher salt is also good, it just can’t have any iodine in it).
Should be abt 3-5% salt per litre of water.
Fermentation should start after about a week or so, and should be ready after 3 weeks. But you can keep going for much longer than that. I’ve seen people letting it ferment for almost 6 months.
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Cool, thanks! 
I got a reminder of this, on a batch on sourdough levain just a few weeks ago. It nearly halved the fermentation rate, and definitely altered the taste.
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Aww, looking stellar! <3
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…
Just tried to make my coffee stronger than my will to work, spoiler: the coffee won.
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Lake Street Dive in Heidelberg 
What a great performing live band 
Standing front and center hearing Rachel sing was absolute bliss 
First concert alone and sober 
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We went and grabbed a 5 Guys cheeseburger (one of my favorites) and then spent the afternoon at the Hiller Aviation Museum. Had a great time. This is a nice collection.
One of the first medivac helicopters
The Nasa AD-1 “Scissor-Wing” experimental oblique-winged aircraft.
The Boeing Condor, the first unmanned reconnaissance drone. It has a 200-foot wingspan
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I was there for both SpaceShipOne flights to win the Ansari X Prize, what some 20 years ago. The organizers saw some of my photos from the first flight and gave me credentials for the 2nd. Very cool adventure.
To add a bonus, I met an ~80s year old guy flying a Burt Ratan designed Long Easy, an early one, while there on a recon trip. I flew up and back with him from Lake Elsinore to Mojave Space Port up and over the San Gabriel Mountains for the 2nd flight test. We ‘just’ made it over on the way back with an overheating cylinder!
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Shot a -4 today and left some on the course.
Let’s Go.
New driver arrives in a couple of weeks.
Good vibes hopefully for this season.
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Took my new bike out for a first ride🤩
Collected the first wild garlic for a Pesto and some coltsfoot as topping
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…
“Not An Audio Review” with Argha
I wasn’t really into Marvel, but somehow I ended up watching all the movies over the years, just in a random order. This year, I decided to dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and give it another shot. Instead of going by the chronological timeline, I thought it would be more intuitive to watch them in the order they were released.
Last week, I wrapped up “The Infinity Saga: Phase One (2008 - 2012).”
This batch of films is just as good as I remember. I first saw Iron Man with my brother when I was 11 back in 2012, and Avengers was the second Blu-ray I ever bought while still in school in 2014. Revisiting them after over a decade has been a pretty cool experience.
Iron Man (May 2, 2008)
- It still feels fresh. The action scenes and the storyline are really well done. I can’t imagine a better film to kick off the MCU. Although, thinking about it, Captain America: The First Avenger could have been a solid choice too, but it would have set a different tone. Watching Iron Man again felt like being a kid. The only downside was the somewhat flat storyline, which reminded me of a rehashed Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. I know Iron Man set the stage for this kind of conflict, but a bit more depth in the screenplay would have been nice.
The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008)
- This one feels less like a superhero flick and more like a piece of cinema. The director’s choices in telling Banner’s story really shine here. It has the depth that I felt was missing in Iron Man, but the action and entertainment factor were a bit lacking. The final fight seemed unnecessary; I would have preferred a more rounded conclusion.
Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010)
- This is where I felt the phase started to lose its momentum. Iron Man 2 feels more like a bridge connecting the first and last parts of the Iron Man story rather than standing on its own. The villain is pretty forgettable, and the plot feels wasted, though it provides a solid source of information in later parts.
Thor (May 6, 2011)
- Honestly, I think Marvel really dropped the ball with this one. It’s pretty dull & bland, kind of like Sabrina Carpenter’s music. There’s no risk-taking, and the entertainment value is just lacking. It’s the same old superhero-villain story, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. And what’s up with those camera angles? Did a film student intern shoot this?
Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011)
- Now, this is a full fledged cinema! The storyline, the subplots, the direction—everything was spot on. I keep coming back to the word “incredible.” For me, it’s easily the best film of Phase One.
Marvel’s The Avengers (May 4, 2012)
- “Avengers” was pretty average, considering the scale. I wouldn’t say it couldn’t hold its own, but the overall vibe wasn’t that strong. The final battle scene was great and definitely one of the highlights of “Phase One,” but I was hoping for more conflict and deeper discussions among the Avengers. Robert Downey Jr., Banner, and Black Widow really stole the spotlight. However, the ending felt like it was penned by an AI. Still, it was a decent film to wrap up Phase One and kick off something new.
In the end, I just want to say that while I had a good time with “Phase One,” it doesn’t quite measure up to the DC films from that time in terms of what makes a great movie. These felt more like comic book adaptations than actual films (except for Iron Man and Captain America). I can’t say I loved Phase One, but it was definitely an enjoyable ride.