One year ago today: May 31, 2016, naturally, he balked . . .
Five years ago today: May 31, 2012, that might take years.
Nine years ago today: May 31, 2008, how big is Millie?
Random years ago today: May 31, 2010, tons of practice.
Aha, three of the four squirrels all caught munching on breakfast. These guys tend to ignore people food, like salted peanuts. Preferring to nibble through the fallen birdseed, I’ve noticed they will eat the milo that birds hate. While I don’t encourage these rodents, my theory is the ones you see are better than the ones you don’t. I’m waiting to get you the spectacular shot where all four squirrels are here at the same time as the blue jay, the northern cardinal, and the finches.
Real estate resurgent. That’s what describes this area. But until Florida fixes its road system, you won’t see the big suburban development price leaps. I was listening to a real estate channel while applying the second undercoat. I ran out of primer, but the second coat does the job right, though that is still a letdown over what was claimed. Buoyed along by this good news, I think I’ll chance taking the batbike to music practice this afternoon. (In the end, the chance of rain had me driving the Rebel instead.) So you’ll know, another lot similar to mine just sold up the street for $58,000. It was listed for $50,000.
And that was a vacant lot. As far as the condition of houses in the area, mine was somewhat above average but is now becoming one of the better tended. The buying window is closing fast in this area, JZ has missed the boat on that one. He’s never studied real estate, you know, he was reluctant at times to go on the expense-paid fact-finding trips of 2014-2015. Like many, he may not grasp that the point where you make money in real estate is when you buy.
The program I was listening to is all about flipping. JZ’s only remaining option is to buy and hold. If he tries to flip, the profits will be eaten up in hidden fees. I paid close to $2,000 in extras on this place. Even though I bought for cash, I still got hit with fees that left an aftertaste that should only be experienced by a mortgage buyer. Why should I have to pay a fee to file a document that states I don’t owe any banks (anywhere in the world) any money? That is so messed up.
For no other reason than that I think a picture would look okay right here, this is a photo of how the work shed is starting to look like a work shed. I was out there at 6:30 AM this morning checking on the rocks. Or you might say, learning what doesn’t work. If nothing more exciting doesn’t come along soon, you’ll be getting another report on that topic. Countless thrills, that’s this blog.
We sometimes get electronic gear donated but most of it isn’t worth repairing. It’s designed and built that way. Ringleader: Sony. So I got a DVD player and discovered the microswitches are worn out. They are more hassle than they are worth to repair, but since I got a bag of nearly free switches from Radio Shack, I might give it a try. Stuck in the player was a CSI disk, so I popped it in the computer. Man, that show infuriates me because it gives people the impression that whatever the police do to get a conviction is legit. This is false, there are provisions against this in the Constitution, the framers of that document were fully aware of what kind of society allows the police to openly trick people into testifying against themselves.
Your first warning is that the police are allowed to lie to you, but it you lie to them, even as a mistake, or if anything you say can be twisted into a lie, then you have committed a felony. Yet I watch clip after clip of the police getting virtual confessions out of suspects. What does that mean, “virtual”. It means the police ask you the same question so many times to get you to reword it, then pounce on the slightest variation to claim you lied, therefore everything else you said was a lie—and they’ll say that under oath.
I know it is difficult to remain cool under fire, but the police know that, too. The response to any question is, “I decline to answer any questions on the advice of my attorney.” Sure, they’ll gang up on you, but it’s your best chance. By the time they are questioning you, face it, you are already a suspect. If you want to be polite, state you don’t understand the relevance of the question. “Where are you going?” “What are you doing here?” “Have you had anything to drink?” Remember, you do not have to answer such questions either before or after you are arrested, so don’t answer them at all.
You have a right to not incriminate yourself, but that is what you are doing whenever you answer police questions. They take extensive training seminars on how to back people into that corner. The casual, “So where are you headed tonight?” sounds like a harmless question, but you do not know why you are being asked. Don’t take the chance that somebody matching your description was reported for something a few minutes earlier, just don’t take the chance. There are too many instances of convictions that involve collusion of the entire system, top to bottom, of “preferring” the accuser’s version if that accuser is the police. And if the accuser is not the police, remember that only 26% of victims are able to accurately identify a stranger.
What I’m glad to see is a significant increase in the ratio of charges dropped because the police lacked probably cause. That means if you are caught with something, a good defense remains showing that the police searched you randomly, with no cause. They are still not allowed to do that, but the day is coming. Until then, almost every answer you give the police should be, “Am I under arrest, or am I free to leave?” Always remember if the police question you before you are arrested, it is because they don’t have the evidence to convict you. Don’t supply it to them.
Morning glory clouds.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.
Now for a picture that some have not seen before. This is the rotating drum of the rock polisher, in this instance the 3 lb. model. Note the inside and outside of the can are coated in rubber. This cushions the action and considerably cuts down on the operational noise. This barrel contains a liquid slurry of water and aluminum oxide (sand blasting grit) which slowly turns grey as the rocks are worn away. The top photo shows the “tombstones” added to bring the inside level up to 70%. It looks a little over here because the tombstones can float. It is imperative for success that you keep accurate records of each stage and check the contents regularly.
Musically, things are not apparently moving fast. The new guy is, however, doing the homework and we have already begun to stumble across tunes that are naturals for our sound. However insane it sounds to be giving what are really music lessons to old musicians, that is what is responsible for the progress so far. He lacks the confidence to just thrash into a song but he’s at least trying. He’s wise to keep on trying, because there is nothing on my song list that can’t be learned in a few moments.
Music goes in cycles and doing the crossword, one of the answers reminded me of a tune so old, it isn’t on the jukebox call list. The song was ancient when I was a kid, so is it cycle time? The tune is called “Love Drops” by Mickey & Sylvia. If this rings nothing, you are not the only one. It’s the song about how my love came tumblin’ down, just like raindrops.
We plowed through a ton of music theory today. Where a lot of guitarists would object to these “music lessons”, they are desperately in need of exactly that. We focused on Willie’s “Goin’ To Pot” and applying theory only, we got through the tune third pass, ready add to the list. This is my tried and true formula to get a band off the ground in less than six months. That means from scratch, not teaming up with an existing group.
One question I get asked is if I can already play guitar, why don’t I just go do that? Response: because that would make me just another guitar player, and that field is already glutted if not over-glutted by hack players. That’s where I would fit in as a guitarist, that is, about in the middle somewhere. That is not good enough; I could not begin to compete with the GC minions on that count. (GC = Guitar Center) But supposing I did, I would then be faced with the impossibility of finding a bassist who could play what I do. And if you think finding a good guitar player is tough . . .
This third rehearsal was critical because it is the stage where the other guy knows there is serious work ahead and begins to wonder what he’s gotten himself into. Fortunately, this new player has the rare quality of learning by example. He’s not about to quit for anything, he’s learned for all my shortcomings as a bassist that I know the mechanics of putting together a successful band. And if he continues just what he’s doing, it will be the best band he’s ever been in, by a long shot. His approach to learning has been revamped and he has seen the benefits of the “do this, do that” method. More importantly, he recognized early this was a different tactic and set about assertively giving it a chance.
One of the hardest parts of a new group is convincing the other people that progress is not measured by counting how many songs get collectively memorized. This is the juvenile way of starting a band and most guitar players, and by extension their bands, never get past that. Are you clear on that? Yes, I count my songs, but to see if I have enough. I don’t count them as a measure of how the band is progressing musically, for that is another foolish waste of time.
Okay, here’s two bass related links to follow. The first one, well, skip to near the end to watch what this old guy can do. And notice, real bass players use a pick. And this next 12-string solo is a good show of what is wrong with today’s thinking. This unweildy instrument would be very tiring to play. By now you’ve finished watching the video, so let me ask you to hum the melody he was playing. Can’t do it. And that is another thing wrong with the way the bass is taught to today’s youth. You can’t really improve a piano by adding more keys, but they don’t seem to have a firm grip on the concept. More is not better unless you are talking women and money.
On top of that, I happen to think playing the bass with the fingers is faggy-looking. I guess if you haven't mastered the art of having a pick handy when you need one, it makes sense to use fingers. But as far as I’m concerned anybody who plays bass with a limp wrist goes around after hours spitting on door knobs.
“You are you. Now isn’t that pleasant?”
~ Dr. Seuss.
We ran way over on the rehearsal time today, I took the time to rig up the new MP3 player and demonstrated the effective way to learn by playing along. This is not the same as just hauling out the old Ovation and strumming along, you’ll get lost in the groove and that is not learning a thing. He was massively impressed by the amount of extra work put into getting the bass line to fit the rhythm. He’d heard me do it and was already sold, but actually watching it happen is an eye-opener. That’s one cowboy who will never again say “bass is easy”.
This is a wooden rocket stove. The picture would not fit anywhere else. Read the addendum for details.
So, where are we with this project? As mentioned, we are now able to “plow through” most any song that fits our parameters. We recover smoothly from the inevitable mistakes. We have an early over-balance on stage technique, so yes, we could in a pinch go play somewhere right now. But of course, we want to also sound better than average, so we continue along with what we’ve been doing. He’s quick to pick up how his guitar sound improves once he captures the innards of each piece of music. I’m hoping that now that he’s learned to listen to the tunes differently, in learning mode, there will be rapid advances quite soon.
Overall, this is just our third get-together, and we are already far ahead of any of the other guitar players I’ve auditioned. They were talking when they should have been listening. I used the phrase “collectively memorized” above, a term I coined to describe how amateurs try to start bands. They go over and over the songs until each member is playing it by rote, and they become another nothing-special clone band. This would not be an effective system for a duo and we are not using it. What’s more likely to happen is one day soon we will appear on the scene in ready-to-go format.
I didn’t take the PA to along this time and that was wise. At 5:30PM a clap of thunder brought the practice to a halt. My precious Fishman is not allowed to get wet or even damp. I still have two full size PA systems out in the shed, but packing those cabinets is somewhat less than real fun. In record time I made it home, outrunning the edge of the storm by a few miles. I could see the blue haze in my rear view mirrors and it was gaining on me at every red light.
ADDENDUM
The practice place is 22.8 miles from here. That places me on a motorcycle, down the side roads at 45 mph, wishing I could just keep going. Today I was on the Rebel, which is due for another upgrade in a couple of weeks. That’s new sprocket assembly and with luck the new fuel cock and manifolds. And a new rear tire, motorcycles eat rear tires. That’s another $760 put into a $1600 motorcycle, and I have not forgotten the bastard rat that lied to me on that one. Say, I wonder how his career is going these days, or is that lack of career? Another point is that I obviously have the money to spend on things, I don’t have to go around turning back speedometers to scrounge for a living.
Here are the file handles that are neat, but the accounting numbers show that we cannot sell them at a profit. Why not? Well, take a closer look at the photo. Left to right are a finished handle, one that has been lightly sanded down to wood grain, and an unfinished handle missing the metal collar. Okay, it’s not obvious, but I gave you a chance, nice guy that I am. The problem is there is nothing on these handles to indicate they are rare or when they were made.
Thus, they cannot be sold for any kind of premium price, yet it takes up to a half-hour of shop time to bring each one up to shiny condition. So you have a conundrum. If you sell it as junk, you might get fifty cents. If you refinish it, unless you sell for at least $20, you are losing money. Ergo, they cannot be sold at a profit. You may also notice the wood seems banded, but this is an illusion of a shadow falling across the display. Besides, I always wanted to use the word “conundrum” in a sentence. Thank you very much.
Electricity and batteries are not allowed, along with camp stoves or any modern technology. So I’ve been passively on the lookout for things that could sell. Anything that passes for 1860 is a candidate. Today I saw a log rocket stove. While looking at iron cook stoves, I saw a video of a guy cutting one of these logs, or I should say drilling it. The process is take a log six inches in diameter and drill a 1” hole 2/3 of the way though the core. Then drill an intersecting hole from the side. When a fat stick is placed in the side hole, it creates convection currents up through the middle of the log, like a chimney.
I watched with some interest as the log did not break out in flames, but burned rather slowly from the inside out. The time lapse video said three hours and showed how to tap three nails or place three stones on top of the log to set a coffee pot. Once the log was mostly burned out, you threw the stump into your regular fire pit. The air drawn in through the bottom hole is what makes it a rocket stove, and I could see the flame shooting out the top. The holes could be cut with a brace and bit for show, but most of the drilling could be done behind the scenes beforehand.
The price? I found two types of this [wooden] rocket stove on the market. One was debarked, the other not. The debarked model had a rope attached as a carry handle and retails at Home Depot for $15. Hmmm, that means I’ve got $400 sitting in my back yard. Anyway, it’s just another idea at this point. I also found that rubber band wooden pistol I could not get to work. Maybe time to take another peek at that, since it would be an irresistible toy to kids, who are known to get bored with camping out as fast as I used to get bored living on the farm.
Last Laugh
Return Home
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
