The Regular Sunday Thread for January 6

Today is Twelfth Night, if I'm not mistaken. I'm up early, waiting for my Uber to take me to the airport, where I will spend the week in California on work. I packed my KLŌS guitar, which will be my decompression mechanism in my hotel room.

Took down my few Christmas decorations yesterday, and visited an old friend for possibly the last time. He's in hospice care - on his own volition - and while his mind is as sharp as ever, his body, at 91, is giving out on him. I halfway expect to hear from his wife this week that he's passed. I'm saddened.

The good thing about hotel rooms is that they have Internet (I remember when that wasn't always the case). I hope to check in here and see how you guys are doing, and for some grounding while I"m away.

Peace.

Two guys from my cover band are coming over today for a writing session. I'm not really sure I like writing with other people. I did have a songwriting partner for a few years back in the 80s. He became dictatorial with his mediocre ideas, so I'm gun shy. I admit that I like total control over what I write. I'll give it a fair chance today. My expectations are low, but maybe I'll be surprised.

Age. Time has a way of rushing past you.
On the 2nd, my oldest granddaughter, the one I raised from an infant, gave birth to a little girl. She and her husband are obviously pleased. On the 4th, I went to renew my driver's license. I sat for over 3 hours, then to find out I had the wrong form for renewal. Topped things off with an eye test where my failing sight in my right eye nearly disqualified me from renewal. Even with glasses, it barely got me through. Then this morning I remembered that tomorrow is my 71st birthday.

I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee. Typing this with a rubber tipped pen on a smartphone 5" in front of my face with the right eye closed. Supposed to be around 62°F today. A few clouds. Good day to go shoot. Think I'll go pop a few rounds with my old 1872 Colt 45 open top single action revolver.

Yeah, time just rushes by ya. But I still can make sonic bombast with my Jackson and Marshall!
I'm not dead yet!

+1.

Not much to report here. The wife is attempting sobriety again so things are calm for the moment (God grant me the serenity... ).

Today I'm going to cut up a bunch of Amazon boxes for recycling (no small feat). I also want to pull out the keyboard and refresh my chops a bit - we'll be starting to record a couple "keyboard songs" soon and I want to get refreshed. I don't usually play keys, even though that's the only instrument I actually had any formal training in. Other than that - LAZY DAY!

hear ya about the amazon boxes. I do a lot of shopping online, mostly supplies for my mom and for the house. The smaller boxes I'll cut up with an utility knife. I'm always nervous about slashing corrugated. The bigger boxes i hang onto until I have enough for a dump run. There's no charge for my municipal sticker because the car is registered in my mom's name and she gets the senior pass.

yesterday was a weird day. I slept stupid late, can't believe my cat didn't wake me for breakfast. I didn't eat anything all day until nearly 7 o'clock last night. I went out yesterday in the rain, visited my mom, left there and went to an old time music store haunt. Daren's is gone now the new owner has a record boutique there now with a few and I do mean a few guitars.

Hoping to get the speakers hooked up to my Pioneer today and finish that phase of the music room renovation. Might be playing guitar today with a friend while we watch some playoff football.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

Age. Time has a way of rushing past you.
On the 2nd, my oldest granddaughter, the one I raised from an infant, gave birth to a little girl. She and her husband are obviously pleased. On the 4th, I went to renew my driver's license. I sat for over 3 hours, then to find out I had the wrong form for renewal. Topped things off with an eye test where my failing sight in my right eye nearly disqualified me from renewal. Even with glasses, it barely got me through. Then this morning I remembered that tomorrow is my 71st birthday.

I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee. Typing this with a rubber tipped pen on a smartphone 5" in front of my face with the right eye closed. Supposed to be around 62°F today. A few clouds. Good day to go shoot. Think I'll go pop a few rounds with my old 1872 Colt 45 open top single action revolver.

Yeah, time just rushes by ya. But I still can make sonic bombast with my Jackson and Marshall!
I'm not dead yet!

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Right on Old Ranger!

Frigid and icy day up here in the Deep North after a very mild week (like, above freezing).

just about to pull a second shot of espresso and may stay in my pyjamas for a while. There will be some reading of books, playing of guitar, some coding of Python and pedalling of the bicycle on the turbo trainer.

I’ve given up Netflix (and iTunes, Amazon Prime and Crave) for the month of January, then after that, only limited viewing on weekend. There were years I didn’t watch TV at all. On demand streaming is a cunning mistress. So, now I have a lot more time for other more satisfying things. I haven’t ruled out YiuTube since I rely on it for bicycle training videos and yoga.

Gearing up for a busy couple of weeks of rehearsals and back to back gigs with both my country-soul band and my rootsy hard rock bands.

...dup

I went to bed with a headache last night and woke up with an even worse headache this morning! Maybe a migraine? I don't know. I stayed in the dark room sleeping past noon. It's 5pm now and I can barely type this. Even watching TV was tough. It's letting up. I'm sure I'll be fine for work tomorrow.

For me and my family, midnight ends the twelve days of Christmas so the tree will be taken down tomorrow. I am absolutely amazed at the number of Christian Americans that toss their Christmas trees out the day after the holiday...they are not really good Christians since their religion has been forgotten.

my artificial tree stays up year round as it stands in an otherwise unused corner of our sun porch. It's a half tree so it fits up against the wall beside the non moving part of the sliders between the kitchen and the porch. it is not trimmed except for lights. We use them year round.

Tonight is the last night I light the outside christmas lights. In theory I could possibly take them down tomorrow as we are in an extraordinary extremely rare snowless spell for this time of year. Normally they're up until some time in April. However I like them up for those times when I have to shovel the driveway and front walk at night, when I'll put them on for illumination and it gives me an excuse :D I absolutely hate shutting them off. The next 7-8 weeks are so bleak until the days are appreciably longer, if not necessarily warmer. I've always felt the lights should be on to the end of January at a minimum, middle of February preferably.

I didn't have a live tree this year for the first time in a long time. I did hang up the kids Xmas stockings and strung some lights around the room i've decided that I may never take them down. I like the lights. I like Xmas time. In these winter days of darkness, I need alll the light I can get.

I've always had a string or two of colored lights in my music room. A few years ago I bought some LED bulbs and a string of red LED lights. They really help to keep the place from looking gloomy. I despise a pitch black room and these lights go a long way to helping my state of mind.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

Think I'll go pop a few rounds with my old 1872 Colt 45 open top single action revolver.

Yeah, time just rushes by ya. But I still can make sonic bombast with my Jackson and Marshall!
I'm not dead yet!

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back when I was a young boy, I’d sit and watch western movies and DREAM about firing one of those old Colts. Black powder was like magic dust to me. Had my own share of sport with modern guns and smokeless powder at the club later, but a genuine (hell, even a good copy) Dragoon or a Peacemaker will always be my impossible dream toy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sérgio

back when I was a young boy, I’d sit and watch western movies and DREAM about firing one of those old Colts. Black powder was like magic dust to me. Had my own share of sport with modern guns and smokeless powder at the club later, but a genuine (hell, even a good copy) Dragoon or a Peacemaker will always be my impossible dream toy.

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Don't hate me little brother, I've got both, and a few more... :angelI'll try pics if I remember how...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

Don't hate me little brother, I've got both, and a few more... :angelI'll try pics if I remember how...

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Send 'em to me. I'll post them for you.

Imagine a large blank face, with a look on it that says "Clueless!"

Now I don't remember how I got the last pictures kind of here. How am I going to figure out a way to get them to somebody else? Yep I have a better chance trying to draw stick pictures on this thing with a crayon and thinking that it might go through the glass on my phone and end up on your screen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

Imagine a large blank face, with a look on it that says "Clueless!"

Now I don't remember how I got the last pictures kind of here. How am I going to figure out a way to get them to somebody else? Yep I have a better chance trying to draw stick pictures on this thing with a crayon and thinking that it might go through the glass on my phone and end up on your screen.

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I'll send you my email address via PM. You can send them as attachments to me.

Ok. I can do that huh?

Thanks:smile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

Ok. I can do that huh?

Thanks:smile:

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Old Ranger, I tried sending you a PM with my email address, but I received the following error message:

Old Ranger has chosen not to receive private messages or may not be allowed to receive private messages. Therefore you may not send your message to him/her.

I hate computers!:comp26:
And I don't have a clue as to how to fix that either. Typical. Just reminds me why I shot my last computer! That I was able to do quite well. And this smartass phone might just be next!:wah:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Old Ranger

I hate computers!:comp26:
And I don't have a clue as to how to fix that either. Typical. Just reminds me why I shot my last computer! That I was able to do quite well. And this smartass phone might just be next!:wah:

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Save your ammo for a more target-rich environment.

I've PM'd Kenny to see if he can't look into your receiving PMs.

Aw, forget it. Checked the PM thing. Have zero in inbox. Don't know how to fix. It's not important..

+1 on the DMV, Old Ranger!
Years ago our state decided that it was only right to issue licenses to illegals, which means now they won't get you through an airport. A couple of years ago, they started to fix the problem, (they still give licenses to illegals), the rest of us have to come up with lots of paper work. My wife studied it, and sent me with the necessary papers, but a woman there was adamant that I needed more for a "gold star license". I told her I wasn't leaving with a "wet back" license, which she took offence, but I showed her I had all the right documents. Even went through the eye test, (the VA says I have 20-30 vision). I had heard after 70, they make you take the test every year, but this one says its good to 2026! A person needs 8 years to recuperate after the ordeal!

What's the difference between a "gold star" license and a non gold star one?

One is good as a federal license and the other ain't?

We are a Federative Republic too and our driver's licenses and IDs are federal.

the gold star licence is a federal ID - it requires more forms of ID to get - better security. I went to our local AAA branch and got mine there - no line and they were very accommodating. Took about 15 minutes total.

I went to my local DMV last week to get a handicap parking placard for my mother. I will never make any jokes at the expense of the DMV again. I could only wish fast food emporiums had such efficiency. I saw the line and lost hope. Bada boom bada bing. It moved. and moved. The most shocking thing I saw was people being given a choice, A CHOICE mind you, of using the picture taken for their license. That was when I knew the universe had truly changed, that the paradigm had shifted.

The only time I got in and out of a DMV office in a timely manner, was in the military. I already had an International license, but wanted to upgrade it to be able to drive larger trucks. Sometimes we would be able to pick up our own supplies, and not be required to be on duty during the weekend.
The instructor asked for someone to bring the truck/trailer from the parking lot to where we were, so I did. I guess he was surprised that I backed it into place from about a block away. He handed me a piece of paper, and said I was free to go get my license
(New Mexico is now offering a photo reshoot also!)