The "Welcome to September" Sunday Thread

Can you believe it? Two-thirds of the year have gone by! The days are getting shorter and soon we'll be reverting back to Standard Time. Or not.

I have been playing my Holst guitar through my Spark MINI in preparation for Tuesday's gig. Practicing a couple of tunes I really like, and I may alarm people when I take to the stage with something a little more than an acoustic guitar.

Other than that, not much on the schedule today. Church is having a Labor Day hot dog party after service and that's pretty much it. Speaking of food, I went to a brand-new Nepalese restaurant last night. Fascinating! Unlike any other cuisine I've had. A bit on the pricey side, but I'll go back just for the sheer uniqueness of it.

My daughter told me she's getting a 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy to replace her Highlander. I looked at the specs, and it's quite impressive for what it is (with two kids, a three-row SUV is pretty much necessary!

Well, I hope everyone stays healthy and if you observe Labor Day, enjoy your long weekend!

Howdy! I've been back from Nashville and had a great visit with my birth mother and her family. I stayed at my sister's house (next door to my mom) and we had a lot of really good quality bonding time. She's pretty cool. She arranged for us to go jet skiing last Sunday and that was a blast! Her friends have a place on the Cumberland River and were obviously well-off (Lamborghini in the garage) but the nicest people you could meet. They were a few houses down the lake from Carrie Underwood's former house and around the corner from where Loretta Lynn lived. My mother's husband (Step-dad?) had a pacemaker put in the week before and was struggling, but they insisted I keep to my travel plans. He was doing a lot better by the time I got there and we also had some great times together. He was a rangemaster in the Air Force and taught recruits how to shoot. He showed me a bunch of neat handguns and ended up telling me he was going to leave me his Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum when he passes.

It still find it hard to believe that I spent my 70th birthday with the woman who gave birth to me. It was a very moving visit in so many ways. Next year I'll spend my 70th birthday with my Connecticut family! I was raised to believe my birth year was 1953. All my records say that. She told me that I was actually born in 1952, so I'm going to celebrate twice!

Interestingly enough, he's a full blown MAGA conspiracy nut but we decided that our relationship was too important to devolve into anything bad, so we didn't talk about politics at all - and had some great discussions about EVERYTHING else.

Now I have a day to prepare for my gall bladder surgery, which is coming out Tuesday morning. I'm not too nervous about the surgery, he's doing it with a robot and it is supposed to be pretty simple. I'll be home the same day. The post-op instructions include not lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds for a month... not sure HOW I'll stick to that!!!

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Originally Posted by gibsonjunkie

Now I have a day to prepare for my gall bladder surgery, which is coming out Tuesday morning. I'm not too nervous about the surgery, he's doing it with a robot and it is supposed to be pretty simple. I'll be home the same day. The post-op instructions include not lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds for a month... not sure HOW I'll stick to that!!!

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You'll also be advised to change your dietary habits, eating smaller meals more often and (possibly) eliminating some foods altogether. A small price to pay for ridding yourself of that pesky gall bladder. Good luck, GJ.

Had my usual sunny side up eggs and a gallon of coffee, watched the F1 race on TV and helped the wife with some light chores. Ate well so I’ll skip lunch.

Later on I’ll watch Rings of Power on Amazon Prime, play some guitar and walk the dog. In the evening I’ll visit my old folks and have a Bud or six with my old man.

Have a nice Sunday, everyone.

Yesterday I did my wife’s birthday. As she was heading to see family today, we did church online. Then I watched the F1 race and then redid my office/music room as well as another closet. Things weren’t stored quite the most accessible needed way before. Going to through some strap locks and a strap on the newest PBass (Brown = Wounds) then run some errands.

as I’m off tomorrow, I’m hoping to put a new pickup in my Guild 12. Got a gig in a few weeks for it and the current pup is dead. If I don’t get to it, I’ll drop it off to have it put in.

Did an early Saturday evening show. Stage was sweltering and a couple bandmates are from the frozen north were not happy, lol. Old OSA was lovin' the heat. Used an amp and a Stratocaster, just like the old days. Forgot how much fun you can have with a Strat and a DR. (And a competent sound engineer.)

Been invited to play an all-star jam this Thursday and looking forward to it, a lot of the people I've played with over the years will be there and I'm sure we'll all have a bunch of catching up to do. Thinking there's a good chance I'll be calling in Friday morning.

Folks at the office are panicked now that my departure is becoming closer. I'll be fishing for a living soon, looking forward to that.

Engage Buicks!

Chuck

one more time under the toaster before a significant cool down, the holiday weekend is going to end on a wet, almost raw note. I want to get out for a walk before the rain starts around sunset apparently.

Sold and shipped 2 guitars this week. The first one made it there yesterday and my buyer is enthused. It was a nice guitar, I wish I could have kept it. Same with the one I shipped yesterday. However, the music room is really nagging me to get it built. If I wait until I get everything paid off, it will be over a year before I get started. Not saying I'm afraid of getting old(er) but I'm realistic, I don't have an infinite amount of good playing time left. Better to get the room now with a few guitars than have a slew of them with no place to play.

There may be a fly in the ointment. When I was unstacking my guitar boxes, the bottom box on the cellar floor was black with mildew and mold. No water has leaked as far as I can tell, but the high humidity must be causing just enough condensation to promote growth. Until now, I had not run a dehumidifier. I should get one today before the rains and get it running.

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Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

Did an early Saturday evening show. Stage was sweltering and a couple bandmates are from the frozen north were not happy, lol. Old OSA was lovin' the heat. Used an amp and a Stratocaster, just like the old days. Forgot how much fun you can have with a Strat and a DR. (And a competent sound engineer.)

Been invited to play an all-star jam this Thursday and looking forward to it, a lot of the people I've played with over the years will be there and I'm sure we'll all have a bunch of catching up to do. Thinking there's a good chance I'll be calling in Friday morning.

Folks at the office are panicked now that my departure is becoming closer. I'll be fishing for a living soon, looking forward to that.

Engage Buicks!

Chuck

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I love those straight forward gigs.

This was a really nice September Sunday for us. My wife and I started with a Harley ride to our usual breakfast with our friends and then a short 20 minute ride to a good friend’s home (one of the best guitar player/vocalist/entertainer in the area) for an afternoon of road stories, great eats, and refreshments while sitting at the backyard fire pit.

Good friends, good eats, good stories and a beautiful Wisconsin summer afternoon…it just doesn’t get any better!

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Originally Posted by phantomman

You'll also be advised to change your dietary habits, eating smaller meals more often and (possibly) eliminating some foods altogether. A small price to pay for ridding yourself of that pesky gall bladder. Good luck, GJ.

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Yes, diet will suffer. I already made major changes this past year and lost 50 pounds, so I'll do OK - haven't had fried chicken in over a year, and pizza maybe twice...

I had my procedure done laparoscopically, in and out on the same day.

Here's the scoop in a nutshell......

https://www.healthline.com/health/ga...l-laparoscopic

There were no complications whatsoever and for the record, KFC and Papa John's remain two of my favorite foods (I just have to limit my intake at mealtime).

Hope it goes well for you.

Nick, I'm just a phone call away if you need anything. Good luck.

Chuck

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Originally Posted by phantomman

I had my procedure done laparoscopically, in and out on the same day.

Here's the scoop in a nutshell......

https://www.healthline.com/health/ga...l-laparoscopic

There were no complications whatsoever and for the record, KFC and Papa John's remain two of my favorite foods (I just have to limit my intake at mealtime).

Hope it goes well for you.

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Thanks. The plan is laparoscopic, but if any of his patients require the robotic surgery he'll do that instead. Similar results - minimally invasive and in and out the same day. Glad to hear about fried chicken and pizza.

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Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

Nick, I'm just a phone call away if you need anything. Good luck.

Chuck

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Thanks, Chuck - appreciate it!

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Originally Posted by gibsonjunkie

Thanks. The plan is laparoscopic, but if any of his patients require the robotic surgery he'll do that instead. Similar results - minimally invasive and in and out the same day. Glad to hear about fried chicken and pizza.

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If performed laporoscopically, the only lasting evidence of the procedure may be the configuration of your navel -- in my case it changed from an "innie" to an "outie" (the gall bladder is extracted through this incision). Best of luck and have a swell Labor Day.

https://i.ibb.co/48Fj4Td/Old-Glory.jpg

Surgery went great! He ended up doing it robotically and I have three small (superglued) incisions. They knocked me out around 10:45 am and I was home by 3 PM. Feeling a LOT better than I expected to.

Outstanding!!!

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Originally Posted by S. Cane

Later on I’ll watch Rings of Power on Amazon Prime, play some guitar and walk the dog. In the evening I’ll visit my old folks and have a Bud or six with my old man.

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Did you watch? I hear this presentation is getting worse reviews than Gigli, the movie many rate as "The Worst Ever." It gets a 39% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a sample review:

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Originally Posted by Sander T @ Rotten Tomatoes

This is the worst series ever: unbelievably bad dialogues, hysterical overacting and the storyline…….. it's impossible not to see the many absurd flaws. And the worst part is that this the new standard in Hollywood. This is nothing more than the butchering of precious heritage, historical and mythical, turning it into fast food for the flat minded.

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Gall Bladder update. Tuesday was blur - meds kept pain at bay and managed to do OK. Wednesday was God-Awful! Pain was bad - Oxy, Tylenol and Motrin kept it knocked down, but when it wore off it wore off quick! By Thursday I was controlling the pain with just OTC meds. Last night I didn't even take anything and slept fine. Recovery has been pretty remarkable! Other than constantly running to the bathroom after eating, I'm doing good :yah:. This week I'll work remotely from home - after that, plans are to be back out in the field.