January 4, 2020

Yesteryear
One year ago today: January 4, 2019, a bunch of pansies.
Five years ago today: January 4, 2015, there’s ALWAYS a reason . . .
Nine years ago today: January 4, 2011, early scooter stats.
Random years ago today: January 4, 2003, who’s Rummy?

           Here’s the gate progress. Shown indoors, where the assembly is taking place. Other than cutting, it’s too chilly to run power tools outdoors, particularly if like me, you consider wearing gloves unsafe around saws. This shows the basic design. I chose 1 x 3” because it is cheap and attractive. Also, placing the pickets evenly means even the small dog can’t squeeze through. The gate is the standard 46” high in anticipation of the Reb wanting the fence extended to the house. The width however, is 37-1/2” so that the number of pickets spans the opening in the wire where it will close. The wider gate also makes it easier to move things. The back yard has seen an increase in activity since I arrived. The left end picket is missing, this is the piece I cut wrongly because I did not build a scale model.

           Cold again, so here’s lots of editorial. How do you like fake news at a national level? China’s last military parade video was a hoax. There is just something deeply flawed with that economy, like it’s on steroids. I got a late start today because I had to change all my passwords. I’d accidentally typed my e-mail password into this blog log-in. Never ignore that mistake, because Google sure isn’t. For your health, did you know the DMCA (Digital Millennial Copyright Act) forbids interoperability of medical devices? And Segway, that overpriced, overhyped toy of mall cops, has come out with a model you sit in. Hey, at least it’s an improvement—fewer people can see it.

           A new name in focus, Monty. He’s got a stage personality so I suggested he learn to strum guitar. He’s amenable to the idea, so we met up last night for a few brews to go over what’s required. That would be a guitar and six weeks, but the primary requirement is to think ahead. I won’t name names, but I know just too many people who ignored this good advice and lived to regret it a hundred times over. One harsh fact of life I’ve learned is that for most people, it they don’t have something long-term underway by age 28, it is all over. That’s the latest you can start putting away for your retirement without going through hoops, for instance.

           The other rules still apply. There is one chance in 88 he’ll make it to stage. However, we’ve seen how many times a complete amateur does a better job that some fossilized pro who’s been playing the same thing for most of his life. I suspect the reason most guitar players never improve is because it would involve admiitting they’ve been wrong all these years. Anyway, with my frequent trips to Nashville, I’ve got nothing to lose by showing the guy the ropes. Part of it was explaining that he is not learning to play guitar, he is learning to play rhythm in a band, and the guitar is his instrument of choice. Also that the next fifty people he tells about this will say that I’m wrong. And that the ability is already in his head, all we need do is bring it forward. I repeat, it does not take any musical talent whatsoever to play the guitar. If you can walk, you can learn it. Becoming good at it is is a separate issue.


Picture of the day.
String cheese machine.
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           Later same day, I was right. Monty catches on super fast. But that’s merely a bonus. There’s lots of music pawn shops in the Nashville area, so the boys and i are heading up there just past noon when it warms up. I’d like to see a Nashville guitar pawn shop just for the hell of it. I like to thing the guitars have a tale to tell, considering my already low opinion of lead players. Monty was also surprised that I had pegged guitarists as such because, and I’ve seen this so many times, he thought the same but never heard it expressed. It’s like guitarists can only be criticized by other musicians.

           Here’s a photo that was once super-secret. It is the dash panel of the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. Zero computerization and pretty standard. I was confirming what I’d heard that the plane required two operators. It does, because the pilot up front had only flight controls and didn’t know where he was. The navigator behind worked the positioning computer, but could not fly the plane. We now have entire government departments based on this concept.

           I found a guitar, but not much of one. You guessed it, even the pawn shops in this area won’t handle anything less than $250. Unlike Miami, the people around here know a good instrument when they see one. So, I picked up a student 7/8 scale acoustic and threw a set of steel strings on it. I think it was intended for nylons because of the string height, but my guitarist rarely has to ever go above fret five. I got home in time to finish the gate except for the latch, which I haven’t decided on yet.

           I made some mistakes including putting the screws on the “wrong” side and getting the angles cut for the diagonal was a lot more trouble than I expected. The strap hinges cost almost as much as the lumber.Here we go, this is a picture of the guitar with one new string installed. I had to pick up a set of Dr. Neon strings. They are different day-glo colors and will glow under black light. Pretty corny but at $9 a set, I couldn’t get fussy over appearances. I’ve got them all done, so wait for the picture. New strings always go out of tune the first while, so I won’t really know if the thing sounds any good for a few days. It’s easy enough to play for our purposes and I’m okay singing to out of tune guitars. Don’t ask how, but somewhere I picked up this quirk. The brand name on the guitar is BC, which stands for Best Choice, not to be confused with BC Rich guitars. Those run around $2,500 these days. This one sells new at Wal*Mart for $41.99. I got this one used with a set of strings for $44 including tax. It has a built in pick-up and equalizer. The battery was dead so I don’t know what it sounds like yet. I think it is a 3/4 size that I mistook for 7//8ths, no big deal.

ADDENDUM
           Down and out in Nashville. That’s what I subtitle this photo. This is out behind the transformer station on Old Hickory and Lebanon Pike. The dogs went into their found-something frenzy so I went over for a look. I cringe to think some poor sap is sleeping in the open in this weather. But I also remember I was even worse off when I left home and I know what it takes to get out of that situation. Is it some combination of poverty and bad decisions? I don’t know, but I do know the atmosphere of being poor because you are surrounded by other poor people. They create an environment that is almost impossible to break out of.

           I even suppose one of the reasons I hate cold weather is my own experiences. If you are new here, I’ll fill you in. I’ve slept in abandoned cars, cardboard boxes, and open fields. I’ve begged on the streets and sold my belongings to eat. That was a long time ago, but I still shudder to think of ever having nothing again where it gets freezing cold. But I never stole or resorted to crime.
           That was then and a good question now is would I steal today? If it was government money, damn rights. I’ve paid my dues only to see freeloaders from top to bottom. Millions of people faking disabilities at the bottom to the Lehman Bros on the top. Millions more single mothers on welfare, and another few million raking off who knows what. And shipping money overseas to shit-holes that hate our guts. Darn rights I scoop my share, but I would never directly steal from another person.

           The homeless have gotten really good at stealing food. When you buy bread, carefull inspect to make sure the package has not been opened. They find a blind spot in the store, open the package and steal one or two slices from the center of the loaf, then seal it back up. It takes nerve, but is barely detectable unless you count the slices. It wasn’t that long ago such things were unheard of. The American welfare system has created a permanent sub-class of scrounges who attach no shame to living on hand-outs. The popular feeling is that this situation was caused by liberal politics, not economic or social factors. Another million on welfare is another million votes for the liberals.

Last Laugh
(Drone attack.)