Pgroove, a new quilt, and waiting for UPS

Fun weekend. Friday night take out pizza and Dexter with brother Eric. Saturday breakfast at Toast. Walked puppies to campus in the afternoon, but all the students must have been somewhere else. It was a beautiful day around 75 degrees. Prepared for the PGoove show in Greensboro. Joel held a pre-show party and I got to see lots of old friends. I avoided the "laced" brownies, having been warned. Which was too bad because they looked good. Too much waiting though, left the house at 5pm, got to the party at 6:30 and the band didn't start until 10:30. Stayed until 1:00am and home at 2:30. 200 mile drive round trip. Gas at $3.79.

A surprise on Sunday. A women who makes quilts for fund raising at my brother school, made a quilt for me. She used a theme of musical instruments.

UPS finally appeared.

upcoming shows

I would like to say hello to all the readers outside the US. I think it is very cool. Send me a link and I'll read yours. I have tracked down a few and find them very interesting.

The Spring music season is beginning. Here are the shows on my schedule at this time. I'm sure more will be added.

February 26    PGroove @ The Blind Tiger Greensboro
March 3          Jeff Coffin's Motet @the Double Door
March 9         G. Love and Special Sauce @the Visualite
March 10       Chris Knight @ Pucket's
March 12       George Porter @ the Double Door
March 18       The Mantras @ the Neighborhood Theater
April 1           YMBFBB @ the Neighborhood Theater
April 2            PGroove @ NT
April 3           Conspiritor @ the Neighborhood Theater
April 8 & 9    WideSpread Panic @ Asheville Civic Center
April 15-17    Grove in the Hollow  @ Prospect Hill, NC
April 26         Soulive @ the Visualite.
April 28-1      Merlefest @ Wilksboro, NC
May 6             PGroove @ the Neighborhood Theater
May 17           The Flaming Lips @ the Fillmore
June 17           Phish @ Verizon Amp.

Shortwave radio

This may be my least read blog and certainly will rate a 10 on the geek scale, but here goes. I have been listening to shortwave broadcasting since the early 1970's. I go through periods of listening and then getting busy and letting it go. Oddly, I have picked it up with the conditions are better for listening and let it go when the conditions favorable to long distance transmission begin to fade. This cycle is due the 11 year cycle of solar activity. For stations to be heard from over the horizon, the signal must bounce off the F2 layer in the ionosphere, roughly 100-150 miles above the surface of the earth. The solar conditions create the F2 layer as the sun floods the atmosphere with charged particles off which the signal is reflected. Then the signal is reflected off the surface of the planet and back into the ionosphere. This is called propagation. The signal may hop many times before being received by an antenna. Each bounce takes energy from the signal, weakening it and adding noise.

Radio sets started with crystals, then to vacuum tubes, the to solid state chips and now the new hardware solution is a simple chip that routes the radio signal to a computer. The antenna receives an analogue signal and the new Software Designed Radio coverts the analogue signal to a digital signal and feeds it into the computer and the computer's sound card. The advantages are enormous. As the processing occurs on the computer, a display is available for the listener to use to tune the desired frequency. The signal is displayed along with any other signals nearby. The display offers data to the strength of the signal and any signal which is close in frequency that may interfere with reception.

A SDR uses a computer program that is accessed by the user and the user may choose among several software packages. I have four I am testing at the moment. I'd love to find a decent book of instruction for sdr displays.

The subject of antenna theory is quite daunting. Even a cursory glance into the science of capturing faint electrical impulses leads into a morass of math and physics far beyond my comprehension. So, I keep it simple. Now I have an 27m (80 ft.) inverted - L long wire into a 9:1 balan into 50 ohm coax leading back into the shack. Reception is good and the low noise floor is excellent. Best antenna I've built. I have plans for another oriented in the direction of Europe and Africa.

There are many things to listen too on the high frequency bands. International stations, regional stations, Ham radio and utilities, International and Regional (stations intended for local audiences) broadcasts can very interesting and informative, getting news and interesting stories not covered in the American press. There is the access to very different music from around the world. DXing is part of shortwave listening that concerns itself with catching the rare and difficult signal. That's what I do. In the last few weeks, I have logged stations from South and Central America; Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil and others. Lots of North Africans, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, etc. Not much luck with sub-Saharan Africa yet. Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and other countries. So far I've logged most of the Europeans. Logging a station requires a positive identification, such as an announced station identification, confirming data, as in the World Radio and TV Handbook.

The most profound change since my last foray into the world of radio is the availability.of data. I can check many sources for information. This is so different than when I used to twirl the dial and try to guess what I was hearing. These days I can log on to the website of a station and sometimes here the broadcast to confirm what I'm hearing. It is a different DX world out there.

Umphreys McGee last night

Made to the show last night at the Fillmore. UM is one of my favorite bands. I have traveled to see them in Amsterdam, Jamaica, Jam Cruise, Bear Creek, Echo, Vegoose, AllGood, and several others as well as shows around NC. They played an excellent show once again. I have just finished downloading it.

I got there a bit too early. Zack Deputy opens and ...boring. So got there at 8:15 and UM didn't start until 10:00pm. I hate the Fillmore, ticket fees, and no place to sit. Security is awful, I was halfway seated on a low bench and was instructed to get up. Worse, the bread and butter shows that would be at the Visualite and the Neighborhood Theater, thus making it more likely they will suffer loss and close.

Right before the band starts I was thinking how tired I was and wondering how long I would make it. Once the bad started I found enough energy to stay through the whole show, until after 1:00am.

I even ordered a ticket for a two night run in Asheville of WideSpread Panic's 25th anniversary tour, in April. PGroove next week, Boone and Greensboro.

Puppies in the sun

 

Wisconsin and the Republican End Game

This is really about the right of collective bargaining vs. union-busting. But more than
that, this whole thing is about politics more than an austerity budget. It's about the
unions' ability to raise money for political campaigns, really the last bastion of Dems'
deep-pocket fund-raising. Since the Supreme Court ruling making corporations the
same as individuals, the big bucks have swung toward the GOP, with the Koch brothers,
Rove's group, Dick Armey's tea party group, etc. If they can bust the union in Wisconsin
they can do it anywhere. This is the endgame.

Win at all costs.

so busted

This morning I'm walking back from having a celebratory breakfast at Toast. I have my earbuds in and listening to 80s new wave and singing along, as I'm known to do. I generally check to see if anyone is near enough to hear me, but was surprised by a late twenties, tall, willowy blond, as pretty as a picture, coming up from behind me and smiling. I react with shock and surprise pulling a earpiece out to hear her say "Go with it." Walking too fast for me to catch her (I don't think she intended for me to catch up) I just went back to singing, but somewhat softer, lol. I guess I need a rear view mirror.

Today is the 27th anniversary of my journey into recovery from drug addiction. I don't blog about this much but thought I'd just mention it. 9,862 days. I've been a faithful member of Narcotics Anonymous all this time. I can't claim to be responsible for either my addiction for my relief from it, but I can take credit for making to somewhere around 7000 meetings. That takes will.

the Sun is acting up

Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to be moderate with a chance for isolated high activity for the next three days (16-18 February). Region 1158 is the most likely source for activity.

Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on day one (16 February). Day two (17 February) is expected to be quiet to active with a chance for minor storming late in the period. Day three (18 February) is expected to be unsettled to active with a chance for minor storming. The increase in activity is forecast due to expected arrival of the CME from the X2 event described in part IA.

feast or famine

Weeks go by without a show I really want to attend, then a weekend like this. Thursday night, The Punch Brothers, Cornmeal with Brock Butler, and Delfeayo Marsalis. Tough decision. Then on Saturday, South Memphis String Band (winston-salem) and Umphreys McGee. Not such a tough decision. Feast or famine.

Next week is PGroove in Boone (Friday) and Greensboro (Saturday). Week after that Jeff Coffin's Motet on Thursday at the Double Door or STS9 (Fillmore) and maybe PGroove in Columbia, SC on Friday (March 4).

This morning as I did yesterday, watching the Westminster Dog Show. Time to make muffins.

what I'm reading and listenting to

A friend mentioned I should blog about what I am reading.

"A New Kind of Science" Stephen Wolfram (taking forever)

"The Master Switch" Tim Wu

"Neuromancer" William Gibson

"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"    William L. Shirer

"Trancework" Michael Yapko
 and 4 others on hypnotherapy scripts

Periodicals:

Wired
Rolling Stone
the New Yorker
Music and Musicians
Acoustic Guitar
PCworld

Haven't started but next:

"Zero History" William Gibson

"Blink" Malcolm Gladwell (have read)












Recently read:

"Tipping Point" Malcolm Gladwell

"Griftopia; bubble machines. vampire squids. and the long con that is breaking america" Matt Taibbi



Music in the past few days:

Band of Joy
South Memphis String Band
Thomas Dolby
Jeff Buckley
The Cure
Wide Spread Panic "Dirty Side Down"
Chick Corea
Smashing Pumpkins (best of)


time for a cartoon

deer in my yard this morning

I woke early this morning due to a certain puppy. As I was getting on my coat I saw five deer wandering through my front yard. Taking their time and nibbling on the grass was they strolled.

The Band of Joy show was amazing. I had just gotten to the show and found my seat when one of the photographers, Vikas Nambia, asked I wanted to write up the show for Relix. I had taken my handheld recorder but the batteries died too quickly. After the show I put in some research time and the following morning, wrote the review. Tuned it up later in the day and think it is pretty good, but am not allowed to publish it anywhere, even here, until they use it. It'll be ironic if I get an article in Relix for my journalism rather than for my photopgraphy. I do have a contact at Relix that I have never used. He even offered to send me to any show I wanted to shoot. Not sure why I never took him up on this.

The UNC  -Duke game is tonight at 9pm. Pins and needles around here. Big trip to the grocery store planned for this morning. Some guitar playing to follow and a bit of walking the dogs.

Project/Object tomorrow night.

Go Heels!

Shows for February

Hi Ya'll. Nice line up of shows for this month.

Tonight off to see Band of Joy and North Mississippi Allstars tonight. Hate paying $80 for a show, but what the hell.

Thursday:  Project/Object playing the music of Frank Zappa @ the Visualite.

Feb. 17    Torn between The Punch Brothers at the Neighborhood Theater and Cornmeal w/ Brock Butler at the Double Door.

Feb. 20    Umphreys McGee at the Fillmore.

Feb. 25    PGroove in Legends in Boone.

Feb. 26    PGroove in The Blind Tiger in Greensboro.

March 3  STS9 at the Fillmore

My failing Aymgdula

We have an aymgdula to be able to manage and control our emotions by denying and repressing unpleasant thoughts. I mean if we had to feel in full force everything that is happening to us at every moment, we'd be emotional wrecks. After the Radiation Neurologist fried my brain, I have found it harder and harder to repress unpleasant thoughts. Even the most minute disruption in an important relationship (and maybe even not so important) sends me reeling.

I think that is why I have changed my social network scheme so drastically over the past two years. Being around people has become more painful that ever and I seem to have lost the ability to control my emotions as I once could. Any perceived rejection causes pain.

My role in this life seems to be a helper. Those who need helping often don't get there be accident and their emotions are erratic and unpredictable. Thus dangerous. On the other hand, I have become highly sensitive to the emotions of others. This can be very useful in my role as a helper. I was always pretty good at reading and feeling the emotions of others before. Now, I am better tuned.

I have wondered why I spend most if my day holed up in my Fortress of Solitude. I find it harder to experience the negative emotions of the world, the rudeness, distrust, anger, hate, loss, and pain. This is better when I think I can help, given the opportunity. If I can help some through their difficulties, then is worth the effort and the risk.

Now, it is time for lunch, and walk the dogs, and some UNC basketball.

Food, friendship, vocal pedals, and upcoming shows

Feeling pretty good these days, at least relative to my usual malaise. Slept 8 hours even with Russell awakening me to let him out around 4am. Right back to sleep until he decided I should get up around 7:30. Made more muffins (blueberry cheesecake) for breakfast and she crab soup for a late lunch. Two cans of Harris's she crab soup, two cans of milk and about 6 ounces of blue crab meat. Added fresh French bread and yum. Rain and cold weather bring on the cook in me. Or I just hate to go out in the rain and find motivation in hunger. Self care is always good.

I've made a new friend who simulates my mind. We don't get to see each other often but when we do we talk and talk and talk. When we must part, we discover that we have even more to talk about than we did when we started. Another voracious reader. Looking forward to our next visit.

My latest pedal was delivered this week. It is a TC Helicon VoiceTone Correct. What this does is correct the signal from the microphone and compares it to a chromatic scale and "corrects" the tone to the proper (closest 1/2 step) note. That alone would be cool enough, but the real advantage for me is that I can hear myself uncorrected though you jaw and the corrected tone through the amp. This allows me to learn to correct my tone to pitch with practice. The VoiceTone Correct also sends a more accurate tone to the Vocal Harmonizer so that the wavering in my tone doesn't affect the harmonized frequencies and makes them cleaner.

My tenet in the 2br upstairs apartment was finally told he had to send his friend packing. He was the one being generous to her, but in fact we were footing the bill. Glad to see her go. Offered to rent her the empty 1br upstairs and start paying, an offer she declined. Guess she'll look for another free ride.

Off to Moorseville tonight to hear Keith Allen (of The Mantras) play. Yes, even in the rain. Maybe Dark Star Orchestra tomorrow and maybe North Mississippi Allstars on Monday. Then Project/Object on Thursday at the Visualite.
 
Rain, rain, rain. More guitar playing next.