The Sunday Thread - May 21, 2023

Oh, my aching back. I spent yesterday being assisted by my daughter and son-in-law gardening. Transplanting hostas, trimming my holly tree, weeding and mulching and overall cleaning my back yard so it doesn't look like a disaster site. But I'm paying for it today! It doesn't help that I already have back and knee problems. I'll be spending today being very sedentary.

This coming week is a training week for me. The good news is that I'm on the computer, so I won't have to move around much, although I do like to get up and walk around while I'm instructing. It's remote, so as long as my Bluetooth devices are charged, I'm not tethered to the chair.

I'm revisiting one of my favorite songs this week, and where it was tough the last time I worked on it, it's sounding better now. Maybe a bit of a layoff was good for me? Anyway, church, guitar, reading and baseball are on tap for me.

Hope all is well with all you in TFF land!

I jsut woke up - not sure how that happened - usually at 6AM I'm just awake - today it was 9:30 (Sweet!). Spent Friday in the studio again - really did some good work on a couple of songs - still need to bring in some vocalists to do harmonies, but I am very pleased with where we ended up for the day, including one song that started out really rough, but we have it in a really good place. Next week I'll do the main vocals and add some embelishments to make it interesting.

Today I'm going to help Mrs. Junkie transplant her two clones - they are looking a bit peaked - they've overgrown their pots. We'll be growing them out so we can grab new clones and start the growing process all over again. She did pretty good her first season!

Then, hopefully the lawn will dry out enough so I can cut it - it's at the right height to cut it, but if I have to go a couple more days it will be too high again. I also have to spread out some Coyote urine to try and relocate a racoon from under my deck.

Packed up my office this week. I spent 25 years in that room, but we're leasing out that space to a new tenant, so I have to move. Lots of junk off the walls and found stuff I didn't even know I still had. Most interesting was a presentation I did in 1998 for the National School Boards Association on the potential effects of Y2K on school systems. The fun part was, that back then you couldn't depend on the presentation tech always working (I think this was in either New Orleans or San Diego) so I printed transparencies of every PPT slide so if the projection system failed I could still use an overhead projector.

https://scontent-bos5-1.xx.fbcdn.net...vw&oe=646F7E35

oh yeah, the old Y2K bug that was going to bring about the destruction of the world. Granted, the original 2-digit year was a necessity due to the limitation of the software/hardware. That it was allowed to continue long after the hardware was able to accommodate it was a very expensive lesson in hindsight.

well, I sold one amp and bought another. However, I'm a dumbass and I screwed up. I didn't save the screenshots of the ad, so I can't blame the seller. I went, saw the amp was clean, and it sounded great. There was one little thing that didn't quite register until after I got home and took pictures of it. I could swear the ad said DSL 401 but by the time I realized, it had already been taken down. It's actually a DSL 201. Same amp, except 2 channels, clean and crunch, and 2 output tubes. But it sounded so much better than the battered, tired DSL 401 I tried at GC last month and was a good bit less expensive. Going to try it with the 4x12 today :D

Left wrist seems to be improving, I've been being very mindful of it lately. Played a bit last night and it's not throbbing. See what tomorrow brings, it's not the next day, it's the day after that when things usually hurt.

Sorry I have been a downer for the few last weeks, but it is continuing.
Last week onsite at my new contractor role went fair, though a bit overwhelming. My friend (who I have worked with before) did a good job of holding my hand as I try to pick up on what everyone has been working on for the last 4+ months. Got back Thursday afternoon. Well Friday, they let my friend go from the Project Mgr role. Crap, no more training wheels.

Played a bass gig last night w/o the 2 leaders of the group. Having been out of town, I couldn't do rehearsal earlier, but I have already played everything on the setlist. Surprisingly, the gig went quite well. I did have to standup and take a leadership role of the group during run through. I announced it and all seemed OK with it.

Heading back onsite Monday and will get home Thursday afternoon. Spent today so far getting all of last weeks expenses accounted for, and preparing for the trip tomorrow. Got to pay bills that will come due while I am away and start preparing another invoice. I did have a good call with a headhunter for a Sr Financial Analyst role with Churchill Downs. He's suppose to be setting up an interview for this Friday. While the pay is less than this contract gig, it is a permanent W2 role; which allows me to go for a Con/Perm loan. the wife is away looking at some property that looks promising.

Agreed to taking on a lawyer for a suit I am being sued in.

Happy, happy Joy, Joy NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been having issues with FedEx this week.

Last Saturday I bought a Cutthroat Audio Down Brownie amplifier through Sweetwater's Gear Exchange. The seller shipped it via FedEx on Wednesday morning. FedEx said I'd have it the next day (the seller is about 4 hours from me). On Thursday morning FedEx said it was out for delivery. In the afternoon they said they tried to deliver and that I wasn't here (I was). I called to complain, received a case number.

The next day (Friday) the same thing happened! I called and complained again.

To avoid a third failed attempt and the amp going back to the seller, I decided to have the delivery held at the local FedEx office. When you set this up you need to provide the original address that the item is being shipped to. It turns out that the street name was wrong by one letter. We fixed that and had the item shipped to the local FedEx office.

Yesterday morning FedEx said the amp was out for delivery to the local FedEx office that I had chosen. It showed out for delivery all day. I called the local FedEx office and they said it never arrived.

This morning I received notification that the amp went back to the depot and was back out for delivery to the FedEx office (which is closed today). That was at 5:15 AM and it still says out for delivery. :hmm

Let's hope the amp hasn't vanished.

On a positive note, it's a beautiful day. My son, a friend of mine, and I met at a car show and saw some nice cars! I drove the Miata there and it was beautiful!

I just received notification that delivery was attempted at 3:13 PM today and the business was closed, then another notification that they'll try again tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

It arrived! I created a thread about the amp last night, but I must not have entered it properly! I think I hit preview to review it and forgot to submit it! Anyway, here it is!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a972fa3b_c.jpg

I've been wanting a reverb tank like that forever, but the prices oy vey.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DanTheBluesMan

I've been wanting a reverb tank like that forever, but the prices oy vey.

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I got this one at a pretty fair price earlier in the year. The grill cloth is a little tattered and it's a little smelly, but I put some NOS tube in it including a 6K6 in it and the sound is good!

I used the amp at a jam last night and it was awesome!