I told how I built a working radio from a kit. But it doesn’t always pick up the good stations. This morning it locked on to some public service station funded by the school board. No music, just endless programs on tired old topics, so bland I had to listen. I can always use some assurance that the rest of the world has even crazier things to worry about than anything I could imagine.Do teachers have the right to discipline children who send bullying e-mails after hours? (Absolutely not, once I’m off the school grounds, privacy from teachers is absolute. And anyway, who is to determine what “bully” email is. If it is a threat, call the police, not the PTA. Otherwise, grow a pair and deal with it you snotty-nosed wimps.)
How about that continuing research into “attention deficit”? Well, it seems the newest reports are that the problem is, indeed and after all, lack of the little brats paying attention. There you go, twenty years of expensive research because nobody had the guts to call them stupid. You heard me, a big part of stupid is not paying attention when one is supposed to be learning . Imagine the setting, these women-mother types in the background chanting “uh-hum”, “sure-sure” and the radio host droning out the party line. You see, to soccer moms, happiness isn’t enough. They want euphoria. Broward School Board, if you are looking for ways to save money, heads up.
Did I mention I got a raise? Yep, 12.4%, which is lot better than the piddling 4% I used to get at my union job. I am now receiving $1.00 per month less than the maximum allowed. And who knows? Maybe by the time I turn 60 years old, they’ll raise the maximum. It is getting near annual review time and things are looking fine again. My austerity policies are producing a slight surplus and that includes a budget for reserves, which I’ve had in place even in the worst times, the March to November stretch of 2010. History students will recognize that as a classic case of collective peasant stupidity, that it only seems like those bastards knew when I was weakest and exactly the right moment to attack.
So I went to the beach to jam with Ray-B and saw something new. One of his fellow music teachers has done something impressive. You know how if you bump an elbow into the cabinet of some speakers, a “thunk” comes through the cone? This guy has modified a speaker to be played like a basic drum set. He sits on the box and taps the sides for the different sounds, including cymbals. It sure beats packing around a set of dual Ludwigs. That’s good because the crowd went stingy on us. They were animated and loved the music. But no money.
Nor did we put on the best show, however, bear in mind that the live rehearsals are not a substitute for directed practice, one thing we need at this point. I can’t blame Ray-B for preferring his own show where he is totally in charge, but I know he is listening to what people are saying about our performances. We tended to gallop on some tunes (played them too fast) and his PA isn’t great for low end frequencies. I’ve been meaning to devise a way to carry my Ampeg on the scooter. I am not a fan of loud bass, therefore, I need clear tones. It makes a real difference.
I kick myself for two major mistakes. One, I got lost during the instrumental part of “Proud Mary”. Two, I forgot the words to the third verse of “These Boots”. This is unacceptable since I know those tunes backwards. At the same time, I recognize this to be a factor when I’m doing too many things at once, and that practice provides the answer. Practice defines roles and each musician can focus better. Ray-B and I, despite professing otherwise, play similar brands of music, but they are not identical. It was a dud audience, some said a birthday party. I’ve done livelier crossword puzzles.
Bingo was dead but we did manage twenty-dollar pots. Nine people in the house. Bingo is the big producer these days. It is not a panic since many regulars are out of town, some are in Europe, and others were at a wedding. It was the smallest bingo to date. Still, it is a show and the show must go on. Never let down your public. I have played before to a one-person audience but I have never quit a show, never once in my life. And what do I get for it? Don’t look in the tip jar. Things have been rock bottom for a while now. Why, lately I’ve had to actually put some of my own money into the gas tank. That’s right, my own coin out of my own pocket, the pain, the pain.
