Phil's Superpower of Enthusiasm

  [ [ MSRP $250 , $199 on direct from Status on Father’s Day sale] [ Tl;dr:  These headphones are really inconsistent in sound quality; they sound amazing for some tracks and genres, and pretty lousy for others. The biggest problem with them is that they’re in the same price bracket as some really exceptional offerings that they just can’t really compete with. When they’re good they’re great; when they’re not, they’re really not, and I am clearly not their target audience (though they’re marketing pretty hard to me, all the same).] Scores: Cost-agnostic: 6 out of 10 Denalis Cost-sensitive: 3 out of 10 Denalis Intro.  Four or five people have asked me about these as I’ve posted various reviews of true wireless earbuds over the last few months and I’ve been seeing their ads a lot, so I decided to give them a shot when I saw them on a pretty decent (20% off) sale right before Father’s Day. Depending on what you listen to and how you listen, these may be right up your alley. ...

Model/trim: 2022 AWD Wind EV6 w/Tech package [updated 1/15/24 with review of snow driving, below] Overall: One year and more than 12,000 miles in, I really love this car. It does everything I want it to, it’s really fun to drive, and I have had much less range anxiety than I expected (and I’ve never run out of charge). It has required me thinking a little more about my regular driving patterns, and has encouraged me to slow down a little on the freeway in the interest of range and efficiency, but almost everything about this experience has been delightful and fun.   Range: I wish the range varied a little less; the efficiency can be anything from 2.4 (winter, 60+ mph, etc.) to 4.0 (80+ degrees, 15-25 mpg), and it’s distinctly worse in the winter. In the summer I average between 270 and 310 on a charge, and the winter it’s more like 180 to 210 miles. This is *just* long enough to get me to my mom’s house on a single charge, but during the winter I always end up stopping in Troutdal...

  Tom Collins (adapted from Difford's Guide): 2 oz Old Tom Gin (I used Hayman's because it's the Old Tom gin I have) 1 oz Lemon juice (fresh-squeezed, of course) 1/2 oz simple syrup (DG recommends 2:1, I only have 1:1 so I used a little extra) 2 oz soda water Shake all ingredients except soda with ice.  Strain into ice-filled Collins glass. Top with soda. Garnish with an orange slice/Luxardo cherry sail (wrap the orange slice around the cherry and affix with a toothpick). My new Collins glasses arrived yesterday, so obviously I need to try making my first Tom Collins. It was really nice, if a little simple. Next time I'll try using a more interesting gin; I'm thinking one of the Hendrix limited releases with a more complex and citrus-forward palate. I can tell this is going to be one of my summer standards, though; a lovely, refreshing, low-bite cocktail.

(adapted from  https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1752/sazerac-cocktail-diffords-recipe ) For wash: 1/3 fl oz absinthe (I used Pacifique) For cocktail: 2/3 oz Cognac  2/3 oz Straight rye whiskey  2/3 oz Bourbon  1/3 oz simple syrup 3 dashes Peychaud's 1 dash Angostura Wash an ice-filled old-fashioned glass with absinthe. Add the other ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake until well-incorporated and chilled. Pour out the absinthe wash (or drink it. I'm not the boss of you). Strain the cocktail over the abisnthe-washed ice. Express a lemon twist and garnish. 6/10/23: I used Courvoisier, baby Sazerac, and 1792 Full Proof, with a house-made simple syrup of demerara sugar.  I really enjoyed this cocktail; I think next time I may leave a little more abisnthe on the ice/in the glass in order to add a little more flavor, and I'd like to try a better rye/bourbon collection (these are both good, but simple examples of their respective whiseky styles).