November 18, 2021

Yesteryear
One year ago today: November 18, 2020, ever since Cheyenne.
Five years ago today: November 18, 2016, here’s the turkey.
Nine years ago today: November 18, 2012, 13,800 feet to sea level.
Random years ago today: November 18, 2002, Churchill’s Pub.

           Sure, now after I remove the old thermostat and replace the hose, I find the replacement piece from a couple months ago. Stored nicely away in the east shed. Building that work shelter was the smartest thing around here in years, but things can get lost in that kind of space. Remember that wine cooler thingee? Turns out it isn’t even a Peltier. It works on convection, drawing air from the interior with a computer fan, over a set of surplus CPU cooling fins, and back into the compartment. Hardly work the $200 price tag or the wasted electricity. Good morning.

           Here is today’s progress on the shed. It was easier (as planned) to finish the wall from the outside by taking town the wallpaper. This panel shows the three stages, which required around four hours of work. First, you see the studs being doubled, from two-foot on center to one-foot. This is planned to make the exterior fit standard pallet slat sizes.
           The middle panel shows some insulation, I ran out but the remainder can be tucked in from the interior. Then last, the tarpaper is back in place. The insulation, facing south to the sun, made an instant difference. The white strips on the tarpaper mark the studs to affix the siding.
           We are slated to drive out to the hillbilly’s place in Indian Lakes, a good 50 miles from here. This is the second test run, if it is successful, there is a good chance Lady Girl is coming with me to Tennessee in the van. I plan an easy two-day trip so as not to overtax the motor or radiator. Check back later to see, it is 5:00AM and too early to move around. I just do not trust the van for that long a trip, but I have to sell it no matter how much I like it. I have no doubt somebody in Tennessee will soon be living in it, the situation up there is bad due to labor saturation. There are too many musicians and not enough jobs unless you want to sell vacuums or wait on tables, the two lowest forms of existence in America.

Picture of the day.
Hot Springs, Arkansas.
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           Rehearsal takes this afternoon’s headline. And I have indeed saddled myself with a less-than-exceptional band. No, my bass playing cannot make a dent on such a situation. We have bookings, so what the band may lack in skill and leadership, have bookings. Neener, neener., there to my detractors. The view from the stage is always better than from your location. Here is a picture of more hurricane strapping on the north shed. The corners, not shown, have a super heavy metal brace that would lift the whole shed before separating from the base. The shed itself will ultimately be anchored, but I’m not sure how well that will fare in the sandy soil of these parts.

           Of all the crap, the headlights on the van would not turn on after practice. It was light enough to drive home on the parking lamps, but this is getting annoying. I hope it is the fuse, as why would both lights die at the same time? Back to music. The guys, I can tell, still think I’m going to bail at the first opportunity. I’ve assured them as long as the play out a lot that won’t happen, but face it, our musical abilities differ somewhat widely. These sessions are really only reinforcing bad music and worse presentation. Mind you, their target audience loves it and that is good enough for me.
           I remind you, I have seriously a lot of experience with this sort of band. Back in my teens, I mean. They keep trying everything to improve the sound except the one thing that works. Sit down and play the song until you can do your part solo. This week they want to add new tunes to see if that works. It doesn’t, the effort should be choosing a smaller number of tunes and doing them right. The bass amp they let me use is not adequate, it has a guitar-quality speaker. I may revert to playing through my own PA, the Fishman.

ADDENDUM
           The Internet proved a disappointment for finding rare and unusual objects and topics. True, there is a lot out there but it is as repetitious as a Hare Krishna convention. I found it more thrifty to stumble along like the other 99%. Here is a site that sells rare wooden objects, such as an English coat of arms, priced at $22,500. It’s called 1st Dibs. Take a peek, you still have to navigate the site for the truly unique.

Last Laugh