Decisions. I’ve done my best to save up for some basic music gear. The lengthy 2008 – 2009 gig at Jimbos wore out a lot of my accessories. Last weekend, Arnel let slip a comment that I had chosen “the wrong instrument” for solo work, but I’m not about to admit defeat. I know what he meant and I agree to an extent. Yet, I believe with the right bass playing, even an incompetent guitarist can put on a good show. In fact, I already know it works thanks to Robynette and my band “Three Good Reasons” back in 1990.Do I buy the drum box or the volume pedal? They cost $99 each, all the spare cash I’ve got. Here’s the criteria; I’ll do what the majority decide. The volume pedal would be used for bingo to coordinate the background sound effects. Right now, I have to time things very carefully, perpetually spinning around to reset the PA knobs. Yet the surest money I will make this week is bingo. On the other hand, the drum box would be the best thing for my new act, and the sooner I get a music set programmed, the sooner I’ll be playing on the beach for three times the income from bingo.
Now, the extra volume pedal would also allow me to control something that I’ve heard so many Karaoke jockeys complain about. These are the people who intentionally speak quietly during the mic check, then belt it out. That is in the future, I don’t do Karaoke right now. The drum box is a trade-off, in that I want something completely computer controlled but don’t have the computer yet. Then again, a drum box is very portable and it is familiar technology. Vote now.
Where did I get the extra $100? Mainly from increased business at the shoe place. Today, for example, I did 12 pairs of heels, bringing in more than computers earn me in a week. There is no shortage of work at the shoemaker. Alas, I can really feel the effects of standing [being on my feet] all day by Thursdays, the end of my week over there. The only thing still not modernized is the owner’s tradition of each worker finishing each task by himself, whereas I am a firm adherent to specialization. Find what each guy does best and let him go to it.
Both methods are correct. I will never be able to match his finishing speed, but doing things the old-fashioned way often results in one of us waiting for the other to free up a machine or some materials. Busy all the time is better, I say.
It has been three weeks since my recent medical procedure, time for a quick progress report. This time, there is no difference afterward. No increased energy, no lessening of signature symptoms, except they are somewhat more rare and that has happened in the past anyway. Stress or strain can still trigger the onset of the now familiar warnings, I know to instantly stop and get away from the source. Beyond that, no improvement at all. But my back is still sore from the recovery stage. This report is purposely buried at the end of this article.
