My car does not have a disk player. You could conclude that I am just not with it, or figure out that I use my Belkin transmitter to play my MP3s through the stereo. I find CDs too bulky for music. I do listen to tapes in heavy traffic, meaning I’ve listened to all my good ones by now. So today I put on two of the most boring tapes in existence.
One is called “Songs of Whales & Dophins”. In a way, it is entertaining because you can wander away without missing anything. It sounds like a combination of electronic blips, squeaky door hinges, and little dogs barking. Who records this stuff, anyway? Anyway, it was by far the better of the two tapes, both in content and originality.
A couple of lessons today made me enough cash to take it easy. I was in the shop or riding around most of the time. One of the problems solved was a wireless mouse battery gone dead. Sorry, that is still a $40 service call, folks. Quit buying equipment you don’t understand.
Just let me glance around here to make sure I’m not being unintentionally hypocritical about that. Is there anything in my place that I don’t know how it works or could not attempt a basic repair? Nope, I can honestly say I can do minor fixes on everything around here, including computers, electronics, musical instruments, vehicles, fixtures and furniture. I could even fix the walls if they fell down. The trick is getting me to do it.
I also took it easy because I had a restless night. The weather has been extra muggy and I woke up several times last night to increase the A/C. Wallace called to say his daughter in Ft. Lauderdale, recently divorced, has invited him to stay there. If I recall, it is not that far away. I emailed him to send me the address since I live 22 miles closer to Ft. Lauderdale than the last time he visited. It may too far away to commute.
He is still trying to farm out that dog, Milli, that has cost him a fortune in vet bills. At least he has canceled the $4,000 cruise. Hell, for that kind of money, we should get in the car and drive to Panama first class. There is only a few circumstances where cruise would interest me, such as the $45,000 cruise to the South Pole (Antarctica, actually) or one that I was payed to perform on. Not that I need to be paid to travel, but that I don’t fall for the cruise line mystique since reading the book. That reminds me, didn’t Marion say she wanted to see Orlando around this time? She has been strangely quiet for the past few weeks.
One of the guitar players who responded late in the game gets good marks for persistence. His name is Jeff, and he is late forties at least. A vocalist who strums, I have already lost track of whether he sent me a list. Is that the guy who does the material that is too new? Anyway, he has taken the time to write so he is now number two if Jane does not get in touch shortly. She’s been out of town a week, so I’m reserving judgment over a few details. Like why did she wait ten days, then show up for an audition pressed for time and the day before leaving town?
Brian is updated with all this information, except the guitar player because nothing has happened yet. We talked about him continuing to practice. I base this on my experiences that the person in it for the long run has better chances. That is, we cannot wait while he learns two songs a week, but considering the time wasted with false starts, he will eventually be ready. He reports no improvement with his hand.
We’ve scheduled for next Wednesday, I did not feel up to the trip out there. I told him about the chorus pedal, it is already working fine when played sparingly. It also brightens up bass riffs played above the seventh fret. That is as electronic as I want to go for now. Anna O called to cancel this week’s lesson but extended an invitation to the church event north of Young Circle.
Anything new today? Yes, I learned that the major cause of bad breath is that a layer of sulphur forms in your mouth. Yeah, that kind of makes sense to me now. I went looking for products that could prevent this, with no luck. Still, sulphur is a chemical and therefore must have some other chemical that neutralizes it. Odd, MS does not like that proper spelling of sulphur, a Latin word. If MS were not so you-know about this type of error, that might have made two new things today.I made it all the way up by bicycle to Home Depot at Oakwood to discover they do not have any reasonably prices hubs. They have an oddball five port model for sixty bucks, so it looks like I’m heading back to Radio Shack. Later, I went to Home Depot and got a Dynex for $25. Works fine.
Oh, the other tape. I admit to being musically spoiled, that is, I know original when I hear it. Remember, I lived through Rock and Roll. I don’t care for any music, no matter how technically perfect, if it lacks originality. Think of it like watching a juggler. No matter how talented, the fact is jugglers have been around for too many thousands of years to impress me. Likewise, drippy sweet studio productions don’t make it; give me the whale farts any day. So it was with Gloria Estefan’s “Cuts Both Ways”. I wish she would.
[Author's note 2016-02-28: I'm saying I do not like Estefan's music.]
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