The Ides of March. No, not the day, but the name of the band I started at 14 years old. No, not joined, but started. I found and trained the often unwilling players, learning each instrument myself from scratch. I got no help from older people, nor would I have wanted any because experience taught me they’d take all the credit for faulty advice. I like to point out that band is still in existence today.
Then I’ll show you something not so nice. See the extensive bruising on my arm? Look for the purple marks from my wrist, under the watch band and all along until it disappears up my shirt sleeve. That folks, is one more reason you never want a heart attack. This is a side-effect from the blood thinners I must take for life. An attack has untold effects on your left side even though technically, your heart is, ha-ha, dead center.Dave-O was over this morning, always amused by the amount of tea available. Hot tea, iced tea, we got tea. We poked around the new hobby shed and spent some time commenting on the fine insulation job I did. Much finer than any construction worker I know could have done, even in his dreams, no name mentioned. No deficiencies here except in other people’s ability to appreciate my hard work.
Enrique came over to scrounge some PVC. He managed to step on his water supply and cracked it where it comes out of the ground. I gave him an eight-foot section and told him to give me a ride to Home Depot if he goes up there this afternoon. These are exciting times, my friends.
Not being tired, I was up late [last night] putting in some real study on electronics. I learned that the Arduino can power LEDs (that was a handy discovery) but requires transistors for anything heavier. I learned PWM is used to make digital signals emulate analog signals, usually when controlling motors, not just to dim bulbs. And many items I have to look up, such as the purpose of diodes as a “flyback”. The motor circuits seem fairly simple in retrospect.
Ray-B came over mid-afternoon and got to changing the guitar strings on my Fender acoustic. We jammed for a couple hours which I need since I cannot imagine many guitar chops on my own. I bounced off my idea of adapting to times by offering to play two hour gigs instead of the orthodox four. Not only is four hours a big stretch even if you don’t have a day job, the fact is you don’t make twice as much playing twice as long.
I think many local clubs would reconsider live entertainment if they didn’t have to book for the full time or amount. It’s time somebody questioned the four-hour gig anyway. It creates unemployment.
I also transposed Conway Twitty’s “Make Believe” into my key (from B down to G) and was startled to find out that tune is from 1958. I knew it was old, but the recent recordings I’ve heard were so flawless it could have been a recent production. Twitty had the ultimate grease-ball haircut, but that man could sing.
ADDENDUM
A recent survey asked people how much they needed to feel rich. The answer is a minimum of 7-1/2 million dollars. That means those making less then $250,000 per year are now peons, the unwashed, the working class. Hey, don’t look at me, I have not worked since I was in my twenties. Don’t interpret that to mean I didn’t make any money. I made more than you, deficiencies and all. And I’ve seen more of the world than you can get by driving around.
But it has not been roses. Because I get paid for what I know, not what I do, I get direct competition from those whose qualifications amount to inherited wealth. One has to know an awful lot to stay ahead in a system where those with easy money can manipulate the odds. It is false there is nothing in the system that stops you from getting ahead. In reality, the establishment dislikes too many people making a fast fortune, for it means they have not paid their dues. If your neighbor is rich, you want him to have the same values as you so he won’t paint his house purple.
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