The girls went out today for a girlie appointment so I had a little free time on my hands.
Spent it hanging out in my little happy place, the “home studio”. (It isn’t really a studio by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s where I keep all my noisemakers.)
I gave my new pedalboard a little attention, but didn’t make any permanent changes. Trying to fit the bass rig and the guitar rig into one pedal board due to my lack of space, and it’s a little tight in there.
Top row Bass, Bottom row Guitar
Now it just needs a little cable management and cleanup and she’s good to go.
Then I sat down for a little e-drumming, trying to keep the reflexes up.
The eDrum rig
After a little warmup, came up with this little groove…
It’s been a LONG week, having trouble getting my head screwed on straight this morning… But, its Friday which is nice and a beautiful Spring day out, so how about a few chuckles to get the day started… I am a Dad, so naturally I have some Dad Jokes for you!
#1. I’m really excited for the amateur autopsy club I just joined. Tuesday is open Mike night!
#2. What kind of doctor is Dr. Pepper? A fizzician!
#3. My boss asked me why I only get sick on work days. I said it must be my weekend immune system.
Thank you, I’m here all week. Be sure to tip your waitress!
Here in CRAZYfornia new regulations went into effect as of January ’22, requiring that all “compostable” materials be separated into a 3rd “waste stream” for collection to reduce methane gas, a so-called “super pollutant”. According to “Science”, “organic material dumped into traditional land fills decomposes and creates methane”.
Ok, I’m no scientist, but as I understand it organic material decomposes. Period. This decomposition process creates methane gas. Period. So, how does separation of the organics from say, old furniture and building materials make it less toxic?
And if this methane is gas is so toxic, and I’m assuming it is, wouldn’t concentration of all this organic material into one place make for a toxic zone? At best a hazardous workplace, right? If my leftover food scraps are decomposing right next to my neighbors’ discarded blender in a landfill, does that make the food scraps produce MORE methane than it would anyway? Seriously, I don’t know and I’d LOVE to have someone explain it to me.
On top of this quandary, I cannot help but wonder how is it that sending out THREE SEPARATE COLLECTION TRUCKS instead of one is beneficial to the environment? Isn’t burning 3x the amount of diesel fuel just as bad as mixing our organic waste with non-orgznic waste? And on top of all the extra trucks on the road, we have oh, so helpful city employees that come by the facility every six weeks to “audit” our trash and insure we’re following regulations. More fuel burned in the name of environmental safeguarding? And lastly, we had to bring in dozens of additional waste receptacles (at a cost of several thousand dollars!) AND we have to use “color coded” can liners for the different waste streams. So yeah, how much “energy” went into producing all the extra bins and having them shipped out by truck? How does a “translucent green” or “tranlucent blue” trash bag help our ecology? Inquiring minds want to know… How much extra will we have to spend to comply with the color coding nonsense, day in and day out? What do we do about the real work that now doesn’t get done because we have to shift our limited resources to extra waste pickups daily?
I started dealing with this stuff back in November of ’21, so roughly 6 months I’ve spent trying to get our facility “compliant” and dealing with the city. It’s preposterous. If it were for a good cause, I’d have no problem with it, but honestly I cannot see the benefits of all this extra expenditure of time, resources and energy.
Now, before your undergarments get all in a twist, I am not anti-conservation. Don’t go all Greta on me! I was into recycling way, way before it was “a thing”. All the way back in the mid-70’s my Boy Scout troop was doing monthly “paper drives”, going door-to-door throughout the entire neighborhood collecting old newspapers to recycle. Back then I was also always collecting aluminum cans and glass bottles for a little extra walking around money. I had a nice little side hustle in the 80’s recycling giant toner cartridges from commercial grade printers, and later when printers got way smaller and toner cartridges way cheaper, I filled the cash gap recycling old CRT monitors and computers. When we had a house, we always had our own compost pile in the backyard for use in the garden. Nowadays we even use glass straws and waxed cloth wraps instead of plastic ziplock bags for lunches and whatnot. Basically what I’m saying is while not exactly a “tree hugger”, I’m definitely a “friend” of Mother Nature. (Oh, is it still OK to say that? I’d hate to presume Mother Nature’s gender! /sarcasm off)
But this latest “green initiative” doesn’t pass the smell test. All I can figure, and believe me I’ve spent a LOT of time thinking about this, is that it is nothing more than the .gov “creating jobs”. They put the “green” tag on anything these days and if you question it or deny it’s value, suddenly you’re nothing more than a mouth breathing eco-terrorist.
Agree or else!
This is what happens when people with no experience in anything get to make up rules and regulations for the rest of us that they themselves don’t have to follow. Or pay for.
This should go without saying…
Don’t get me wrong, I think as a society we’d be far better off if everyone composted AT HOME and used said compost to bring life back to our horribly damaged soils and grow at least some of their own food. But that isn’t what’s happening. We’re burning precious fuel to collect this stuff, charging the citizens and companies MORE for the privilege of complying with their mandatory services and in the end I don’t believe for a nanosecond that this will accomplish anything of value. Except of course, filling the coffers of politician’s election campaigns and the pockets of the grifting labor unions that salivate over these new regs that promise more revenue to their organizations.
I hope I’m completely and horribly wrong about all this…but I have yet to have it explained to me in a way that leads me to believe it’s anything but feel-good nonsense being shoved down our throats AND (above all else) a considerable cash grab disguised as “doing the right thing for our planet”.
This of course is just my 2 cents on the subject. I welcome any and all discussion on this topic, anyone that can make it – in a language we all understand – make sense.
After missing the festivities for the last few years, today the Mrs. and I ventured out to Kelly Park in San Jose for the 37th Annual VVCA (Vintage Volkswagen Club of America) Spring Meet, and what a great show!
I’ve been mad about VWs, since long before I could drive. My first car was a 1973 VW type III Squareback, later I had a Superbeetle and a ’71 type II bus. The first and only new car I ever purchased was a watercooled VW golf in 1990. So you could say my relationship with, and love for, VWs goes way, way back! I haven’t had one for a while now, but the craving never really leaves. After today the craving for a new aircooled plaything is especially strong!
Today we lucked out and had beautiful Spring weather and an awesome turnout of vintage German automobiles with some great restorations and even more custom, creative rides.
Here are a few highlights:
Gorgeous Single-cab Type IIOne of the finest Things I’ve seen in a long time.Very clean and modern look on this BugThis Ghia was the Mrs.’ favorite car of the day. Simple and beautiful. Ultra rare right hand drive Notchback. The first one I’ve ever seen in person…A stunning interior This pretty thing wasn’t quite finished and the pic doesn’t do it justice, she was truly dazzling in person
My thanks to the sponsors and the fine folks running the meet, we had a great time and look forward to the 38th annual!
Ok, the title might give you the wrong impression. This isn’t about biblical lore, or archeology, or aliens. This about what “we” leave behind, once we’ve shuffled off this mortal coil.
I’ll be perfectly honest and admit right up front that I stole that headline from a book I started last night. I may have fudged the wording, but it was the idea that it sparked that got me writing. In fact, when I read the sentence, it was like getting hit upside the head! This is the “cause” I’ve been looking for and working towards for years, I just didn’t know it until this unknown (to me) author put it so succinctly.
One of the greatest curses of mankind, is the knowledge that life is temporary. Well, it might not seem a curse to some, but I think for many – and I include myself in that group – it is.
I’ve always had a keen interest in “leaving my mark” on the world. I don’t mean that in terms of being “famous”, which holds no appeal for me, but in terms of making a lasting contribution. Being able to breathe my last breath, knowing I left the place just a little better than how I found it. Or if not better, just different, in a nondestructive way.
I don’t really know why I feel compelled to leave something behind for posterity, nor why it feels important to me, but I do and it does. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I think I’m special or particularly noteworthy, it just feels comforting for some reason to think that when my days are done there will be something left behind. As the title says, some evidence of my existence. Selfish? Perhaps.
I know in some little ways I HAVE made a difference on a personal level, to some individuals. Finding that “needle in a haystack” employee and putting them on a career path that was truly life changing for them. Helping out friends that were going through some serious problems and seeing them through to the other side. Teaching music to kids, being an “understanding” adult when their own parents either couldn’t or wouldn’t. Helping strangers broken down on the side of the road. Giving food -directly- to hungry people. These are all things that I’ve done and feel good about if I stop to think about them, but none of that will leave a lasting mark.
Back in the mid-80’s my father was the General Contractor on the first hotel built in Campbell, CA. I was in high school at the time, and frankly couldn’t understand why anyone would want to invest money in building a hotel in Campbell (shows what I know, now there are half a dozen!), but nonetheless even I felt a sense of pride in my meager connection to this project. The hotel still stands today, and every time I drive by it, I still feel proud of Pops. Before that, his father was a Contractor building skyscrapers in the Dallas boom days of the 1970s, which he got into after several decades building military installations around the country. I’ve got long lines of builders and craftsmen on both sides of the family, so maybe this pull in me is just part of my DNA. But now I’ve been around long enough to realize NOTHING lasts forever. Back when I worked in “the Trades”, I worked on and built some beautiful stuff for homes, offices, retail establishments… but over the following decades, those homes have been sold and remodeled, office buildings and shopping centers torn down and rebuilt fresh…as I revisit some places I’ve worked, it’s kind if heartbreaking to discover that part of my history has been erased. In a weird coincidence, I spent about a year building cabinets and fixtures for a large residential facility being built at the time. Some 15 years later I would go to work as the Facilities Director for that same facility, and oversee an 18 month “master plan renovation” that entailed tearing out and replacing about 90% of the things I’d built 15 years prior. That one stung a little more than usual.
I’m sure the artists that created all those magnificent bronze statues never could have imagined 2020 and their destruction either…
Aside from the relics of my days as a tradesman, I’ve recorded an album-that never saw the light of day- and started-but never completed- two screenplays and a novel. All of those efforts were things I thought would be my legacy, and yet they were never wrapped up because I was trying to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, or even simply keeping my head screwed on straight. Survival today ALWAYS takes priority over plans for tomorrow.
And now, here I am on the downhill slope of life. If I’m lucky (which has never been the case for me. Ever.) I’ve got another 30 years. A far more realistic timeline, based on family history, reckless youth and a history of “bad habits” is maybe 15 years. That isn’t a lot of time to secure a long lasting legacy, especially when I don’t even know what it is… I guess I better figure that out quick, time is ticking!
Anyhow, I’m not really sure where I was going with this. More “thinking out loud” on my part I guess. Maybe I’ve got it backwards…maybe it isn’t setting out to leave a mark that actually accomplishes doing so, maybe it’s just being true to yourself and doing what you are compelled by your very soul to do. Maybe it’s just following your inner guide that sets you apart and leaves that mark on the world. All we know is that we don’t know what we don’t know, ya know? What I can say is that if you’re on your path and it feels right TO YOU, don’t let anybody dissuade you from following that path to the end. The world is full of people ready, willing and able to tell you “you’re doing it wrong”, but you’re the only one that knows what’s right for you.
April 17th marks 100 days since my first post on this new blog. It’s hard to believe it’s already been 3+ months!
I had low expectations for readership, as I don’t have any social media “presence” (or accounts for that matter!) and I only let a few people know I was doing this. But regardless, this was just something I wanted to do, a small outlet for chronicling my life, sharing some things I enjoy and yes, blowing off steam from time to time.
Unlike my last two blogs, I’m actually having fun with this one and have been pleasantly surprised at the “traffic” I’ve drummed up thus far.
I recognize that I’m not exactly a “writer”, nor do I hold any impressive credentials that make me worth listening to. Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that so many folks have stopped by for a read. I hope my efforts have put a smile on your face, or turned you on to some new music or books, or just gave you a little kernel of something worthwhile to think about.
As of this morning, I’ve put up 55 posts and my site has received 158 visitors and 271 page views! I’ve got a handful of followers and some have even left a few comments! Sure, this is peanuts compared to establishing blogs, but these numbers exceeded my expectations, by a long shot!
So, a big, BIG thank you, to each and every one of you that have stopped by. I truly appreciate you sharing some of your precious time here at my hangout.
With Spring and Summer right around the corner, I expect a lot of good stuff to share with y’all, so I hope to see you back here from time to time!
I’m a firm believer in the old adage “you get what you pay for”. Now, this isn’t ALWAYS true, but in my experience, it is the case more often than not.
Since I grew up “lower middle class” and spent the bulk of my adulthood in the ranks of the “working poor”, I’ve always been cognizant of every dollar that leaves my wallet. But at the same time, somehow I ended up with expensive taste and a predisposition toward high end goods. And by “high end” I do not mean “designer labels” or “luxury”, I am far more impressed with quality of materials, construction and yes, design. Esthetics matter, to me at least.
I learned at a young age that my meager dollars went a lot further by buying everything I could used. Pretty much everything of value I had as a kid and young adult, was “pre-owned”. (I still laugh at that term, sometime in the 90’s, the genuis marketing folks decided “pre-owned” didn’t have the same preconceptions as “used”. Semantics. Silliness. But I digress… ) All my bikes and sports gear and musical instruments were used before I got them. My first few cars were hand-me-downs or used. And you know what? All of that stuff worked just as well as it would have if I’d paid double and bought new. The thing is, if new were my only option, I would have had to simply do without.
I also spent time, as a young adult, living on my own starting at 19, shopping the discount stores, flea markets and other such “cheap” routes. This is the time in my life where I learned the difference between inexpensive and “cheap”. No matter how good it looks at first, no matter what kind of great deal you scored, “cheap” is not worth the cost, no matter how little it is.
For example, I used to buy socks at the flea market. There was a vendor there that sold new socks at something like $20 for a dozen pair. Screaming deal, right? On the face of it, sure. But by the 3rd wash, they had elastic popping and were getting thin. Within a few months they would be unbearable. It was like wearing sandpaper in your shoes, really terribly uncomfortable. And when you work on your feet 8-10 hours a day, uncomfortable feet turn into painful feet, which is positively miserable.
Another example is sunglasses. I used to buy whatever cheap sunglasses I saw that I liked and inevitably they would either get a scratched lens or the frame would break. I have absurdly sensitive eyes and wear sunglasses virtually year round, whenever I’m outside. I’m practically blind without them in daylight. So as a consequence I was buying maybe half a dozen pairs of sunglasses a year.
Now those two examples are both things that have plentiful options in every conceivable price range but are also things that I use every. single. day.
When online shopping became a thing, I found some inexpensive wool socks that cost a little over double the amount of the flea market socks, and it’s like the light bulb above my head burst into light! Yes, I paid double but they lasted a year – 4X the longevity of the cheap socks. And the remained pretty comfortable that whole time, which literally improved my quality of life, spending so much time on my feet.
Too many people just look at the price tag. Others only care about what other people will think. Me? I ask, how long will it last, how comfortable will it be and do I like the way it looks? Let’s face it, no matter how good the deal and how good the product – if you think it’s ugly, you aren’t going to wear it, so every penny you did spend is wasted.
With things going completely sideways here in the US, and inflation slapping you in the face at every turn, it’s more important than ever to start getting frugal, if you aren’t already.
Clothing, tools, cookware, shoes and such are things that have nearly unlimited options in price-range, but the markets are flooded with cheap garbage. Be wary of anything that appears to be too good a deal, chances are there is a reason why something is being sold at a deep discount.
And while it does appear to be true that “they don’t make ’em like they used to”, quality is still out there, you just need to wade through a lot more garbage before you find it.
And I know it’s now trendy to shop for clothes at Goodwill and Salvation Army stores (hipster nonsense), but there are still good deals to be found there on things like books and CDs, housewares and things of that nature. Is it overpriced versus a few decades ago? Absolutely it is, but its still a better deal than off Amazon or from your typical retail outlet.
With the cost of living shooting for the stars and wages stagnating at best, every dollar saved is a good thing.
Be smart. Consider more than the price tag. Your wallet will thank you later!
Lately I’ve been getting some traction in the quest to play with a band again, so I’ve been digging up a lot of “oldies” to listen to and prepare for auditions and such. These trips down memory lane brought up lots of recollections of past bands and gigs, and then out of the blue a song came on the radio that I hadn’t heard in a very long time… ( yes, I do still listen to the radio from time to time!)
This song was the VERY FIRST song I ever learned to play on a drumset!
Now, I was only 5 years old when this album was released, and while I started learning drum rudiments at 7, I didn’t get my first kit until I was maybe 10. So this tune was already a “classic” when I was figuring it out.
For the life of me, I could not learn the bass drum part and then by chance one afternoon I was hanging out with a friend of mine – Mike B. – at his house and he had a much older brother that was a drummer (with an amazing Ludwig kit, that put my jalopy kit to shame!). The brother was cool enough to let me sit down at his kit and he spent about half an hour teaching me that drum part.
After that day, everything just kinda clicked and I was off to the races. 4 years later I was starting my first band. Nearly 4 years after that, and a few bands later, I played my first gig at a nightclub I wasn’t even old enough to legally be in.
Forty-plus years later, hundreds of songs later,I STILL remember the first song I learned like it was yesterday.
It was pure serendipity. That afternoon in the finished attic space on Shady Lane in San Jose at that shiny Ludwig kit changed my life. Mike’s brother, who was close to twice my age, (and I’d never met before!) gave me a gift I could never repay.
It just goes to show, you never know what that small moment of kindness you show someone will lead to. I could never repay Mike’s brother, but I hope in my own ways I’ve paid it foreword, helping others along their path.
The Boring Old Man 