Phil D. Gap's Companion, Tess D. High

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Walter Deemer coined the term “Phil D. Gap,” and I would like to be credited with coining Phil’s companion, "Tess D. High.” Understanding both the ideas that these funny names represent is important if you’re serious about trading.

… to be continued

My Zippo Collection -- Sunburst

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I recently mentioned that I had acquired another deeply engraved Zippo (non-Armor) from the early 2000s that reminded me of my “Sunburst” Zippo (model 20378?), which is pictured below. It is date-stamped A 03 (January 2003).

I’m really interested in the handful of Zippos that were deeply engraved prior to the release of the Armor series. If you are an expert on Zippo history or know anyone who is, I’d love to hear from you! Here are the two pictured together.

Movies Watched -- Blood Diamond (2006)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

143 minute running time … a full HOUR too long, this was at once too complicated and too facile, too unrealistic, too violent, too political, too preachy … Leo’s accent was ridiculous … I watched 20 minutes and then went to 8x ffwd which wasn’t nearly fast enough … this is a movie that I would have walked out of if I still went to movies in the theater (which I haven’t done for at least 20 years)… as Stephanie Zacharek wrote, “… should Zwick really be using a glorified action movie to scold us?“

Jennifer Connelly patented head cock pose

Give Away Your Love

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Brandi Carlile with Most of All … she didn’t grow up in Beverly Hills like Bonnie Raitt did … I dig it:

Latest Additions to Zippo Collection

Added on by C. Maoxian.

As my dozen loyal readers know, I am a fan of Zippo lighters, specifically Zippo “Armor” lighters which have a thicker case (1.5x) and a more substantial feel with the added weight. I don’t like Zippos that have an emblem glued on them or any printed designs; I only like the ones with a deep carved case which the thicker Armor case is especially good for, though it is possible to find non-Armor deeply engraved cases such as the middle two below.

These are recent additions to my collection:

This Zippo Armor is date-stamped J 04 (October 2004) and has a dragonfly engraving with the head of the dragonfly represented by a green Swarovski crystal inlay. I’ve never seen this Zippo Armor before, so it may be a very early prototype that had a limited production run, but that’s just a guess.

This is Model 20445 “Turquoise Bear Claw,” date-stamped L 02 (November 2002) … this is not a Zippo Armor, but the case itself is engraved and has a turquoise stone inlay, which I like … this is a .925+ Heavy Silver Plate (electroplated with 99.9% pure silver), which means that whoever had it before me scratched the hell out of it through fierce polishing, but that’s OK, it’s still a beauty. Also the descriptive term “bear claw” is one that we use in my short selling circle.

Date-stamped C 02 (March 2002) .. this is also not an Armor but it is deeply engraved and has a brass finish … I have another called “Sunburst,” which was offered in the 2003 Choice catalog in Europe (?) and is very similar to this though it has a circular design. I’ll post a picture of it separately.

This is an Armor, date-stamped C 04 (March 2004), which I’ve never seen before… again like the dragonfly above I suspect this was some kind of prototype design … it gives me a real Keith Haring vibe that I love … this one is a real treasure.

Movies Watched -- Tangerines (2015)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

In Russian. 87 minute running time … sort of a contrived story where a Chechen mercenary and Georgian soldier are injured and then nursed back to health in an old Estonian guy’s house in Abkhazia … it’s not terrible, it’s just sort of unrealistic and preachy. Farr wasn’t annoyed by this “pointed allegory,“ but I say give it a miss.

I’m sorry, Ivo