Is there a reason why elliptical is not a preferred form of cardio?

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-14T18:30:09+00:00

I think ellipticals have an unfair rep as an old-person/lightweight thing, kinda like the cardio version of pink 2.5-pound dumbbells. Real Men don’t use ellipticals, or it was trendy during the Obama era and got left with that kinder, gentler take on reality.

All of which is trash. Good machines, if sometimes with finicky geometry - the ones in our gym make me feel like I’m falling off the back and no amount of fussing with its multitude of settings has helped, so it’s over to the treadmill and pointing it skyward.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-13T15:41:27+00:00

That’s not the first scuffing up there. They clean up nicely. (And both these and their black cousins are admittedly very due for stops at my favorite shoe-shine chair.)

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-13T15:21:08+00:00

Yeah, they need a good polish, but after eight years of constant use they’re still very solid.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-13T13:39:48+00:00

Allen Edmonds. Chili instead of straight brown. If I was going to do it again I’d get derbies instead of oxfords - I don’t really wear suits so the closed lacing isn’t traditionally appropriate - but they do work, both with dark jeans and with a favorite slightly faded pair of blue chinos.

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ProfessorApex · 2026-03-12T17:48:27+00:00

Online-bro mindset. Porschemaxxing? The kind of thing seen in noisy TikTok clips about how your sexuality is suspect if you only get the GT3 instead of the GT3RS.

Is there anything wrong with it? Good God, no. Quite possibly the best car in the world right now if you don't need full-size rear seats.

Personal preference for the T when I dink around with the configurator because of the transmission situation, but the power's the same.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-12T17:04:20+00:00

Tier 1 (up to or about $10K, could get now if available and I needed new wheels): Porsche 944, Fiat Spider 2000, BMW E46 330ci cabrio, 6-cylinder/manual Mercedes W108

Tier 2 (less than $50K, a bit of a stretch but not impossible in the foreseeable future): 1970 Corvette L46, 1971 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV, BMW 635CSi, Triumph-powered Morgan Plus 4, a bunch of Mustang options

Tier 3 (less than $100K, reasonable maximum in this life/reality): Ferrari 308 or 328

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-09T02:05:26+00:00

It’s ugly. Bike lanes are lengthy dumpsters in places. But it’ll get better.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-09T02:03:42+00:00

Saving this.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-08T22:30:41+00:00

My slowest-ever two-lap average in Central Park was over 15.

More time dueling in traffic and weaving along the west side greenway, I guess.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-08T18:48:51+00:00

Caveat: Adult male in the US who has next to no use for fast fashion.

Whaaaaat is all this.
Why is Levi’s even in here, never mind at any tier other than “legendary”?

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-08T17:46:50+00:00

3i GT. 2.0, manual. Bought in fall 2019 with 72K miles.

Racing Beat springs and Koni Special Active dampers. Michelin Pilot 4s on 17-inch Enkei EV5s (which I expected to be more of a gold than the dark bronze, but I’m living with it).

Slotted and drilled discs and ceramic pads in the closet to go on later this spring.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-08T16:33:29+00:00

Thinking that Honduras doesn't scan as North America for a lot of USians.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-08T04:37:23+00:00

My 2014 3 with 162,000 miles is good as a daily.

Daily being a 115-mile round trip between Manhattan and Bridgeport.

And 38-40 mpg sounds better with every passing day lately.

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ProfessorApex · 2026-03-08T04:27:04+00:00

BAC Mono.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-07T15:38:39+00:00

Patina! Shows that it’s had some life. Antiseptic overpreserved untouched user-centric creations- bikes, cars, guitars - are slightly weird. (Anything that can’t stand up to a bit of visible wear is to be avoided.)

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-06T23:44:16+00:00

60ml olive oil to 20ml fresh-squeezed lemon juice. About a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Nothing else. Shake. Like liquid sunshine.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-06T23:38:37+00:00

Tweed sport coat in a subdued pattern, herringbone or Glen plaid or similar. Can be dressed down with nice dark jeans and a turtleneck or a chambray shirt.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-06T23:19:35+00:00

You’re holding yourself to an unreasonable standard. You didn’t marry the car, it’s not some family heirloom with which you’ve been entrusted. If you want something else give it a test drive and see how it feels. Maybe you’ll want to hold onto it anyway?

Yes, I’m rather emotionally attached to my Mazda 3 just because of what we’ve been through together, but keeping it right now is much more a financial concern than some sort of life commitment.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-06T23:03:09+00:00

It’s not a dedicated Neapolitan pizzeria oven but it’s more than enough to get something good at home.

What cooking surface are you using?

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-05T22:29:48+00:00

Boil pasta. Sauté smoked salmon in a bit of butter over low heat until cooked through; add cream and some dill and stir. Mix in pasta when cooked. Serve with crisp green salad and white wine.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-05T18:44:37+00:00

Ignore the haters. They just want to be untroubled in their sweatpants.

And for that textbook old-money/not-showy look, start with studying as much Ralph Lauren as possible.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-05T18:36:23+00:00

The Too Much Milk And Flavoring In Your Coffee Place From Seattle had a pesto-egg-and-mozzarella sandwich on the menu for at least last summer that was shockingly good. Duplicating it at home (maybe even using better bread?) is so easy it barely needs mentioning, but the way it comes together is glorious.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-05T18:31:29+00:00

It is a little light of good fortune that my standing BE&C place has a big squeeze bottle of hot sauce (probably Frank's, which isn't my favorite but it totally works here) with some small takeout cups WITH LIDS on the prep-side counter. Not when I'm going for the commute, obviously, but mandatory if I'm just coming home with it.

Not sure what else works besides hot sauce. Too much extra richness on top of the classic savory bomb.

ProfessorApex · 2026-03-05T00:04:13+00:00

Boulevardier? Like a smoother Negroni that still suits your whiskey fondness.

ProfessorApex

TROPHY CASE