not much new

Eleven days until my trip to Pawley's Island, SC to shoot at Erin's wedding. Vicki and I haven't rescheduled the NYC trip. My ankle is still very sore and so I've been keeping close to the house and trying to stay off of it as much as possible.

My wonderful brother came over this morning to clear the weeds from one side of the yard. He spent about two hours sawing and hacking and dragging the weeds to the street. Great fellow. I think he's decided to leave his job. It is a shame because he very good at his job but his boss is not. Last night the Board of Education in his county met and took no action against her, even though there were numerous complaints. When he leaves it will make all three ass't principals leaving at the same time. We think that she's had the last 8 ass't principals leave complaining of her management style. I am not surprised that the organization failed to protect the members of the staff and support only the top management.  I've studied Organizational Psychology and predicted this would happen. The first rule of organizations is to protect the top management.

I've been playing the guitars and the mandolin a lot during my infirmity. Still loving that Santa Cruz, but everyone else still gets their turn. Yesterday new strings for the Yamaha. Today, the Martin and the Gibson as well as the mando got some love. Tomorrow the 12 string and the Yairi and maybe even plugged in. Looking forword to getting the pick up installed on the Santa Cruz. Should hear in the next day or two it is at the shop.

The weather here has been hot, hot, hot. Over 95 degrees again today. It is raining all around, but none for us so far today. Even my central air conditioner is straining to keep up.

birthday blues

Well, that was not my best birthday ever. All I could think was "I am supposed to be in New York City!" So the trip will be rescheduled for mid July at which time I'll elect a new birthday and celebrate then.

So I'll have my traditional birthday lunch with my friend Shelly. We've been taking each other out for lunch on each other's birthdays for about 8 years now. Then the Santa Cruz will get the pick up and set up.

July 9-11 is Erin's wedding at Pawley's Island, SC. I am so excited to be shooting the wedding, seeing friends, and splashing in the ocean.

Soon after that will be New York. Then shows; A Perfect Circle, Gomez and The Mantras.

Birthday!

Hi readers and a special greeting to new visitors from Italy, Singapore, Mexico, the UK, and Argentina.

Today is my 54th birthday. I don't anyone grows up thinking, what will I be like when I am in my 50's? We might think of what our 30's might be like, what we'll be doing, where will we be living. But 50's, I guess no one glamorizes that decade when they are younger. I certainly didn't. I don't think I ever considered it at all.

So, here I am. Disabled due to cancer of the brain (which is all better now), living alone or rather with my two welsh corgi dogs, and today heading to the doctor's office to get an X-ray of my foot. Yes, the foot injury that kept me from my vacation this week.

Drinking coffee, smoking my pipe, eating muffins I baked yesterday, and watching Wimbledon on the TV. Then I'll continue the birthday celebration with the X-ray. Dinner at my brother's house.

Kind of depressing huh?

Home from the Doctor's Office. X-ray shows no break, only a bad strain. Have to wear soft cast for two weeks. Relaxing now with movies from Netflix.

so bummed

I am supposed to be in New York City going to museums and art galleries but instead I am sitting at home with a twisted ankle. Not doing anything isn't as bad and not doing what you thought you would be doing. I shall reschedule the trip but much harder to reschedule my birthday, which is tomorrow.

Guess I'll call an order my Bagg's Anthem SL pick up for the Santa Cruz. It should be in within the week and I'll get my guitar tech, James to install it and lower the action a bit. Then decide if I want to go back to medium gauge strings.

vacation!!!

Heading to the airport at 4:30 tomorrow morning and jetting off to New York City for 5 days of art and museums. Better get to bed. 4am comes early, or so I'm told.

added this morning:

Oops, sprained ankle while walking Russell. Swollen and iced down. Currently trying to find a time to reschedule the trip. Looks like I'll be home for my birthday.

More HDR

Here are a few of what I shot and created this weekend.  I view these on my wide screen TV and the images really come out well. I plan on trying some low light shots next.

The rest are click here

to enlarge the photo, just click the image.

Phish and 4G speed

Made it to the Phish show in Charlotte last night. Found my seat and stayed there through the first set. It was very crowded and headed out to the lawn the second set. I was happy with the song selection of the first set. Near the back of the lawn I found a spot. Sort of looking for familiar faces but only saw one. I stayed through the middle of the second set and became tired and again, I just hate going places alone. So I head out before the end of the second set. This morning I read the set list only to find my favorite two songs are played after I left. Let me take a moment to thank all tapers. Downloading last night show right now.

I put my Verizon HTC Thunderbolt through a series of tests for speed for download and upload to the Internet. I used an app called speedtest.net. I used the 3G network connection and was able to get 2.2mb down and .6 up. When connected to my home network I am able to get 7.5mb down and 1.1 up, which is what I get on the computers here at the house. When I was sitting at VerizonWireless last night I tested my 4G, I was able to get 29.6 down and 7.8 up. Amazing.

My first Internet connection to a Unix mainframe (1987) was through a 14.4kb. So my phone is over 2000 times faster than my first connection through my 1 mb, 8 mhz, Macintosh.

Took Russell with me to the Davidson College campus to take mores photos for creating HDR images. It is a long an time consuming process and I am about halfway down. I'll post the better one's here and then on my website.

Four days until NYC!

I love dog movies

I got "Hachi: A Dog's Tale," from Netflix this week. I didn't realize I'd ordered the American version but watched it anyway. I'm not a big fan of Richard Gere but he dies pretty early in the film. The star of the movie is an Akita named Hachi. The movie is based on a true story in the early part (1923-1935) of the 20th century in Japan. It is the story of a dog who lives with his master for two years walking him to the train station everyday and then returning to meet his master in afternoon when the train returned. One day his master dies and he does not understand. Nothing and no one can keep him from going to meet the train in the afternoon. For the next 10 years, everyday, Hachi walks to the station and waits. The movie and the story is absolutely heart wrenching. At the end of the film, as Hachi is dying, he sees his master come for him and jumps into his arms, finally happy again.

After watching that version I went to the Internet and found the orginal film, "Hachiko Monogatari," in Japanese and with English Subtitles. According to the American version and Wikipedia, there is a statue of Hachi at the train station where is waited for his master to return. Hundreds of dog lovers gather on the aniversary of his death to honor his loyalty.

After watching both versions yesterday I got my two corgis up on the couch with me and just hugged them until they got tired of it and ran away. Imagine a dog remembering someone for so long. After each movie I cried more than I could remember. I love dogs. I promised both of mine last night, I would never leave them.

Got new lenses for my eyeglasses today and can read the small print again. Also, my yearly oil change. I've seen four different doctors (internist, dentist, opthamologist, and neurologist) so far this month, I think that should be quite enough.

Tomorrow night, Phish at Verizonwireless in Charlotte. Six days until I board the jet for my New York City vacation and birthday celebration.

Skye's birthday today

My first Pembroke Welsh Corgi turns 12 today. She was born on the same day as my first date with my ex-wife. Harriet and I had been seeing each other for only a few weeks when she went to England to study at Cambridge for the summer. We only spoke a few times while she was away but we wrote each other everyday. I found her letters while cleaning out the the file cabinets.  During that time she said she wanted to have a dog. We discussed breed after breed and when I suggested the Corgi breed having known one many years before. She read about Corgis and saw a photo, she immediately decided that was what she wanted.  Shortly after she return from England we found Skye. The breeder thought that Skye would be too small to become a show dog and we bought her on our first visit to the kennel. She was named after and island off the coast of Scotland as was her brother, Lewis.

She was so excited to come live with us. She acted like we hadn't gotten a dog, it was like she had been given two people. She wouldn't leave our side. She would get her food in the kitchen and would put two or three bits in her mouth and run into the living room and eat them by us, then run back and get more and bring it in until she was finished with her dinner. When Harriet and I would shower Skye would crap on the floor. She did this over and over. Never did figure out why. She demanded so much attention from us that after about 6 months, we bought her a dog. We found one of her brothers from the next litter, same parents. Lewis came to live with us and Skye had a playmate. She was thrilled. They played every minute for the next 9 years. It was like they were two halves of the same dog. A two headed - legged dog.

When Harriet moved out, Skye was inconsolable for more than a year. She still prefers human females to males, except of course me.  When Lewis passed away, I thought she would miss him. I saw no signs of that however. But I missed him a 6 months afterwards I brought Russell home. Skye tolerates him but secretly I think she likes the company. Last night she decided to sleep on the back porch. Russell decided to keep her company and stayed out there too. What a pal.

So at 12, Skye has slowed. She no longer wants to go for long walks, especially now that it is so hot. She just likes to wander through the neighbor's yards search for cat food and other things she can turn in to food. She likes to sit in the shade. For her birthday I gave her bath yesterday, but told her it was a spa treatment. 

                                                 Happy Birthday Skye!

young Skye

Financial planning done

Major goal attained! I have been working towards this day for over two years. My goal was get everything organized and not draw from my investments until June when I would get my health insurance through Medicare. One is awarded Medicare only after being officially disabled for two years. I guess they figure many will die during that time, saving the governement the extra paperwork.

My finances have been so unmanageable as my medical bills were so high from the initial illness and made worse by continuing large bills at random and not so random intervals. In the past twelve months I've spent close to $20,000 on health related costs. The year before that, way more. It was nearly impossible to make any kind of budget.

Now that I have Medicare I should not be hit with large medical expences. I organized my bills the other day. I still have one medically related bill left from the past year, I'll have that knocked out in another year.

Everything is in order and as long as nothing changes (yea, right) everything is settled. My goal is to be completely out of debt with the year, or so. Then I'll just be poor.

Monday morning errands

Monday is bill day. The day I check my latest bills. With medical bills one must read very carefully and generally make phone calls. Groan. Happily I have nearly paid off all my medical bills. Cancer is very expensive.

Off to get my eyes checked. Can't wait to get my close vision back.

Forgot to mention if you are looking for a good mandolin, Mid-Missouri Mandolins are now made by Big Muddy Mandolin. Same Mando. Solid woods. (link here>)  big muddy mandolin

Well, better get moving. Time and Tide Wait for no Man.

Mid-Missouri mandolin

   I've started the re-learning process of playing the mandolin. I am finding it fairly easy so far. Maybe because I've been learning new chords for the past two and a half years. Maybe because my fingers are stronger from all the playing time.

   I have been hitting the books, so to speak, to find out more about the mandolin I bought in 1998 (?), at Merlefest, the famous Bluegrass festival. Which was also where I bought the Santa Cruz Custom Dreadnaught this past April. Yes, now two impulse purchases at Merlefest. I bought the mando from some fellow who was a pretty famous player, who was living near Asheville, NC.

   I think I had been looking at mandos before buying this one. Somehow the memory is very faint. I think I was unemployed at the time, another strange habit I have. That is buying guitars when I'm broke. Maybe it is I just have time to play. Anyway, the mando I bought was made by the Mid-Missouri Mandolon Company. I recall after owning for a while the back cracked and I sent it back to the factory where the owner repaired with a higher quality back. The company went bust after a fire and being screwed by the insurance company, in 2008.

   My model is the M-2 which has a Sitka Spruce top and a Maple back and Side, Honduras Mahogany Neck and Rosewood fretboard. I think it has a really sweet tone. James, the tech who worked on it this week, was quite impressed with the instrument and he has a room full of mandos there at the store.

   Today I played my Mando (spruce and maple), and then my Hofner bass (spruce and maple), then my Gibson J-200 (spruce and maple). Interesting, huh? Then I played one of the Yairi DY-67 and finally my Yamaha. About 3 hours total.

   Maybe my Gibson search will end up with me getting a Dove (spruce and maple) or maybe a Songwriter (spruce and rosewood) or a Hummingbird (spruce and mahogany). Besides I haven't the funds for another guitar right now. But, it'll be fun to look and perhaps a deal will present itself in my future. Hell, I got the J-200 for only $1300. I looked at a 1956 Gibson Southern Jumbo (spruce and mahogany) the other day. Only $2200. I bet they'll drop it 10%. OK let's not go there right now, lol.

   I'd like to welcome readers from China, Ecuador, and Great Britain.

medicare physical

So just got home from a 2 hour Medical exam required for acceptance into the Medicare program. I am being asked; Am I married, "no" Do I drink alcohol, "never" and then, Do I use drugs, "no I don't need them, I'm not married!" haha. I'm in great shape, although when I got on the scales I thought, well I could drop 10 pounds.

Let the puppies roam the yard when I got back and in just a few minutes Russell rolled in something that smelled awful. Then Russell got a bath. Next, comes the brushing.