October 28, 2006

Here's a prophetic post for you:

           Here is a Time magazine photo that typifies the year 2006. That's a million dollars in US taxpayer benefits hopping that fence. That's a horrendous cost to the nation that nobody is even counting. You call that a border? You call that a fence? This is what will bring America to its knees. This country was not built by Mexicans. Or Cubans. Or Koreans. You can sugar-coat these facts, but every other nationality (not race, I said nationality) is groomed from birth to take more out of the system than they ever put back in. Some just smile more while they are at it.

           Sadly, it is true. The [new] DXG camera uses some dumbass format called ASF that none of the other ton equipment we own between us can use. We are looking for a converter but what a dumb thing for the designers to pull off. It will playback on Media Player so there is hope. It seems to have separate audio & video tracks. ASF = A Stupid Format.
           Maybe it has some advantages but if you can’t tell by looking (at the photo), who needs it? I went into the shop for a few hours but could not get around to fixing the Linux situation. I did tear up a couple of computers and adjust the parts and settings. Remind me to get a video of the CD dance one of the units goes into when booted up.

The CD trays begin to eject and retract by themselves.
           None of us had seen Steve, the cancer guy around, so I went over there after work on some excuse about a minor repair to check on him. Sure enough, he’s been ill. He’s working on a couple of bikes but he is pretty weak.
           Now that I want one of those bike carriers that fit on your trailer hitch, I can’t find one. It was raining but I rode straight through it in the search. Target has four-bike models at $100 a pop; I just want something for two. I was undecided whether to go looking for Brian again or check out that Paradiso theater in Fort Lauderdale. They occasionally advertise some rare or interesting movies.

           In the end I chose to stay home and read. Maybe play a little bass to the new Alexis drummer. It is programmable although I’ll leave that until I have a half set of tunes using the presets. I was doing better playing in a band on the west coast than I am in this supposed tourist town. It is so hard to find good people here that I may even try singing myself. Them Japanese sure have strange ideas about what is a good drum beat.

           I called JZ to schedule a trip next Saturday to Marco Island or Naples. That is if I get the carrier. It may be Key Largo if I don’t. I should buy a new microwave but I have not gotten around to any domestic things in over a week. Call me spoiled but it is hard to have breakfast without nuking things up. I’ll see what comes into the shop tomorrow. You may find it notable that I have been running the shop for a month and have not even seen Dickens during that time. Plus, it pays all bills except rent.

           Yeah, I’m going to play bass for a couple of hours. Here is a picture of a truly twisted tree in Haulover Park. The connection is that I am relearning for the nth time in my life that old Otis Redding hit, “Dock of the Bay” and this tree was one of a series of shots from the pier system on the west-facing side of the Intercoastal Waterway. Of you have an atlas handy, the bay is between towns called Bal Harbor and Sunny Isle. There were actually a few people sitting on the dock of that bay, however there is nothing romantic about wasting time here or anyplace else.
           As usual, the rhythm machine has 49 presets, of which maybe six are of any use. Since this is only 2006, we still have yet to see a drum machine that plays a 12 bar passage with a turnaround so we can play the 12-bar blues. The Alexis does not, it turns out, have any triplet beats, not even a waltz so I could fake it. This country was not built by Japanese either. Great going, you guys!