August 1, 2019

Yesteryear
One year ago today: August 1, 2018, chicken, just chicken.
Five years ago today: August 1, 2014, 726.9 nautical miles.
Nine years ago today: August 1, 2010, Rome & Paris, huh?
Random years ago today: August 1, 2003, one million toothpicks.

           Back to the plumbing and Boss Hogg. You can get the two half-wits on-line, it’s 1360 AM. Whether you get the same kick as I is up in the air. I like the eclectic music except the Lady Z relics, and I get to cuss at the idiots when they play the hourly Tampa libtard news. There’s few things the public hates more than hidden agendas. Now they’ve got these John Hopkins doctors demanding a federal investigation when children die in the detention centers because it’s America fault they were not vaccinated years before. These doctors would like to head the program, but get rid of their spokesperson, he’s aggravating people, with his, “There’th ith no proofth of thith”.

           Finally at long last I caught Agt. R at home. He’s freelance working again, which is better than a job since he knows everybody in town. This wouldn’t work for my crowd, since the work gets done but very little money changes hands over it. That will be the day I charge a friend to rake their yard. In fact, see photo. Nice guy that I am, I pointed out to Agt. R that the top part of his palm tree was missing. In case he hadn’t noticed. Done laughing?

           Okay, the real story is this is one of those palms susceptible to some strange imported fungus. Florida is full of living things from foreign countries that have no business being here. He left the stump to attach things like whirl-a-gigs and birdhouses. Where on Earth does he get these ideas? He’s dropped by a lot of times while the car was here, but never remembers that from inside the bedrooms, knocking on the doors cannot be heard. Yes, I have a budget for a doorbell. What I don’t have is time.
My tablet keyboard finally gave out, the keys on the left quit working, so expect even more sporadic posting until I find my spare. Moments later I found a spare, but not the USB I know. It’s a BlueTooth™ which I don’t know because of the old rule of not connecting wireless devices except mouses.

           I’ve been through three sets of taps (faucets) and this may be a snag. The tall ones are too tall (hit the medicine cabinet) and the short ones are too short (won’t reach over the basin rim). I found the 45° elbows but that gets set aside until I find the right faucets. The limited space means a single spout with the mechanism on the side. You’ll see. This photo shows before and after cutting in and rolling the nice brown paint we’ll learn to like. I never could sand a smooth drywall joint, so I left them and carried on.

           For morning break, I tried to pick out the bass line to “Help Me Ronda” (no ‘h’ in the original, guys.). I thought what the heck, this is a piano line. All major thirds. I waited for coffee break and downloaded the tab, whence I saw the reason. It’s Carole Kaye, my hero. She’s the one who wrote and recorded it. For those unfamiliar with bass playing, there are two ways to position your left hand not depending on what you are playing, but on what notes you need to hit next. I’m certain I’ve already said that is why guitarists avoid thirds.
           There’s another consideration. There are two ways to play higher notes. Move to the next string or move up the fretboard. Most bass players have a preference, which makes them sound a lot alike. But, pay attention, if I do move on the frets, I make a big show of it. Because most bassists who have a favorite choose the string method. Either choice, there is a clash between scale notes when playing blues progressions, which I solved by my semi-famous four-octave walkdowns. Where this goes is I don’t know who in Nashville is responsible for choosing “Help Me Ronda”. They don’t know what they are handing me, but can you hear me giggling and rubbing my hands together?

           [Author’s note: if there’s one thing I hate on-line, it’s these damn left-handed bass players that post tutorials. The way they act like it’s all cool. There’s nothing wrong with being left-handed—until you start pushing the issue. Time and again, my search results are cluttered up by these jerkfaces. Learning difficult things is an individual pursuit (and by the time I seek help, it’s difficult alright). No, we are not one big happy family. Go peddle your shit someplace else. I mean, we got you the damn left-handed can opener, so be happy with that and back off.
           This has nothing to do with my left-handed brother being an aggravation 24/7.]

Picture of the day.
Hot seat.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I was able to fit together a drain that meets specs and still allows me to keep the middle drawer. You’ve seen how many bathroom cabinets have fake drawer front panels where the piping is behind the face. I have the same problem, but in this tiny bathroom, every square inch is valuable. Shown here, instead of the left drain connected straight to the right, it angles back around behind and forward again. The pieces are all longer than required by code. But that flimsy plastic piping isn’t cheap. What you see here averages $3 per piece.

           Keep an eye on news about the solar sail. This concept has been around, a light-weight sheet that gets boosted by the outgoing stream of light particles from the Sun. The importance of this undertaking is that it is privately funded. Completely bypasses the stifling NASA bureaucracy that’s been sitting on its haunches since 1974. Private industry has a far better chance of making meaningful exploits into space than NASA, which resorts to the occasional launch as a demo that over there they are still breathing. At least when they think anybody is watching.
           And up yours, Titusville, for exploiting the launches like they were your private property. (The city has done everything in their legal power to prevent any outsiders from viewing a launch for free. That includes parking your car anywhere overnight, even on private property with permission.) If the gif is successfully loaded, you’ll see how the sail turns 90° each orbit to capture the outward push, and luff into the solar wind in the other direction. I don’t care for the way the scientific community is not glomming on to this spectacular success. Some sources say the sail has already gained enough energy to raise its orbit 107 miles.


           It may not be the final tariff, but the one that’s going to hit home came into effect today. This is the 10% tax on, well, everything. This means the Wal*Mart shoppers are going to feel a little less welcome. This tariff is on the raw imports, so it will likely mean more than a 20% hike by the time it reaches the consumer as the middlemen act to preserve their margins. I should buy that table saw today. This tax is also the wakeup call that inflation was held back by these apparently cheap goods. I’ve budgeted over the years to what should work out pretty close. Most people will be about as prepared for a 20% increase as they have been in the past.

           The black lady at Harbor Freight has been sweet-hearting me. That’s where they ring up prices in your favor. Going back over the books, I see when I use a 20% coupon when she’s on duty, I get the full 30% membership discount. This 24” clamp, the right kind, cost me $4.30. Bonus. She’s the gal I told how to spoof her records so her daughter would be safer on the home computer.

           Somewhat later, I’ve got the sinks in position with a twist. Since I can’t make the small taps higher, I’ve made the sinks an inch lower. You probably can’t tell from this angle. But you get an excellent view of what the dual sink vanity will look like shortly. If you can imagine the drainpipe shown above positioned under the sinks, that’s the task slated for tomorrow. The drains have to be connected and working before the water supply and that’s that. As seen here, the medicine cabinets can be raised 2-1/2” but that is going to have to wait.
           What is plumber’s putty? The directions call for it, but isn’t putty putty? I’ll ask for it by name when I head over there because I need some sanding belts. In the top panel of this photo, you may be able to see how I’ve sanded down the countertop in preparation for a poly finish, or whatever I can find that’s suitable. The used paint place is open tomorrow if I make it. In case you’re wondering, the sinks are removable, they are just there to check the fit. The countertop will be sanded smooth before proceeding.
Did I just say putty putty?

ADDENDUM
           I’m dedicating at lease one hour of this busy day to tunes on the list that I’ve bypassed. And playing through some of the weaker numbers. In a lot of cases, I learn them but forget them as quickly. I may have to cheat and make up a quick list of the tabs on these numbers. Usually, a glance at the opening tabs, score, or cheatsheet is enough to bring it back. Factoid, “usually” isn’t good enough on stage. An example today is “Running Down A Dream”, which has five notes. It is a four and a half minute endurance test.
           The idea is to fake the notes being equal, but not make them so until the ending, where people think by now you must be tired and pour it on. What is the trick? Start fretting with your pinky until is tired, and move to the next weakest finger, you get it.
           While you are here, I’ll tell you more. On the long single-note passages, I’ve developed a circular picking motion that garners the audience attention, and in this song I reinforce it with a seemingly trivial arm-pumping movement. Very subtle. Then switch to a dramatic overplaying of the notes on the e-string. It’s all theatrics, but a clear message to anybody who thinks “bass is easy”. It’s a warning the easier it gets, the more leeway I take, so careful what you bring to the table.

Last Laugh