Hard to walk away from this typewriter… it is so much fun. I’ve started exploring the different buttons/levers/knobs/etc… it is a very well built and beautiful machine. Nothing new to say… I’m just playing…

I wasn’t even looking for this typewriter. I was searching for information on Olympia Model 8 and came across this. The pictures looked old… beat up… but I email about the spacer working… it did. It does. I never expected it to be working this well fresh off the delivery truck after a month in transit. Carpenter’s pencil for a space bar… plastic spool as a second spool… it works it spins… it types… the keys are so clean… with a little effort this will be my prize. Joy of Joys.
I was going to wait until I had worked on this… but it worked so well I could not wait to show it off.
I glanced at my bicycle log… my goal is 1,000 miles a year. 2014 will mark my 20th year of regular bicycle riding. As of today my 19 year average is 937 miles per year… which at the end of this year will move up to 990 if I match last years distance (1,900 miles). Deep down I am proud of the fact that for almost 20 years I have gone out and put in the effort to be a fitter, healthier person.
I wanted a phrase to show I’m into typewriters…. “drank the Kool-Aid” seemed to extreme. I’m not so absorbed that I live and think typewriters… but I can see my self five to ten years from now still owning and using them. So I thought… I bought the ribbon might as well use it.
Sometimes you just want to see if you can improve things. This is a toy after all… designed for people who don’t have a clue. Back in December I got good results from my Tom Thumb… but it did not last… so I decided to see if I could improve things… I like to think I did but compared to Dec maybe not but better than Jan… (or not… but it was going down hill and only got worse). The Remie Scout works great and has many decades of life left. The Tom Thumb will only last that long on a shelf.
As a stand alone the Reliance Premier is a solid machine.  If you have one just put some time between it and a classic like a Royal 10. The Reliance is that second car… the one you go to the store in and the daily commute to work car. The car gets you where you want to go… the one you don’t always admit you own. But… it does get the job done… as such it has a place in your home.