Tuesday, July 29, 2014

UCLA Floods: Los Angeles Flood Hits University -- Burst Water Main Close...

Ford Focus

Ford Focus 2 Re-Style 2008 Euro, 1.6l MT.


Side view - a good view in my opinion. Also, a 3 door! - a three-door hatch. The door is massive. And 3 door is no more either.


A 3/4 view from above, also good.


Tail lamps almost on the roof... which is a good thing if you drive like me, i.e. reversing occasionally into fences or someone catches up with you at an intersection -- they stay intact, even if the bumper + rear door don't. 



Front. Sometimes it seems not to be the best part.




Accoutrements. 

Essentially a base version but with separately ordered: a Sony radio CD player with a 6CD changer and 6 speakers, a winter package - heated front and rear windows, heated rear view mirrors, heated seats as well and a 220V electrical outlet on back of central armrest (never used it).


Vostok 2433 Open Heart

A Vostok 2433 watch - open heart - a 2433 automatic movement.




The open heart is at 12 o'clock.


The back.



The movement.




This must be the cal. 2433 like the one below...

But the bridge is still stamped 2416 B.



With the back removed, you can clearly see the "hole in the heart".




In fact, this watch needs a display caseback... then you could see right through it.


Question of the price: about $60 on Vostok's website [in Russian].

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

BBC News - When time stood still

From the BBC website (link below)

BBC News - When time stood still

The story of the watch that survived Hiroshima.

***

Restaurant Zhiguli

My restaurants...

...late lunch at 17:00 in Restaurant-Bar Zhiguli on Novy Arbat, Moscow, last Wednesday, July 16. It used to be the whole building but now it is just a rather small area almost in the basement. 


Okroshka, a salad with carrot, cheese and sauce, no idea what it is called, and a glass of tea. Okroshka is a kind of cold soup, this one made with kvass.


Okroshka was cold, as I said, which is good on a hot day, it was +32 Celsius, 6/10.

I liked the salad even better, 7/10.

Tea with a teabag. Actually they drink beer there but I didn't take any for some reason.

Price, about RUB 250.



A view out the window. Two early Ladas - VAZ-2101 in front.


In fact, I have a pretty good idea they are owned by the restaurant and are there on purpose -- these cars were branded domestically as the Zhiguli same as the name of the restaurant.


This restaurant is a Soviet nostalgia themed restaurant.


Other guests?


No, it is a kind of photo partition behind which is entry to the restrooms. I know who they are. Do you?


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Monday, July 21, 2014

Moscow, July 21, 2014

Weather: Sunny, about +30 Celsius

A nice walk today - park, ponds and some ducks in the north of Moscow.

Pond/s. 



Park.


Ducks.





Monday, July 14, 2014

Molnija Skeleton Pocket Watch

A Molnija pocket watch from my collection in a skeleton version circa early 2000s.


Molnija's rather rough looking skeleton from the early 2000s.


Yellow plates - a hallmark of the later Molnijas. This isn't the only version though. There was another one with yellow plates plus some basic decoration and there was a "chrome" version too.



A large central ruby stone -- only in skeleton version, other late Molnijas don't have it.



A non-matching chain -- not from this watch.