I got the music in me...

 

If you said, "The Kiki Dee Band, 1974," you get 25 bonus points.

I've had a lot of music going on the past week.  A week ago, it was music with the Hip Replacements at Mark's.  Then, Friday with Allan's group (totally different guys, different music).  Over the weekend and into Monday, I was restructuring my pedal board, working it around a different vocal harmonizer - I don't use that as much with Mark and the guys because we have either 4 or 5 vocalists, depending on the grouping.  Let me explain that...

Mark and I have played together in various bands since we were 15 years old.  About 10 years ago, he and I started making music again while Joan and I were spending a couple months each winter in Arizona.  Mark started volunteering at MIM (the world close Musical Instrument Museum) and met other people with similar interests.  That group grew into a collection of 5 guitar players; 6 when I would be in Arizona.  A friend of Mark's (an in-law of his sister's) from Iowa became the 7th.  We get together once every two weeks or so for the fun of it.

 

fA "sub-set" of that group is the Hip Replacements...

 We play out on occasion.  That is Ron on the left (percussion, guitar, mandolin, vocals), me (guitar and vocals), Mark (guitar and vocals), and Podge (bass and vocals).  Podge came to that group from another group that Mark was occasionally playing with - are you keeping track here?

The Hips rehearsed at Ron's house yesterday for an upcoming gig, learning a couple new songs.  And not today, it is the big group again at Mark's house.  That's 4 rehearsals or jams, plus the playing and vocals I did at home while dialing in the pedalboard.  That's a lot of playing and singing for these old fingers and vocal cords.  I feel it this morning.

There are ebbs and flows with the frequency of these get-togethers.  Last year, into November and early December, it seemed to be a lot.  Then, some time off around the holidays.  It is building up again right now, but will drop off during the summer, when the different players tend to get away from the desert heat.  I'm hoping to be a part of that "escaping" for some of this upcoming summer, considering the record-breaking heat we've already been experiencing here.  But, that's a whole 'nuther topic. 

Craw...

 

Yes, I am talking about gas prices again.  It is something that really sticks in my craw... and I'm not sure I even have a craw. 

Here's a definition: "Stick in the craw" (or "stick in one's craw") means to cause lasting bitterness, resentment, or annoyance. It describes something—a remark, event, or situation—that is difficult to accept, tolerate, or swallow because it feels wrong or unfair."

We are involved in an undeclared war (some call it a "war of choice") that will upend the global economy.  The President is saying that oil prices will "drop like a rock if Iran accepts the deal."  The deal?  This isn't a buying decision.  This whole situation is bazarre - the US thinks Putin is evil because he is bombing a sovereign nation, but we stand by while this US President does the same thing.

Politics aside, the price of gas nationwide has gone up 97¢ per gallon in the past month.  The price of gas in the Phoenix area has gone up $1.37 in the same time.  So, not are we higher to start with, the increase is even more.  The average price for a gallon of gas in the US is now $3.95, as reported by one of the networks this morning.  The gas station closest to us was $4.99 yesterday.

My scooter peeps are thinking this will be a turn-around for the downturn in scooter sales.  A typical 150cc scooter will get around 100 mpg.  Others in that group think that more people will turn to e-bikes rather than anything that uses gas.

My RV people are saying they are re-thinking plans for upcoming trips.  Class B RVs like our RoadTrek have been in a downturn for sales.  Some are thinking this current gas price situation may make some people think about trading in their bigger RVs that get 6 to 8 mpg for a Class B that gets 16 to 18 mpg.

Me?  I just lament for what this situation will do to the US and global economies.  Expect your dollar to buy less as the cost of everything increases.  Expect the stock market, which has been relying on consumer spending, to suffer.

I may need to get a bigger craw.

 

Pedals...

 

Another bicycle post?  No, but thanks for asking.  And since you brought it up, Joan and I got out for a bicycle ride this morning, before it got hot.

She proposed.  What?  No, we're already married.  Let me finish: she proposed SmashBurger for lunch.  I accepted.  No ceremony, but the food was good.

When we got back, I went into the music room to work on my pedal board.  The TC Helicon Play Acoustic pedal has been acting up.  Again.  I decided to take my pedalboard apart and start over.  Basing it around a different TC Helicon harmony pedal (that I had before the Play Acoustic; yeah, it's old) and the latest Mooer multi-effects pedal.  And, an octave pedal.  And, a small tuner.

Should be easy, right?  It takes time, but I think I will enjoy this set-up...

 I have been playing more electric than acoustic lately, and this pedalboard set-up reflects that.  Plus, as you may have noticed: there's room for a couple more pedals... if I find something I can't live without.  And for the record, I can live without.  ;-)

 

A Rave...

 

Yesterday's post was about earbuds or a headband with speakers that I use to fall asleep.  Last night, while sleeping, there was a rave in our house.  I got up to pee and was surprised by the thumping bass and the flashing lights.  And a DJ - "Put your paws in the air!"

 

I assumed it was a dream and went back to bed.

Look at these faces...

 

Pretty sweet, huh?  I took those this morning while Murphy and I were outside first thing this morning; Murph laying on the pavers and Stella looking through the glass of the patio door.  And then when Murphy and I came back inside...

 Sharing the chair to get a view outside.  Yep, sweet.

But, when I got up this morning, there was evidence that what I saw during the night wasn't just a dream.  Towels were pulled off the rack in the bedroom; the weather station screen was knocked flat; table runners in the hall and living room were askew; rugs were balled up; cat food crumbs by the kitchen sink; cat toys scattered about.

It took me a while to get things picked up before I could start their breakfast.  Then, after kitty breakfast, Murph and I go outside.  A treat for both when we come back inside.

And now, a half hour later...

 Yeah, they're both sound asleep.  They had an exhausting night.  They also like to nap at night before bedtime.  I think we'll keep them awake during that evening nap time tonight... something that will help them sleep through the night.

 

Sleep Sounds...

 

The best songs for sleep generally feature slow tempos (60–80 BPM), minimal lyrics, and calming melodies to lower heart rate and reduce stress.  According to research (who can stay awake during this research??), the top songs to fall asleep to are: 

• Weightless by Marconi Union
• Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
• Strawberry Swing
  by Coldplay
    

 Is that something an artist strives for?  "Here's a little number that will put you to sleep."  ;-)

For years, I have listened to podcasts to fall asleep.  That's about all my old iPad Mini was good for, but it served me well for a bunch of years.  Since getting the new iPad Mini and learning how to best download podcasts for sleeping, I have run into some snags.  The 100+ scooter related podcasts I listened to (over and over) are no longer available.  I have been searching for podcasts that are a topic I find interesting, but not so interesting that I want to lay awake listening to them.

I have two ways of keeping those audios to where I am the only one who hears them: a headband with flat speakers in it, made by a company called Acoustic Sheep... getting it?  Counting "sheep."

 And a set of earbuds make specifically for sleep: they are small and don't stick out beyond your ears, so they are reasonably comfortable for us side sleepers. 

 There are issues of sorts with each.  I've had a least a half dozen of the Acoustic Sheep headband setups over the years.  The first ones were corded, so I would tend to wrap that cord around some body part as I tossed during the evening.  When they came out with the wireless versions, it was a definite upgrade.  I've had a couple of those that lasted less than a year because the wiring inside (between the controller and the speakers) broke.  Plus, that headband can be warm.  That was the reason I popped for the SoundCore A20 Sleep earbuds.  For some reason, with the new iPad Mini, the A20s are not lasting through the night.

So, I am messing with each of these "sleep aids."  'Cause I'd like to get a full good night's sleep.

This sleeping with some sound started a long time ago.  When I was a kid and had a hand-me-down transistor radio.  By the time I was about 8, another hand-me-down: a clock radio... it would pull in stations from further away (WLS in Chicago, KOMA in Oklahoma City, WHO in Des Moines, KAAY in Little Rock).  And, a really cook feature: a little knob you'd twist - it was a timer, giving you about an hour of listening before it would turn the radio off.  Great for a kid already awake past his bedtime.

When I was 11, I got a hand-me-down TV from my Aunt Bessie: a black and white beast in a wood cabinet that would only get one channel: KTIV, the NBC affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa.  I would watch the Tonight Show every night in bed and the Today Show in the morning before heading to school.

I still watch TV in bed, but when the timer goes off on that, I listen to podcasts.  Through earbuds or tiny flat speakers that don't keep my darling wife awake.  Even though it wakes me up when the headband cuts into my ear... or the earbud stops playing a podcast and starts up what it thinks is "relaxing" music (it isn't)... that sounds like a dirge.

I'm working on it.   

The First Day of Spring...

 

That's what the calendar says.  Mother Nature laughs at your puny calendar...

The high today is forecast to be 106º.  Weather Warnings on TV telling people to stay indoors between 2 and 6 pm...

 There is talk online about an "exodus" from the desert, with snowbirds (RVers) who come to spend the winter in Arizona places like Quartsite, living off-grid, moving north.  I get that.  Most RVs are not equipped to run air conditioning 24 hours a day unless they are plugged in.  Our high-tech whiz-bang RoadTrek with the lithium batteries can handle about 7 to 8 hours of running the A/C without needing to recharge the batteries - either plugged in to electric, the solar panels, or (best re-charging) via the "under-hood generator."  And, realistically, that isn't going to happen 24 hours a day.  And, if you are sitting out in the desert (boondocking) when it is over 100º, you are going to be pretty miserable in an RV.  Fact.  So, I get that "exodus."

It is just damn hot.  And, way too early for this kind of heat.  We are 20 to 30º warmer than what is typical right now.  It causes me concern for what this upcoming summer is going to be like.

 Oh, and Happy Vernal Equinox!

 

Bicycle... Bicycle...

 

If you said, "From the Queen song 'Bicycle Race,' 1978," you get 20 bonus points.  No, I did not get out on my bicycle today (high temp predicted: 105º).

I went out to the garage before 9:00am and the heat of the day... decisions.  A motorcycle, 2 scooters, and 2 e-bikes.  To be fair, it is the Burgman's turn.  I geared up and before heading out, grabbed my 360 camera.  79º when I rolled out of the driveway.

I didn't have a plan for the video, just wanted to try some editing on the iPad Mini.  The riding was good - comfortable temperature to start.  Very little traffic.  A great day for some time on the scoot.

"What about that whole Bicycle thing in the title, Jim?"  Thanks for asking.  I passed a couple bicycles along the way; coming down the mountain, I had to "work" a bit to get around one guy on his road bicycle.  A while later, I looked in my review mirror and he was close behind, gaining on me.  I may or may not have been exceeding the 25 mph speed limit... he was absolutely exceeding the speed limit!  On a bicycle.  With only a bike helmet for safety gear; typically dressed in Spandex bicycle shorts and a jersey.  I wasn't wearing a motorcycle jacket (bit too warm for that), but I did have a full-face helmet, motorcycle gloves and armored mesh riding pants.  He had those skinny tires you see on road bicycles.  Nothing about that sounded like fun to me.

When I got home, I got in the shower, then did a few chores before taking Joan out for pizza for lunch (her request).  Back home, I started downloading the 360 videos on the iPad Mini.  Yes, that works.  I shot about a dozen short clips.  While editing them from 360 to "flat" video, I decided to let the Insta360 artificial intelligence video editor work up one of the clips.  It has been months since I've done that, and I wanted to see what has changed...

 Not much.  The edits weren't as smooth as I would do them, the "music" it used for the background was the same as last year.  The saving grace: I clicked one button, and a minute later, I had this video.  I added some captions.  Fast and easy.  And predictable.

That said, it would take me a couple hours to get a "video memory" of that ride.  It would look better; I would have put a voice over on it; added some decent music.  But... fast and easy. 

Using a "pencil" with the iPad Mini, the editing was not bad.  The Mini handled all the video downloading without breaking a sweat.  Better than I expected.